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May 15, 2008 - Memories by moonlightSuffolk Times •M ay 15, 2008 MMemories by moonlight Suffolk Times photos by Paul Stoutenbu You could almost sleep in this little 17 -foot converted catboat powered by a one - cylinder Gray Marine e gine. This photo from the 1940s shows a healthy marsh, in contrast to today's disappearing marshlands. Memories that had long been forgotten were brought to mind one night recently when a full moor put a magical glow on everything. It jarred my mind Into recalling past moons that. to this day hold a special place in my memory. One of the earliest recollections of being moon- struck was when I was a teenager and yearned for adventure. You have to appreciate the period of time I'm speaking of It was Focus the era when the country was just coming out of the Great ON Depression and dollars were still hard to come by. NATURE It was a time when you had by Paul to make do with what you had Stoutenburgh on hand. My escape was in the outdoors. Much of my young life revolved around an old 17 -foot catboat given to me by a grand old gent who no longer could leave the shore. One of my "moonsospes" was a trip to Riverhead on my boat; The Putt -putt. Today that doesn't sound like much of an adventure, but in those days it was. I packed some supplies, mainly peanut butter- and -jelly sandwiches and a few cans of soda, some dog food for my companion and a gallon of gas for the motor, remembering my one - cylinder Gray Marine engine didn't use much gas, and oh, yes, some squid just in case I'd have a chance to do some fishing. It was on that trip that the moon gained a major place in my memory bank. Having nothing but a road map to follow, I decid- ed to explore the creeks and inlets of the upper bay. This proved to be a disaster, for the hidden sandbars continually had me aground: By late afternoon I decided to give up exploring and find a place to stay overnight. I found the ideal spot in a little creek no more than 20 feet wide and deep enough for me to anchor. Here we settled in as darkness took over. . The only sounds were the night calls of the insect world off in the distance; the salt marsh around me had long before gone to sleep. Knowing that weak- fish come to our creeks each spring, I knew they were in, so I figured, why not try for one. So over the stem went my hook baited with my now smelly squid. As the moon rose, its spell took over and put me is a half- sleep, half -dream world — but then it happened: I had a strike, and then another! I had hooked into a nice -size weakfish. Having little to nothing for dinner except my peanut butter - and -jelly sandwiches, I decided to go ashore, build a fire and cook my fish over the glow- ing coals. The fish being a little overdone on one side meant nothing to my hollow stomach, and soon I ww having a meal at its best. I'd keep half for breakfast while the dog enjoyed the leftovers. In that short period of time, preparing and eat- ing my dinner, the magic of the night and the moon played wonders on my youthful mind. Manv. mariv years have passed since that memorable moonlight night that bathed me in its glow, but it still ranks hig] in my memory bank of wonders. Another memorable moonlight encounter that ranks high for me took place when I was in the service. The ship I was on was designed to carry vital supplies to the many out -of -the -way outposts along the north shore of New Guinea. We always traveled alone and often at night. As we moved from one outpost to another we often had free time to read, write letters, catch up on our laundry or take care of that special project that needed our attention. Often when the heat became unbearable down below, some of us would sling our hammocks topside. This made all the difference in. the world. I looked forward to those dreamy nights when the war and all its trappings seemed to fade away. Of course, at night we traveled in complete'dark- ness; the only sound was the far -off muffled running of the engines somewhere below. On one particular trip the sea carried a mere ripple on the surface as we steamed along. The moon rose out of the sea with its silvery path of reflection dancing across the water. Then for a split second the spell was broken by a muffled, watery `Gana." Had we hit. something? companion Wash went with me on a memorable moonlit boat trip to River- head. Far right: There was a time when each spring the weakfish would come to our creeks and bays, mak- ing the sport of fishing an exciting expe- rience. Today there are few, if any, of these H' silvery beau- ties visiting our waters. M1; The ship kept its course and all was quiet again. I'd gotten up to look over the side to see if I could see what had invaded our special night; then another watery `Bang." This time I could see the culprit in the moonlight. A giant ray burst out of.the water landing with an- other watery "Bang." Had we disturbed this sleeping giant? Or was it just in a playful mood? Back in my gently swaying hammock, I pondered the midnight visitor and marveled at the splendor of the moon. This night would be one of the interesting moon- light wonders I'd remember forever, for seeing a gi- ant ray leaping out of the water on a moonlight night had to be special. Could it have been the moonlight zrged it on to perform just for me?