Author: Vic Socotra

Gradually, Then Suddenly

(Earnie Hemingway, second from left, celebrates the New Year with pal Gary Cooper in the year some of us were born, 1951. They are moving gradually forward in that line in Cuba at Havana’s Club Floridita. Things would transition to occur suddenly once they got a table inside). Just a quick note this morning, since […]

A Manual for Letter Writers

The Letter-Writer’s Manual For Every Occasion By E. A. Foley We wrote about stacks of stuff yesterday, since one of those stacks turned up a long-ago letter, neatly written in precise cursive script. A pal saw it and marveled at the craftsmanship in that social discipline, one that many shared nearly a hundred years ago. […]

Arrias and His Muse: New Year’s Eve 2022

The year began like any other, Full of hope, wonder, fear and surprises, Troubles and wars and rumors of war, And now another year arises. Last year was just the same in this, A bright future beckoned to all, What was possible or what would be, Just who would make that call? A New York […]

Life & Island Times: Rules

Editor’s Note: Marlow contributes one of three missives this morning. This is one about the Rules under which we should live. Later, Arrias will contribute an appreciation of our passing year in verse. Vic has a Manual on letter-writing and social conduct from a sweet lady whose future is passed. We share the memory of […]

A Letter From 1944

This is the 6th Day of Christmas, which is enforced only because Splash does not want to be accused of wasting this curious week between holidays. In order to preserve early drinking by retaining this as a “holiday” edition, Management has informed us that a simple reference to Six Geese A’ Laying will suffice to […]

All Through the House

For those of us who refuse to give up the celebration, there was a huddle last night out on the Balcony at Big Pink. We got to the bottom of one of the bottles of beneficial Spirits procured over on Fort Myer yesterday. It is the 5th Day of Christmas for the diehards, and provision of […]

Last Weather Report of 2022

We looked around this morning at the usual morning Salty Coffee Klatch. There had been the consumption of the last dregs of Belmont Farms moonshine late on Three French Hens Days. There are supply chain issues about that matter. From here out, we will have to swoop over to Fort Myer to investigate provision of […]

The Day After…

(Jon-Without, Grace, Kathy and Vic spent the afternoon over a nice glass of wine and a surf-and-turf repast at Big Pink. The surf part was composed of Maine lobster and Wyoming Pure contributed the beefy delights). There was a moment this morning that conveys the challenges coming with a New Year. There are several of […]

The Grotto in Manger Square

(Top left, a 1990 view of the spire of the Church of the Nativity, a creation of the 3rd Century anno domini. Below left is where the rental car was parked with a few others on the Square that day. At the upper right is the antechamber below the Church designed to accommodate many more people […]

  Home for the Holidays

(This is Grandma’s House in Massillon, Ohio. She loved it almost as much as she loved us). It is Christmas Day. We are in the new condo in Big Pink, and shivering as that big blue air mass slides across the midsection of this nation. We had some of the old files open to see […]