It’s All in The Game

 

It’s All in The Game

Reflecting on Northport life at the Waterside Avenue "S" turn through the eyes of a seven year old, I offer the following: Our little tumble-down house was at the entrance to the "old golf course" which by 1953 had been abandoned and became a playground for explorers, hunters and later, an automobile junk yard. Our driveway was the direct access for all this trespass. Older brother Steve and I were in our own little world of exploration in the age of Cowboys & Indians, tree climbing, Cops & Robbers and the like.

We decided that it would be a good idea to dig an underground fort on the side lawn overlooking the pond. For some reason we always seemed to gravitate toward the subterranean, perhaps due to the convenience of the construction technique. All we would need would be a couple of shovels, something that we could find in Dad's garden tools. We dug a hole in the ground that was perhaps 2 feet deep, a configuration that we could hide in if we lay on our bellies. It was crude, but at ages 6 and 9 respectively, it seemed like quite an accomplishment.

How we could use this fortress was unclear until a well known hunter named Charlie Navotny came down the driveway with his hunting buddy, each carrying shotguns. These guys were old........maybe 14 or more! What a challenge! We could yell something uncomplimentary at them and then duck and hide in the fort. What made it so dangerous was that they were carrying shot guns! In unison, we yelled out in a sing-song fashion, "ha ha ya hunter, you smell like a bunter!" and quickly ducked into the hole to avoid detection. A bunter, you ask? Our definition might have been a baseball player who hits the ball short in an effort to get on base. I suppose bunters come in a variety of fragrances. Charlie and his buddy must have smiled and laughed as they continued on their journey. We were frozen in fear of being discovered. As uneventful as this little story is, it doesn't pull a punch line, quite literally until forty years later.

In the 80's and 90's, I was a neighborhood builder in St. Augustine FL and a couple for whom we had built a home in our subdivision invited my wife and I over for dinner and an evening of socializing around 1992 or so. After dinner, our hostess suggested we play the board game "Scategories" which we did. When it came to my turn, I had to name a game that began with "H". "Oh", I said...."that's easy....."Ha-Ha Ya Hunter". I got a resounding "nay" from everyone and they demanded to know the legitimacy of such a claim. I explained the story to them and it was unanimously approved with much laughter. "Ha-Ha Ya Hunter" became a familiar cry in the subdivision, with friends and neighbors smiling, laughing and joking. My recall and subsequent tale of our little childhood challenge had brought warmth and joy to folks who had never touched Northport soil.....forty years later. It's all in the game.