Memorable Moments With My Best Friend

My wife says she’s always had a bit of tomboy in her blood. When she was quite young she was often allowed to tag along with her father on odd jobs. In the 37-plus years we’ve been married, Claudia has replaced windows, fixed minor plumbing problems, tinkered with electrical, painted, put down flooring and – well, you get the picture. Whatever job she tackles, she usually won’t quit till it’s done. But there are exceptions - such as the day she set out to trim the spiraea hedge.

On that day Claudia wasn’t out of the house ten minutes when I heard the back door open. She came into the living room wearing a distressed look, the color drained from her face. Even before she had a chance to speak I knew she had seen a snake. But not just any snake.

What kind of snake curls up in your spiraea hedge? In all likelihood it has to be a rather large specimen with climbing ability and an appetite for small birds.

Anyway, Claudia said she was leaning into the hedge, trimming away when she was startled by thrashing and rustling from within the bushes. In the next instant she felt and heard a thud as something hit the ground. She looked down and saw a “black hose” slithering past her feet. The culprit was probably a rat snake, one I’d seen on a couple occasions, but only partial glimpses before it made haste into undergrowth. The species can grow to lengths of 5 or 6 feet.

Claudia doesn’t trim the bushes any more.  Is she squeamish? Not really.

She’s been skin-diving in plain view of reef sharks, and had a stare down or two with the toothsome barracuda. One year we were snorkeling off East Sambo Key near Key West. It was October, the sky was clear, the water was warm - and jellyfish were all over the place. Beneath the surface visibility was so-so yet numerous jellies were visible in any given direction. Whether it was a mass-migration of sorts I couldn’t say, but despite their numbers, the stinging drifters of the sea failed to deter Claudia.

She’s had a few experiences with fresh water species, one of which I remember well.

Claudia and I, along with Craig Gillard were fishing with fellow Batavian, Captain Ron Grazioplena, who had invited us out for a day on Lake Ontario. Three other fellows were along that day, a trio who previously told Ron they were going to make a video promoting the Lake Ontario fishery resources and asked Ron if he might like to be part of it.

We hadn’t been on the lake very long when the winds picked up and so too did the waves. Then one of the down riggers released. By that time seasickness was beginning to set in on the video trio. That being the case, Craig and I insisted Claudia fight the fish. And she did. After she set the hook, the fish took off on a straight line behind the boat. When the king’s initial run was over the line meter on the Great Lakes System reel indicated the fish was 643 feet behind the boat.

“Help me”, she whined.

“No, you can do it.”

“Here. You take it” she pleaded.

“Nope. It’s all yours.”

Fighting the fish was one thing. Trying to keep a tight line and maintain her balance as the boat pitched and yawed between wind-blown waves was no picnic. Forty five minutes later she had her fish on board, a 26 lb. king salmon, Claudia’s first.

Claudia was a bit spent by then, but she was faring much better than the “film crew.” Their faces nearly the color of fish bellies, they requested to be dropped off at the dock. Ron obliged them before taking Craig, Claudia and myself back out on the lake. Ironically, shortly after we were back on the water the winds died down. We caught several more fish that day, including lake trout, steelhead and a few more kings. For what its worth, Claudia was “high hook” that day, easily out-fishing the boys. The action was so steady we didn’t return to the dock until the sun was setting. 

When the situation has presented itself, Claudia has tended and mended some of nature’s babies. She has bottle fed numerous baby rabbits (Claudia calls them bunnies) before switching them to a diet of dandelion greens and clover. Not long afterward, they are released back into the wild.   Also under her “foster” care at one time was a baby raccoon, a woodchuck and two humming birds. (5 humming birds once flew into the Meadowland’s Grandstand window – only two survived, one couldn’t fly and the other was able to hover inches off the ground).

Hopefully we’ll fit another dive trip or two into our schedule, do some more fishing, canoeing and what have you. But those activities are by no means her priorities. In addition to Claudia’s full time job with the Genesee County ARC, she’s a grandmother to four boys, spends Friday evening’s with a church youth group and teaches a Sunday school class.

Claudia had another milestone this week, and recalling special moments and fond memories are one way of saying I love you Honey, “Happy Birthday!"