FauxPadlock: No Key

On Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, on Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen, and we do have Donner and Blitzen again this morning, close and with rain, heavy at times. Now fairly clear across StAndrewsBay, it may have passed on by, enabling Friday morning’s walk in the Cove that concludes with a breakfast bite at — who knows where.

Delightful day, yesterday. Closing with an elegant recital by Marqua's talented young voice student Elizabeth at HNEC. Thursday’s midday zenith was the visit of friend and co- sometime resident of 2308, Mike, who knows as much and more about my family as I know and as he knows about his own. Pictures, we called it Pop’s FishHouse

Erected I have no idea when, but before the 1930s when I first knew it, it was mine and Walt’s adventure place in the growing up years. If it still stood, I could see it from here, my 7H Beck window and sidewalk rail. In StAndrews, the ShrimpBoat restaurant is there now. Linda’s mother Lucy Peters did the watercolor for my parents back in the 1950s. There are two: I have one and Walt has one.

Photographs in the building’s history, above guess 1910. The little harbor is now styled "Smith Yacht Basin." (BS)

Above, the third picture shows Pop’s FishHouse as Walt and I knew it, with all the fishing boats around. The two larger ones, also in the watercolor, one was the Tommy. Neither Walt nor I can remember the name of the other, but they were forbidden property that we played on anyway regardless how many times we were evicted by Pop or our father.

The old boat stern-to in the pic belonged to Chris, I think his last name was Christensen, an old Norwegian sailor and fisherman who had been with Pop for many years. Chris lived on the boat except in winter, when he had a cot upstairs in the FishHouse.

The little structure close to the FishHouse and the other side of Chris’ boat, not included in the watercolor, was the dual outhouse hanging over the water, and in which on summer days small boys could enjoy the cool bay breeze on one’s posterior. I’ve written about it here before. The free door was for anyone, the public. The door with padlock was Pop’s side: day came when Pop showed Walt and me that the padlock was fake, simply snap it open, use the cleaner side and with TP instead of newspaper, and snap the padlock back when done. Remember, Walt? 

And now, Elixir of the Damned: glass of lemon juice in warm water.

DThos+