I was listening to Sports radio this morning and someone mentioned Lawn Darts or 'Jarts' and it started me reminiscing about when I was a kid in Duxbury and I would steal away from my chores to walk down Hawkins Lane and visit Jim and Erva McDonald.
Jim and Erva were from the Quincy/Milton area and had a cottage in Duxbury for years. They were probably in their early 70's with children who had already grown and married. Erva was nice to me but when I stopped by I spent most of my time with Jim.
Mr. McDonald was a thin-wiry guy with a full-head of hair, big ears, and tan, leathery skin. I remember he always wore pants and a white t-shirt with an occasional unbuttoned short-sleeve collared shirt over it. He smoked a lot (but not as much as Erva) and liked his drink. Their place was a little brown cottage probably built in the 1930's complete with a screened-in porch, window boxes, and huge flat lawn that ran up against the woods which separated their lot from Mom's back yard. When they got into arguements, Jim would often spend his time in a large one room furnished shed that was just a few steps from the cottage and kind of like a small guest house.
Jim was a real character and sort of a surrogate grandfather to me. He told stories/fables about the war and facing Ted Williams as a young pitcher in a Spring Training game. I can't remember if Jim was still in HS or just out of the war when he faced Williams but chances are the story wasn't even true. Jim was big into golf and we would either watch golf on TV together or when Mom permitted, he would let me caddy for him at North Hill CC, a public 9-hole course in Duxbury.
Many times after watching golf or mowing the lawn, he would break out his cigarettes and the Lawn Dart set and we would play. Occasionally he would let me win, but he was definitely one of those old-timers who knew his way around a horseshoe pit and was equally adept at Lawn Darts.
Anyway, I hadn't seen or even heard of Lawn Darts until this morning but it reminded me of Jim and those few times times I played as a kid. Then I thought how cool it would be to own a set, so you could play at the beach or you could play in a yard where bocce ball doesn't fair too well. What I didn't realize is that Lawn Jarts were banned in North America back in the 80's due to several injuries and a few deaths.
Sure the product name 'Jarts' is taken from Javelin-Darts, but I think today's censorship only guards against people using their own common sense. Kids and drinking should defintitely be monitored when using the game, but isn't that obvious?!? It seems like no one is accountable for anything anymore...even their own stupidity. Anyway, although you can still buy a safer, rubberized version today; the true vintage, steel sets are now only available on the black market for $60 and up. So if you come across a set at a yard sale -- grab 'em!
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2 comments:
Haha, I love lawn darts. I was actually introduced to them through my cousin Mike on Paul's side. He had them at his daughter's Christening a few years ago and claimed to have bought them in the state. I guess the fact that he didn't specify where or how he procured them now makes more sense...
Anyway, the things were a blast and Erik and I ended up staying overnight which made for some extremely scary/very fun lawn dart games in the dark.
Did I mention that there was also a keg that we had been drinking from all afternoon? Now, I suppose, the reason for us deciding to play in the dark makes more sense.
I'll definitely let you know if I come across any again. Jim's Ted Williams story sounds a bit like Grana's Margaret Mitchell yarn, but Jim sounds like a great guy. I'm glad you got to have some nice times with him.
I once got hit in the cheek with a lawn dart. It hurt. but they are fun.
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