Up on the Roof

Back in January of this year, before the pandemic hit and the quarantine began, we spent five days in my hometown New Orleans celebrating our 49th anniversary. We stayed in a condo down in the French Quarter just off Canal Street. (I posted lots of those pictures on Facebook for the dates January 20-24 2020. I also posted about our anniversary trip on those days in this blog.) Isaiah 22:1 (NIV) states a fairly realistic summary of life in the French Quarter...What troubles you now that you have all gone up on the roofs, you town so full of commotion, you city of tumult and revelry?

We spent our days seeing sights in the Crescent City such as City Park, the World War II Museum, The Insect Emporium, the Riverwalk Mall, and the French Quarter Flea Market. There were plenty of childhood memories conjuring up in my mind. In spite of some rain, we had a good time.

View from Bluegreen Club La Pension -- Up on the Roof!

Evenings we investigated our quaint and mystical resort. It had lots of cultural artifacts in addition to two floors with rooftop areas and panoramic views of the surrounding Quarter. It reminded me of a favorite song from my Rock and Roll years as a boy, Up on the Roof. The song was written in 1962 and quickly was made popular by the Drifters and later James Taylor.

Up on the Roof

When this old world starts getting me down and people are just too much for me to face

I climb way up to the top of the stairs and all my cares just drift right into space

On the roof, it's peaceful as can be; and there the world below can't bother me

Let me tell you now...

When I come home feelin' tired and beat, I go up where the air is fresh and sweet (up on the roof)

I get away from the hustling crowd and all that rat-race noise down in the street (up on the roof)

On the roof, the only place I know where you just have to wish to make it so

Let's go up on the roof (up on the roof)

At night the stars put on a show for free and, darling, you can share it all with me

I keep a-tellin' you...

Right smack dab in the middle of town I've found a paradise that's trouble proof (up on the roof)
And if his world starts getting you down there's room enough for two up on the roof.

Pleasant memories are wonderful thoughts to have whether remembering from my pillow-induced dreams during the night, or daydreaming from a favorite recliner in my bonus room after lunch. A favorite song often helps with that journey into reliving the past. Music can carry me away to the safety and imagery of a few moments Up on the Roof.

The Pitt Theater

Pitt Theater circa 1949

It was the Fifties, the Age of Sputnik and the rising Cold War. The Pitt movie theater was on Elysian Fields Avenue at the corner of Robert E. Lee Boulevard in New Orleans. Built in 1949 by T.A. Pittman, the building seated 1,100 patrons. It wasn't far from where I grew up. Its proximity was probably the reason my brother and I were dropped off there many Saturday afternoons while our mother went shopping.

As I remember it, admission to the kiddie matinee was 50 cents. For another four bits we could add pop corn, coke, and a couple of candy choices. My favorites were candy-coated almonds, Necos, Snow Caps,and Bit-O'-Honey (it lasted a long, long time). We really got our money's worth at the Pitt; and the value didn't stop at the concession stand.

Once we were comfy in our theater seats, the show would start. There was always a newsreel, at least one cartoon (Road Runner and Wylie Coyote was my  favorite - talk about resilience! That coyote had it.), previews of coming attractions, and then right before the movie was my favorite part. It was the reason kids kept coming back for the Saturday afternoon kiddie matinee at the Pitt...the serial. Some sort of saga in bits and pieces with a new add-on every week. I remember Penelope getting rescued numerous times from the railroad track in the nick of time by the smiling hero on the white horse. I believe his name was Dudley Do Right.

I have a lot of time on my hands these days. First it was just retirement; today add the social distancing and quarantine that have arrived with the viral pandemic. I also have a book that is only partially finished. It was to be one of my retirement projects...for the last three years. I just couldn't decide what to do with it. Then I had these memories of the serials at the Pitt Theater all those decades ago. Since I'm back to blogging regularly in 2020, why not self-publish my novella as a serial blog? Perhaps my dozen or so followers would enjoy that.

Bit-O'-Honey

Before someone comments on this being a bad April Fool's joke, let me state that I know I'm a procrastinator and don't follow through well on resolutions. This year I have been fairly good at eating right, exercising regularly, and blogging. There is hope that I could accomplish the somewhat formidable task of a serial blog. I have worked on this book idea off and on for well over a decade...more off than on. That is about to change. I simply need to reach out to a very smart friend, husband of an avid blogger, and get a platform set up. Then I just need to start copying, pasting, and editing.

So thanks Pitt Theater for the memories and the inspiration. I didn't even have to go into my Idea File for this blog. All I need now is a  Bit-O'-Honey to keep me going. Hope somebody still makes those.

Nets and All

The situation was grim (Luke 5:5-11 MSG). Simon Peter and his business partners had fished all night and caught nothing, not even a minnow, in their nets. Jesus showed up and suggested they try one more time. After some excuses and negativity, they made one more toss into the sea. Immediately so many fish were in the nets that the catch strained them past capacity and almost swamped both boats.

What an amazing fish story! I've never had that level of success fishing. As a young boy growing up in New Orleans, I spent time on the banks of the bayous in City Park with a cane pole and shrimp or biscuit dough for bait. My brother and I would fish for perch, trout, or bass. We rarely got a nibble. I remember we even tried using minnows on our hooks to attract the larger fish. We would dip a Dixie cup in the water near shore and scoop up several of the tiny fish at a time. Often the cup was our best fishing pole and those minnows our best catch of the day.

As a teenager I graduated to the much larger lake catfish. They could be up to two feet in length. We walked a quarter mile out on the I-10 bridge to Slidell that was under construction.Why "they" let us do that was always a mystery to us. We would toss our lines over the side to the water about 15 feet below. It usually didn't take long to hook "a big one." Then we would give a pull and hoist the cat up and over the railing of the bridge bringing it down hard on the cement. This would either stun or kill the fish. We worked quickly since dazed catfish had a habit of awakening suddenly and "finning" their attackers. Wearing gloves helped protect our hands from those stinging wounds. Once that catch was off the hook and in the cooler, we tried again.

Years later I was privileged to help guide groups of teens (sometimes including my son Matt) on treks to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. On these trips I seldom fished. I was better at maneuvering a canoe than casting. I enjoyed paddling from the bow of the canoe while Matt sat in front and cast his lure for bass, walleye, or northern pike. We discovered that pike made an elusive move when hooked. They would swim straight up the line and under the canoe. Their goal was to cut the line on the sharp seam of the hull. To overcome this sneaky play, Matt learned to yank on the pole to set the hook and then crank the reel like crazy. That was much more fun than my earlier adventures in fishing.

Remember earlier in this fishy tale, we left Simon and Company with nearly swamped boats. Teamwork got the catch to shore safely. They realized Jesus was also fishing that day. He was fishing for followers who would become part of his team to cast nets for men and women. Those fishermen were overwhelmed with awe at Jesus' miracle. Scripture states, "They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed Him."

The message of the gospel is inspiring as it explains our mission as His fishers (I Peter 3:15 MSG): "Through thick and thin, keep hour hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy." We must be ready to leave nets and all and follow Him. 

Anniversary Getaway Day One

We awoke just after 5 a.m., unloaded the dishwasher, ate a banana, took our meds, loaded the Kia, and pulled out of the garage at about 6:15. We backed right into a blizzard! That's right; the smallest, infrequent flakes were lazily wafting from the sky. It was the kind of morning event in Southern Middle Tennessee that would close schools and send the adults to Kroger for milk and bread. Trouble was that Maury County was already out for MLK Day.

We headed to New Orleans. For breakfast and lunch we ate the food we had prepared the night before. We crossed Alabama and Mississippi and then entered Louisiana. We arrived at our resort a half block off Canal Street about 2:15 p.m. Check-in wasn't until 4, so we drove around part of the French Quarter to get a feel for the old city again. Though I had grown up here, it had been years since our last visit.

After check-in we took a walk. We visited two Walgreens, a CVS, and two little markets. Our most important purchase was four bananas.

Returning to our room, we ate dinner and settled down to watch the Hallmark Channel. The long day and the long drive had taken their toll on us. Together we are 169 years young. I'm tired just thinking about it. Good night. Zzzzzzzzzzz...

City Park

One of my favorite places growing up in New Orleans was City Park. According to Wikipedia it is 1300 acres and is the 20th most visited urban public park in the nation. It is 50% larger than Central Park in New York City. Amazingly I had this urban greenspace as my personal playground on many Saturdays.

Some of the my many adventures included the following:

• Taking art lessons in the Delgado Museum of Art (although I never really liked art; I was more of a music kid)
• Renting bicycles and exploring the many side roads and pathways
• Fishing the bayous for perch, trout, and bass
• Recycling pieces of whatever we caught to use as bait for alligator gars (there was a bounty, but I don't remember ever snagging one)
• Climbing the massive oak trees just like Tarzan (although there were no grapevines)
• Playing tennis
• Chasing turtles, swans, ducks, and geese around the waterways in rented canoes, peddle boats, or skiffs
• Puttering at golf
• Swimming in the large public pool and jumping off the 10 meter high dive
• Wandering through the colorful maze of Storyland
• Catching chameleon lizards in the beautiful rose garden
• Picnicking in the shade of the live oaks
• Riding the "toy" train
• Swinging high in the playground and popping the seat chains or baling out from 20 feet up
• Racing after my brother or other friends in games of tag, not it, or hide and go seek

Ah! The childhood mysteries and memories of that mesmerizing place. I could almost become Peter Pan or one of his boys as I lost myself in the real and pretend worlds of City Park.