A monkey at a typewriter will eventually type the complete works of Shakespeare? Maybe, but really, would a monkey live long enough? I’m in my mid fifties, and all I could come up with this week was the title “Driftwood. Vikings. Matches.” Hmm. I’m assuming the monkey isn’t blogging after work.
Between bouts of wind and rain last week, we ventured out to catch some air and enjoy the coastal trail. Seeing the huge logs being swept against the rocks, I thought to myself that’s a lot of matches, or just a few small ones for the gods. Then I thought the sea gods wouldn’t have much use for matches. I mean, have you ever tried to light a wet match?
I’ve been watching “The Vikings” the past week or two, and I don’t know how historically accurate the show is, but it’s been hugely entertaining. I like watching the scowling Norse folk paddling hard to shore to cause (mostly) mayhem. Brave sailors with a belief in gods who could change your fate on a whim. I get a bit confused telling one Viking from another, with all the hair, tattoos, furs and whatnot. Also, the ones I was watching all seemed to have the same name or two. Ragnar. Lothgar. Ragloth. Lothrag. Nargar, and so on, with a -sson thrown in for good measure. (Apologies here to any Vikings reading this and feeling offended. No need to pay me a visit…)
Anyway, the Vikings weren’t far from my thoughts on our visit to the shore last time out. We’ve had some big weather, with wind warnings and large waves. Possible power outages haven’t happened thus far, but the blustery stuff is with us for another day or two. I wouldn’t want to be on the water, with the rough seas and logs lurking just beneath the surface. Paddle out on a raid? Nope, not even if armed with a lucky tattoo and impressive facial hair. I have neither.
It seems appropriate that our beer choice last weekend was from the Driftwood brewery. Pretty good beer, and I wonder if it is even better from a horn? Do Vikings ever put down their drinks? For all their craft skills – those longships are a marvel – you think they’d have managed flat bottomed beer containers…
Thud and thump – the driftwood we saw last week wasn’t drifting. It was slamming. Against the rocks, and against other logs. The low boom was deep and you could almost feel the vibrations.
Large matchsticks? No. Sea gods? Possibly. An overactive imagination or tired mind? Most likely.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
PS Back to that monkey with the typewriter. How will we know if and when it has typed the complete works of Shakespeare? Is there another, very well read monkey sitting alongside, checking the work? Or is that role taken by an ape? I think I’m switching from “The Vikings” to “Planet of the Apes” next week.
OldPlaidCamper 
You should get a pair of cork boots and go log rolling in the surf! That would surely impress any Vikings standing about with a large tanker of ale!
Wind is blowing hard this morning!
LikeLike
Pretty sure that’d end badly, ale or no ale!
LikeLike
ya……….better get Scout to do it then!!
LikeLike
It would be good to sit in some warm & windless spot with a glass of Big Toe, pondering the source of those Viking driftwood matches & the probability (or unlikelihood) of a monkey ever typing up all of Shakespeare– ah, the fun of it all, another pleasure here!
LikeLike
Thanks, Walt, as always, for stopping by and sharing a glass!
LikeLike
Where do all those logs come from? They look usable to me, but, come to think of it, if they are water-logged, won’t be much good. Ironic name for the beer company but I can understand how they came up with it.
LikeLike
Good question! I think trees are felled by the large storms, up rivers and along the Pacific coast. They are carried by tides and up onto the shore on high storm tides. I imagine they travel long distances on prevailing currents?
LikeLike
You did a fine job here bring in the vikings to your storm-stead coast. Stay well friend
LikeLike
Thanks, Kelly! Storms and Vikings – easy to like, from a safe distance! You, too, stay well.
LikeLike
Yes, I love both
LikeLike
Thanks for the many laughs as I was drifting between this very interesting combination of topics and I vote for more posts written after a lovely beer combined with an overactive imagination and tired mind! My niece enjoyed the series and after your unique review and discovering it was filmed in Ireland, I may have to rethink watching the series. Wonderful photos and I’m always amazed at those logs being swept ashore. The ice on the lakes is making loud noises that cause me to jump every time and I can just see myself slipping on those rocks with every loud crash. Good news for you, once you’re done with this series you will have time to work on the tattoos and beard before the continuation of the series, Vikings: Valhalla, premieres on Netflix this year.
LikeLike
Haha, this was written unassisted by beer! It could have been even more all over the map…
I guess the loud ice is a sign spring is coming? Hope so!
Vikings: Valhalla? Now that sounds promising. In the meantime, tattoos unlikely, but I could have a go growing a Norse beard!
Take care on those rocks, and enjoy your week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m going to guess that swilling some sort of beverage from a horn ranks much higher on the intimidation scale then does sipping from dainty, flat bottomed glass. If I were out to pillage and plunder, I’d go with the horn too lol. And I’d change my name to Ragnar.
LikeLike
Thanks, Ragnar!
LikeLike