Saturday night I went to a golden anniversary party. In-laws so distant I don't have words in English to describe them. I think that in Lubukusu there is a word for it. They place a higher value on such things. Even now I am picturing my inlaws on a farm in central Kenya. Oh my. Not an entry I can go into at this point.


The shindig was at a banquet hall owned by a friend of mine. It's on the canal. He runs the tour boats that run up through the locks. He used to run them from the municipal marina, but they charged him a fortune for dockage and access. One day he found an old machine shop that had gone bankrupt for auction. It was on the south bank of the canal and had a slipway 300ft long and 8ft deep. The slipway probably hadn't been used in a century. He beat the broker mercilessly on the price, never hinting at what he really wanted the property for. He got a fair price for a used industrial building with poor truck access. Have you ever tried to move a 14 ft metal lathe? It probably would have been easier to crane it onto a barge.
I hadn't seen the place since then. He has done it up nice. It has a little pub (his name is Murphy), a nice little gift shop, a very nice ice cream and hot dog stand, and a remarkably classy banquet hall. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who needs a 120 seat banquet hall in Lockport.
The point to this whole story is that I have been away too long. Even though I have been living back in my home town for most of a year, I have not been a part of it for some time. The little bit of time I am home, I spend with my wife, kids, family, or in-laws. I haven't had time to be involved in my community at all. This will change. Starting now.
5/29/00 4:17 from the palm