Friday 4 December 2009
by Bill McDonald
(transcribed and edited from Bill’s notes
by his niece, Bev Wigney (Kay)
Early Years
Laying in bed at night, my mind wanders back to when I was a small boy raised on the shores of the mighty St. Lawrence River. My mother said I called it Beautiful River. The cottage was beside the canal locks and ships from around the world locked through. Some were pretty nicely painted, while others were covered by rust patches. Four brothers worked on the ships and I would greet them when they tied up. The days were warm and sunny with lots of fish. Anybody that wanted fish would come to our cottage. Father had a fish box that kept the fish alive. Dad would yell down, “Clean two bass for the captain!” I would clean them quick and run them up.
The canal separated us from the main land, so we had a swinging bridge. Traffic would stop at a barrier and the bridge would swing open. Sometimes we would help the man swing the bridge which had something like handle bars on a bike, only big. I am sure we rode the bar more than we pushed. The bridge was built on a steel frame. The top was about thirty feet from the water. I would get halfway up then lose my nerve. Older guys dove off. The ships went by about ten feet from the bridge. We would yell at the crew and they would yell back. Sometimes we would get some food from the cook while the ship was tied up. I remember getting a big bone which I took home to my mother. She probably hugged me for it.

I used to sell minnows for ten cents a dozen and I sold quite a few. Also, I sold fish every Friday. I had some customers for fish. I only got ten cents for a big bass, maybe fifteen cents for a big Pike. Mrs. Wilson would buy an eel for ten cents but only alive in a pail. But ten cents was not bad as a drink like CocaCola was five cents.
Our house in town was used mostly in fall and winter. It was made of stone with very thick walls and was cold in winter. We had a Jersey cow and I would bring her home for Dad to milk. Mother always had hens for meat and eggs. We had a small barn for the cow, and some chickens, and my pigeons. Every year, we had a Jersey calf. Dad usually sold it. Mother did fish and fruit in jars for winter. The jar of fish was like salmon, and was a help in the winter for food. Our clothes were made by her on an old sewing machine. Mother was a wonderful person and very talented. My pigeons were only common barn ones. A man named Ellis had some pigeons called “nuns”, fantails, etc.. I used to sit and watch them as they were sure pretty. One day, he asked me if I liked them. I said they were pretty and he said, “They are all yours.” Well, I could not believe it. I sure was happy to take them home. We had a feed store in town and I would sweep the floor for grain. This is how I fed my birds. I am sure Mr. Ellis had money as he was always dressed nicely. He sure made a little boy happy.
One day, I was making a pond out of rocks. I would catch small fish and put them in the pond. A big dog came to me. She was from a ship and we became the best of friends. Where I went, she went, in the boat or wherever. Dad wanted to have a litter of pups, so he took her to Morrisburg. Dad left her with a man who had a lot of dogs. When he went back after a few days, the man said the dog had died. Dad said he probably sold the dog. I sure missed her.

Iroquois had its own power plant. On the way to school, I passed close to it. You could hear the big generators humming and the sound of waterfalls. The town used coal in winter and a freighter would tie up at the town docks and unload coal. There was eighteen feet of water and the bottom had lots of clams. We would have a game of who could bring up the most clams. We also had a cheese factory and for five cents, you got quite a few curds. All the men on the locks had an ice house. The ice was in layers covered with sawdust. I used to bring a block back to the cottage.
My brother, George, pretty well raised me. I was his legs for years. George used dad’s car to pick up apples and plums from orchards. We sold a lot of fruit to the guys on ships. The Norwegian ships always bought a lot. George also took people out fishing. He was probably the best bass fisherman on the river. George, used to run a restaurant called “Mac’s Quick Lunch.” They served chicken on the bun which was real tasty. I used to clean and clean chickens. I sure cleaned a lot. I got ice cream and candies for payment.

George and I trapped muskrats from the boat. Sometimes, I would set a trap on shore for him. George was a good swimmer and he could float on his back and read a book. He also played accordion in a small band. There was not much George couldn’t do. He was a real wheeler-dealer. He sold Paula products to farmers, like fly spray, and food products. Sometimes, he would take chickens in payment. Once, he came home with a Dalmatian dog. When you’re small, you don’t realize how hard things were. I had my beautiful river and freedom.
I was terrified of a barber chair as it looked like a dentist chair. Well, Dad would bring the barber from across the street and he would cut my hair at George’s restaurant. I got a haircut for school in the fall. Mother would trim out hair in the summer. I will never forget the barber. He was bald-headed and wore a wig like wings. I would say, “Dad, has he ever got funny hair.” Well, Dad would just laugh.
I had a friend whose father was a vegetable garden farmer. They grew a lot of vegetables for sale in the village. One time, he had no sale for watermelons and cantaloupes. Well, my buddy, Doug Armstrong, had a wagon with side racks. We got the melons for free. We would load the wagon and sell them real cheap. There was always some way to make a little money.
Doug was older than me and, I think, my best friend. He would always share fish money equally. Doug’s mother, Ethel, made candy. Sometimes I would stir the chocolate and lick the spoon when I had the chance. Ethel was good at candy-making. All kinds – hard candies called jaw breakers, cinnamon, some real hot. Doug had a brother named Bill who was a real big man. He died young. Doug’s father was an old war veteran. With a broom, he would show us how to use a bayonet. I think he was a little shell-shocked, but he was good to us.
Christmastime was real exciting. The town put up a big tree and we would line up and get a bag of candy. Not much, but if you went in line again, you could get a second bag. I remember one present I got. It was a wind-up train. Boy, that was something. That’s all I remember about Christmas. I am sure we had a lot of fun because our family was a happy one. My mother was so loving. If you had any aches or pain, she would hug us and it seemed to go away. Many times, I would go to their bed at night. Mother and Dad would put us under the quilts. We were never turned away.
Not all times were happy. I still see a buddy who disappeared in the rapids. It was springtime and the water between the high rocks boiled and there were high waves. We would work the boat up along the wall to get above the rapids, then came through getting a wild ride. Great fun, but this time, the boat got away from the wall. It swung sideways and was swamped fast. My father always said to hang onto the boat, so when it surfaces, I hung on. There were three of us – Harris, Bertrand, and me. I can still see him go down and not come up. I had nightmares for a long time. I also saw a guard who fell in and drowned. I was on my way to school and saw them bring him on shore. The river was fast, and cold, and drownings were fairly common.
My father and I did a lot of fishing together and had many peaceful times. Sometimes, father would speak of old times. Once, he told me of his first wife, Julia [Julia Gilligan], who had died of tuberculosis. She just faded away as there was no cure. I still see a tear roll down his cheek. I loved my father very much. He was a good man and loved his family very much.
After the St. Lawrence Seaway was done, and the land flooded, I took my mother by boat to show her the new locks. She said, “I don’t want to see any more.” Mother was crying. All the old shoreline was gone. Our beautiful Indian Island was covered with stones dredged from the bottom of the river to make a channel for the big boats. The shoreline has no wild berry bushes like the ones we used to pick. The rice beds for ducks are all gone. Our beautiful island, once covered with hickory and butternut trees was now only a pile of ugly rocks. Now our fishing is bad due to chemical pollution. The river is no longer swift as it was before. Maybe it had to come, but it hurt a lot of people. [note: for more info on the effects of the flooding as a result of the St. Lawrence Seaway, see The Lost Villages]

Mother raised us with the help of the river. We ate a lot of fish and sold a lot of fish. Dad had made an old stove mounted on stone. In summer, Mother did all the cooking outdoors. Mother made real good bread.
Our first cottage was very large and built on piers. You brought your boat in under the cottage and came up through a trap door. The veranda was built over the water and you could dive in and we could fish off the veranda in about twelve feet of water. I once saw a muskie that caught a rock bass I had on my line. We had a single barrel shotgun, and if a flock of ducks landed, I would tell ma. She would give me one shell and I would sneak up and fire. The gun really kicked, but I would get some. One time, I was sneaking in long grass and I saw my neighbour doing the same. I let him have the shot and he got none. His name was Angus and he was cross-eyed. Dad tells of a time when they were driving railroad spikes. Dad said, “Angus, do you hit where you look.” He said, “Yes, sir, Garfield.” Dad said, “You better hold the spikes.” He was a good friend of our family. A good guy named Moore Lannin always brought me some gum. I had to find it in his pockets and we would laugh. I will always remember him.
Always when up river, we would bring home firewood. Mother would tell me how many bass she needed using my fingers as a count. I had a long bamboo pole and using minnows in fast water, I would catch bass. Once, I had a huge muskie take my bass. He was huge – maybe fifty pounds. His big jaws clamped onto my bass and I watched him spit the bass out then grab it again. Finally, my line broke. We used to do a lot of spearing in the fall. We would a fish called Red fin sucker. Mother would cut them up and bottle them. Sometimes a fish would come in under the cottage [note: the cottage was built partly over the river]. I would get the spear with its long handle and open the trap door. Mother would let me spear the fish. She sure had a lot of patience. Maybe that’s why we all loved her so much. One time a big muskie started to eat our baby ducks. Bob got the spear and stuck him, but he tore the spear from Bob’s hands. They found him downriver floating with the spear in him. He was a big fish.
Our town had no movie theater as the town council thought it was not a good thing. So, we would hitchhike to Morrisburg to see a show. I went with Doug Armstrong, who was older than me, to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Every time the Hunchback would come on the screen, I would hide under the seat. Doug would tell me when he was gone. It sure was a scary movie, played by Lon Chaney. Most entertainment was the radio. Hockey Night in Canada with Foster Hewitt. The Shadow, The Inner Sanctum, Fibber McGee and Molly – real comedy [preceding links are to pages where you can download and listen to episodes of these radio shows from the OTRNetwork Library]. I listened to the fight between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling. Dad and Mother used to play cards and they took turns in different houses.

Sometimes, “tramps” as we called them, would come to the door for food. Mother always gave them something. My father cut wood for $1.00 a day. He had a sleigh and was allowed to bring small wood like limbs home at night. I remember piling it in the shed. I now realize how hard it must have been.
My brother, George, had polio and wore steel braces on each leg. He had been to the Childrens’ Hospital in Toronto where they cut his feet, etc… a woman doctor later called them butchers. When I was born, Mother said God had sent me for George to take care of. He pretty well raised me and I was his legs for many years. We sold apples, plums, and papers, to the ships that locked through.

Boats were a great part of our lives as we used them to gather firewood, go to the store, and go fishing. I remember the Indians who lived on an island. Always on their way to town by boat, they would stop at our cottage. Mother would feed them bread and tea. When we went up river about a mile, we would visit them. If the boys were off duck hunting and I would be cold, Louis would put my feet on the open oven door to warm me. One day, Louis brought me a bow and some blunt arrows. Boy, I sure was happy. The Indian couple had two sons and one daughter. One time we had a break-in at a store. The only thing that was stolen was guns and ammo. The RCMP were called in and must have suspected the Indians. They found the guns in a manure pile. I don’t think much happened to them. Another time they had a boat load of whiskey. I guess they got drinking some. The state troopers said they were singing and that they were pretty drunk. They took the booze and sent the Indians home. Lots of whiskey was smuggled across the border as it was during prohibition in the states. A lot of things went on, too numerous to mention.
Our area was apple country, mostly the famous McIntosh apples. John McIntosh is buried beside my grandfather, and its funny not many people know that. I was small and could climb up trees and pick apples at the top, careful not to break a branch. The lady who owned the orchard was named Susy Tindall. She was a nice lady.

We were poor in money, but not in love and togetherness. My father would not go on welfare, he was too proud. Now they would call him stupid, but he had pride. Then the war started and Bob, Lionel and Jim went in the navy. My poor mother prayed for them every night. We saw ships painted turquoise and white come down the river, heading to war. They were called corvettes and were used for destroying submarines. Tanks on trucks drove through the village and airplanes overhead. I was only ten years old and did not know the sadness of war. The locks were all guarded by first world war veterans. Shipping was very important during the war. We had RCMP officers watching the river with field glasses. Many ships ran aground and night and it sounded like thunder. Dad would pick up the captain from these ships and he would phone for tug boats.

My father’s boat was a well known type – 14 foot cedar lap and pointed at each end. Oars were used and it would glide easily through the swift waters. We would row up to Prescott or Ogdensburg, New York. My father was a strong man and the boat moved at a good speed. One time, I will always remember Ernie, my half-brother, Dad and me (I was about 8 years old), standing on the main street in Prescott. I was looking in the window of a hardware store. There, on display, was a Red Ryder BB gun. Only kids with money owned one. Ernie took me in and bought me one. I was really so happy and Ernie was too. He was a good brother and very quiet.
My grandfather was the town policeman, and from what I heard, he was a tough guy. He put a notice in the town paper that all speeders would be dealt with harshly. I did see horses at fast speed come into the village. I guess this is who he was warning. I never knew my grandfather as he died before I was born. He is buried at Iroquois, and also my brother, Jim. Like me, he loved the river and this is where I want to be buried. The graveyard is right beside the river, and you can see the shps going past. When the seaway went through, the old graves were moved to a new site. Water now covers the old graveyard.
I used to play with a friend who lived past a graveyard. Sometimes I would stay near dark. Boy, I would run past that graveyard. I was sure a ghost was chasing me.
I never knew my grandfather or grandmother. But I do remember Dad’s house in the village. We had a Jersey cow and some chickens right in the village. The house was made of stone with very thick walls, but cold in winter. When you got up, you ran down stairs to the kitchen. I don’t remember much about winter. The good memories were all in the summer. But I remember horses and sleighs, some fast sleighs, but mostly two horses and sleds with double runner. We had a mallard duck, and come spring, the mother duck would take her babies to the river. They would stop the traffic and let her cross. She would show up at the cottage for all summer. Mother had goldfish in a pond. A kingfisher got a few. But he disappeared. I don’t know what happened to him, but I have a feeling.
Dad had a big garden in Morrisburg on the canal next to the locks – there were also locks at Morrisburg. We would pick potato bugs and put them in a can of water. We had a boat break free and drift to Morrisburg through the rapids. I brought the boat home along the ege of the rapids. I remember the big waves and swift current.

I never knew how poor everybody was. To me, it was a wonderful life. I had a real good father. Sometimes my mother would ask dad to spank us, but he never did. He would say, “Essie, they are only little boys once.” I think my dad did not have a good childhood. Dad’s father was the town policeman. He must have been a tough guy. They had four liquor bars in town, so I guess he was busy. Dad remembered huge rafts of White Pine and Oak so large they had shacks on them. The river was a source of big Pine and Oak trees. And dad said they were men who were pretty rough.
He remembered Indians coming into town – the chief rode a horse and the women carried baskets of nuts, lots of woven baskets. Later on, it must have hurt them to see their island completely destroyed [by the construction and flooding of the seaway]. I will always remember them as our friends. Now the big ships come in from all over the world, but no contact with the people. Before, they were part of our community. We knew the names of most ships and what they carried. Our cottage was about 100 feet below the wall of the locks. It’s funny, but the noise of the winches and the horn blast never seemed to bother us. Now, with the new locks, you hear nothing. The seaway never paid its way and still does not.
We had a train station and we would walk down to watch the trains come in. Boy, did they blow black smoke from the use of coal. All the parcels were delivered by horse and wagon. I remember the horse was black and white. He would not give us a ride back to town – he was a grouchy old man. Sometimes, the horse wouldn’t move and he would beat it with a stick.
We would stand under the bridge and the train would go over top of us. We would laugh and tell everybody a train ran over us.
Every year, the school had games outside, like running, broad-jump, etc.. I could run because I ran to school from the cottage every day. I had to cross the boat locks, and sometimes the water would be down on one side of the gate by twenty feet. You had to cross gates carefully. Anyways, I won eighty cents in games. Well, I went to Kavanaugh’s shoe store. Hard to believe I bought a pair of running shoes for my eighty cents. They were blue and white. Boy, could I run with them on.
We rarely wore shoes all summer and got lots of stubbed toes and some cuts. Shorts and maybe a shirt. My hair was bleached blonde. We were free all summer — just fishing and boating. Sure was a happy childhood. One day, my father built me a boat and a pair of oars. Boy, was I happy. I had my own boat. I would to to the store in town for mother to pick up things she wanted. I was sure proud. Not many kids had boats – I think maybe two or three.
I was a boy scout – actually, a cub scout. I had a hat and scarf. It was held in the basement of the Presbyterian church. I sang in the United church, and went to Sunday school there. We are Anglicans, but there were not enough kids, so we went to the United Church. One summer, the scouts and cubs had a week’s holiday on the Indian Island. Mother and Dad took me up in the boat. I remember them leaving me crying with the scout master. Well, how could mother leave me, and I watched them row away. But we had a good time with fires at night, hot dogs, etc.. They caught a horse and I can remember it was grey and wild. Boy, it would throw them off real quick. After the first night, I was okay. There were a lot of horses and cattle on the island as farmers paid so much a head for pasture. The Indians swam them over the island which was not far from the mainland. The boat channel was on the south side of the island. A Norwegian ship went wrong side and it took two tug boats to pull it free. They would dig trench like a cross. Then the tugs would tie up to the cross and and pull the ship free. We would watch it as it was something to see.
Later Years

One of the happy times in my life was when I got my pilots licence. I trained at the Ottawa Airport on a Piper Tri Pacer – this was around 1956. I had a hard time on exams but I passed with good marks. It’s funny, before the exams, I had soloed in nine hours. Now you must have fifteen hours. I took my cross-country trip to Montreal. Everybody said I was crazy. Some went to Carp or Smiths Falls, but not McDonald. I flew down, got my log book signed, flew back to Carp, then Ottawa. I will never forget when he said to take her up on solo.

I bought a J3 float plane and was trained at Green Lake, Ladysmith, Quebec. Iverson Harris was my instructor. After 2 hours, he said, “Give me your log book.” He marked 5 hours and said to me get out of here. I few to Constance Lake and tied up. I sure felt good when I looked at her. George and I had lots of good trips to Bryson Lake, Reid Lake, Durang Lake, etc.. After a bad storm, she was damaged with a broken wing. I brought her home and with Bill Wilson, completely redid her with new wings and body covered. When we finished, she sure was pretty in turquoise and white, with orange day-glo wing tips. Floats were silver with shark’s teeth and a big evil eye.

The next best thing was when I bought a 26 foot aluminum boat with a trailer and 90 h.p. Evinrude. I paid $3,300.00 and she was like new. I fished her in Islamorada (Florida Keys) for a few years. She was called the Jenny Maru. Maru is a Japanese sea god who looks after Japanese sailors. I caught a lot of good fish – Groupers, Sailfish, Dolphins, etc..
George and I traveled a lot – Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Trinidad. We sure had lots of nerve. Some places were pretty tough, but I was 180 pounds, no fat. I think that helped. My favourite brother other than George was Jimmy. He had a good, kind heart.
The Florida Keys:
The Keys will always bring back good memories. I spent quite a few winters here and did not miss the snow at home. Ron and Trevor (my sons) went to school down there. I had a big 26 foot boat complete with outriggers. I caught a lot of big fish – Sailfish, Kingfish, Dolphin, Grouper, Shark, etc.. Boy, those were the days trolling skip baits and seeing the line snap from the outriggers.

My friend, Monty Wright was there and we shared a three bedroom apartment – a real nice place for 1,000 a month. Our boats were moored twenty feet from our apartment. The owner treated us like a father. He was a great guy and we could do no wrong. We took him down large blocks of cheese, frozen moose meat, and he was a true friend. I spent about ten winters in the Florida Keys, staying from January to March 15th. I loved the Keys. We could go and catch Blue crabs, small shark and lobsters. We called the area the “back country” as it was in the Everglades on the Gulf side. For Deep Sea, you went under a bridge and took a channe out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Offshore about three miles was the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream is like a Ribbon of Dark Blue Water. I loved it. Sometimes I would be twenty miles offshore. Sometimes it was peaceful with just near calm sea and puffy white clouds. I looked for a weed line called Sargasso weed. Sometimes the weed line could stretch for half a mile. Always caught Dolphin fish, but missed a Marlin that must have weighed 500 to 600 pounds. Boy, he was big. I was upset he did not strike. I went to Captain Knowles who was a famous fisherman in the Keys. He asked what bait I had on and I told him Blue Runners. “Ah,” he said, “if you had Mullet, he would have hit.” Story of my life – I usually had Mullet on.

The Keys had quite a history. The Spanish people were there and took people called Callosa Indians back to Mexico to work in the mines. There are no Callosa left, only Seminoles on the main island. Henry Folger put the railway to Key West – a tremendous effort. The railway was wiped out and many people died due to a hurricane.

The area I fished in was called the Devil’s Triangle. I never saw any devils, but one day, a big nuclear submarine surfaced and scared the hell out of me. The sub was all black and very big and we were about fifteen miles offshore. I miss the Keys, but went back with Ken Larabie and found it discouraging. The back bay is polluted and the islands are all commercial. I loved the bay where we used to get Blue crab and lobsters. Now, due to pollution, the Blue crabs are scarce. Twice, I went to Flamego (?) to fish. The trip was about 80 miles – a long run for one day. We caught some nice sea trout.

I took many people to Key West and had good times looking at old buildings on Duval Street. Hemingway’s home is there. He fished from Key West to Cuba, and caught some really big marlin. I guess anyone going to the Keys would find it interesting, but I only remember it when it was not so crowded. Now, Joanne and I go some place different like the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, or Texas. But my heart will always be in Florida Keys where I had so many beautiful days. But things change, and not always for the best. Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I go back to memories of the Keys and usually fall asleep.
The Arctic
I met and I will use the name Eskimos, at our store, where I sold guns (gun department of Laurentian Trading Post in Ottawa). They loved to see so many guns as they all hunted. We became good friends and they asked me to come and hunt with them. So, one day, I called a friend, Ken Tamin, and he took care of my air trip. I flew to Winnipeg, and then to Churchill, then Rankin Inlet, then to Whale Cove. The Eskimos were glad to see me. I know they had few visitors. I stayed with Solomon Voisey and his wife, Eva. Their English was good but they used Eskimo language a lot – very difficult to understand so I never tried. There were doing things that surprised me. The kids would laugh at me for not eating raw pieces of fish. They would crack bones and eat the marrow raw. I shot two caribou and a large bearded seal. I could have shot a polar bear, but I did not. The river I fished on was called the Wilson River. Water was clear and cold and very swift. Arctic Char and Grayling were easy to catch. I took Joanne (my wife) with me the third time and the Eskimo women and Joanne became good friends. It seems strange to not see any trees only tundra, stones, and water. I saw a human skeleton that was partly exposed – they just covered the body with flat stones. But I guess the wild animals would remove them.

We camped in tents once on a high point you see for miles. Joanne and I built an Inukshuk high on the point. Solomon said when he saw it after we were gone, he would think of us. Solomon belongs to the military called Rangers. They are supplied with 303 rifles and lots of ammo. The people are really proud to be Canadians and learn very quickly. They have in town computers, TV, etc… They are very smart people. I learned a lot about the arctic and I wish the people in the south could see it. My friend, Louis Voisey has a 36 foot boat he travels from Churchill to places along Hudson Bay during ice free times. One time a boat was long overdue and the people were very worried. Then the boat was spotted, all the people formed a circle, including me. An old woman gave thanks to God for their safety. They lost a boat and a man and his daughter . They or the boat were never found. Eva had a net stretched out from shore. We caught nice Char and she gave one to each of the dogs. One day, they killed a whale called a bow head. It weighed about 40 tons. About 50 men pulled it on shore. It sure was a monster. You would wonder how they killed it with only their harpoons in the old days. Now they shoot it. They eat the outer skin which is a fat called Muktuk. I found it not bad cooked, but they eat it raw.
Cuba:
George and I took mother to Cuba with us after father died. We were in Cuba when Castro was in the mountains. The palace was ringed with barb wire and machne guns. We hired a black man called Rod Chester. We paid him $100.00 for a week. Mother enjoyed seeing so many different ways of living. The people in the country were dirt poor. It’s no wonder Castro took Cuba.. The poor people had nothing to lose. Batista was president and cared nothing for the people. We he left Havana, he had millions hidden away in the U.S.
I took mother to a rooster fight, but she did not like it. I told mother we just ate the loser. We went to a big distillery where they made different liqueurs. Mother started to laugh. She said that, if her sisters could see her sitting on a rum barrel, they wouldn’t believe it.

Mother loved the market as there were lots of paper flowers made mostly by the chinese. We saw a church that had painting in the domes far overhead, really something to see. Mother bought a coconut carved like a head. At they airport, they seized it, saying it could carry a message. What a crock. I really believed in Castro, but he did not improve the peasants in the country. They are still dirt poor. His army is well looked after. That’s the way he keeps the country under his control. I asked a taxi driver, who was a woman, “Is Castro bueno?” She replied, “He no good,” and pointed to a beautiful building and said madly, “Army.” When Castro dies, thousands of Cubans in Miami will go home. Some peasants tried to escape by sea. Some made it, some died. I saw a small boat at sea and found out it had a dead boy and two mean barely alive. This was in the Gulf Stream, and I was fishing sailfish. I am sorry I did not pick the boat up as I had room on the bow for it. It shows that things have not improved for a lot of people. I have been back to Cuba with Joanne and it has not improved for many people. But freedom will come and there will be rejoicing. It’s a beautiful island with a lot of history. It’s worth a trip.
Costa Rica:
Costa Rica is interesting. They have rain forests and lots of animals and birds to see. We rented a jeep and Alfred and I traveled to see the active volcano. It had rained a lot and we came to a place in the road where it was completely washed out. I said “Alfred, lets get the hell out of here and go back to the flat land.” Boy, it took out trees, large stones, and the road slid down hundreds of feet. They grow coffee on the side of some hills and people carry bags of beans to the road and a truck buys them. I know they get very little as they all looked poor. We saw some big crocodile. I am sure they ate some cattle. Cattle were everywhere. They lost the contract with McDonald hamburgs. Fences were down and cattle in a sense were free. I did not enjoy it as much as other places, except that I was with my son and we had a good time.
Jamaica:
George and I did a lot of traveling. We went to Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, and Trinidad. We met a man in Kingston, Jamaica, and we became very good friends. His name was Keith. He worked in the water department. George stayed at Discovery Bay, While I went with Keith on his tours of the Island. Keith had a house in the Red Pine Hills. At night, you could see Kingston all lit up. He had a great sense of humor and played tricks on me. I saw small limbs of trees on the ground. He told me a big beetle cut them off and drank the sap. I was told to watch for it and take the 303 and shoot it. As he went into town, I watched for it all day. When he came back, he seemed quite upset that I had not see the bug. Later on, I found out that there was no bug and a man cut them off if they hung down too low. He also had a Spanish cannon from an old ship. Sometimes, after a few rums, he would put a large firecracker in the barrel and fire it off. I asked a man in Kingston if he heard it. He said, “Oh yes, we know Keith has been drinking.”
One night, about eleven o’clock, we drove into a courtyard. Keith honked the horn and a Chinese guy opened the upper window and said “I’ll be right down.” While he was cooking us up a meal, I looked at a bottle of pickled scorpions and all kinds of things in bottles. He told me he was a medicine man and could heal infections. Strapped to his waist was a big 44 caliber pistol. He said it was to shoot chickens in his garden. We you don’t shoot chickens at night, but I didn’t say anything. The Chinese man said he came from northern China and saw lots of snow. I did not ask how he came to Jamaica, but I think he jumped ship, but you don’t ask questions.
I did some diving with a group of young black men. They had a long dug-out canoe made from a big tree. The water was crystal clear. We speared small fish, but I got a bad sunburn. An old chinese woman took vinegar and water [and put that on] and I did not peel. I thanked her for her help. She gave me a big puffer fish dried out and was real friendly. She told me how going to school as a young girl, they would see a sensitive plant. This weed does something strange when you touch it. The branches go down like on hinges. She said they would touch it and say “Shame old lay, you peed the bed” and they would laugh as it dropped its branches for shame.
I met a man in Discovery Bay who was in the first world war. Discovery Bay, they say, was where Captain Cook landed. Old Hassel (?) was bitter on the British Army. He said they were used as cannon fodder. The Germans killed them with cannon and poison gas. He coughed a lot from the effects of gas. His name was Hassel and he had two big Great Danes. Most of the Chinese run the business part of the island. You cannot take money out of Jamaica, so if you sold your house or anything, the money must go in the bank. But weather-wise it is really a beautiful island.
One day, about 40 years ago, I was going to the bank. I saw a really old man coming. He stepped off the sidewalk, bowed his head, and said, “Good morning, young master.” I was shocked, but said “Good morning to you.” He must have been a former slave.
Mexico:
I have been to Mexico many times and always had a good time. Now it seems to be controlled by drug dealers. Even the police are corrupt. It’s too bad the presidente has not stopped the drug trade. I wonder which side he is on. George and I fished sailfish in a 12 foot cartop boat (real stupid). We caught a 9 1/2 foot sail fish. I said “George, look over the side.” “Boy,” he said, “That’s a big fish!” I played him until he was beat, then I hit him with a club. When we came to shore, I hung him in a coconut tree. I told Richard, the caretaker, that the people could have some. Next morning, even the rope was gone. On that trip, we stayed in Progresso, near Merida, on the Yucatan. The fishing was lousy. It’s on the Gulf of Mexico. I like the Pacific side. Jim, my brother, had a house in Guadalahara, and married a Mexican woman named Marcella. I stayed there two days and went over to Manzanillo on the Pacific. I loved it there. Big beach. People were friendly. The fishing was real good. I saw a whale, a leatherback turtle which was huge. Jim caught a marlin that was about 400 pounds.
I am glad I took my friends Tony and Nicollete to Mexico with me. I lost Tony to cancer about a month ago (before this letter dated Nov. 22, 2008). He was a good friend and I will miss him. I just lost my brother, Bert, and will miss him also. I look back on all of the good times we had together. I hope to go back to Mexico in January for two weeks, nothing unforeseen. It’s in Matzalan on the Pacific south of California. Fishing should be real good and I hope to do some. I am a little worried about violence in Mexico, but it is mostly on the Texas border. We were in Texas in 2007 for two weeks with my mother-in-law. She is a good woman, but I found it boring. Acapulco is large and traffic is heavy. People drive like fools. They run red lights all the time. We caught two sailfish. A few miles further on, Joanne caught her first sailfish. Mexico is worth a visit. I remember eating in an outdoor cantina. The cowboys tied their horses to the back of their chairs. I think you could only use horses in that area as the terrain is terrible. Lots of cactus and rough ground. Even a jeep would be no good. Anyways, it is a fascinating country.
Dominican Republic:
A beautiful island and the people were real friendly. Joanne and I stayed two weeks and just swam and laid in the sun and drank beer. We saw the monument for Christopher Columbus who supposedly died there. There is a question – some say he died in Cuba. The beaches were clean and people sold local articles. We bought two pictures, quiet well done, by a local artist. We went by bus to the city and saw stone buildings hundreds of years old. Amazing how well they were built. They used slave labour and I’m sure it was hard work.. I saw no cattle, only goats, and they were real thin. I you want to relax, this is the place to go.
Looking back on life, I did some interesting things.