Do you ever pine away for the past? Wax sentimental to have it the way it used to be? Well.....you can get there, just get in you car or boat and drive there (here)!
We are in Belhaven, NC.
If you notice a paucity of phone calls, or that email I promised you never arrived, that would be because it (they) are stuck here in 1975. Belhaven now has cell phone service. They got it in 2009 when US Cellular finally came to town and monopoloized the market. Now people who buy Various roaming plans are doing battle with their cell companies over using the US Cellular tower. Elise and I went to a 1980 grocery store yesterday. No, we didn't get in on the hog knuckle sale. It did make us a little nervous to drive the golf cart on a numbered US highway on the way to the store, but the mayor told the town cop to let people do it in a special arrangement with the marina, "so you'll be all right."
I saw blatant racism in a car parts store when the young white man wanted to help me ahead of the black guy who had been standing there when I entered the store. When I pointed out that the other fellow was first, he helped the black guy, but asked me, "Where are you from?" in a "get with the program" sort of inflection to his voice. The black man was stone silent and didn't make eye contact with either of us. I so desperately wanted to answer, "2011."
I spoke to Someone at the dock about the job as Pamlico County Director of Public Health. She told me that she believed I was capable of the job and could do good work there, but that I wouldn't be permitted to and that, as an outsider, I wouldn't ever be trusted and wouldn't be accepted until I saved someone important, "and that might be a while because people in the network don't go to the health department......for ANYTHING." I asked what the network is, and she smiled and replied, counted off slowly on her fingers the three components, "Good, Old, Boy." OMG.
The mosquitoes are the worst I've ever experienced in an inhabited place in the daytime. They are as bad as Florida at sundown in the rainy season in mid-afternoon. No sentinel chickens needed here, the people themselves can have their sera tested! But they have beautiful churches and a nice library. And the Election Day barbecue outside the polling station sponsored by the mayor smelled delicious as was rode by in the golf cart. "The mayor wants you to fix yourself a plate when you come out from voting," I thought I heard someone say.
Notice there will be no pictures with this blog entry. We couldn't figure out how to get Kodachrome to upload.
