Two Coots in a Canoe: An Unusual Story Of Friendship - Hardcover

In January 2003, retired CEO Ramsay Peard asked longtime conservationist and friend David “Bugsy” Morine if he wanted to canoe the four-hundred-mile-long Connecticut River. These old buddies hadn't seen each other in twenty years, but they had shared a few previous adventures so Morine readily agreed―under one condition: No camping. “I'm too old to be sleeping on the ground, cooking over an open fire, and crapping in the woods,” Morine told Peard, “and so are you.”

“Where will we stay?” Peard asked.

“We'll rely on the kindness of strangers.”

And that's what they did. Mooching their way downriver enabled these vintage voyagers to get an insider's feel for the area and a firsthand look at many of the issues confronting the people who live along the Connecticut: the demise of farming, the growth of the health care industry, the loss of manufacturing, the boom in higher education, gay rights, Native American rights, Wal-Mart versus Main Street, and the issue closest to home―the river and the conservation efforts to protect it.

They were also able to delve deep into the lives of complete strangers. But sadly for Morine, he eventually realized that the one life he never dug into was Peard's. After spending a month with him in a canoe, he had no idea that his friend's innermost thoughts were on a dark and disturbing course.

Advance Praise for Two Coots in a Canoe

“This is the story of two men in one canoe, but on two different journeys. One sees endless opportunities while the other knows his fate is sealed before he ever picks up his paddle. Fresh and honest, light and dark, terminal yet hopeful―these are the undercurrents of a gifted storyteller.”
―Howard Corwin, M.D., Psychiatrist, Conservationist
“Two Coots in a Canoe is―nearly to the end―a book of laughter, an account of the comic misadventures of two old friends. . . . And then come the final pages: The two friends' dark destination will surprise and shock all readers, even those with the wits of a wood tick. This remarkable book should be bought and read. Those who do will remember it for a long time.”
―Bill Gilbert, author of God Gave Us This Country and winner of the National Magazine Award
“Dave Morine has done it again, proving that it is often what you do when you aren't striving to get ahead that is most important. When you finish this book, you'll want to drop everything, grab a canoe, and explore your own river.”
―George H. Fenwick, President, American Bird Conservancy