Time and Teeth

November 25th.
I am at sea level. The ocean is right out my car window as I drive along the beach front roads. Everything is aqua marine and teal with shades of white; accept when it rains, like today.

Here in Venice Florida I am at the home of Bobbi Cogger’s. We were freshman together at Dean Junior College, Franklin, Massachusetts. We lived in Adams Hall with our housemother, Mrs. Midget. Girls were not allowed cars, the dorm had nightly curfew along with room checks and we needed permission to go off campus for the weekend. We wore stockings and loafers to dinner and sang Christmas Carols en masse outside of the Dean’s home before our winter break.

We have kept in touch and shared the story lines of our lives, but have not seen each other in over 20 years. Here we are reliving our college experiences and catching up on our respective marriages, divorces, values and desires. I question if one really changes? Has 20 years, 30 years or 40 years really changed us? Are we not quintessentially ourselves?

It reminds me of the song:
Make new friends, but keep the old,
Some are silver and the other gold.

Bobbi is golden, a real keeper. No matter our differences, respect and love has continued to be the glue of our friendship. Venice is her home right now with its perfectly trimmed lawns, little shops, tennis courts and bicycle trails. It suits her well, her feet will be forever clean.

In my nearly two weeks , I have grown to appreciate the sameness and continuity of appearances. I have reacquainted myself with beach life and have taken to swimming in the afternoons, accept for today’s rain.

Venice is hailed as the Shark Tooth Capital of the World. Venice was once under water and now these prehistoric teeth are washed up on shore. I will leave you with a few statistics. A shark has 40 teeth in each jaw and they are one critter that sheds its teeth and grows new teeth. In a shark’s lifetime they can produce up to 24,000 teeth. So there are souvenirs to behold at the beach. Unfortunately, I should have managed my pilgrimage to be here in April when they will hold the 18th annual Shark’s Tooth Festival.

Happy Thanksgiving!