Lazy Sunday

Breakfast at Longbeach Café this morning in Whitney Beach Plaza near the corner of Gulf of Mexico Drive and Broadway Street (which we take when dining at Mar Vista). Interestingly this old fashioned diner at the northern end of Longboat Key overlooks the innermost inlet of Bishops Bayou. It is decidedly a hangout for regulars some of whom arrived with their dogs and new puppies. I saw a server chat and laugh with a group of guests and pat one of them on the back as an expression of familiarity.

We afterwards exchanged words with the gentleman owner of the two puppies. He was a young man and clearly proud of Lewis and Clark. I told him his life had changed. He jokingly agreed with me but I suspect his insight into my comment is mystified. I thought back upon my own experiences with dogs. It’s a commitment; and one which at this stage of my career I prepared to forgo.

Driving home we could not but remark upon the tranquillity of the surroundings. Everything reflected an early Sunday morning. It made me feel that I should be going to church! That too is a misfortune of which I can bear the deprivation. As though to highlight the profanity of our circumstance we prepared to go for manicures and pedicures at ten o’clock.

My manicurist lives with her husband, children, mother and father, all of whom come from Vietnam. Everyone in the salon appears to be Vietnamese. Some of the younger ones may have been born here as they speak fluent English in addition to Vietnamese. Predominantly the conversation among the staff is Vietnamese and therefore unintelligible. Throughout the cryptic staccato sounds of the foreign language it is possible to discern when they are in earnest or jesting among themselves. Our involvement with the staff is of necessity limited. We confine ourselves to enduring the vibrations of the huge chairs and relaxing to the massage of our hands or lower limbs. Overall it is a stimulating affair, one which we repeat regularly.

I did not allow the serenity of the day to overtake my customary performances. I got on my bike and rode the usual 15 kms to and from Bayfront Park. It was a warm day under a perfectly clear sky. I therefore later positioned myself by the pool, first lounging, then swimming.

The end of the day was spent figuring how to avoid uploading photos to iCloud without preventing the import from iPhone to MacBook Pro. It was only by accident that I discovered the process. I am nonetheless thrilled to have done so! It overcomes the frustration of ignorance. It removes the sudden dominance of failure. It affords the capacity of expression.