Seven Degrees of Separation

Maybe you are familiar with the theory that people are separated by only seven degrees in relationships--this is terribly over simplified but applies in this little story.  Hang in there with me.

It's Ryan's 20th birthday today (Happy Birthday buddy) and that also makes it the 20th anniversary of the Perfect Storm.  We all know the story of the Perfect Storm as told in the book and the movie.  Supposedly the book provided the most accurate description of what it must be like to drown in stormy seas written to date. I read it because I was curious since we have ancestors who have perished in similar circumstances.  I don't know if Sebastian Junger hit the nail on the head with that part of the book, but I believe it's generally accepted as an accurate portrayal of the tragic events of that storm.

I was so relieved when the movie seemed to nail the Gloucester culture.  At the time, I was blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding in Gloucester and several hundred miles out to sea.  But the movie brought the event into everyone's frame of reference.  Hasn't the term "perfect storm" become part of the common lexicon?  Now Ryan shares this anniversary with Gloucester in a unique way.

While we were in Gloucester, we met a new Ryan cousin.  Bob Ryan runs the Ryan and Wood Distillery and he is our 2nd cousin.  We share great grandfather William H. Ryan.  William's grandsons included Grampie, Everett (Bob's grandfather) and John (Uncle Jack) among others.  In talking with Bob, I learned that Uncle Jack once owned Gloucester Ice and Cold Storage and Cape Pond Ice (!!) .  As you know, Cape Pond Ice appears in the movie and experienced a rejuvenated business presence as a result of the movie.  And our history includes Cape Pond Ice!!!  I am still researching the exact details but I've found enough to verify at least this much. 

Seven degrees of separation from Ryan's birth 20 years ago backwards to the beginning of Cape Pond Ice! How "cool" is that?