By David Carter

We have a wonderful gift I’ve enjoyed from an early age: boating and fishing the lakes and rivers of our city.

My uncle sharecropped the Godwin Farm, which is surrounded on three sides by the Nansemond River and on the other side by Culpepper Pond. In those early days, we fished from one of his bateaus, a flat-bottomed river boat made of juniper planks and 16-penny nails.

In the river, we fished with hand lines for horse croaker. A horse croaker weighed from one to two pounds, and my father caught one that weighed five pounds. In the pond, we used cane poles to fish for speckle, bream and catfish.

At a young age, I purchased my first boat. Not having very much money, I could only afford to buy one that was already worn out. There’s probably not a one-mile stretch on the Nansemond River where my boat hasn’t broken down and left me stranded. Is there something wrong with me? I loved it!

For a guy who wasn’t very handsome, boating was a great way to get a date. Girls couldn’t resist a nice day on the water.

I once invited a young lady from Whaleyville for a boat ride. Everything was going great, and then the motor caught fire, which I put out with a wet towel. Needless to say, I didn’t have a fire extinguisher.

My date said, “There’s a dock,” pointing to one about 30 yards away. I replied, “No, the tide is running the wrong way. We’ll have to paddle across the river.”

The truth was, I was also dating a girl whose family owned the dock, and we had also broken down on the river the week before.

We beached the boat, walked up the hill and found we had to cross a large cow pasture on the Rountree Dairy Farm. The entire field was littered with cow patties. We had to carefully pick each spot to step. My date was barefoot, and every few steps she would step on a cow patty. I laughed so much I almost lost my balance.

Some time later, I was on a date with Priscilla Goode. We were speeding down the river when I leaned over and tried to steal a kiss. While I was not paying attention, we hit a submerged tree stump, which knocked the motor off the boat and into the back seat. Afterwards, I sold the boat and married Priscilla.

Through the years, I have enjoyed the many moods of the water. They are much like our lives. Dead calm, gentle breezes, thunderstorms, fog, whitecaps and high winds each offer their own beauty.

My father was like an outgoing tide — steady, persistent, reliable and strong. My mother was like a lake on a calm day — soft-spoken, kind, forgiving and generous.

In my youth, I was like a storm — hardheaded, brash and intense. But through the years and from the influence of my parents, my wife and the Lord, I hope people remember me as an outgoing tide and a calm lake.

David Carter is the owner of Brandon House Furniture store on West Washington Street. He can be reached at BrandonHouseFurniture@verizon.net.