A Good Ole Boy

Yesterday, while playing golf, Michael Higgins told Gene Kilby and I the joke their former 'good ole boy' partner used to tell.

Katherine doesn't like the term 'Good Ole Boy', because, in defense of something terribly gauche I've done, I sometimes say: "I'm sorry, but, I'm just a 'good ole boy'."

The term means many things to many people...to some it's a positive term meaning more or less what it says literally...a loyal, 'family' man, who has good moral values....to others it's a term to describe a member of a clique of close friends...'good ole' boys'...to others it's pejorative meaning a hick of limited experience and evident xenophobia ...to others a 'redneck'...

Here's how one redneck describes himself:

"A true redneck don't give a shit about nothing but putting food on the table, working, and getting drunk. A man ain't got a job and can't provide for himself can go to hell as far as I care."

So the joke goes:

Four good old boys, Arlo Goodwin, Buddy Branch, Johnny Rocket Davis, and James Welford were playing golf and Buddy died on the spot at the 14th hole of a heart attack. The other three who didn't want to miss playing the remainder of the round,  propped him up in the cart using a couple of old bungee cords in Johnny Rocker's bag.

When they finished up the round, they discussed who would tell Buddy's wife, Mary Elizabeth. Arlo was nominated because he probably had the most compassion, empathy, and charm...Arlo managed his restaurant during the week, coached little league on Saturday, taught bible school on Sunday morning and played golf with his buddies on Sunday afternoon.

On the trip over to Buddy's house with Buddy in the trunk, Arlo rehearsed what he would say to Mary Elizabeth.

When they got to the house, Arlo knocked on the door and when Mary Elizabeth opened the door, he said: 

"Widow Branch"

and Mary Elizabeth said: "Arlo, what's the matter with you, I ain't no widow"

"Bullshiiiit" ... Arlo responded.

Connections and Juxtapositions..The Boker Doyle Trail

Connections and Juxtapositions

I love remote connections and odd placements of events.

Tim Wiener... who recently op-eded about Trump and earlier last last year about James Comey and his decision to 'reopen' the email investigation concerning Hillary Clinton...  is the author of a brutal history of the CIA titled Legacy of Ashes...make yourself read it.

I share with Tim his deep distrust of our principal national security agencies such as the FBI, the CIA, and NSA.

Tim is a friend of Lauren and Tamur's and married to Kate Doyle. The friendship arose from Lauren's association with the Kate and the other 3 Doyle sisters...4 remarkable women...it all began at Columbia and Barnard in New York...a  hotbed of anarchy and nihilism. Kate has worked for years for the National Security Archive in Washington where she has identified nefarious covert activities by US intelligence agencies in Latin America.

Nan or Kate Doyle invited Lauren to visit Fisher's Island where the sisters have houses separate but close to their parents whose house overlooks Hay Harbour.

Soon thereafter Lauren convinced Katherine and me and others to vacation on Fisher's Island. We rented a house together with her and Tamur and family right around the corner from the Doyle sisters.

While walking on the beach with Beau our golden retriever, Katherine encountered the island physician and quickly learned that she and Chris ...and Tamur...were classmates at Columbia Medical School.

That meeting led to Chris taking over for her when she left the island for vacations, and then, when she left for good, being invited by the island to become the permanent island physician which he remains as to this day. 

Chris' house is on a hill that, if the woods weren't so thick, would enable him to see the Doyle sister's houses.

Katherine and I have a favorite walk on the island named the Boker Doyle Trail. It is on land donated by Boker Doyle.. the father of the Doyle sisters... to a island nature conservancy.

Recently Katherine and Boker exchanged written notes...Katherine prefers them to emails or texts...in which she expressed her appreciation of the trail and Boker acknowledging her note and explaining how his bequest was decided upon.

And because Chris was clever enough to include membership in the Island Club as part of his contract and to invite Tripp, James, and me ...and others...to play, we have access to one of the most beautiful golf courses in the country.