Boomp Dalla Boomp Dang Ding

By Bill Yanger

Another in a continuing series of imagined conversations over coffee at the Rod & Reel Pier. Any resemblance to persons or personalities, real or imagined, is entirely coincidental and mostly unintended.


Good morning.

Yes it is, yes…it…is. So I guess you were right.

Right?

Yeah, you told me about the folks from England splitting with PAR like weeks ago.

I did not.

Did so.





Nope, I told you to go find out for yourself, like a real reporter, back when you were gonna be the next Woodward and Bernstein.

Don’t exaggerate. I can’t be both guys, duh.

You know what I mean. Why’re you bringing it up now?

Cuz you were right. And that newspaper finally had a story on it the other day…two weeks after you…uhh…hinted about it and a week after the nice English lady had to write them a letter to let them know they got it wrong, again.

Well, it was nothin’ I did. Information’s out there. Just gotta go get it.
Hey, you like jazz right?

Jazz?

Yeah, jazz. Like Thelonius Monk, Stan Getz, John Coltrane.

I’ll listen if someone plays it but can’t say I’m an aficionado, no.

Love that stuff…bump de bump padda boomp dalla boomp dang ding…

Yeah, more like thelonius stunk coming from you. What’s the deal with this jazz stuff?

Going to The Sandbar for that Jazz Fest. Way cool. Sandbar does it right. Great music, some tasty nibbles, a few cocktails. They’re raising money for the Historical Society. Gonna try to chat up their executive director lady. She’s kinda cute.

She’s married, twerp.

Hey, no harm no foul. So am I. Just bein’ friendly.

I went by the Historical Society a while back. Well done. Some really interesting old stuff in that place.

True. You could be an exhibit.

At least I’m interesting. So you going to this Jazz thing alone?

No. Sister’s in town. Tryin’ to show her around…see the sights. You know, all the Anna Maria things to give her a feel for our town.

Take her to a P&Z meeting. Or maybe that Parking Safety Committee, they meet pretty soon. Riveting stuff.

She’s not real political.

I was kidding, genius. Hey, I got it! You could watch “Dodge A Pedestrian” down on Pine Avenue or “Crosswalk Roulette” over at Magnolia and Gulf.

Seriously, I want her to see why I love this place so much.

Well heck, that’s easy. Take her to Bean Point at sunset and watch a ga-zillion seabirds settle in their nesting grounds right there in the dunes or watch the rest wing it to Passage Key out towards Egmont. Look a little further to the right and watch the Don Cesar on Passa Grille turn as pink as a baby’s nose. You can almost hear the steel drums on the cruise ships heading out off Fort Desoto. Then, when the light hits the roof of Tropicana Field just right, it looks like a giant mushroom growing under the skyscrapers in downtown St. Pete. And that low warm light turns the Skyway Bridge into an immense magical yellow harp waiting to be played by the gods. Nothing like it in the world. It’ll soothe what ails you. Does me.

Love Bean Point. You know, it’s my center. Great idea…but there’s a problem.

Problem?

She’s in a wheelchair most of the time. Tough to get out on the beach.

Then what about the City Pier? Great view. Cold beer.

Have you ever tried to wheel a wheel chair out on the City Pier?

Uh, no.

Guess it’s possible but I’d rattle her crowns loose before I got to the yellow cast-net line half way out.

Wow, never thought about that. Probably right. I wonder how many other folks don’t go out there for the same reason. It’s a hike on good knees.

Yep, and that’s just one reason why that lady commissioner’s idea about the boardwalk thingy is kinda cool.

Boardwalk thingy?

Yeah, she wants to put up boardwalk, you know, like Coney Island only different, that’ll run along the bay both ways from the pier. Has a nice covered trolley stop too. Tell me that won’t be a godsend in an August thunder boomer.

Nice idea but big bucks dude.

Wrong-o buster. She spent a bunch of time and effort getting a bucket full of Tallahassee money, like 800 grand, to build the thing. Had umpteen meetings here about it. Now just needs to see that it gets done.

So, is there a problem?

Not yet, but some folks with a say-so have been less than enthusiastic lately. Now that she got the money and it looks like it could happen, questions are starting to bubble up. Nobody’s saying “No” but they ain’t saying yes yet either. Wanna see more details.

Guess it has to run its bureaucratic course like everything else around here. But that’s $800,000 of found money. How they gonna turn that down?

Hope they don’t. It’d clean up and organize that sand pit of a parking lot in both directions. Be nice for folks to enjoy the view even if the pier isn’t for them. I’m thinking of you my friend. A few years and you’re officially an old fart with two bad knees.

Me? Hah. Strong like bull.

Bull is the appropriate description, for sure...bewop debop ding bamba ding…Why don’t you hit the Sandbar with us later. You could use some jazz’n up.

I may do that, if you promise to listen and not sing.

See you there, if not, see you tomorrow.

Yeah, there or tomorrow.


© 2010 – William L. Yanger