I had a comforting day yesterday. I spent it in bed. Lazy. Watched old movies and the Syracuse/Louisville game.

Syracuse got drubbed! The #1 Syracuse ranking will have lasted all of a week. Such is life!

It was the Chart Room to begin the evening. Michael bartending. Che, Captain Peter, Sean and Katherine indulging.

I talked with Sean and Katherine at length.

Sean is a local newspaper reporter. Katherine in mangaement at the Ocean Key House. Both Mississippi graduates. Live together here in Key west. Contemplating marriage.

Sean is going to be 25 years old April 28. He is sad. Considers 25 an aging milestone. What a joke! Look at me I told him. I am soon to be 75!

I had a desire for Chinese food. I stopped at the Chinese restaurant near Publix. Ordered egg drop soup and chicken egg foo yong. Delicious! The bill was $8 and change. Can’t beat that! My only complaint was that the fortune cookie contained no fortune. I felt cheated!

Today is a big day for two reasons.

First, it is Sunday. I love Sundays! There is something special about the day.

The other is that there is a big event at the Little White House today. The annual croquet tournament.

Everyone must dress in Victorian style costumes. That means white suits for the men and long white dresses for the women. The men will also be wearing flat topped straw hats. The ladies wide brimmed chapeaus. The game will be played on the lawn in front to the Little White House.

Harry and Bess Truman will be in attendance. They are every year.

The person who plays Harry Truman at these events looks just like him. A dead ringer in every regard.

I should know. I lived during his Presidency. And got to see him up close on 2 seperate occasions.

The first was when I was in grammar school. It was 1948 and Truman was running for President against Dewey. Campaigning was from the back of trains in those days.

My friends and I rode our bicycles down to the railroad station. I pushed my bike up front till I was right under the back of the railroad car from which Truman was speaking. We could have touched. We were that close.

Truman had a hard campaign. He won by criticizing at every stop the do nothing Congress, as he described it, that he had to deal with. Sound familiar?

The next time I saw Truman was 1960. This time I was really close to him! I sat next to him at a luncheon table for all of 3 hours!

Truman was long retired. He had come to Syracuse University to speak. The University had arranged for him to have a private lunch with the purported 12 outstanding students on campus. I was a senior at the Law School at the time and was selected to represent the Law School.

The luncheon was in a small dining room. Two round tables. For whatever reason, my place card had me sitting immediately next to Truman at his table.

A mind boggling 3 hours! A regular guy! Yet obviously profound from experience.

The 1948 election was a difficult one. The country had gone to bed election night believing Dewey had won. The Chicago Tribune put its paper on the street with the headline Dewey Wins. A noted radio commentator at the time was H. V. Kaltenborn. He was on national radio election night telling the country in his distinctive voice that Dewey had won.

The Chicago Tribune and H. V. Kaltenborn obviously had egg on their face the next morning.

Truman had a copy of the Tribune front page with him at the luncheon. He also had an audio tape of Kaltenborn’s radio show.

The best part was when Truman proceeded to mimick Kaltenborn’s voice and words.

Truman Annex’s Harry Tuman looks real. I shall take a walk this afternoon by the Little White House looking for Truman. He will be wearing a white suit, flat topped straw hat, metal rimmed glasses and swinging a cane. Just like the President of old!

Enjoy your day!

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