04/22/2024
Fishdog, watercolor, 23" x 30", 34" x 41"(framed), 1995. Keeping with last week's theme of the spring river herring run, here is a watercolor titled Fishdog. Back in the late 1990's, visiting the Mattapoisett River and Herring Weir was a favorite adventure for me, my kids, Hannah and Gordon, and trusty lab Hudson. We spent hours stream side, netting(then releasing) and simply admiring the spring migration of herring back up river to their spawning grounds. The weir was especially fun. On this dayat the weir, a gentleman netted herring in the pool just below a little waterfall and opposite a stepped fish ladder. He would scoop herring in a large basket and then flip them over his shoulder, into a large wood enclosed containment area. After he netted his approximate limit, he would turn around and gather them into a wire bushel basket. Meanwhile, while he focused on catching fish, Hudson, quietly behind him, would pick up a herring in his mouth, adjust it so that it went down his throat head first and in one big gulp, swallow it. The first time I caught him doing this, only a small bit of fish tail was visible between his lips. No way I could pull it back out because of the spiny fins and sharp gills. I was a bit panicked but, like a wild wolf, he seemed to know his business. Fortunately, after a few more foot long herring, he was no worse for wear the next day.
