Photos by Red
| I know you’ll roll your eyes, but it made me smile when I found not one, but two, of Daddy’s typewriters at Mom’s house. It just brought back so many memories. |
| I remember the old black one, which is probably long gone, before Daddy “modernized” and got an electric one. I remember taking typing class. And, I remember pulling an all-nighter to write, or technically “type”, my M.B.A. thesis the night before it was due. |
| I still can’t believe you did that. Too bad you couldn’t turn in the handwritten version. |
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Black
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There was none. I had some notes, but I composed as I typed. It forced me to focus. Especially as that typewriter pre-dated ones with
an internal correction tape, which meant I had to manually “white out” mistakes
and then type over them or start the page over again.
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| Seriously?! And that’s not about how the typewriter worked, it’s about how you wrote your thesis! |
| Well, at least Daddy’s home office was in the basement, so you could not hear the constant tap-tap-tap. But, that reminds me of the times I would sneak downstairs to find Daddy up late, typing his engineering reports using the two-finger method. Even before people used the phrase “work-life balance,” he would never miss dinner and having time with us, but sometimes would then go back to work. |
| Mommy was always a night owl, and as I got older and stayed up late watching old movies (I think I inherited that gene from her), she’d be on her typewriter in the kitchen working on her lists. I can still hear that distinctive sound. |
| And, the ding when you hit the end of the line? Regardless, it explains why you found two typewriters. Mom took Daddy’s hand-me-down. |
| Given she was once a secretary, she could fly through those keys. And now that I’m going through all of her things, I smile every time I find one of the seemingly endless lists she made. Some of which were handwritten and some typed. But with her handwriting … thank goodness for the typed lists. |
| Can you imagine what she would have done if she had a computer? I tried getting her one years ago, but she wanted nothing to do with it. |
| Talk about creating a monster. But there’s something, maybe nostalgia, maybe just the fact not everything has to be done in the most modern way, that makes me look at those two typewriters with a smile and new appreciation. |
| They are a piece of history, which may explain why there is a National Typewriter Day (June 23). And, typewriters are responsible for the QWERTY keyboard that is still used on our computers and smartphones. |
| I never thought about that, although it makes perfect sense. Funny thing is that when Sawyer saw the typewriters, she knew what they were but had never seen one in person. Well, I’m going to keep both typewriters. For now, anyway. Too many memories associated with them. Unless you want the one you used for your thesis. |
| Not right now, but if we ever decide to get rid of them, we need to do some research as there is an active market for old typewriters. Of course, if Tom Hanks is interested in either of them, I would love to send him one to add to his collection. |
| Tom Hanks collects typewriters? How do you know these things? |
| AP News article about “digital burnout”. Apparently, he is an avid typewriter collector. And, it is more than a hobby, as he inspires others to appreciate them. |
| I already did, but now I do even more! |
Photo by Andre Alexander on Unsplash
It’s hot and humid, and Red and her daughter are thinking about the lonely turtle crossing the road (no, this isn’t the start of a joke – see story below) seeking water and shelter from the sun. It’s something we can all relate to as millions are dealing with brutal heat waves.
| I'm still smiling at you letting Sawyer drive your Mercedes G-wagen. Although I know that her dream car's a Ford F-150, I think yours is her "fantasy car". |
| I knew the "long way" to drive back to your house, but after asking her if she knew the best way, it seemed easier to have her drive. |
| Well, you might have thought of it as efficient, but she thought it was exciting. And she told me that she was honored you trusted her to drive. |
| Did she mention that once we got back to your neighborhood, we saw a huge turtle on the road? Moving very slowly, of course, so I was not concerned it would become an unexpected road obstacle. |
| Of all the things she might encounter in our neighborhood – cyclists, Amazon delivery trucks, dog walkers – to find a turtle in the street was probably the last thing she was expecting. |
| Or, me. I know we laugh about me needing Benadryl to visit you in the suburbs, but it is due to all the pets and children – not wildlife. |
| That turtle made me think of Daddy. I'm not sure you were still living at home at the time, but do you remember when he "saved" the turtle on the road? |
| I have no idea what you are talking about. |
| Daddy was driving on Wantagh Avenue, near Kwong Ming (our favorite Chinese restaurant growing up in Massapequa), when, all of a sudden, he pulled off the road and hopped out of the car. |
| If I remember correctly, that road did not get much traffic. |
| True, but there were still cars on the road, and it was still a very unusual thing for him to do. I was probably around ten or so and sitting in the back seat, so was a little surprised when the car stopped, and he quickly got out. But when he said, "I'll be right back," I could tell by his voice that everything was ok. |
| Considering that Daddy was very mild-mannered and not the sort of person to panic or to overreact, I am not sure the tone of his voice would have been a good indicator. |
| Regardless, I wasn't the most observant of kids, so unless the car were on fire, I probably wouldn't have thought much of any of it. So, while he walked across the road, I didn't think twice about getting out of the car to watch what he was doing. Not because I was worried, but out of curiosity. |
| It is hard to imagine that same scenario today, for an assortment of reasons. Unless, of course, it was staged for YouTube or Instagram. |
| I know, but it was a different time. Decades ago. |
| I can picture Daddy waving the cars to slow down while scooping up the turtle and depositing it well away from the side of the road. |
| Close. He disappeared on the other side of the road for a few minutes, and when he returned to the car, he told me that there was a stream, so he had carried the turtle down the bank and placed it by the water. It was a hot summer day, and he figured that the poor turtle had somehow wandered far from home and was now trying to find water. Not to mention grass and shade. |
| That sounds like Daddy. Well, the conditions were similar when Sawyer and I saw the turtle in your neighborhood, but I have no idea where the local stream is located. |
| I wish I had been around, as I'd have paid homage to Daddy by scooping up the turtle and at least try to find it a safe place. And based on what Sawyer told me, if she sees him (or her) again, that's exactly what she plans to do. |
| Like father, like daughter … like granddaughter. |