The Met, (part 3, excerpt 31)
This is the third installment in a story called The Met. A small car in a Key West parking lot tells the story, and my uncle buys it. After driving it out of the car park, he drives a little fast and is stopped. Then he drives the submarine base commander Key West to the Boca Chica Naval Air Station and our little car hears a lot. Then it’s on to pier fishing on Big Pine Key.
The mead
“Where did you get this buggy from, Norm?”
“I picked it up at Key West Motors a month ago. It did really well. “
“What is it?”
“A Nash Metropolitan … it gets about 30 miles per gallon on this island. Not bad, huh? “
“I like that. Small but comfortable. A little bold too!” said the commandant.
“Norm, are you going to pay these submarines their dangerous duty?”
“Yes, sir, I’ll be there,” Norm replied.
“I can’t tell where to go, but I think you can guess.”
“Yes sir, the world never seems to be at peace.”
“If any of them need an advance, that’s fine,” said the commander.
“I’ll take care of it, sir.”
We stopped at the main gate of the Boca Chica Naval Air Station. The guard gave a clever salute and waved us through. There I was on a safe installation. I was so proud! I put two and two together. My owner, Norman, was involved in some really tough stuff!
I think I’ll have time for one more story. It’s a fish story. Since I live in Key West I am sure it is appropriate. It was early on a Saturday morning. Norm came out of the house and before he closed the door I heard him say, “Bye, honey, I’ll see what the old No Name Key dock bites.”
Well, we’re on our way, rod and reel in the back seat, out of Key West on Highway 1, past the Boca Chica Naval Air Station. There weren’t many cars on the road. Norm’s black hair was blowing in the wind. I noticed that we stayed just below the speed limit. This highway patrol wouldn’t be as personable as Sam, the patrol officer!
Before long we turned left onto a small paved road. When we crossed the last bridge, the sign said “Big Pine Key”. The pines weren’t big here – in fact, they look stunted! What was that? It looked like a deer. But it was only the size of a big dog!
We walked back through a temporary forest and field and turned right at a sign that said “Deer Key Refuge”. We came to a dead end. There was an old, ramshackle boardwalk that led into the water.
Norman got out of the car, put on his hat, grabbed the fishing gear, and went whistling out onto the pier. The pier shifted from side to side as he stepped out on it. I will just rest. I will definitely need it after this trip. I could see Norm at the end of the pier. He stood with one foot on the railing and looked attentively over at his leash. Suddenly there was excitement. Norm stumbled, his rod bent, and he headed that direction towards the bank. I could see something big pop up and the flash of a white body. Norm continued to pull the fish towards the bank. He had neither a net nor a gaff. Standing on the bank, he caught up and dragged it up the beach. The fish was huge and thrilling.
After a while it stopped spinning and Norm carried it to the car.
He said to himself, “I’ll take this home with me. I need a picture. “
He took this old plastic out of my trunk, wrapped the fish, and tossed it and the gear in my back seat … um.
We drove home in a good mood. Norm whistled all the way home to the AM radio.
We stopped in our driveway and Norm hurried through the front door. Dolores, his wife, came forward with a camera.
“What do you want to do with it? You won’t eat it. “
“Take my picture with this Goliath and then I’ll take it to Manuel. He will know how to cook it. “
That is, done, and this is my fish story. Now you know something about me. Tell your friends
From the author:
My second full-length book, Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers, is 336 pages. There are 12 stories from 6 pages up to 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I did in Key West after finishing my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See the SouthWest Florida ONline News book or Don Browen’s Notes, A Walk Across Florida.) Reading these stories will bring you Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the early 19th century through 1969. bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich
See similar http://swflorida.blogspot.com/2021/06/florida-keys-watercolor-kapers-by-bob_27.html
The post Southwest Florida Online - Sunday Morning News: Florida Keys' watercolor capers by Bob Crane first appeared on Daily Florida Press.
from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/southwest-florida-online-sunday-morning-news-florida-keys-watercolor-capers-by-bob-crane-3/
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