Curious Mind

Today is the first day of the third year of the Iraq Freedom and Democracy War. Henry pauses to remember with pain the losses on both side. The picture shows Cecil Broome Jr, a high school pal of mine killed in the Vietnam War. My poem remebering Cecil is available at http://www.authorsden.com/henrybstevens

posted by hank # 9:37 AM

Saturday 03/12/2005 Henry takes Pat to the Sarasota Quilt Show

Last Saturday I took Pat to the Sarasota Quilt Show. We arrived about 10:30. I dropped Pat off at the door of the Community Building, a 1937 Quonsitt Hut type building that I've been many times over the years for annual stamp shows with my friends Bill Maisel and Carroll Lhoyd. This fronts on Hwy 41 and sits on 60 or 80 acres of city property on Sarasota Bay. Next door is the lawn bowling club and on the other side of the building is the Sarasota Welcome center.

I drove down back of the building where there is an large parking lot taking up the balance of the property not taken by a modest Yatch Club and an olderPerforming Arts Building and a new very large Van Wezel Performing Arts Center.

Down by the water there were perhaps a dozen cars and less than 20 ordinary people scattered over a wide area, along with a few kids. I backed into a parking lot second row back where I could see the panarama and listen to a CD for a while. About 11:30 I ate my lunch. There was an official placing red parking cones around but I was not in his way. I needed to take a pee and so I got out of the car to ask him about facilities. "There are none here. The music hall is locked. There may be a porta potty over by the Yatch club."

So I wandered over that way. I was just getting the brush off. No porta potty, but I found a bush positioned with the screening for the rubbish cans and did my little duty. I wandered in a large loop back to my car, put the passenger seat as far back as I could and then lowered the back until I was stretched out. I took Pat's old blue sweatshirt and put it over me and under my chin as a cozy and promptly went to sleep.

I woke up about an hour and half later. The parking lot around me was full of cars and the lords and ladies of Sarasota were walking by dressed in style suitable for a concert. As they walked by they looed in my car as I had backed in and they had a good view of me sleeping in the car. Many dozen and dozen of couples must have passed by the front of my car. Well I sat up and started to straighten out the front seat covered with CDs, a poetry book, my lunch bucket, and an other old shirt. I sat there until the walkers thined out towards 2PM and then walked away from the car and the music hall.

Way up in back of the parking there was a tractor trailer hooking up his 53' box. I started taking some picture and approached the driver. He said in a hour and 10 minutes he'd be going loading up to go the the next stop. It was the Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra. A sell out crowd both Friday night and Saturday afternoon. They were doing a series of performances in Florida.

Below are pictures I took as I walked around. I'm amazed with the tower condo buildings and the scenery and setting along the bay. I also figured out why there were no toilet facilities on this city property. I was on the property four hours and in truth I only saw total less than 40 people that I would consider ordinary people. s/ Henry

posted by hank # 10:19 PM

The tractor trailer driver getting ready to move out and go down to the loading dock. The first person I spoke with, the one who explained the reason for my Rip Van Winkel experience.

posted by hank # 10:15 PM