In Alert Bay, a six or seven year old Cranmer often watched Arthur Shaughnessy carve. Shaughnessy was one of the first people to carve miniature totem poles exclusively for tourists.
Cranmer, however, had never thought of carving for a living. Like all the other kids of his time he whittled in his spare time and as soon as he was able to pull a net, he went fishing.
But many years later, after the fishing season was interrupted by the first 10-day fishing closure, Cranmer decided to go into logging. The money wasn't as good as in fishing, but the work was steady and dependable. Cranmer tells of his beginnings as a logger:
Cranmer thought he would be a logger for the rest of his life. He never expected to be a carver.
At the time, country and western music was popular in Alert Bay. Cranmer found this odd, since there wasn't a cow or a horse or a ranch anywhere near the Bay. To be different, he began listening to jazz. Today, he has a large jazz collection. He has a strong preference for horns, followed by piano.
When he first worked at the Museum of Anthropology in the late '50s, he would sneak off to the symphony. He found the idea fascinating that all the different instruments, each making their own sound, could still make music. He was very careful not to let any of his friends know where he was going.
