The Southwest Voice

Loading...

Larger Map

larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view larger view

Whenever I hear the phrase, "A pirate's life for me!", I automatically become a little boy of about 10 years old!  You know... wide-eyed, floating in a boat while anamatronic drunken pirates chase "scurvy wenches" and sit atop cannons while singing a merry "yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"  To my right, in the cool, yet clear darkness, is a deserted island with an open treasure chest glistening with diamonds, rubies and gold pieces o' eight.  Just below the treasure chest is a skeleton of some unfortunate scallywag lying on the sand, just out of reach of the much sought-after treasure.  Just beyond that, fireflies dance within the trees as diners enjoy the wonderful New Orleans styled dishes at the Blue Bayou restaurant.  Following that is a host of funny and sometimes questionable scenes that have become somewhat controversial in this politically correct day and age on a children's ride at none other than "The Happiest Place on Earth"... yup, Disneyland!  Nevermind that this ride has been around since 1967!

Why the fond memories of pirate rides and songs?  I was at Barnes & Noble Booksellers last Saturday (April 5th) at our pirate themed Dangerous Boys Club.  We learned what it takes to become a real pirate - from tying knots to creating treasure maps and reading pirate poems!  The club members were encouraged to practice real pirate words and phrases like, "Shiver me timbers!" and "Walk the plank".  They even got a chance to yell into the microphone held by our host, Ryan Young, and give us their best piratey  "Arrrgh!"  We had bags of pirate booty to hand out and even gave away a nice treasury laced book called, Pirateology. 

Here's the cool part... the kids were learning about history (Shhh! They didn't even know it!).  Yes, there's history in pirate tales.  There's knowledge in creating star maps and writing pirate poems using techniques such as onomatopoeia!  There's even history in learning that "the golden age" of piracy began in the seventeenth century and continued into the early eighteenth.  The discovery of the New World and vast wealth there for the taking caused an explosion of privateers - some, like Francis Drake, with the complete authority and knowledge of Queen Elizabeth I. *

We taught the boys about the five knots that every boy should know: The Reef Knot, The Figure Eight, The Bow-Lin, The Sheet Bend and a Clove Hitch (for hitching two things together very quickly).  The boys (and a few girls) remained interested throughout the hour long club meeting (ask any teacher, that's quite a feat!) as they demonstrated their secret hand shake and mentioned their club's secret password that changes every month. 

With 42 children and 25 parents in attendance, you can rest assured that this, The Dangerous Boys Club, will be around for as long as you'll have us!  Join Ryan Young at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 4001 California Ave. (near Highway 99) on the first Saturday of every month at 2:00 PM.  Next club meeting: May 3, 2008 with a special guest from the Kern Astronomical Society.  In May, it's all about the "Camping Adventure!"  Appreciating astonomy and the great outdoors are the goals of this meeting as boys create their own "star" maps and learn intrinsic skills for camping.  Questions?  Call us at 631.2575. 

* (Pirate information from The Dangerous Book for Boys provided with permission by Hal and Conn Iggulden)