The above type font was not feasible, nor all the other languages available. Why doesn't this blog have more choices for type font? I want to know.
Let me set the record straight about "Elvis" whose real name is Paul D. He lives up on the 4th floor and drives the Bright Red Corvette with the license plate W.W. Elvis. Asked by a friend to find out his story and curious myself, I happened to be opening the trunk to the car as Paul, lets call him Elvis though, patted the white Cadillac parked to the left of our car, two cars to the left of his. He explained to me why he had to pat the car and look up at someone in the doorway up on the 4th floor, but I really didn't understand exactly what he was saying.
Somehow I mentioned the Elvis plate and told me I was curious about it. He explained: It stands for World Wide Elvis, his business. He started collecting Elvis Pressley record jacket fronts years ago. Then he moved on to the backs, then to records issued in Japan, South Africa, etc. Pretty soon he had lots of Elvis records(not sure about memorabilia too). It began to get expensive, the collecting. He began to sell duplicates and found he could make money doing it. Years he spent doing the flea market circuit.
When I mentioned visiting Graceland with a group of Yale Alumni, he told me he had never made it to the house. He went to Memphis to a show, I guess. By this time he had 5 employees. Everyone became ill. He had to work the show alone. He figured out his expenses, travel, housing and figured he could have made more money staying at home.
Finally he has been liberated, in a sense, by the Internet. He has an office in Gulf Gate and a warehouse somewhere. He does all his business at his WW Elvis. com website, mails stuff off, collects money. I told him I had a friend who sells Civil War daguerreotypes, collectibles who held out keeping his shop for the contact with his customers, for one thing. Elvis told me he found people were more apt to spend thousands of dollars on Elvis CD's etc. over the Internet rather than person to person.
All the time I talked with Elvis I had a difficult time looking at him. It seems to me, but what do I know, Elvis has had a great deal of facial cosmetic surgery. I had a hard time looking at his face without feeling I was staring at his face. I'm not sure what he was attempting or the doctors were attempting, but something is a little amiss. I could not bring myself to ask him about that. I doubt I can ask him if he'd mind me taking a photo, but maybe that situation will change.
He wasn't reluctant to answer my questions. He seemed to enjoy talking about how he came to have the business he has. We talked a little about collecting. I told him I had gone from collecting post cards to collecting refrigerator doors and then cold-turkeyed on the collecting. He told me the oddest thing he had ever encountered people collecting was barbed wire.
There is a fellow I know who belongs to the Montclair Bird Club who has a small collection of barbed wire in his very, neat cellar along with lots of farm implements. I admired the different types of barbed wire he has, surprised to see the different twists and turns involved. Elvis understood about collecting, of course. Almost everything is collectible now, to someone. What he found amazing was an entire stadium full of people whose only collectible was barbed wire. I had to admit that was a powerful image.
So now we all know something more about Elvis/Paul, but I'm not sure I want to personally find out any more. I would like to take a photo of him sitting in his car, but it isn't likely I'll have the opportunity. We'll see.
About the Migration. Visited Pinecraft Park today and found four members of Sarasota Audubon looking around for the Swainson's Warbler spotted yesterday by another SA member. I'd read about it on the e-mail hot line and wandered over with Skip. I've never seen a Swainson's Warbler and I still haven't seen one.
However, I did spot an ovenbird, a Louisiana Waterthrush, a few vireos, red-eyed, blue-headed, white-eyed calling and yellow-throated. Two wonderful Barred Owls calling to each other. They have a couple of owlets in the park someplace. Not seen today. An alligator on the bank of the little stream, a couple of other migrants. The e-mail suggested Migration has begun. From what I saw I'd agree. That's encouraging.
Gotta Go. Got to get back to the great book I'm reading, tennis in the a.m. and lunch with Simone and her husband who are driving up from Naples. Plus I've still got a few things on the to-do list.
The only way to have a real vacation is to pack a book, binos, camera or not, a bathing suit, shorts and a couple of other items of clothing and fly to the Carribean, I think. Leave the to-do list, the phone, the computer, etc. behind. Or go North/West to ski country with a limited wardrobe and kindle. Another possibility. Maybe next year. Or India with or without a cushion. That might be best. FAN
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