The Invincible Mr. Ed

Last night I once again attended my friend Linda’s Squidfest in Oakland. Every year her dear old dad, Ed, goes out on the Peugeot Sound and fishes for squid, which he brings down to Oakland in a cooler in his trusty (not rusty, trusty) truck. Then Ed and Linda prepare a gourmet dinner, with breaded and fried squid as the main dish, for Linda’s friends. Although I don’t eat fish, there are always other delicious side dishes for me to dive into, like pear, gorgonzola, and walnut salad, or fluffy cornbread. This year was a special one, because Ed, who is now in his 80s, is fighting throat cancer. An avid birder, outdoorsman, fisherman, hunter, and all-around good guy, Ed delights in the beauty he finds in the world that surrounds him. He once had a family of raccoons eating dog food out of his hand in his back yard every night. I reckon he might have done the same with a skunk family had they turned up, just because he enjoys watching critters be themselves. He has a list a mile long of all the types of birds he has seen. He used to build bird houses and once gave us one that we hung from a tree at the Ranch. When he goes out on the Sound to fish in his little boat, everyone knows him and calls hello. He often brings in a salmon to cut up and share with friends and family. This year, his trip to Oakland to treat us to the Squidfest was sandwiched between rounds of chemo. He’s a stubborn and independent guy, who knows how to appreciate the wonders of the natural world. We hope he will hang in there with us for a few more years, but whatever the future holds for him, he is one person who can safely say that he seized the day. He lives in the present, grateful for a beautiful sunset and a calm sea. Long life and many more days of fishing to you, Ed.