We all have days when things don’t go our way, and our intake of salt is greater than our sugar intake. Stuff happens to everyone. Some challenges are greater than others, but nobody escapes them. Take yesterday, for example. I kept thinking about how good a double scoop of ice cream would taste. I argued with myself for a couple of hours until I was convinced it was just what I needed to keep the blues at bay.
There’s a café a few steps from my door. In less than five minutes I had jay-walked my way across the street and placed my order for what I remembered as the most delicious ice cream ever made. The name alone was enticing. With words like caramel and toffee leading the way, it had to be good. After paying almost as much as a half-gallon would have cost, I parked on a bench and swirled the plastic spoon around the cup to capture every drop before it melted. I couldn’t wait to feel the luxury of real ice cream on my tongue.
Here’s where the salt comes in. Not literally, of course. I didn’t taste salt, but neither did I taste toffee, caramel or vanilla ice cream. The recipe had changed perhaps due to the rising costs of cream, cane sugar and all the other ingredients that had made this treat remarkable. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I was disgusted.
It wasn’t just that the mess posing as ice cream was tasteless, it also required chewing. Yes, you read that correctly. I was determined to finish whatever was in my cup even if that meant chewing it. I learned my lesson. The next time I spend hours arguing with myself about what sweet treat I want, I’ll do something else. I’ll open a book and feast on words.
That same afternoon I started reading a book called “Salty” by a fellow called Lon Calloway. I had never heard of him or his book which was sent to me as a gift from his brother, Tim Calloway of Harbor Springs. I had other commitments and it took awhile before I turned the pages written by a self-proclaimed “well-seasoned seadog.” Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. Lon’s voyages took him across the world’s greatest waterways. Some days were sweet — calm seas, glorious sunsets, stellar crews. Some days were as salty as the oceans.
Here are some lines from the book: “Calloway captures the thrill of the action, the pain of the struggle and the power of a good laugh. Whether working as a mate, quartermaster or captain, humor was always close by when he was on deck. ‘Salty’ takes you into this world filled with terror and triumph and delivers a taste of an unfathomable life working at sea… When you’re out ‘on the salt’ the work is rough and the storms have no mercy, yet the sun never fails to reemerge from behind the clouds.”
If you have the slightest interest in a good yarn spun by a great storyteller, “Salty” is for you. I never endorse books but felt compelled to make an exception. This non-fiction book covers over 40 years of Calloway’s experiences as a relief worker on more than 85 vessels. His credentials include Unlimited Captain/First Class Pilot for Great Lakes inland waters, and Master of Towing for work on tugboats in coastal waters. Currently he is Captain on the Neebish Island Ferry in the Eastern Upper Peninsula and worked closely with others to extend the hours of ferry operation. He has a house in Indian River, but for logistical purposes lives mostly in Sault Ste. Marie.
From now on when I hanker for something sweet, I’ll return to “Salty” and chew on true stories instead of tasteless faux ice cream.
To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at sharonkennedy1947@gmail.com. Kennedy’s book, “The SideRoad Kids as Adults,” is available from her or Amazon.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Sometimes things get a little salty | Opinion
Reporting by Sharon Kennedy, Community Columnist / The Petoskey News-Review
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