The Six-Eyed Sleuth & Society

Yeah, I decided this morning to go and have breakfast “outside”!
I ordered a Greek Omelet with an order of bacon at Famous Toastery
nearby. While I sipped my tea I had time to read a couple of chapters
in a very funny 1904 published booklet “Stealthy Steve, the Six-Eyed
Sleuth" by Newton Newkirk.
Occasionally I looked up and noticed plenty of new customers joining
the breakfast crowd and suddenly it struck me how varied in shape
and form the human race appears. In these times with minimal clothing
very little is left to our imagination. Heavens, the well proportioned, the
good looking ones are few and far between. Very few and very far!
And I wonder, when dogs, hawks and porpoises observe others of their 
kind, do they come to a similar conclusion?

Is that one of the reasons we decided, long ago to start covering our 
bodies? Probably we should re-introduce that rule again!

4th of July 2020!

This country is in turmoil and we shoot off fireworks all

night long.

People are fearful of the virus without knowing how to

protect themselves against this invisible “thing” and we

shoot off fireworks all night long in celebration of being

part of this country with all its lofty principles.

There was a time when I looked for the place from where 

all the colorful and varied fire crackers were launched.

This evening a neighbor asked me to join them and 

celebrate the crackling sparkles in the street. There

was no coordinated center with thousands of people

admiring the range of colors illuminating the dark sky 

for just moments. This evening bangs and explosions

were spread all over town and they weren’t impressive.

I didn’t have that spark in my heart to celebrate, this

year, though I laughed and chatted with my neighbors,

students (young couples) having small-time fun without 

masks and proper distance - no fear!

What’s going on in this tumultuous world? Distant Bangs

and explosions slowly fade with the night preparing for

another day!.

Happy fifth!

The Secret Life of Elephants vs The Elephant Whisperer!

On a warm June day in 2020, I met with a new person in

my life. We met in the shade provided by Wally the Walnut,

the tree in my care from its beginning and now 34 years old.

We had decided a few days earlier, when we really first met,

that we would gather and would watch birds at Latta Park in 

the Dilworth neighborhood - my home turf.

Paul Anderson, a South African native arrived at the appointed 

time and I led him to “my” tree and I told him the Wally-story.

We took a seat nearby and we continued our conversation.

Yes, we saw a Robin-Redbreast and we heard the Catbird, but

Paul’s binoculars remained otherwise in-active.

We talked about raising kids and ourselves and what events had

made strong impressions on us in our past. We spoke of how we were 

brought-up and that we were admirers of trees and Nature in general.

And when I found out that he is from South Africa I brought up a 

remarkable story from the book “The Secret Life of Elephants” 

(I was convinced that was the title) and I began:

“Well Paul, recently I read a story about a Brit who acquired about

7.000 acres just north of the Republic. Several years into this ownership

he was called by a representative of another reserve: “ We have a herd 

of destructive, mean elephants. We want to get rid of them and we’’ll 

deliver them to you free of charge. And if you don’t  want them, we will 

otherwise get rid of them! 

To the Brit (I couldn’t come up with his name) there was no choice - he 

accepted, because destruction, he felt, was not an option.

The transfer was a tumultuous success and the matriarch and Lawrence

connected with each other with admiration and affection.

Three years or so into this love relationship, the reserve’s owner was 

called to attend a meeting 500 miles away in Durban. When the meeting 

was over and he was ready to return by plane North, he found out the 

flight had been cancelled. He called the chief warden with the bad news:

“Charles, the flight has been cancelled!”

Charles: “Yes, I know!”

“What do you mean -you know-?”

C: "The matriarch and the other elephants left the entrance and went 

back into the bush!”

“WOW! Really?

C: ”Really!”

So, the next day he arrived on the revised schedule and guess where the

elephants were?

Paul guessed … no, he KNEW the answer! 

Why?

Well, he not only read the book (“The Elephant Whisperer” by Lawrence Oliver)

he lived NEXT  DOOR to this reserve and he went on talking about his time

nearby! I was taken-aback and asked him to repeat all of that!

What makes it so almost unbelievable? Here is a man sitting next to me at 

Latta Park in Dilworth, Charlotte, NC and he could confirm from personal experience

happenings from his youth, 6,000 miles away in South Africa and I read about

some of that by chance in that wonderful book! 

Two souls coming together on a bench in a nearby Charlotte, NC-park.

Paul from The Republic of South Africa and I from Amsterdam, The Netherlands

What are the chances!

Flat Out Stunning - talking about a small world!

Conclusion? Keep on meeting new people! I may find out more extra-

    ordinary folks and stories!

Cheers!