While enjoying a nice breakfast recently at a local waterfront restaurant, I noticed something strange over the door leading out to the screened porch. I did not have my glasses on and could not see it clearly, but I knew right away it was unusual.
Turning to my husband, I asked, “What is that thing?”
“That,” he replied, “is Captain Pig.”
At least that is what it looked like to him, and turning around I had to agree. It did kind of look like Porky Pig. But after putting on my glasses, I realized that it really did not look anything like a pig. The Captain was actually a recycled decorative ornament with a head made out of a plastic jug. The container looked like it might have held boat soap or maybe oil. Around its neck appeared to be the cord of an old VHF radio. The bulging blue eyes held a warm look and his mouth, in the perfect “O” shape, made him look like he was in the middle of a sentence or calling out into the fog.
The hat looked like something an old sailor or waterman would wear, and topping it off appeared to be an insignia of some sort. We could not decide if he was also wearing goggles, like the type a World War I pilot might wear.
The Captain is the perfect decoration for a waterfront restaurant. The nautical theme adds to the restaurant’s atmosphere. There is also something fun about looking up and seeing him gazing over the room. The restaurant does have other nautical themed items, including a crab made of bottle caps hanging over the bar, which is quite original too. They are all outside of the normal decorations you see in some restaurants. This kind of creativity always amazes me. Seems like people are turning recycled items into art every day.
When I asked the women working in the restaurant where the Captain came from, they said it had been there when the previous owners had the place and had been officially turned over to the new management.
I suggested they might consider having a contest to name the Captain. It seems a shame to have him overseeing the place and not having people greet him properly. To me, my husband’s “Captain Pig” does not give him the proper respect as overseer of the room.
So, if you are over on Saint Helena Island some day and looking for a place to eat, you might want to go to Sweetgrass Restaurant and check out the Captain. It would be nice to have some creative individual come up with a proper name for the old guy.
