Drinks are on me

 All right. So I couldn't think of anything to write but it is nearly 6am on a Saturday morning and I am up staring at a blank page. I instantly play a game of solitaire on the computer to hope that I will stop thinking and go back to bed but when that doesn't work I go to a creative writing website with writing prompt ideas. I read through the list as though it is a check list. Done that. No, not that. No, not tonight. Maybe. Then I see the subject. Drinks on me. I can do that. I have a story that I don't think I have told here before.

When I was about 23 years old I took a job as a portrait photographer in Kmart. I didn't work directly for Kmart I worked for another company that provided the service in the store. I know it isn't exactly fashion photography somedays it was more like shooting for National Geographic. I think we had a week of training. Learning how to set up and break down the studio. How to load the camera with a 100 ft roll of film in a dark bag. Well if you know what Mary Tyler Moore's hair looked like back in the 1970's then you can feel your way through getting the film set. It was a mobile studio and you would be in a particular area for a long weekend like Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Then home a few days and back at it in another city. Making your way around the state.

On Wednesday I would leave the house with the studio packed into my car and would head to where ever we were for that week. Every six weeks or so you would be back in the same area. I think the first week I was out I was in Fort Lauderdale. And for example there may be 6 or 8 Kmart stores in that area so there would be that many photographers. I remember this guy that I trained with his name was Jeff. He was a few years older than me and had been doing the job for a year or so. He helped me set up the studio and showed me the tricks to get a kid to smile that was crying or how to pose a family. These were the days of film and negatives and there was no showing them the image or even seeing it for myself other than through the lens of the camera. 

In the evening photographers would stay at the same place they stay every time they were in that area. We stayed as a group and usually got a better rate. Most were mom and pop places as I recall. Jeff explained that some of the people shared rooms to cut back on their expenses basically so you can keep more of the per diem we got. I think we got $30 per day for our room and maybe $15 for food per day. So if you didn't spend the $30 per night on your own room and you only spent $10 that left you $20 extra dollars a night. That first week I think I wasn't so sure about sharing a room with others. I think I shared with another girl on the road. But since Jeff and I were fast friends. The next week I was sharing a room with 3 other total strangers and spending way less money on my room with more money to spend.

 I quickly learned that that extra money was drinking money. Each night after a hard 9 hours taking kid and family pictures we would all go somewhere and get dinner and then of course there was a bar that they frequented. We would all hang out and drink until the wee hours of the night and then back to the room to crash until we had to get up and do it again the next morning. After a few days I was getting the handle on the schedule and after a few weeks I had my small circle of friends that I hung out with and shared a room with and drank with. Jeff had a friend much younger even younger than me Tadd. Tadd was an over the top kind of guy but they were both great fun to be with. Tadd liked to sing and he loved singing Whitney Houston. Granted this is 1990s so everyone loved Whitney Houston. I can not remember a specific song buy I can picture him arms spread and belting out some ballad of hers as though it was his own. One night while sitting at the bar drinking. Jeff and I came up with a game. We would choose semi randomly a person at the bar that we didn't know and buy them drinks. The bartender couldn't tell the person who was buying the drinks for them and we would continue to buy drinks for this person until we were ready to leave and then tell them it was us. 

I don't know if this sounds as fun as it was. It was a endeavor in people watching. How does the person react? Do they get mad? Some did. If they are with other people what are they doing. The whole time they are looking around the bar trying to figure out who was buying them drinks. And the whole time the bartender knows his tip depends on him keeping our secret. 

Now I didn't last at this job very long. As much as I love taking pictures I prefer nature to families. The saying goes never work with kids or animals. I am not sure if that saying has anything to do with photography but after doing the job for a while you get it. Which I guess is why as young people we would go out each night drinking. Almost every memory I have from those 6 or 8 weeks that I did that job I remember the people I worked with like Tadd and Jeff and the fun we had going out in the evening. Telling our stories of the day. The kid that I caught about to fall off the poser from more than 6 feet away, that had two parents with their hands on the child as they fell. The family of 12 that would barely fit within the space of the backdrop. Trying to arrange them so I could see them all in the shot. I do remember one child by name Abigail. I only remember because she said her name about 100 times and to her it was a three syllable name Ab-i-gail.

We definitely had favorite bars. When we were in Dothan, Alabama one week and Panama City, Florida the next. The bar in Dothan was so much fun that we drove the hour and a half each way just to go to the same bar two weeks in a row.  Another place we went was in Douglas, Georgia and it was cold out and the bar was outside and we were freezing doing shots of Jagermeister. Most who know me would not believe that I would be doing shots of anything but back in the day with these guys I would not blink an eye at a shot of tequila either. 

As it got closer to Christmas the company needed more people up north and I drove my Mustang loaded down with my photo studio on my own to Pennsylvania and then on to New Jersey. I know it was for the money and the adventure. I can remember me getting up there and getting out of the car freezing in shorts that I was comfortable in when I got in the car in Florida. I stayed with a friend of mine that lived in New Jersey for that week to save money. I am pretty sure I quit after that week. Instead of like 50 sittings in a week I was doing that every day. People lined up to get their kids Christmas pictures. It was pure insanity. 

It has been more than 30 years since those days. I have not seen or heard from either of them in that long as well. Don't even recall their last names but the memories from that time are with me forever. I think it is a lesson in life. Some moments last a lifetime and sometimes the memories do. I would not trade the time I did that job for anything. I needed a change in my life and I did it in an unimaginable way.  Cheers.

Still making memories after all these years.

So it is 3 Am or 3'oclock in the morning and it looks like it is going to be another sleepless night... Two great songs that are what it is. 3 o'clock in the morning. Can't sleep. Thinking about what was and what has come of it. I know, Get to the point Jeanne. So I did go to my 30th High School Reunion. Anyone out there planning a reunion and really just want to talk and have a nice time take note. That does not take formal clothes and high priced rubber chicken. A few chicken wings and beers and a bunch of people that grew up in Clearwater looking over Clearwater Beach and remembering when... When we were young, or pretty or popular or not. When the beach was what it was and not what it is and how we were all glad that we grew up in the time that Crystal Palace and the skate shop were game rooms (arcades)  and were places that kids congregated. We remembered the Howard Johnson's restaurant and the Memorial Civic Center and how many of us worked for Eckerd. Part-time, Full time, or Lifers like me. But even that has changed.

Band kids that have not picked up an instrument since band but still treasure every moment of playing and marching and all the friends along the way. I would like to make a quick shout out to my friend Jerry. A friend from elementary school. I just caught a glimpse of his name tag and I was so happy to see him. I wanted to tell him yes, I still have your trumpet and if you want it back swing by the house. We laughed. He had just been telling the people he was with that he never knew what happened to his old trumpet. Well I have been saving it. Not feeling right to get rid of it. It was not mine. But not knowing whatever happened to him to give it back. Now it is clear. I can do with it as I please. I think I will pass it on to an aspiring musician that doesn't know the trumpet might inspire him. I really think that seeing Jerry turned things around for the night for me. Made me realize the memories I have are shared. Not exactly the same memories. I had the trumpet and knew it and he didn't know what happened to it.

Another guy from band Bill, I remembered that I annoyed him. I have been carrying that for 30 years guess what. He wasn't annoyed by me. I am officially letting it go. So in some ways therapeutic that I went.

Friday night I mostly spoke to people I know. Brian and Kim and her husband. Mary and Mike beach kids. There is always that person that remembers me that I thought how could the coolest guy in high school remember me and was glad to see me. Yes. He was. And if you think it was you and you talked to me maybe you were the coolest guy in school. Or maybe that is just me remembering high school the way I remember high school. Still feeling like for the most part the people I spoke to were people I still speak to and not sure I really needed to go Saturday. But I was hoarse when I got home and glad to tell my mom about the beach kids I saw and they all said to tell my brother hello.

But Saturday night was really it for me I thought what the heck Brian and I don't get out much. But like I said Jerry turned things around. I stuck my neck out and said hello to people that I was not sure that they would know who I was but they did. People spoke to me that I was not sure I remembered. My favorite set of twins Peter and David again another pair that go all the way back to elementary school. What surprises me the most is how many of us still live around here and I never see them or run into them at the grocery store.

I spoke to people from the neighborhood I lived in when I was little. Just a mile from where we live now. And we all reminisced about remember where this one lived or that one. And if you remember that one do you remember this one. Whatever happened to them? People that rode the school bus together or were in middle school together. Or toilet papered houses together or whatever we did. It was in good fun. Cleaned up plenty of toilet paper as well.

There were people I miss that were not there. People I asked about that no one seemed to know about. My dear friend Jane. Man I miss her. I have so many fun memories. I told someone about us making perogies or going to Mister Submarine and getting my still all time favorite sandwich a Roast beef with everything that we would split at all ours of the night. She was a Pepsi girl all the way back then. If you are reading this and know her tell her I say hi. And think of all our fun often.

I wish I could name everyone it was great to see. But if I do I will forget someone and I don't want to do that so I am going to say I am so glad I spoke to all of you. My voice was so hoarse on Sunday at work and Monday. But it will recover. And now you all know that we live between Caponga's and Dairy Kurl and if you want pizza or ice cream don't hesitate to stop by we will be glad to go.

Hope it doesn't take another 20 years before we get together again.

YMC

If you already know what this blog is about you grew up on Clearwater Beach in the 1970's and 80's, For those of you who were not that fortunate or those that have forgotten this building had many other names. Youth Center, Rec Center, CBRC, Clearwater Beach Recreation Center, Maritime Center. YMC stood for Youth Maritime Center.

What was it? Well if you were between the ages of 8-18 and lived on the beach then it was your home away from home. It was the place your mom called looking for you when you were not home for dinner. In the summer we could head out the door with fifty cents in our pocket and know we were good for the day. A can of Pepsi and a snack from the Toms machine. If the thought of this does not make you smile I know you weren't there.

The Rec was a Tan building with wooden double doors covered in the front a small wall that ran the length of the building. Great for sitting and waiting for a ride. If your ride missed the building or the turn the car would end up in the bay. There is a boat ramp at the end with a small floating dock. The dock was added when we were kids. I remember watching the workers install it and how steep the ramp was at real low tide. Kids would ride their bikes down the ramp and into the bay and then come back up the boat ramp. Or the bigger kids would throw one of the younger kids in the bay and they would come back up the boat ramp. Doesn't that sound like fun. I guess if you were the big kid.

On one side basketball court and a playground on the other. The playground had a 8 foot chain link fence around it. It did run right along the edge of the seawall. Guess they did not want to have any playground accidents that resulted in a drowning. This was not the playground of today. Plastic and safe. There was no grass. Just sand and crushed shells all metal equipment. Hotter than heck in the middle of the summer but cool to the touch in the winter or when it was shaded in the afternoon by the building. Not a tree to be found. Well maybe one but it was by the seawall. Behind the playground was a covered bench that ran the length of the seawall. People would sit out and watch us sail on Sunday, fish or just hang out and enjoy the view. On the back side of the building was the garage doors to the storage for the Prams and the motor boat we used to set the course or save someone turned over. Some parent with a megaphone was always in the motor boat.

My relationship with this building started when I was about 8. My parents took me on a Sunday to learn how to sail a pram.This was the beginning of a love for the water that I have to this day. I looked forward to Sunday to sail every week. I was always upset when I was told it was too rough or windy or going to rain. I would say it is not that bad. I would gauge the weather and the wind as we drove across the causeway. Check the wave heights and check the palm trees to see how hard the wind was blowing. Is it high tide or not. Still to this day when I drive across the bridge I check the wind and water and say man would this be a good day to go sailing. Some days when the wind is really blowing I think of the wind in that sail and the boat keeled over with me hanging over the edge. How far over can I go without letting go of the sail or tipping over. How fast will this baby go today.

My funniest or most ironic sailing lesson. I had never flipped. I had been sailing for a few years and they started a program that they would take the beginners out and in water just deep enough for the boat to flip they would flip the boat so the kids learned how to get it turned over on their own. Well everyone knew that I had never flipped but did not want to participate in this exercise since I had been sailing for years and in theory I knew what needed to be done. Get on top the boat and if the center board is still in pull it in one direction with all your might and the boat would right itself. Well I never did the exercise and when I did finally flip my boat it was in a storm that had blown up and the wind was howling across the bay and there were probably 15 boats flipped over and the adults in the motor boat aided each one at a time. Well I could not get my boat back up. The wind the water I don't know what but I ended up being one of the last saved because I was one of the older and more experienced kids. Only time I ever flipped. Ever.

I sailed until I aged out of the program about 14 I think. I could have moved on to Sunfish but I didn't. My brother sailed to but I don't really remember my younger sisters sailing. Maybe they did but not for long. I think when I stopped everyone did. We did have our own boat. My dad still has it an old red fiberglass hull with wooden keel and rudder. Wooden mast and boom. Nice little boat. I would like to teach the kids to sail in it before they get to be too old. There were lots of kids that sailed some also owned their own boats some were fancy wooden boats with beautiful stain and varnish. They would cover before putting on their trailer and taking them home. Lots of the beach and Island Estates families had kids that sailed. So in 1977 when we moved to the beach we already knew some of the kids and all about the Youth Center.

So after we moved to the beach there was Summer Camp and after school programs. The building was closed on Sunday.  The summer camp program the kids were referred to as Rangers and the young ones were Little People. I think my youngest sister was the only one in Little People. That was a couple days a week for a few hours in the morning. Play games and things and learn to socialize. So the summer we moved in I was 9. We did the summer camp thing and met other beach kids. At the end of the summer every year there would be a big picnic. Another of my sister's picture was in the Beach Views (the beach news paper) eating watermelon with it dripping all down her face and shirt. Those were the days.

Inside there were pool tables, fooze ball tables, ping pong tables an art room and weight room. Like I said before outdoors basketball courts, tennis courts at one time a pool then they filled in the pool then years later put in another pool that is still there. Where the parking lot is now between the rec and the tennis courts at one time was a soccer field. We practiced for our City League team. There were 2 brothers that coached our soccer teams. My brother and I were on one and my 2 younger sisters were on the other. Kevin and Andy were the brothers. They called my sisters wild woman one and two. Now this was when they were about 9 or 10 years old. Little did they know how the name would grow to fit.

Now of course where ever you have this many kids hanging around there are going to be accidents. I will never forget the girl Maggie who had to get stitches in her chin because she fell off the giant play ball that seemed to be four feet around. I was young I could be exaggerating. And of course one of my sisters on New Year's Eve fell out back on some barnacles playing follow the leader and cut her hand. My parents had to take her to the Emergency Room and she had to have stitches but of course the ER doctor did not want to do it because of the dirt and debris from the barnacles so they had to call in a plastic surgeon to do it.

When we were young we could not play pool on the pool tables. Kids had to be at least 12 I think. But we had pool tables at home and that seemed silly but it was a big deal when the employees would let us play. Usually it was at dinner time when there was no one in the rec. But we really liked to play. We also played indoor hockey on a rec team. I even got to play in a regional basket ball shooting contest. I won my age group at the rec. I might have been the only girl that tried in my age group. Still got to go to the next level.

We did just about everything they offered. Archery, Tennis, Soccer, Ping Pong, Bumper Pool. We did it all. In the summer we had field trips and went to the pool down at Pier 60. Yes for those of you that have not been around that long. There used to be a pool. We loved it. High dive and all.

So as you grow up in the rec the next and most natural progression was to work there and I did. I worked for the City a few times. Filled in for maternity leave for a couple different people. It was an easy job when the kids were in school the days were filled with setting up card tables for bridge taking them down for line dancing and setting them back up for bridge. Mostly pretty quiet. I do remember one day that I will never forget. Rule #1 in the weight room always have a spotter. Always. Now I know why. There was this guy came in by himself and I said something as he walked by on his way to the weight room and said make sure you have a spotter. He said no one is here. You come sit with me. Remember I was young girl and this guy wanted me to hang out while he lifted weights. His name so you know was Joe. I will never forget because Joe could bench press about 320 lbs. on a good day. That day however was not his best day or he was showing off a little too much but either way. Joe and I got into a pickle when he lifted and brought down on his chest more than he could push back up. Now of course as I see the indentation in his chest turning red and his face I start to worry, but went right into action and did the only thing I could. Took off a couple small weights from either end of the bar and then I walked behind his head and lifted the bar up off his chest. Now of course this was not something I had ever done before or would ever try again. And to say the least my back and arms were killing me the next day. Crazy.

My favorite thing was summer camp and the kids I was only 18 or 19 and could still do all the stuff the kids did. Get out the mats and do cart wheels across the floor. We did an air band competition I will never forget my youngest sister and her friends did Shout by Tears for Fears. Every time I hear that song I picture them. All those years ago. Another thing I liked about being in charge was my method was not the same as others. Some kids would get in trouble at the rec and they would get kicked out. Let's say my brother was familiar with how that worked. But I took a different approach to the let me say more challenging kids. I kept them in the rec. Tried to keep them busy and yes it would back fire but I was young and resilient and my way had to be better so I stuck with it. I will tell you one time I had some of these kids helping me clean up the art room and get ready for a Senior Citizen class in the morning. Asked the kids to wipe off the tables and get out the coffee supplies and put them near the coffee maker. Walked out and made my rounds and came back oh the kids had wiped off the tables and while they were still wet sprinkled creamer and sugar all over the place and then ran out the art room door like I didn't know who did it. Yes I got them back and they had to clean it up but they got me that time.

 Both times got offered a chance to stay on but was crazy and did not. Now of course once you have one member of your family working for the City you have to get a few more in. Well not at the same time but later on one of my sisters and my brother also worked for the City. I also have a nephew and brother-in-law that work for the City.

I remember when they tore down the old building. I was in my 20's and I was so sad. I drove by and took pictures. I know I have a picture of the Tom's machine with the glass broke out and thought this place will never be the same. How could it?

Well I have only been back a few times to vote. They did add the Beach Branch of the Library to the building another one of our favorite spots to hang out as kids. That story will have to be for another day though.

You now have to pay to use the City Rec centers.So kids like us probably don't go. I know people think that beach kids were rich kids. We were not. All our parents worked at regular jobs and they all lived in regular houses that just happened to be on the beach. I know now most parents would not let their kids walk the half mile we used to to get to the rec center. Or would not leave them unattended for 8 hours at a time. But those were the days.