Author: duckshots

Lapsed lawyer. Reader. Photographer. Jewish. Strongly attached to loving, caring, wife-Sharon. Working at remaining relevant. Hoping that my body and mind outlive my dreams. Maybe something I blog will make some sense.

Paul Rails

 

“Hey dude. You know that some of us want to remain anonymous. You put us on the web and people willl know we are here.” What’s wrong with that.” “There are people here who may be wanted.” “Sure enough, my man, but most of them are unwanted.”

 

Eric ponders whatever Paul was talking about. “I had too much whiskey, too fast.”

I went to the Sholem Shuk, a local thrift shop to pick up a some clothes for Paul. Bought two pairs of pants and two T shirts for $5. Some kids stole his shoes, but the store that is too far from downtown to help the homeless, didn’t have his size shoes or any socks. Believe it or not, he liked the shirt.

 

 

Tailor Builds at North Beach

 

Met this guy at North Beach. He built a castle on the sand which could last for a few days. Usually he builds Churches as a way to show how to save the environment. Using words like “ecomass” and “biomass,” he talked about reducing waste and promoting jobs in VT. I didn’t understand much, but he had just been interviewed for a show on VPR which I hope I don’t miss to learn more.

He had an assistant, a young girl he met at the Beach. “I am happier about having her help me, than I am with the building.”

Sherwood Schwartz, Dead at 94

Sherwood Schwartz gave us Gilligan and the show’s theme song. Who didn’t love Gilligan? Like Robinson Crusoe, I never wanted them to get off the Island. Before that he worked with Jim Backus on I Married Joan; the Nelsons on Ozzie and Harriet and Red Skelton on the Red Skelton Show. He must have been a very funny guy. Lived a long life and productive life, too. But, what is more important, is that I never heard of him, yet his TV work had an enormous effect on my life.

Don’t remember any people of color or ethnics on the show. He created the shows in the 50’s through the mid 70’s. Men didn’t have real jobs; if they did, they weren’t very good at them. The Captain was incompetent, Gilligan was a fool, and Ozzie didn’t have recognizable employment. The women looked good and spoke and acted stupidly. Everyone got along in the end, even if they were of different social and economic classes. There were people who acted retarded. They were accepted also.

 

Katie Mourns in Her Way

So, her Mom died yesterday morning, a day she lived as a runaway. Strong to a fault. Concerned about her looks. Knowledgeable about her friends, she sought support from those whom she could relate to.

Katie rejected her family, because if she saw them all she could do is cry, and what do they know about her? They failed her in one way or the other. Who knows? Her mother’s twin is her foster mom.  How complicated is that?

Yet, despite these facts, she felt her Mother loved her; visiting Mom shortly before the death, they had a conversation: “I told her that I loved her and I would do everything I can to live a better life, until I move to the higher ground.” Not sure this is exactly what she said, but it be close.

Paul Smells

He smelled so bad, I could not come close enough to shoot. But he still looked like he had dignity. He complained that the yellow jackets poured out his beer as he sat in front of the Methodist Church with the permission of the Pastor. His time be running thin. Will he realize it? Who knows. He didn’t last summer.

“No one wants to help me,” he complained. “I can’t get a pair of pants or a pair of shoes.” “Not so,” I replied. “No one wants to help you in this condition. That’s all. You are wearing pants I got for you.”