Just Perfect

Happy Birthday Ryan.  He's saying good bye to his teenage years and hello to young adulthood as a college student:  20 years old!  The snow storm this weekend brought to mind the year of the "no-name storm".  In 1993, Amy's March birthday party AND Ryan's October birthday party had to be postponed due to excessive off season snow storms.  So, the late October snow storm is a little unusual, but perhaps not as unusual as the media would lead us to believe this week.

Besides Ryan's birth, another historic event was occurring twenty years ago:  The Perfect Storm.  I'm sure you've heard of it especially as the story was told in the movie starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.  This image is from wunderground.com weather site depicting the story by radar and satellite.
At the time, I was blissfully unaware such drama was unfolding in my ancestral hometown, but now everyone knows about The Perfect Storm even to the extent that it's become a term to describe the unlikely blending of several unfortunate circumstances.

When I saw the movie, I felt as though I was indeed in Gloucester again--they seemed to really get the culture right.  Sebastian Junger authored the well known book which I understand describes drowning in stormy sea waters very accurately.  I don't know about that, but I do know that when I read it, I could barely breathe.  He got that part right for this reader!  I was particularly interested as a number of my seafaring ancestors suffered such a fate and I cannot imagine it.

It appears the Ryan family once owned Cape Pond Ice, whose gear is prominently featured in that movie.  I'm working on the details but James and I met a new Ryan cousin while in Gloucester last weekend and he gave us this lead I am currently following.  The movie rejuvenated Cape Pond Ice in very interesting ways, according to the tour guide.  And it all comes together (for me) with Ryan's birth!   How "cool" is that! :)