His name is John, and he likes to build wooden forts. Those are driftwood shelters and the two I have seen were close to Beard’s Hollow at the southern end of the Peninsula.
I’ve watched such structures come and go over seven decades — high tide inevitably sees to their demise — and there is something about John’s efforts that appeals to both the eye and some primal instinct that has something to do with my Neanderthal DNA. Yes, I have some, and apparently most of us have a part of our ancestors tucked away, deep inside. I do not mean this as an insult but to the realization that shelter remains nearly as basic to human beings as breathing.
I saw John’s first fort sometime last month. I was so impressed that I took a friend to see it. Well, in the meantime, members of a Jeep club razed it and John had to start over. Not at all nice, if you ask me. A neighbor told me about this second one and on a Sunday walk with friends, we visited it. It just so happened that John was working on the structure. Call it shelter, a fort, or perhaps a simple stockade, but certainly it is handsome, at least in a primitive way, and I like primitive art. We had a nice talk.
“I like to build forts,” John said. And why not? Folks like to garden. Folks like to collect stamps or baseball cards. There is no end to hobbies and John’s is just as valid as any. One might even say that this is environmental art. Kind of a peninsula Christo structure. You remember him? He wrapped islands in colored plastic and made millions. After all, nothing lasts forever, and Christo capitalized on the movement.
I just want to say that I love John’s work and naturally think you might, too. So, I suggest a drive or walk. You might even dress up in furs, like the First Peoples did for tens of thousands of years. And if the fort lasts until fall, we could gather there for Autumn fest or Halloween. All in good fun, of course.
But you can’t sleep there. That’s prohibited. No sleeping on the beach. I think State Parks is right on this one, except in John’s case. Shouldn’t he be rewarded for his efforts? Just stop and look at the labor. John might even welcome visitors if you wish to help. John gathers logs and driftwood up and down the beach. Heavy work! Carts the driftwood to his construction site and happily weaves them together into these handsome shelters. I must applaud him. Work well done, sir.
Personally, I think it would fit into the Smithsonian, in the Primitive Beach Art Section.
Thanks for sharing, John.