| really has a simple life and a good life. He told me when I went to visit him recently as he was stirring a pot of home made vegetable soup that one of his secrets to enjoying life is to just do one thing at a time and concentrate on that one thing and enjoy that one thing for the moments or time you are doing it. For example, he told me, when I’m eating I should eat and I think about my food and how good it tastes; I should never eat and read at he same time. When I go for a walk, I should just walk and not listen to music or take my cell phone to walk and talk. I just walk and enjoy walking and breathing and looking and listening and thinking.” Bob told me a few weeks ago over a steaming pot of seafood paella at a Spanish restaurant on Sullivan Street in Greenwich village that when I was speaking to him, the things I was saying were actually writings and that I should remember these things so that when I get back to my apartment that I could write them down. As I sat quietly at my table by the tall window overlooking Venice Beach I remembered all of this. I took a sip of my red wine. It was warm and soft and I let my thoughts begin to write. The young waiter with the white apron approached the table. I think it was time to order. Fried Calamari “How do you like the wine?” asked the waiter politely. He had a deep tan and it was evident that he had spent time at the beach that day. He looked athletic and might have surfed or played basketball on the nearby courts famous for intense street-ball games between rival team factions on Venice Beach. The movie “White Men Can’t Jump” was filmed right there on those courts. I told him that the wine was excellent and that I appreciated his suggestion to order the Napa Valley Cabernet. It was one of the better glasses that I had had in a long while; I’d traveled to Europe lately and this wine was better than any I had tasted in Europe, even in Italy. His face lit up with pride at this compliment, and his broad smile radiated perfect white California surfer teeth. I began to think more of him now as a surfer then as a basketball player, more laid back from the cool waves than someone who spent the day fighting and wrestling over a ball on a hot court, bumping and knocking into others. Anyway, he was friendly and made me feel comfortable which further allowed me to enjoy the relaxing scene I was in. He asked me if I’d like to hear the daily specials so I agreed and politely listened. I told him that I’d prefer to order from the appetizer side of the menu and then asked him if the Fried Calamari was good and fresh. He replied confidently that the calamari was excellent and a good choice. I ordered it and also took the Greet Spinach Pie Spanikopita appetizer portion. He nodded in approval, suggesting another glass of wine, and I nodded back. We seemed to be speaking the same language with our nods back and forth. I took advantage of the opportunity of the time after ordering to empty out my pockets and organize my collection of things including my cell phone, my palm-sized Nikon Digital Camera, assorted maps, business cards, and miscellaneous scraps I had collected along the way from where my day had begun in Anaheim, then south to Laguna Beach, and from there along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway to the maze of interconnected freeways eventually leading to Venice Beach. I had arrived in the late afternoon about 4:30 PM when the boardwalk was |
| Jimi Hendrix (continued) |
