Hand – Work

The first thing I noticed on my way to Key West last week was that airports in Sacramento and Atlanta no longer have monitors running news networks. Waiting areas were so much nicer without all that noise.

This was my first visit to Key West so I had signed up for two tours in the old part of the island.

On the Conch Train the driver provides a running commentary of the sites we pass, telling the history of old buildings, the styles of architecture of the old homes, and the famous people who lived in them.

I learned that if you build a house in Key West, the roof must be metal to prevent fire from burning the city down like it did in the 1800s.

We learned why the light house is not on the shore, and why the cemetery was moved. They missed one grave which emerged later, so the old cemetery has one grave in the middle of a grass-covered lot.

The train makes three stops and you can get ice cream at each of them. It was hot and sticky. The streets were crowded with tourists walking about in the briefest of outfits.

The second day I visited the Truman White House and realized I don’t know much of anything that happened in that part of our history. I was about three years old when he became president, and I never learned about World War II or Korea in school, because it wasn’t in the history books yet.

I enjoyed the Aquarium which had WPA murals on the walls, as well as fish and other sea creatures. At the Shipwreck Museum, I found all sorts of old baskets around large jars made from whatever natural materials were at hand.

 

 

 

At the shell collector’s convention, which was the reason I was in Key West, I heard presentations about what is being done to protect the reef that runs along the Florida Keys, the longest living reef in U.S. territory. I heard about research on some of the creatures that live on the reef.

In between the presentations, there were silent auctions of gorgeous, incredible shells from a collection that had been donated to fund the club’s endowment which provides scholarships to students of marine biology.

Silent auctions are fun because there is so much beautiful material to bid on, but one has to weigh the beauty with one’s budget. It would be easy to get carried away. I also had to judge what I could get into my luggage. I came home with about a dozen lots, most of which had multiple shells. I easily have 75 new shells for my collection.

I did get on the beach for two hours one morning and found a few common shells, but better ones can only be found while snorkeling. I had hoped to do more beach combing, but most of the shore has a cement sea wall which makes getting in the water difficult for someone who is no longer young.

It was a wonderful trip and a much needed break from my usual daily routine

What ever happened to kicking back with a good book in the summer?

Last summer I was busy reorganizing my garage and storage building, cleaning up the yard, and playing with small collages.

This year the yard again is a mess, but that’s the nature of my yard. I’m spending an hour or two in the evenings cleaning out plants that have spread too much.

I’ve added something entirely new to me in the last month. When I flew to Portland at the end of June, I had a terrible time getting my suitcase into my car. At 35 pounds, it was too heavy for me.

I’ve never been strong in my upper body but things have gotten worse in the last year because I’ve spent many hours sitting at the computer creating this website and writing a memoir. And with all the rain last winter I was not in the yard cleaning up as I usually do.

Having committed myself to another two airport trips this year, it was clear I needed to get my body in better condition.

I’m a member of the Osher Life Long Learning (OLLI) program at the University of the Pacific, and I noticed I could, for a modest sum, get some personal training. I can be disciplined about some things, but exercising with weights at home isn’t one of them.

So, I added to my already full schedule, three sessions a week at the UOP fitness center, working with a young man to build some strength and stamina. After two weeks, things don’t feel as heavy when I lift them, and walking in my neighborhood is starting to feel less like a chore.

The trade-off is less writing, so this blog is now posting once a week. And the other writing I’ve been doing – stay tuned – I’ll be writing more about the book in the weeks ahead.

In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying your summer, whatever you are doing.