Svein Waalen
I AM THE CAPTAIN
May 26, 1933 --- April 26, 2007
When we lived near Houston, Svein was loading a big ship at the port and invited us to visit him down on the dock. This was my first introduction to my Port Captain father-in-law. He took us all on board a freighter and showed us the holds and the quarters of the crew and captain. The intense pride he took in his craft emanated from this man as he explained the complex procedure he went through in the process of loading, balancing, and tying down cargo. I immediately bonded with and deeply appreciated his seriousness and dedication to his work. It was an honour for me to see him work. And to this day one of my precious books is a written log he gave me that he produced documenting the loading of one of the many vessels he prepared for a voyage. I learned so much talking with and getting to know this wonderfully interesting and insightful man.
But the experiences of his life were far greater than the sum
total of the cargo he had loaded in the hold of a ship. He was
a treasure trove of amazing stories. Stories of exotic places,
intrigue, mystery, and of people and events that only a sea captain
could tell. Sometimes as I listened to him, I wondered if I might
be sitting in the presence of the amalgamated spirits of Defoe,
Kipling or Stevenson...in so much as his stories were filled with
maps, and islands, and pirates and weather, and the Southern Cross
glowing in the dark black starry sky of a night at sea. We once
visited my favorite moorage near Olympia together. I loved to
get this man by the water, by boats, he fit there. And as we walked
along the dock next to a fleet of fancy old Chris Krafts, he expressed
to me at length how he enjoyed being out on the sea, and what
it meant to him and the power he felt in commanding a ship. But
he chided me, reminding me that what we were passing by on the
docks that day were boats....not ships...and there was a great
difference! And I won't forget how he chuckled, and the Captain
assured me that I'd never catch him in a boat!
I have missed the taste of those stories, told in a Norwegian
accent, told like only the Captain could tell them. It was an
honour for me to listen to him.
And likewise, speaking to taste, I have missed and will miss the Captain's culinary expertise, seasoned in "maritime" and the culture of a Norwegian table. One time as we were leaving Olympia, Svein came running out of the house letting me know, in no uncertain terms, that I needed to eat a few more slices of his wonderful Norwegian cured salmon ( that he taught me to make on little wooden planks he made in his workshop). As I walked toward the car, he was literally shoving gravlaks in my mouth. And I was eating it....just like I ate his lutefisk, the lefse, his wonderful pastries, hard boiled eggs and his other Norwegian delicacies. Just like I carefully ate the last of a bag of his wonderful juniper cured fish that he gave me to keep me going on one of my many trips to West Texas. His fare was so memorable. I remembered once that I finished the last oily bag of salmon while putting in diesel at the Stage Stop in Boise Idaho. I ate out of that bag all the way from Olympia.....and I treated the last bits of salmon from it, a product of his personal care, like the Sacrament. The captain could cook.
Well the sea has calmed now Captain. No more storms. Was there straw in the rudder post? Have you seen Udrost? I am sure by now you have. I envy you. I have missed you Captain and now I will miss you all over again Svein. vi sees !
Your Friend,
Myles Marian
Mustoe
Tap here
for a Maritime Reading.
3:01 AM 3 May 2007
Clear 45 degrees F.
La Grande, Oregon
Other Freinds: Renate
Mustoe, Myles
Mustoe
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