Yellow Boat

Cloudy, horizon over the Gulf of Mexico up a couple inches, then a strip of blue, then heavy cloud cover from there on up over 7H porch roof and on past the zenith. Bay is white silver from the clouds, calm, one yellow boat racing back and forth testing Mercury outboards. Which calls to mind that Mercury founder Carl Kiekhaefer’s daughter was at UFLA when I was in the mid-1950s, dating a Sigma Chi. 

Helen (1933 - 2012) was Miss University of Florida in 1953, my freshman year. My second and third year roommate, Gene Smith, knew her from seeing her with her beau at the Sigma Chi house. Googling shows her last names to have been Burford, and Wimberly. And this, self, is where the mind goes every gardenia time one of those yellow boats zips by. 

Before the yellow boat, the eye was on the well known old pictures of Bay High. Bay County High School it was originally. Earlier, black and white photo, might have been when my father was a student there, judging by the mud road and the cars. 

The later, color postcard I’ve had on here before, both because of the crime against humanity of tearing down the lovely old building and replacing it with a monstrosity designed by someone who should long ago have been dragged kicking and screaming up the scaffold steps (naaanh!!!); and because of the old cars parked out front. 

Of the two 1930s sedans parked together, the back one is a 1938 Pontiac Silver Streak. 

The car that caught my eye my first day at Bay High, September 1949, was a brand new 1949 Chevrolet Styleline DeLuxe sedan, in a green that was unique for that model year. Our rector, Fr. Tom Byrne had one like it.

At the top of the postcard reads PC 23 - Bay County High School, which reminded me that my growing up years every Florida county had a number, maybe something about population, IDK. Dade was 1, Duval was 2, Bay was 23. It was for use on car license plates. 23 - was small, our car was 23D for regular size cars, Scotty's mother's 1941 Buick had a 23W tag. What else do I have tucked away taking up memory space back there that prevents me spouting Bible verses --  

This is what happens when I have no sermon to worry me.

BBC Peru 423 x XX arriving with general cargo. Tugs standing by for her.

DThos+