River- Horse

Coming into the end of our anniversary cruise a few years ago, I was badly infected with cabin fever.

The fact that the ship was large changed nothing. I wanted out and off. The books I brought were not appealing. I had written pages in my journal. I was bored. My oldest daughter saw the signs.

When we stopped in Ketchikan for a day Arline grabbed me and said: “Dad we are going to find you a book store.”

We asked and walked and found this wonderful little bookstore on the second floor of a building in the older part of the town. http://ketchikanbooks.com/

The owner met us and asked how she could help. “My dad is about to go nuts, sell him a good book to calm him down.” I asked about the author: “William Least Heat-Moon.” He had written a book I really enjoyed: Blue Highways.

I knew he had a later book, and with a bit of searching the store owner pulled a copy of “River Horse” off a low shelf. It saved the day. When we got home, I put the book aside. Recently I picked it up again, tomorrow night, I will finish reading it.

There are not a lot of books that I find riveting. I rarely read fiction, though I have no argument against fiction. I tend to read how to books, and guide books. Once in a while I come across an adventure story that really excites me.

Yet as a kid I think I read all of Richard Halliburton’s adventure stories. I read a lot of sailing adventures, and some about native americans. Mom read me Albert Pason Terhune dog stories. Thoreau fascinated me, and still does.

I intend to do a lot more reading. Some one asked me if I was going to write a book once, and I said: “No, there are too many books being written now.” I need to read more of them.

I had an art teacher once who had served as a judge of a painting contest in Nebraska. He said he was amazed by the number of Sea Scape paintings entered in the competition.

Maybe that is why we dullards like adventure stories.