Nassau Thanksgiving 1979 Part 4
I
A man asked John to take his picture with our Polaroid camera. He seemed friendly but asked to keep the picture and then took off. Wonder if he expected to be paid? This man was not picturesque.
Prisms here are $18 and $22 while in Nashville they are $50 and $75 ea., and in New Orleans they were $25 and $35. I will regret if I do not get some.
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We see a young man who is oblivious to the hustle and bustle on Nassau Street. He is lying upright against a tree. His hair may have been braided but it sticks out in every direction. The ends are yellow. His beard is matted and he is bedraggled. It seems he and the tree are very compatible. We find more film to record him. Eating places offer a Howard Johnson (very poor quality), Burger King, McDonald’s (no golden arches) and Kentucky Fried. We feel at home. A Honda truck is outfitted as a canteen, serving hot meals to the market workers. John finds some beach shoes and we try to return to Paradise by boat. The sun was hot with a lot of people standing in line. The boat will not leave until full of passengers. No one wants to drive the ferry. It costs cabs $2 to cross the bridge. Room service is $10 more than a bottle of liquor in the store. We get rum for Ida. Houseboats are a bargain as the rent is $100 a day and sleep many.
Tomorrow we will definitely go swimming. We eat cheap and lose the change at the casino. Plans to see a show but 10 pm is past our bedtime.
II
We are losing track of the days. We eat early and walk to the hotel beach. Beautiful sand, wind, and blue/green water. I found two natural sponges and collected sand for Alan. I was painting when one of the bead saleswomen asked to see it. I put it in her box. It got too windy to stay.
We ran into the “People to People” Social Hostess trying to organize musical chairs. The winner would get a bottle of champagne. John would not join in, but I played to the very end, winning the champagne. He entered a beer drinking contest but was bested by a man drinking it in 8 seconds. We could hear the combo, Count Bernadine, in our room. A waiter brought a large bottle of champagne cooling in a silver ice bucket. Very nice.!
III
No dinner reservations so we have an excellent meal at the Bridge Inn. Walking back over the bridge, we are surprised that people must pay 25 cents. Our intention is to take the catamaran tomorrow.