Before getting into today’s post, I just wanted to share a quick update on my injured hubby.
Sarah and I have been doing our best to take good care of him while he recuperates and one way we do that is to help re-wrap his hand every day.
And don’t tell his doctor but he played bass in church yesterday morning. He only had three fingers available instead of his usual four but he still managed to do an outstanding job. When you consider that he has spent four decades placing particular fingers on particular strings, you can only imagine the mental and physical gymnastics that were required to reconfigure all those placements at the speed of music.
I attended a 6-hour CPR/AED/First Aid Class on Saturday required by my preschool job. (Since we live at the beach, the instructor thought the dummy needed sunglasses.)
The instructor was a police officer for a while before he joined the Coast Guard. He spent many years jumping out of helicopters to rescue people from the ocean before performing high stress, high-speed emergency First Aid and CPR on them while flying in a bumpy helicopter. I can’t quite imagine having a job that required me to jump out of helicopters but he said that after a while it just becomes routine. Yeah, right.
A few nights ago the weather was one step beyond perfect so Sarah and I decided to take ourselves off for a walk along the Manteo waterfront.
We hadn’t really been planning to eat anything but it suddenly occurred to us that it was dinnertime and we were hungry so we found seats on the back deck of one of our favorite sandwich places, Poor Richards.
My view was lovely for three reasons: Sarah, boats and water.
It was wonderful to have the chance to just sit and chat and be enveloped by the quiet evening and the gathering dusk. Sarah and I are inveterate people-watchers so throughout our times of companionable chatter, we kept our eyes (and ears) attuned to what was on around us.
One of our favorite people-watching activities is to surreptitiously observe couples around us. We try to figure out (by body language and/or snatches of overheard conversation) if they are 1. married 2. if they are newlyweds vs.
old-timers 3. if they have recently met 4. if they’re just friends 5. if they’ve been dating a long time.
With one couple we analyzed, we eventually came to the conclusion that they were fairly new acquaintances and were just friends, as opposed to being romantically involved.
We are so easily entertained.
One sight that we definitely couldn’t overlook was the table beside us. When we arrived, the items were there and an hour later, they still hadn’t been moved.
As hard as we tried to think of a reason for someone to take up an entire table with two takeout containers and (of all things) a pocketbook, we were unable to come up with anything. The only thing we knew for sure was that whomever the pocketbook belonged had to be an exceedingly trusting soul.
Finally, just as we were getting ready to leave, a woman and her small daughter came out of the restaurant and gathered up the purse and takeout containers before disappearing back inside. Just like it was no big deal.
I told Sarah it was a good thing that she and I were not of the criminal variety or that purse would have been long gone!
So all in all, between the halcyon weather enjoying and the chicken sandwich sharing, and the fascinating couple-watching, and the puzzling purse-wondering, we ended up with a memorable and sweet mother-daughter evening.
As darkness began to fall, we left downtown Manteo behind . . .
and took ourselves back down the road to where Steve and Summer and the peace of home awaited.
What about you? Do you love to watch people? If so, what do you enjoy about it the most?
And one more question. Can you think of ANY possible reason why someone would leave a purse on a table for an hour? (Yeah, me either.)
My dad also played the guitar, but don’t remember him ever playing it with less fingers. Talented guy you have there. We don’t mean to eavesdrop on folks, but sometimes the loudness of their voices really carry. One time two women were 2 booths away from us and we heard every word one woman spoke. Maybe the other one was hard of hearing??? Although this one time, the folks behind us were talking about Branson, MO. Our ears perked up because we love Branson. I just had to turn around and tell them I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but heard them mention Branson. I asked them when they had been there. Had a short conversation with them about that wonderful place. The many times Steve has taken care of you two, I’m sure it was a privilege for you to care for him and his finger.
Sharyn,
You’re so right. Many times it’s impossible NOT to eavesdrop because of the volume of peoples’ voices! I always find it interesting to catch snippets and snatches and get a little peak into someone else’s life. It was fun you happened to overhear people talking about one of your favorite places. 🙂
And yes, Steve has definitely taken good care of me through the years with my health issues; it was nice to return the favor.
Maybe they were people watching you……to see what you & Sarah would do w/ the purse and it was filled with nothing but rocks! They gave up, collected their props, disappointed their experiment was wasted on you two honest people???
Jodi,
I love your explanation. 🙂 It’s certainly as good as anything I could come up with!
Now and then I park at the only grocery store in town and sit and watch people go in and out, quite interesting. Mom taught us to sit in cars for hours growing up and be content about it, what a gift! Ruth
Ruth,
I guess we come by our love of people-watching honestly. And I’m glad Mom taught us the lessons of contentment. One of the greatest things a parent can pass down to a child.
Beautiful pictures. Purses left anywhere bother me because people can take them in an instant. Glad all were honest. Enjoy watching people but do not like parents yelling at young children in public.
Ann,
Glad to know you are a people watcher, too! When I am people watching, I am always amazed at how the variety of people God made and the billions of differences in hair, bone structure, body shape, eye color, etc. Endlessly fascinating.
Strange with the purse left on the table. Maybe it was some kind of experiment to watch the reactions of people when they noticed a purse sitting out in plain sight and no one at the table?
Lovely photos, both Sarah and the waterfront.
Kari,
Maybe there was a hidden camera somewhere and Sarah and I were caught on it! 🙂 Who knows?
Hmmmm…. I’m stumped about the purse. My best guess is that she didn’t keep anything valuable in it (ie kept keys and money in her pocket) and so even if it had been taken it would not have been a big loss. Or, maybe she was teaching her child a lesson on faith in humanity, that most people are honest. Sometimes I deliberately leave my house doors unlocked because I want to deliberately live a life of trust in humanity.
Jenna,
We are BOTH stumped! Such an unusual thing to do.
I also like to be reminded of the good in humanity. The bad is featured so often we can forget how much good is out there.
I love to people watch. One of my most favorite pastimes. I do like to try and figure the relationships out. Nothing like a good mystery to capture my brain cells! I am easily entertained. It’s so relaxing and fun.
Lesley,
You can join the “easily entertained club” that Sarah and I have started. It’s really a great thing to be easily entertained. I never want to get to a place in life where I have to have expensive, amazing things in order to keep my attention.
Maybe the daughter hadn’t gotten ill and they had hurried to the restroom.
Glad to hear that Steve is doing better.
That should be had gotten ill not hadn’t.
Phyllis,
Well, that explanation is as good as anything I can think of! It was a real puzzler.
Love to people watch. However, too many are not very interesting anymore because they are all “looking down” at the device in their hands instead of looking up at the world and people around them! So sad. On a lighter note, if I had your surroundings, I think I would find myself walking and wandering through the beautiful, quaint town and the nearby harbors and beaches at every opportunity. Nothing else in my life would get accomplished but my soul would be so refreshed. Sarah is a beauty.
Mary,
That is so true about people looking down so much of the time. There is so much in this world around us to observe that can never be found on a small screen.
It might be a good thing you don’t live here if you would never get any work done! 🙂 I don’t get out and walk around the waterfront as much as I would like but it is always refreshing to my soul. There is just something special about being near water.
Hmmmm….that’s a mystery. I would NEVER leave a purse lay unattended. Anywhere.
I love to watch people too. I don’t try to figure them out. I just watch and am continually amazed at the variety of people in our world. 🙂
Your seaside pictures are just beautiful. How lucky you are to live in a place that looks like a vacation destination!!
LeeAnne,
Well, actually it IS a vacation destination! 🙂 And it does definitely look like one. It’s truly a lovely little town.
I am amazed at the variety in people, too. Endless, endless variety. Talk about creativity on display!
They were locked in the loo. and the purse was a dress-up one for the daughter.
Love that, Mrs. Pam!
Mrs. Pam,
I can tell that you work with children because your answer was creative and whimsical.
And the alliteration of “locked in the loo” made me smile. It sounds like something Winnie the Pooh should say. 🙂