December 25, 2003
A SPECIAL GIFT
A closing comment. My sister also gave me a suede-framed sepia-toned (!) photo of me and my brothers and father on the dock at the Holiday Isle Marina in Islamorada, Florida, 1969. The Keys. We have 52 king mackerel on the hooks. It was a splendid day. Captain Socko found the honey hole for us that December outing.
I'd forgotten about that picture, and seeing me at 12, with my brothers and 44-year-old father, hammers some shit home.
For some reason my brothers and father are in classic 1960's sneakers and shorts. I'm wearing long pants and Beatle boots. As I recall I'd sunburned my legs the day before, when we got skunked with Captain Brown, and I probably never packed my sneakers. Only thing I can figure.
We all look very happy, though, probably as happy as we ever looked again as a group of four. I'll scan this pic and post it, before I hang it in my office. You must see this, if only as a slice of 1969 Americana.
As an aside, I stayed next door to the Holiday Isle two years ago with my kids, and we had a blast. Rented boats, fished, snorkeled, it was King Hell. This year I'm going back to Islamorada, but we're staying at the Holiday Isle. I'm going to channel some Dad.