Suddenly, The Cider Didn’t Taste So Good
Adventures of a Game Warden in Maine
by John Ford
In 1970, John Ford was hired by the Maine Department of Fish and Game as a game warden, spending the next 20 years chasing illegal hunters, trappers and other poachers in the Pine Tree State. As might be imagined during two decades of warden work, the situations that Ford found himself in ranged from humorous to dangerous.
One of his very first assignments was to accompany a fellow officer in a floatplane, checking anglers fishing remote lakes. Spotting some people fishing from a canoe, the officers landed on the water and taxied up to the anglers — two women. The older officer then told John to step out onto the plane’s pontoon and check their fishing licenses.
Ford writes, “Screwing my warden’s hat securely on my head, I suavely jumped down toward the pontoon. The problem was, I didn’t come close to landing on it. Instead, I shot straight down into the water and completely out of sight.”
When Ford finally resurfaced, he thought quickly and quipped to his fellow warden, “I guess they’re legal, Dick; I didn’t see any hidden stinger of fish beneath their canoe!” But by then it was too late to save face; Ford’s fellow officer and the two women were convulsed with laughter.
Game wardens are sometimes called upon to put themselves in dangerous situations outside their normal work duties. Ford recounts the time he was involved in the apprehension of two escaped prisoners (one a convicted murderer) from a local prison, even being shot at in the process.
The book contains 35 entertaining, easy-reading vignettes of warden life. Published in 2012 by Islandport Press, paperback, 218 pages, $16.95.
The Field Guide to Knots:
How to Identify, Tie, and Untie Over 80 Essential Knots for Outdoor Pursuits
By Bob Holtzman
If you consider yourself an outdoors person, do you know how to tie a Monkey’s Fist, an Eskimo Bowline or a Highwayman’s Hitch? How about just a basic square knot?
If the answer is “no” — or you’re not sure — this book is for you. In simple, understandable text and numerous color illustrations, this new book explains and shows how to tie foundation knots, stopper knots, binding knots, loop knots, bends, hitches, lashings and special-purpose knots. In addition, there are sections on rope and knot basics, as well as whipping and seizing.
The book is hardcover with a hidden spiral binding so that it lies flat, making it easy to view the pictures and read the text while having both hands free to tie the particular knot you’re interested in. More than 600 step-by-step color illustrations make the process of tying each knot extremely clear.
Just as important as knowing how to choose and tie a specific knot is knowing how to untie it, and that process is described in the book, as well. In addition, a short sidebar to each knot explains its uses, pros and cons.
Published in September 2015 by The Experiment, the book is ideal for sailors, campers, anglers, climbers, hunters, survivalists and other outdoor people. Measuring a handy 5-3/4 by 7-5/8 inches, it fits easily into a backpack. 192 pages, $15.95.
