It isn’t often I encounter a person who recognizes, when verbally providing a name or address, the utility of exemplifying a letter. For example, “b” as in “baby” or “c” as in Charlie or “d” as in dog. I think you see my point. Having spent a good deal of my early legal career dictating names and other unique words to secretarial staff, I rapidly learned the value of specificity for the purpose of clarity.  The usage speaks to me of one’s precision and axiomatic refinement. These are characteristics often dismissed as either excessive or unnecessary; but I happen to believe they are neither. In fact I would go so far as to attribute to the behaviour a superior state of conduct; and, by extension, an indication of the uncommon depth of intellect. That may be affording too fine a privilege to the native practice but it nonetheless addresses in my mind an etiquette to be appreciated.

“Sweet Caroline” is a song written and performed by American singer Neil Diamond and released in May 1969 as a single with the title “Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)“. It was arranged by Charles Calello, and recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.

Neil Diamond has provided different explanations for the song’s origins. In a 2007 interview, he stated the inspiration for the song was John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, who was 11 years old at the time it was released. Diamond sang the song for her at her 50th birthday celebration in 2007.  On December 21, 2011, in an interview on CBS’s The Early Show, Diamond said that a magazine cover photo of Caroline Kennedy as a young child on a horse with her parents John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy created an image in his mind, and the rest of the song came together about five years after seeing the picture.

This morning as I launched into my projected tricycle ride, I immediately paused to chat with our neighbour from the Chicago area. She is a woman whom I briefly met several days ago. She initially distinguished herself by having a tricycle as well, a snappy looking yellow trike. The smart appearance of her tricycle matches her personal sartorial look. In a word, she is well turned out.  Coincidentally her late husband was a defence attorney (though she jokingly observed he might have preferred to have been a bartender).  This, in a word, captures Her Ladyship’s quick wit and refreshing application of candidness. Unfortunately perhaps for her, her ready accommodation of my own inclination to frankness embroiled her this morning in an unwittingly prolonged monologue on my part. In my defence there were just too many serendipitous ingredients that surfaced throughout our rambling confab, including philosophy and political science, trains, the Queen Mary and the QEII, Sweden, the Episcopal church, Richard Nixon and the Republican party, Trump of course and finally “Sweet Caroline” (a term of endearment she attaches to her prolonged affiliation with Hilton Head Island in particular and the State of South Carolina in general).

Her Ladyship is by her own admission enthralled with both socializing and retail.  Punctuating our mercurial chat this morning was her allusion to Sea Pines Beach Club the situs of renowned evening seaside cocktails and measurable book and other shopping ventures. Indeed this was not the first occasion on which she had mentioned the place; and, coincidentally it echoes a similar reference we heard last week from a local professor who doubles his time and energy as a longstanding server at Lowcountry Produce & Market.

I was especially pleased to form this tenuous alliance with our neighbour because it isn’t often in this predominantly seasonal environment that one encounters those who are here long enough to make socializing with strangers worthwhile; and, there are not many who in any event care to say more than “Good morning!” to perfect strangers. Though I haven’t proof of the matter, I believe I am correct to observe that Her Ladyship is here for the majority of the winter season (as I believe as well she has done on and off since she was a child when her parents had a place on the island). That too is a distinction worth noting because most people here, as are we, are mere vacation interlopers with any residency connection either directly or vicariously.

Finally Her Ladyship curtailed our dialogue by encouraging me to regain my athletic ambition.  Not having Her Ladyship’s sylphlike figure, I was compelled to accede accordingly. For the moment at least we parted ways; and, I bid a cheery au revoir to Sweet Caroline!