In a few weeks we’ll be heading off to the Quinnebog Fishing Club on Old Hen Island in Lake Erie for its annual father-son get-together.
We’ll play cribbage, drink lots of beer, eat until we can’t stuff down any more, smoke some cigars, brush cobwebs from our faces as we do the walking circuit around the little island, toss a few horseshoes, read books on the porch facing the lake, watch some great sunsets, and drink some more beer before staggering off to bed when the generator is turned off. We might even wet a line or two in the forlorn hope of catching a fish. We’ll pray that the temperatures aren’t too warm and the air isn’t too humid, so that we can sleep comfortably on the little cots in the old wooden (and therefore non-air-conditioned) bunkhouse.
It’s always a fun weekend — something that, in reality, demands a special, commemorative t-shirt. So, this year we finally made one.
Russell, as the family’s talented graphic artist, came up with a great design. At his instruction, we’re going with black t-shirts with his original logo featuring a water view of the island on the back and the “Men of Hen” insignia on the shirt pocket on the front. The shirt pocket, of course, makes it easier to carry around a cigar, cutter, and lighter.
I think the t-shirts look very cool, although we’ll have to reserve judgment until some of the less than svelte 50-something men on the trip try them on. Until then, we’ll only say: All hail the Men of Hen!
I recently met with an attorney who had a page of portrait proofs on his desk. He said he used the “extended turtle neck position” when he had the photos taken, stretching out his neck and thrusting his head toward the camera. This technique is supposed to eliminate sagging necklines, double chins, jowls, wattles, and other unsightly neck-related features that are an unfortunate consequence of aging. It also makes your head look slightly larger, which supposedly enhances your attractiveness. (Some psychologists contend that people with larger heads are deemed more attractive because they look more like infants and thereby trigger instinctive protective impulses.) He said it’s just another trick used by cunning celebrities and not typically shared with those of us in the Great Unwashed — like the scene in Broadcast News where the William Hurt anchorman character explains that, when you are on camera, you should sit on the tails of your jacket so that your shoulders fit snugly and your shoulder lines stand out in sharp relief.
