Hello World,
I have the day off today. I have a plumber coming by to fix or replace my garbage disposal. I set up a service each year (for around $800) with Home Tech. I just call them when things go wrong and they send a guy out. It’s a business that says it is “employee owned” which I’m not sure what that really means, but I’ve had good luck with them. The first year I had them at my condo downtown. My appliances were older down there and my yearly fee was a little higher – plus they wouldn’t work on my oven because it was and “off” brand. When I moved out here, I got a contract for less money and everything is included – it’s a newer place also. I had them replace my AC downtown – I think I got talked into a “bigger” unit than I needed and I think I remember it being around 6 grand for a new one. I’m afraid that at some point, my AC here will need to be replaced – but I’ll deal with that when the time comes. Ultimately, I think this service is worth it for me since I have no skills for repairing things. I’ll have to ask them if they would install a light fixture in my bathroom. I hope so because I’m going to need to switch that out when I get the new one. If they don’t I still have my “handy man” Paul to help with that. I think he would do it for not much money.
So yesterday I went to the Beach after stopping by Hazel’s Cup to see Heather. I drove Rose down there since the last time I took Red there I had that little problem with the parking place. I checked out the places along 10th Street and there are better places along that street for Red the next time I go down there. I like stopping in to Hazel’s Cup for coffee. I feel “at home” there. A couple came in yesterday that were clearly tourists and were asking if the place was a “condo” and Heather had to explain that it was a rehab. I think they were looking for a place to buy. Lots of building going on downtown these days. Very expensive real estate though. It would be nice to be down there, but I lived there for over 10 years so I guess that was my “time” down town. I love where I am now. I walked (trying to get to 10,000 steps yesterday – only got to 7,000) across RH (Rattlesnake Hammock) to Lely Resort yesterday. It’s a great neighborhood. Very peaceful and I like it that there is a Library there and a college. I think I want to work at the college one day. I’ll check it out when I get closer to my “retirement”. Anyway, here are the two pictures I took at the beach yesterday:
 At the Beach |
 Sunday at The Beach |
Sometimes I’m amazed at how beautiful this town is. No wonder everyone wants to live here. I wouldn’t live anywhere else. It’s been a good place for me over these last 40 years. I found a bench in the shade to sit on and I could see the water and the tourists on the beach. I hope I find that spot again sometime. I couldn’t believe there was an empty parking place right at the beach – I almost drove away not realizing it was a parking spot without a Handicap designation. I also realized that my Beach Sticker is expired. I’ll need to go to the Library today to get a new one, but that library is “just across” the road in the Lely Resort area. I can’t remember if you have to “pay” for a sticker now that I am “out of the city” in the County. I guess I’ll find that out today when I get there. Of course, this is “Spring Break” in our town and I’m wondering if the Library will be open – guess I’ll find that out also.
So as I started to write about my “life story” the other day, I starting thinking about how “reckless” I was when I was drinking. I remember one time, Beirne and I had friends visiting in town and they were staying at “Keewaydin” Island. We were living in Aqualane Shores at the time and we all had dinner together and “lots to drink”. We had borrowed a boat from a friend to take them back to Keewaydin since it was after the water taxi had stopped for the night. We were able to navigate to the island, but when we were coming out, we ran the boat aground and into the mangroves. We couldn’t budge it off the bottom so we tied it to the mangroves and decided to swim across Gordon Pass to the other side where we had left our car. The pass looked pretty innocent and we were pretty drunk and pretty good swimmers so we thought – no problem. But as we got out to the middle of the pass, the tide was going out and it was a little more difficult to swim and we were being pulled out the pass by the current. I had on one of those stretchy dresses that had elastic at the waist and across my chest and no straps. First thing to go were my shoes, then the dress slipped off and of course I was braless at the time – I was still a hippie at heart, but my slip remained on. So this was getting a little scary now. But obviously, we did make it and drove home from Port Royal all wet and half naked. Can you imagine how God was with us that night? There could have been a fishing boat barreling out the pass and we’d be dead – they’d never see us! Plus we were drunk as skunks and a DUI and a booking in the jail that night without benefit of clothing would not have been much fun. Still at that point, it never occurred to me that I had a “problem with alcohol”. It was just how we lived. Chalk it up to experience. So it took me another 20 years for my ultimate DUI that got my attention and kept me in the rooms of AA ever since.
So now I realize I’ve got my 1000 words for today. More next time. Thanks for visiting. Might do this today:
Making Muffins!
Steve Elsaesser
Mar 16. 2015
THOUSAND WORDS! Earlier I wondered, “Why do I read and comment here nearly every day?” Well, I read through this twice to find out. NOW I know!!!
Second reading I said to meself, this is no more than the daily activities of another human. Your own might be just as interesting. Well, it is NOT “just” another’s autobiography here–it is a well-written piece of Americana, a sort of mini history, of this past six decades of our country, our MOST beautiful city, Naples, and the “times”. Not a bunch of unrelated facts, figures, dates, and melodramatic living. Your blog is descriptive of A life, ONE life, among billions, a unique life.
YOUR life–as you write it, contains for the reader a combination of your emotions, deep feelings, history-hints of world-and-Naples. You indirectly sometimes show us your ideas about politics, likes and not-likes, (and in that regard, SUCH honesty when discussing likes, etc., of people, places, and things, colors, auto favorites, and hippy stories.
Admittedly, millions of like blogs can be found instantly (available in 0.00164 seconds) but yours comes with photos,varying from day to day, and no fact-stretching, embellishments, or unnecessary words.
This is one place I can go without expecting a lot of B.S. And it is GOOD you write when YOU feel like it–no pressure, that becomes part of its authenticity.
SO that is why I come here, and your thousand words seem like a couple hundred, leaving me to wonder, “WHAT ELSE?” THERE, THAT is one secret to good writing. And so Mary, I thank you for you friendship, and your service to so many
Have GRAPE DAY!
And I say, www it IS!
Steve Elsaesser
Mar 16. 2015
Double dipping. FORGOT!!! About 1970 (After 5 years in Naples), Nancy and I felt like “old-timers”, immune to some laws. On dark, drunken night we went swimming at foot of 10th St South–a favorite spot then) naked–we both looked pretty good in those days, and frolicked quite freely. HA! About 20-30 yards out from beach we were when a row of searchlights suddenly made DAY out of NIGHT. BOTH Naples’ police cars were doing there best to brighten their day (and the neighborhood’s) and would not turn them out until we had come ashore and dressed.
We were told about sharks and the law, and encouraged
to not do that again. We had been told “EVERYBODY skinny-dips in Naples.” Well that night were only two.
Bye!
Mary
Mar 16. 2015
That is a funny story. I was in OHIO in 1970 and I had a couple of more years up there before I made it down to Florida in 1973. Took me until ’75 to make it to Naples. So I’m in my 40th year in Naples – go figure!