Blackbeard's Treasure Map

I have a nephew. His name is Dane, and he is awesome. He and I both share a love of pirates, those scurvy crooks who lie and cheat their way across the Caribbean, and the last time I visited Saskatchewan I made Dane a little pirate map. I scribbled the map in ballpoint pen on a ragged piece of bond paper, and we scoured the house looking for treasure. Since Dane's mom Terri is also awesome, she drew an 'X' on the shower door and put some candy in a little cup for us to find... Dane's Lost Treasure!

It was Dane's birthday a few weeks ago, so I put a package in the mail with some things for him; some Marvel Megabloks, some Lego, a couple of Transformers and Batman toys... and an honest, for-real Blackbeard's Treasure Map.

This morning, Terri sent me a video of Dane's eyes lighting up as he opened the map for the first time, and it made my day. This is what Dane had to say: "A long time ago, there was a pirate ship and it sunk and they swam back to the pirate ship and found the treasure under the sea where no one would have been and they fighted and they fighted and they fighted and went back to their ship for grog."

Isn't he the best?

Your uncle loves you, Dane, and he's very proud of you. Go have some adventures.