March 2004 Archives

Kevin,
As I sit looking through your web site I thought I'd usher in a few arcane ruminations. "Scrolling through the blog with an opt half open mind, traveling through the seas usually tuned up at the time" thats to the tune of "dancing through the snow", it's for all the times Terry would whistle Frosty the Snowman before a bell run. With the lyrical talents of Terry and Max's kareoke experience, I'm sure the tune will be on everyone's mind prior to a bell run. Terry if you need some inspiration, just hink of the times Bob Watkins would send you the bell scrubber wrapped in a plastic bag. "We do that all the time." Or maybe Mark Mohawk could add some flavor to the tune while having his boot removed by an undiffussed pipe as he opened the flood valve. I could hear him singing in the bell, while he was at the end of his hose.

I'm still having trouble figuring out the names of all those young guys displayed in the photo's. If only a camera played all the time while caged in the "can". We could see Hoardy boy poop on himself, Wade breaking his ginsu knife, Winklund sound asleep with his brief case spilled open on the floor while Smoker wrote every one $5,000.00 checks on Rays account. "I say, I say" Those moments can only be replayed in your mind.

Remember when you tell your wife or supervisor "I wouldn't do that". It's going to get interesting.

As Ralph Bonin would say. "There's Smoker in the overhead and zips in the wire."

Kevin, I have the shock collar out if you want to test it out on your dog. Seemed to work well on Matt Bouer.
Tom

Here he is breaking every safety rule known to Peter J. Goodman. This was when it was still fun to work offshore.

I didn't think I ever saw this guy slow down to the point of actual unconciousness. He must have worn himself out trying to hang onto that hair!

This was my first experience working on a foreign flagged barge. That's me in the swimming pool. Zack Whitson's on the left and Denzel Reid on the right. At shift change we heard a dull rumble and before we could figure it out twenty Spaniards charged around the corner and jumped into the pool. They swam with their eyes closed and their hands balled into fists. It was like being in a mosh pit. They beat the hell out of me before I got out of the water. I got an ear infection on that job and Chuck Mowry couldn't figure out how a tender that didn't make a dive could get an ear infection.

I invited a housefull of friends over for Christmas dinner and cooked a goose and a couple of ducks then, after dinner, took up a collection from everybody. They thought I was pretty cheap until I loaded them up and went to the store and bought a carton of Pall Mall unfiltered, ten bottles of MD 20/20 and ten bottles of Thunderbird. Then they thought I was crazy. Next stop was Camp St. I met more ex "Captains of Industry" that night than I can remember. I ran into one of them a couple of years later. He was a cook on the GP 37!

This picture is from 1978. That's Bart "Rootboy" Brown from New York. One or two companies had just started making a stink about hardhats and we had a hardass supervisor named Jim Lewis who decided it was his mission in life to give me a hard time. He thought he had me when he told us at the dock that anyone without a hardhat and boots (they didn't have to be steel-toed) would be left at the dock. I pulled out that WW2 bucket and a pair of cowboy boots and he just about fell over. As you can see I made the job.

You asked for it Tracy. We called this guy Hollywood. His real name is Curtis Bulka (I think). This was my "breakout" job. 220 ' of water walking pipe. On air! We'd make about 5 dives each a week and then head for Cameron for a night of serious deco. That job lasted for 7 weeks. Back then they would hold your checks for you at the shop. I remember picking up my checks and, after ogling them, hurrying out the door before someone grabbed them and said there had been a mistake.

No hardhats. Just cutoffs and leather sandals. Yea, those were the days.....

The first time I ever saw one of these I was trying to describe it and told someone it looked like a plucked chicken. Years later I found out it's called a Long Nosed Batfish. I took this picture with Tracy Kitchens camera at 360 feet. He mailed me copies and as I was looking through them Katie looked over my shoulder and said "that looks like a plucked chicken"! Go figure.

I concur with his astute artistic sensibilities!

It must be a treat to be Home alone, huh Kev?
I get a call on my cell, it's friday night and of course I'm home , but this call at night from you? And your asking for my dues ? OK, ok, please don't take away my Union Card!
I wonder after hanging up, it must be a treat for him to be home alone. He doesn't get that privilege much.

One of these guys, allegedly, was spotted swimming naked at Jazz Fest. Note to self; find that picture.

Most of you know the story behind this picture. It was one of those "best time, worst time" scenarios. But damn Hawk looks good!!

Let's all raise a glass to the tenders of the past. Those that made it, those that faded, those that never even made the grade and those we thought would never last.

Saw a few from each category Sunday. Not as big a turnout this year as in years past but still managed to run into a few guys I hadn't seen in a while. Grandpa was there. Saw Gene Thibadeaux, a little rounder and grayer. Electric Dennis was absent so no break dancing demos. Cal Dive had the biggest contingent. The only Global types besides me was Jimmy Marano and Jack Steinmetz. There was a ton of food though. Lots of crawfish and deer sausage. They were still pulling venison off the pit when I left at 7. Dick was still hobbling around. He looks like he'll make a few more. The band was from Memphis. Some relation to Dick. They were pretty tight but I can't remember their name.

Anybody got any good Joe Roberts stories?

DSDE

How was the divers reunion?

Kevin and the kids showed up at a Crawfish Boil at the Baranowki's without me. Mark, your lovely wife Katie, approached 4 year old Amy and asked where her Mama was. To which she replied " Mama's got a headache, and Daddy got a GOAT!

Sure, it's funny...now!!!

Another great day at Tommy Woo's. The weather was excellent the bugs were perfect and the artichokes were hotter than the sun. For entertainment Bennie Begley did a nose-over on his ATV. Unfortunately I missed it as I was out seeing how fast Toms new Expedition would go (it gets a little squirrelly at 120 mph). Just kidding Paula, I didn't go one mph over 110. Not all of the usual suspects showed up so it was a real intimate affair. Not even a car wreck could keep Pablo away. A moment of silence for Tony the Taurus.
GLBL nosed up this week. It's got a long way to go before anybody that I know gets to excited although if you had picked some up a couple of months ago you might be getting a little giddy. I'm waiting to go out on Tippy Kanews (read Pioneer) this week. We've got some bell guides to install down to 750' and then I think some hook up work at 450'. I can't wait til the mighty Sea Lion comes out of drydock. If I had my druthers I'd druther work on it. Speaking of the Sea Lion I finally got my book back from Capt. John R. Donovan. He only had it for four years. For those of you who haven't been following this vignette I lent him "Death in the Silent Places" by Peter Hathaway Capstick (an excellent book on hunting in Africa) with the promise he would hang on to it til we hooked up on the boat again. A couple of months later he tells me he, in turn, lent it to a friend of his. Then he tells me his friend denies he ever lent him the book. You know me, a chink in the armor and I can't help myself. I was on him like a bum on a muffin for the next four years. It got so bad he was catching fish and CLEANING them for me to get me off his back. Sitting around his house one day he looks up at his bookshelf and realized his friend was right. I'm gonna miss those fillets.
Anybody heard from Auggie Bottoms lately? Ciao, DSDE

I'm mugging Kevmo's login. I never meant to have an account of my own, but maybe I oughtta. We're going to Tom Allen's place for a crawfish boil. My first this season! The weather is sunny, temp in the low 80's, perfect except for the humidity.As many of you guys know, Tom and Paula have the greatest place for parties. His new deck, pool and hot tub are beautiful! Oops, Kev's ready to go! Talk amongst yourselves, I'll give you a topic: "Crawfish boils you don't remember!" Ciao! Katie