Jim Sayce
I’ve spoken before in praise of our Oyster Shell Telegraph – the faster-than-lightening rumor circuit here on the Peninsula. There is always a thread of recognizable truth or reality in it, although one has to allow for leeway in the details. Sometimes, though, when the message along the line involves me, I am sore amazed at where the glitches are.
Take yesterday at the Community Historian meeting. Jim Sayce and I, as members of the Advisory Board (or you could probably just call us “the old farts” now that Jim is 60) were sitting off to the side. At some point, Jim interjected a bit of wisdom about opportunities that would come to CH members to speak at various functions about their area of expertise. He mentioned that he would be speaking at the Pacific County Historical Society’s annual meeting on February 8th.
“Because their speaker crapped out,” he said.
“That would be me!” blurted I. And we all laughed. I got only a tad defensive about the “crapped out” part and explained that I had agreed to a February 15th date but when they suddenly had to move it up a week to the 8th, I couldn’t do it. Nyel and I are hosting classical guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan in a house concert that day. (Crapped out indeed!)
Shell Pile in Oysterville
That was the second short circuit in the Oyster Shell line within a couple of days that involved me. The other one was an email from my neighbor Sue who said she had “heard” that I was wondering about the Bardheim barn and said that her nephew Dan could probably be of help. I haven’t seen Sue to ask where that one came from but I think maybe someone misinterpreted one of my recent blogs about the buildings that we have lost here in Oysterville since we became a National Historic District. I know precisely what happened to all the buildings I mentioned, including the wonderful big barn, so I was a bit flummoxed at the offer of assistance.
I’m sure there are other rumors, misunderstandings, and part-truths “out there” involving me. I can only hope that they are fairly benign like these recent ones were. But you never know with the Oyster Shell Telegraph. It behooves us all to listen with a bit of healthy skepticism…
Ah, Sydney, if one thinks of you as a lustrous pearl in the midst of a shell pile, your “popularity” is understood. Just continue with your reporting, your comments, your risking at reporting! Your pals in Cali love reading your blog and appreciate your honesty and integrity.