18) In fact, so much had my brain dribbled out my ears that when I went to get lunch at the concession, I forgot shoes - oops! - and had to go back to get them before I could place an order.
18a) That was when I saw the four people with inflatable sharks.
19) After all that intense sun, we left shortly after 3ish for an early cocktail at Maine Street. Practically deserted when we got there, wonderful to stretch out on the upper deck banquettes with their pillows! Some interesting looks: a slim young man in what appeared to be a hopi coat over white cycling shorts and wooden clogs with blue fleece uppers, a bearish dude in blue linen with a large round pendant that looked like a carved bagel, and one man, no longer young, wearing a black and green thong, tattoos, and nothing else.
19a) The tattoo on his back, a tall cross on a bed of skulls surmounted by two vultures . . . well, I’m afraid of what it might mean, but it certainly made a statement.
20) Back at home, I cleaned my carcass and packed up, sad to be returning already.
21) Dinner at nearby Tulsi North, a superb Indian restaurant with a light, deft touch for spices. What could be better than chicken tikka masala with garlic naan? Om nom nom.
22) My host deposited me at the train station a bit early, so I was able to call Mother and catch up on a variety of topics that ranged from the personal to the political to the church.
23) Typing this up in the club car speeding through the dark, grateful and happy for a respite out of town.