A Wonderful Day

The "Tree of Knowledge". Notice that at 0845 there are already folks under the tree and some of them already have adult beverages working. Tables and chairs are permanent fixtures there.

Bear without pain.

Yesterday was the first day in quite a while that Bear was completely pain free. That is one perfect day, Bear in good shape and in the Keys aboard a sailboat. My definition of way great.

We took the rental car and did some exploring. We discovered quickly that there is one road in the Keys and that to go anywhere, these folks are never lost. Just go right or left and one will either run out of road in Key West or find CONUS (old military term for Continental US), or to put it another way, the rest of the US. So, we will plan land excursions to the right or East in this case as the Keys run East and West in this part. We plan to give the back thing several days to recover thus will spend about a week here.

I moseyed down the dock yesterday to the "Tree of Knowledge" as the locals have named it. For West Texans of our age, it was more like going through the door of the local domino parlor. You see, some of the locals gather under a large fig tree at the head of the harbor canal every day. While one is not discuouraged from boging down to the tree, one must understand that place is where those who have been here a while gather to discuss the interlopers. With no intention at all of intruding, we decided to rid our boat of the shoe basket that we have carried these many months. It so happens that the dumpster is next to the Tree. Rather than toss it, I offered the group gathered there the basket. They said that someone could use the basket and yes, leave it with them. Then one large fellow asked if I was aboard Why Knot. They are observant. Yup says I. They then started the initiation process of questions. Where you from? Where you goin'? Like that boat? Married? Kids? Dawgs? Where's Port Aransas? Oil spill get you yet? A few minutes later they said "Yer welcome to sit a spell". To which I said I had boat duties and moseyed on.

I got back to the boat and decided that there might be a wealth of local knowledge under that tree. I got a lawn chair and went back. There were about 10 people under that tree, mostly auld dawgs like me. They were talking about so and so being in jail and old what's his name having some life threatening disease and Mikey heading for Panama. One fellow has a terminal disease for which he will seek no further treatment. He was casually discussing how he wanted to be buried under the shade of that tree and how, after such burial, the harbor master could give him no further grief. One fellow has a bottle of Curzan rum to pour over the grave but casually asked the fellow if he could filter it through his on board system before "pouring it on the grave". The soon to be deceased fellow said of course as long as it was deposited up wind. I was introduced around just as I put my chair just outside the circle and sat down. Most, as mentioned, were my age but there were two females younger. They were of local boats and were treated as one of the boys. It was 1500 and some of the group had been through some rum by then.

The conversations under that tree were of the type from the domino halls of my childhood. Cars and plan gone by and of the future. It was Norman Rockwellian. As I sat there, folks would introduce me to newcommers to the circle. The figs from that tree were pelting us all. No one seemed to care except when a fig turned out to be a bird dropping. That basket stayed where I put it but someone in the crowd had it in mind.

Just as I was about to leave, having been in that area for about two hours, someone turned to me and said "when were you there"? Guess it shows. What unit? After that, it was different. Seems most of them were "there". I was the only one, having been there that was a grunt but it was unreal the change that took place in the demeanor of the folks under the tree. Mind you, they were still discussing life, death and world problems but the circle of chairs expanded to include mine. Now, thinking about that, it might have been like admitting to the old guys in a domino parlor in West Texas in the 50's that you had kin folks in town.

We met a couple from Tulsa that actually sailed their boat from there to here with the mast up. I did not think that possible but the captain swears he did it. The river system in Oklahoma is built with locks and navigible waters such that it is possible

I might just mosey back to the tree sometime while we are here. Who knows what pearls one might gather there.