Ducks and the first time visitor to Alaska

I remember Tom and Harry. They were a pair of running partners. You could not pull them apart. Tom was pretty sharp with occasional pranks.

One of things that a lot of Alaskans do is prank newcomers because they seem to arrive with a lot of preconceived expectations. They seem to think that every Alaskan carries a Bowie knife with them everywhere to jump on an animal and carve them up for dinner.

Anyway, Tom's cousin was coming for a visit and the two of them decided to meet her at the airport like good family members do. It was her first visit to the North Country. The plane was due mid afternoon. That morning Tom went duck hunting and scored a tri of good ducks and left them in the bed of his pickup under a tarp.

I had business at the airport so I wound up witnessing one of the funniest pranks I had ever seen.

Tom's cousin got off the plane and with Tom in the driver's seat, Harry riding shotgun and the cousin in the middle they headed off toward town.

I was behind them and kept my distance because Tom had seen me at the airport and warned me to stay well behind them.

As they were a little out of the airport headed to town, Tom suddenly veered into the ditch, slammed on the brakes and bailed out, grabbing his shotgun off of the pickup gun rack.

He aimed it straight up and fired three fast shots.

Harry and the cousin bailed out the side door almost but not quite after Tom fired.

Tom quickly grabbed the three ducks hidden under the tarp and threw them into the air and they landed on top of Harry and his cousin.

I think Harry knew what had happened but the cousin was really shocked as they gathered the ducks and promised the young lady a nice duck dinner.

I had witnessed the entire thing and could not resist telling the story at Tony's Bar about thirty minutes later.

I wish I hadn't because I guess it spoiled the dinner because Tom, Harry and the cousin ambled in for a fast one and someone started teasing Tom about it.

Still, I wish I had been closer so I could have seen the shock on Tom's cousin's face when the duck landed squarely on her head.   


To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY