Friday, February 09, 2007

A Table For Six


Last night (Wednesday)I partook in a ritual that started probably 15 years ago. Back in the days when I was a single man I made friends with a bunch of guys who live in Manzanita and Nehalem. We used to meet at Cassandra’s for pizza every Tuesday night where we’d all hang out and tell stories and lies and gossip.

I don’t have close friends that I hang out with but this is as close as it gets for me in the friend department. It makes me wonder what it is that bring people together in the first place. I often see dysfunctional friendship where you can’t see the thread that binds some people together as friends. The people actually can’t stand one another, but they tolerate one another just for companionship. This is not the case with me and my friends from Tillamook County.

Back to what we call Men’s Night Out. Due to geographic distances and other obligations I have, we no longer meet for pizza every Tuesday. It lost steam when Fawn sold the pizza business, but now once a year we all meet at the Warren Pub in Tolovanna Park. I feel fortunate that all these guys take an evening to head North for my benefit. It is nice to know that my company is enjoyed enough to continue this ritual year after year. I feel deeply honored.

There are six of us who are always there. Sometime someone will bring another guest, and we've sometimes had as many as ten show up for this event. Last night we were just the core of six. It was comfortable.

What I find most interesting about these men is that they are literate. In a world where most men don’t read books, all of these guys not only read, but I don’t think that any of them own a television. One of them has never owned a phone.

Without all the garbage-input from watching TV these fellows have evolved into interesting men with great adventures and great stories to share.

Early this spring two of them will head back to Alaska for their seasonal employment. We four who remain here for the summer will gather stories of our own. We will meet again next February, if not sooner and share more amazing stories, discuss great books and share great laughter over the ironic situations we confront in our day to day lives.

12 Comments:

Blogger Beth said...

I'm trying to take in the existence of a group of men who never watch TV (and one who doesn't own a phone).
How wonderful.
And what a fabulous tradition to get together every year.

6:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Are you hungover?

8:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Guy, you are a good writer, I'm waiting for time to re-read and learn more, the music you like is first on my list, I think I am a type A. Second on my list, research type A's.
Question, how does one let a retired family member know they are sending way,way to many e-mails?

8:59 AM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Beth, these fellows are incredible. They are also very funny, and great story tellers.

No, TH, I never even sniff a drink when I have to drive home on many miles of dark curvy roads. I'm not a real drinker either. I think in the entire last year I've had one glass of wine and maybe four beers. I wanted to get in the habit of drinking when I moved out here, but I lacked committment to follow through. I've only been drunk once in the last 20 years. Yeah, boring I know.

Anonymous, we all have someone who sends us too much email. The solution is to email them a virus.

9:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a great tradition...

I have friends that I don't see very often but when we do we always have a lot to talk about.

And like a favourite pair of jeans it's always comfortable.

11:19 AM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Trish, this would be the perfect time to talk about my favorite pair of underwear, but I'll refrain. I do have a favorite pair, though. Hey, why do they call a single underware garment a pair?

2:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have a friend that tells a good favorite underwear story.

He can wear them 4 times in a row!

Once the right way, once backwards, once inside-out and once inside out and backwards.

4:21 PM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

So you have met Moosehead...

4:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cheap shot. Game on.

For your info Guy - good news - they have come up with a buttocks lifting men's underwear for, ahem, those who's asses are dissapearing.

http://funreports.com/fun/13-03-2006/1346-underwear-0

5:03 PM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Moosehead, I'm beyond hope or even caring about my ass or lack there of... Game over.

10:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Game over - Lets drag someone else into this. I wanted to ask where you got that photo of the dinner table. I seriously doubt that the place you met at looked anything like this.....Looks like the Evidentl-eeeee lady's house.

Did you rip off this photo from WEND-EEEEE's site?

8:56 AM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Correct, the Warren Pub is way too dark and gloomy for photographs, but only use photos from people who don't live around here so as to lessen the chance of getting my ass kicked. On Flickr.com, public posting means public viewing. I'm just adding to the viewing potential.

9:26 AM  

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