"Putting on the Game Face" |
This is a better shot on how the Villas looked around the seawall of South Beach. It also shows the tree that is still there and which was full grown and commanding when I was a boy. Standing beneath the tree you can look up the hill into the center of town. You can see where the beach ends and the mudflats begin. At high tide the water is well up onto the beach. At low tide the beach ends and the mud is clearly evident for a mile out into the bay. When I was writing the vignettes on my version of the 1001 Arabian Knights, this tree would occupy the edge of my thinking as I visualized Dunezad and the action that unfolded around her. There are many homes in France that look like these. As I mentioned earlier there was a carnival that would set up every year further down the road. A friend of mine, Tommy Thomas, and I spent time there shooting at the arcade. Finally we acquired enough points for a skull we both coveted. I wonder if Tommy still has that skull? Going up the hill from the tree, across the railroad tracks and to the right, lived a family with a big brown French poodle and a one eyed Cocker Spaniel. When it came time for them to return to the United States they gave the Poodle, Benoit, to us. We have had many great dogs since but Benoit will always occupy a deep love in my heart. I used to walk for hours with her down the trails around the Village and found I could jog tirelessly at a slow shuffle. I will be showing some of the vistas I saw in future blogs, then and now. |