While we were staying in Townsend’s Inlet we could walk over the bridge to Avalon. It was a regular walk. The view was outstanding. It brought back memories of great times at Windward Harbor where we spent many days. The building were the first large structures you saw as you came down the bridge on the Avalon side. As we would come down we often saw cars parked on the shoulder of the road. They would usually be on the side of the road nearest the ocean and the participants would be either out fishing, or sitting there just taking in the view of the Inlet water rushing out to the sea. On one of these occasions we saw a gentleman sitting in his car eating. As we walked by June noticed what he was eating and commented it looked good. I asked if it looked good enough to be on my forbidden food list. She thought it probably was not within the limits of my low cholesterol diet. So I started thinking, since the gentleman was at least as chronologically gifted as I, that maybe he too had a restrictive diet with a wife-dietician that saw that he ate only “good” food. It occurred to me that he was quietly having himself a feast out of her sight but the hour, early in the morning, added mystery to the thought. I could however see him planning the event. Questions could be raised since it would be the most unlikely time to be leaving the house. I could hear him giving his wife one of those classic excuses for his going out at that time of day, namely, “I am just going out to mail a letter”.
The alibi brought back memories of when I had heard that explanation offered. It was often tossed out to the police where spouse or relative is reported to be missing, “He or She said they were just going out to mail a letter!” I remembered too that in the In-Oh-Ho murder trial the victim, a Korean student, was beaten to death as he went to the mailbox to mail a letter. So I wondered if the feasting sojourner had used that excuse. I never got to ask him since we just ambled up, took a peek at the delicacy, and charged on.
What interested me as we continued walking was that I was thinking so. I was, in a small way, creating a story around some guy sitting in a car by the side of the road. I mused this is the way fiction is created. Every one who writes it doesn’t get away from his past and what those events meant, or could have meant. They come out of his imagination to help the character he has now created to move about as if he were real. Fortunately, or otherwise, my bent was not to continue to have him become a character in my great American novel, but the trip my thinking was taking gave me a smile. I even went so far as to write down the thoughts after we returned home. That was a month or so ago and it continued to haunt me. I don’t see my self writing fiction. I know some of my attorney colleagues would point out, that on an occasion, the legal argument presented could classify as ‘fiction’. They would argue so since it allegedly omitted some salient facts. But that was true of a great number of lawyers’ arguments. It is called the “art of legal reasoning”. My trouble with some fiction is I find myself questioning the realism of the situation. It is one of the reasons why I am not allowed to watch television with June, particularly legal shows. I can’t resists noting the lack of reality in some of the actions or statements or procedures. It is then I get “sent to my room”.
Fiction is fun. I only wish I could write it. If I did I would like it to be like E.L.Doctorow’s, PD James’ or Graham Greene’s. I recently finished JKRowling’s Potter’s, “Goblet Of Fire” (number four), now there is great fun. I had a discussion (?) with a fellow Via de Christo-member about reading it. He knows she’s into magic, witchcraft, and wizardry. The Bible prohibits such things, says he. He knows all this without even have read the book! He apparently would have some problems with C.S. Lewis’ fictional series the “Chronicles of Narnia”. The first two “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” which I haven’t read are described as “fantasy tales for children of all ages that conjure a world of magic and wonder”. Our friend probably doesn’t read C.S. Lewis either nor his friend in life JRToilken the creator of much fantasy. I suppose in my friend’s eyes Toilken could be excused for his writing since he practiced Catholicism.
Gordon flew by us the other day. Well, not the other day really but in the middle of September. It was Hurricane Gordon, not Flash or Jeff Gordon. I wonder how many remember who “Flash” was?. Now Jeff, you can’t live down south and not know the car racer Jeff. This Gordon decided to go straight up the Gulf and ashore at what is called the Bend. It is the area between the Panhandle and where Florida starts running parallel to the Gulf. The exact area is where it entered was Cedar Key. We had lots of rain, about 4 inches, and wind. The street got flooded and water came up about 3 feet on the lawn. But no damage to the property the only damage was I suffered several ant bites. While cleaning up the next day my shoes twice got overrun with fire ants and they got to my ankles and a couple even got on my wrist from trying to wipe they away. They itch, then burn and then leave red welts, some of which swell. But considering all the damage that could have happened it was minor, you might say it was limited to “ant-size” problems.
We spent the last week in September at the beautiful Don Cesar Beach House in St.Pete’s Beach. It was a Christmas gift from our children. We had a great week weather wise and reading wise. We managed to walk every day and saw at least one gorgeous sunset. We gave it an”8″ on the scale of 10 since there still was a bit of cloud blocking the point where the sun meets the water on the horizon. We read once again the name “McSorley” in the news. The headline “McSORLEY…” brought June up short. It was a report on the trial of that now famous ( or infamous) Marty or Martin McSorley of the ice hockey genre. He is being tried for an assault with a hockey stick on an opposing player. Around the same time in my reading I was surprised to find the mention of a “Mr.Sorley” a young missionary in India. The book was the classic by E.M.Forster, “A Passage to India”. It later was a movie with Alec Guinness and James Fox as two of the actors. I once in a while have been called “Mr.Sorley” when they think the ‘Mc’ is a first name like, Mick or Nick. It may be why or how the young fictional missionary lost his “Mc”.
The Potter conflict continues. At a breakfast with some of the members of the church including the Pastor, we learned that the Day School had some one who objected to the books (which were donated) being put in the library. The school Administrator and the pastor however agreed without any accent on their presence they could be kept. I no sooner heard that than the dentist hygienist cleaning my teeth reported that she was keeping them away from her grandchildren. She agreed however if they became “prohibited” reading the youngster would have a better reason for finding them elsewhere and reading them. She agreed before I left that she should read them her self before making a decision. Two minutes later she told me she read all six, or maybe it is now seven, of the series called “Left Behind”. This is a fictional series based on a reading and interpretation of the Book of Revelation. I had a course in that Book and believe there is as much wizardry and magic and visions as Potter’s. “The Revelation Story revolves around the centerpiece of the Woman (The people of God), the Child (the Messiah),the Dragon(Evil) and two beasts (one is the ’empire’) and the other its propaganda chief.” These lines are taken from my course notes. I marvel at the weaving of the stories in ‘Left Behind’ since my reading of Revelation left me completely at a lost as to what some or all of it meant. Even the professor said that without putting the writings (which are really letters to three cities) into its time in history, it could be incomprehensible. It contains codes and ciphers of all kinds, according to him, and others, that were really only understood by the contemporaries that John was addressing in the Cities where they lived.
We have a busy October. We expect our good friends the Keeley’s for a five-day visit starting on October 13th. We will travel with them to Universal Studies. We then leave on the 20th for a trip to Charlottesville, VA. We will be there the week of October 22nd arriving home on the 27th.I am looking forward to both events but it is clear that my time at this machine will be interrupted so I best be getting this off. The visit to Charlottesville is of particular interest to me since I will get to see the home of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. We might also get to see James Madison’s home called Montpelier.