Ore Boat Cribbage Board
This mighty ore-boat cribbage board, acquired at a rummage sale, is not quite as buoyant as one might expect. Though the peg-holed deck quickly floods, the vessel remains afloat. This cherished antique has all the signs of having been someone’s high-school shop project, so we salute the mysterious nameless craftsperson for the worthwhile contribution to society. It looks like a name may have been penciled on the bottom at one point, but it’s far from legible now.
The fact that someone would conceive of that, and that someone would then make it, and that you would later purchase it at a yard sale, see if it floats, in the proper context of Lake Superior even, take a photo of it and share it with the world, gives me reassurance that being human isn’t such a bad thing.
Thank you for the levity in this world that is dominated by images of ugliness. I needed that.
When I was growing up in Duluth I went to school with a family that made cribbage boards in the shape of ore boats. The last name was Dahl, Monica and Eugene was the first name of the children. I don’t remember if this was the shape of the boats. My grade school was St. Anthony’s and high school was Cathedral. My maiden name was Griffin.