We remember things from our childhood in funny ways. Rather insignificant objects from youth can sometimes take on “cargo-cult” significance in memory. We inaccurately remember the size of such objects in tribute to this fetish through a false memory. Later, tall or large things we discover to be small when we stumble upon them or seek them out years later, while small things, as remembered, are very large upon thorough investigation.
What is true with objects is equally true with events. Insignificant incidences can take on epic significance, and we remember them for the rest of our lives. On the other hand, we seem to completely block out some very important events in our lives.
“W)atching the tide come in” is based on a fragment of the artist’s memory of childhood in the Atlantic provinces, Canada. Life seemed dreadfully slow and dull for him to the point that watching the tide come in passed for pretty good entertainment—especially when viewed from a higher vantage point.
So Skyler has presented this scrap of childhood memory ambiguously: is the tide coming in a fun thing to watch, or are the kids on the roof, in fact, escaping a dangerous flood situation?
