Pets

No one would ever accuse me of being a pet lover, although I have some happy memories to share of pets I have known and loved. In general, I prefer cats to dogs, because they do not usually inspire loyalty, and can fend for themselves during short absences of their owners. Also, I dislike yapping dogs, worry about being bitten, and deplore it when visitors to our home bring their dogs inside without asking permission first. Nevertheless, I have some happy memories of certain pets, and I am planning to write several blogs about them. Barbara and I have not had a pet for some thirty years. Originally, this was because we were frequent world travelers, and the obvious choices between putting a dog in kennels, or twisting a family member's arm to look after our pet in our absence did not appeal to us.

Encounter: Sir David Attenborough

David was born in 1926, the same year as Barbara and Queen Elizabeth. We met at a shore course at a naval base near Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands. He was the younger brother of Richard Attenborough, who had made his name as an actor in the film In Which We Serve. Richard died in 2014, but David is still alive as I write. I was a Midshipman at the time, probably in 1944, when we met. I liked David, and have followed his career with interest. He has achieved considerable fame as a naturalist, and was knighted in 1985. He also received the prestigious award of Companion of Honour CH.

Ed Howell

I had already begun to specialize in professional liability for consulting engineers (and later architects) when one of my clients told me about a new company that was being formed, known as Design Professionals Insurance Company (DPIC). I followed the suggestion to get to know Ed Howell who had successfully raised enough capital from his clients to start the company. At that time, Ed was wearing two hats, acting as a broker as well as managing the new company. Hearing of my interest, he let me loose on some small accounts, a long way out of town, and I was able to sell him coverage in DPIC. The companies board pointed out to Ed that there was a conflict of interest in what he was doing, so he reluctantly gave up acting as a broker and I soon inherited his accounts. DRA soon became the most successful producer for DPIC. The next step was the formation of a reinsurance company "DPAC Re". After some years, DPIC no longer had the strength to maintain its independence, and the program was taken over by a more conventional company. Many years ago, Ed's Wife, Jo Howell died, and Ed followed her in death soon thereafter.

Encounter: Warren Hellman

Until his untimely death a few years ago from leukemia, Warren was a wise, generous, and wealthy person. Without his financial support, we would not have Freight and Salvage as prime local venues. He was an enthusiastic, but (as he admitted) very talented banjo player. He formed a group he called The Wronglers. He was the major supporter of my talented step-daughter Laurie Lewis. One day, she introduced him to me at the "Freight". Warren was the initiator of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. One day Barbara and I were walking around the perimeter of one of the meadows in Golden Gate Park used for "Hardly Strictly...", to my surprise, we came across Warren and a friend walking in the opposite direction. I blurted out "Oh, Warren: I didn't expect to see you here". He promptly replied "I don't know why not: It is my party". Of course what I meant was that meeting him there was a surprise, but I've always thought of his response as the "perfect squelch".

Rugger

I played the position of blindside, wing forward for the first XV. My job was to ensure that the fly half of the other team did not sneak past the scrum by going to the blindside. I was lucky that "Tank" Adams played on the second row of the scrum, also on the blindside. This meant that I was not expected to give much of a push during a scrum. I could break away quickly to ensure that the opposing fly half didn't get very far if he chose to run on my side of the scrum. I had one unusual skill. I was an effective dribbler when the ball came loose, usually able to advance it several yards toward the goal before an opposing player could fall on it. These talents enabled me to be awarded my colors relatively early in the season, in contrast to the rather pathetic performance I gave in soccer.

Soccer

At Port Regis, the equivalent of earning a letter, was being awarded "colors." First XI colors were awarded to the ten other members of our first team, a fact indicated by wearing stockings with a bright red band at the top. Second XI colors resulted in red and white bands at the tops of stockings. I was the center forward for the first XI, but for several weeks, I played wearing the second XI colors I had previously earned. Finally, after several weeks, I became the last member of the team to be awarded first XI colors. If you draw the conclusion that I was really not a very good soccer player, you would be right.

Squash

The rules of squash are easy to learn, and it is great fun to watch two well matched players as they complete. There was a court at the naval college in Dartmouth, which is where I learned to play the game. Of course, the regime at Dartmouth virtually forced us to remain fit- and one needs to be fit to be successful at squash. For many years, I did not play the game, but soon after joining Barbara at 1000 Spruce Street, I suggested we try to take up the game. It was not a success. Although I believe I was in reasonably good shape at the time, I no longer had the stamina that I enjoyed as a teenager. I believe that we had access to the squash courts at the UC, but I think we only once tried to play a game there. I just could not move around quickly enough, and so I abandoned this excellent game before my 40th birthday.