two birds in a boat

One day I brought in a picture of a sculpture made of carved and painted wood by an artist named Stan Peterson. It was printed on a post-card from the beppa wiardu gallery which was showing this among other sculptures in July. The picture showed a wooden boat with two very short men on either side and one very tall man at the prow, all standing outside the boat, seeming to guide it. Inside the boat, however, were two enormous white birds with long, pointed yellow beaks.

Two birds in a boat being pushed by three men. I thought it was an interesting picture and it raised, for me, a lot of questions. What were those birds doing in the boat? Why were the men pushing them? The birds sit side by side with peaceful faces, almost regal, as though they are the king and queen bird and the men are their servants.

I passed this picture around group one day and encouraged everyone to tell a story about the birds and the boat and the three little men. Here's what they all came up with:

Any Decent Contraption, By: Dilly Scott

Mr. and Mrs. Noah Waylon recieved their inheritance and after a brief vacation in Holland, they adopted four keeshounds, 18 birds, two cats and took up residence somewhere on the Oregon coast and then adopted three horses and a deodorized skunk. They do occasional animal rescues and are always there to help. They and three friends have been transporting injured birds in any decent contraption to the heated barns and they're planning on doing some quiet filming to promote peace and joy between the church, temple, animals, people and this environment.

Stuffed animals are made at the White Cap Inn Bed and Breakfast for the birds in the boat's benefit and any souvineer hunters of the local variety. There are also other sculptures of museum quality. The birds' release after healing is not publicized and happens only at the birds' convenience, however well wishes are always welcome.

The Birds' Boat, By: Anonymous Woman

The picture is of birds in a boat with men surrounding it. They aren't touching the birds, just the boat. I think maybe the birds don't want to leave and the men are getting ready to put the boat in the water. Maybe they'll share the boat with the birds. The birds seem very comfortable. It makes me think that the men are thinking "Hey, these birds won't get out of my boat." They do look prepared to go in the water with the birds in the boat. Or maybe they took the boat out of the water already and the birds went sailing. Maybe they feel it's the birds' boat now. It appears they have taken ownership and will not leave. It almost looks as though it were actual and somehow got turned to wood.

Love Boat, By: Myriah

A couple months ago, I decided to take a trip to an island off the keys. While I was there, I saw the most bizarre thing. Three young men were pushing two birds in a boat! Being the curious woman I am, I stopped to inquire what was happening.

The boys said that the birds were almost extinct. The two in the boat were the last two in all the world. They figured that since their parents took a trip on a boat and gave them a little sister nine months later, maybe if the birds took a little trip on a boat, they might reproduce too.