News and Events for Nantucket Island
Teachers are a special breed. They are vital to our society and far too often underappreciated (and underpaid). As in so many things in my life, I remember those who treated me well…and those who didn’t. In fairness, I also remember the ones that I didn’t appreciate enough at the time. I truly regret the times that I acted poorly for those who simply wanted to make me a better person. My two daughters have both grown up to become teachers and I couldn’t be any prouder. It is a noble profession.
Island people are meant to stay on islands. Them’s the rules. But every now and again, things happen and rules must be broken. This is the tale of a wayward island kid and his recent encounters in a slice of the real world.
Oh man, what was I thinking to book a 6 am fishing charter on a Saturday? Well, it had to be, as some medical appointments had shuffled my week pretty thoroughly. I somehow woke up a minute before my alarm went off. Now I’m not flexing here, but this ability is something of a superpower. I was fairly beat from bass fishing the night before. Maybe not my wisest decision to go but those stripers aren’t going to catch themselves, right?
My wife and I were able to sneak away for a short trip to Florida last week and boy oh boy did we need it! Life can be a lot at times, and a vacation, even a short vacation, is really important to allow you to reset and get prepared for the next chapter. Yet even as we were lounging in the Sunshine State, I felt a lingering feeling that I was missing something important back on Nantucket. A quick perusal through Instagram and Facebook revealed that my premonition was correct. There was some big stuff going on in the world of Nantucket fishing and yes, indeed, I was missing out.
In March of 2011, country singer Trace Adkins released a song called, “She Thinks We’re Just Fishing,” a song written by Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell, and Ed Hill. The song ended up being a top 10 hit for Adkins. More importantly, it welded an immediate bond with so many fathers who related instantly to the song’s video of Adkins fishing with his daughter Trinity, who appeared to be about six years old at the time. My daughters were 14- and 11-years-old when that this song was released. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that the song played loudly in my head every time my girls and I hit the ponds or the beaches. A quick YouTube search for this song results in an endless collection of heartwarming father- child fishing videos. It’s a beautiful rabbit hole to fall into, unless you’re trying to complete an article on deadline day. And here we are…
I bet you all remember where you were the evening of Sunday, February 5, 2017. Our beloved New England Patriots were once again playing in the Super Bowl, this time facing a juggernaut Atlanta Falcons team. And the Patriots were getting worked—down 28 to 3 in the fourth quarter. Everyone on the Atlanta team box was ready to pop the champagne corks. Everyone except for one guy, that is: Scott Pioli (now a Nantucket resident) was the Assistant General Manager of the Falcons at that time. He had been a significant cog in the development of the New England Patriots dynasty, serving in the player personnel department from 2000-2008. Thus, he knew all about a guy named Tom Brady. Pioli was quoted by Mike Kadlick of WEEI – Boston as he remembered that game: “All the folks I’m working with, they’re high-fiving. It’s, you know, out of control. But I was a mess. I felt this nervousness.”
