Hi-wa-ya

Me and Dorothy went on another cruise; this time in Hi-wa-ya. We went to a bunch of them islands. I reckon y'all know this whole place were made when under-the-sea volcanos erupted. It were a beautiful place but my favorite part were the memorial at Pearl Harbor where so many of our boys got killed by the Japanese air raid. I personally knew a couple of 'em: Old Lady Hardy's boy, Virgil and Mr. and Mrs. W W Jackson's oldest son, Leslie James. My cousin were at what they called Scofield Barracks which was also hit, but he made it through without a scratch. He remained there during the rest of the war and married an island girl. They come back and settled over in Natchez where he had his own carpenter business. The food over there were tolerable but I wouldn't want Dorothy to bring any of them recipes home. Y'all know I don't drink nothing no more since my days getting over Korea, but ever thing I ordered them peoples stuck a umbrella in it. I mean pineapple juice and such, don't ya know? Our next cruise were way over in Australia. I'll talk about that later on.

Muir Woods and the Wine Country

Deer in Muir Woods

Grapes what they makes wine with

One of the tricks we brung with us to California is we left our watches set to Harper time. That way we was always two hours ahead of all them peoples out there. I had heard from somebody what went out there a year or so ago that the best place for breakfast were a place called Sears. I told him that's where I bought my tires in Jackson and he said it warn't nothing like that Sears. Anyway we got there bright and early with our watches set the way they was. I just got what I were use to eggs and bacon; they didn't have no grits. Dorothy are more adventuresome so she got a seafood omelet. She give me a taste and I will say it were good. Next we drove up to this place called Muir Woods. They got trees in that place that look like they reach the sky. And they is about as old as dirt. We would have stayed longer but we had a late night flight to Hawaii. And we still had to drive through the wine country. Now I've had wine but I ain't never had none made with grapes. We make it with strawberries and muskadines. They have what they calls wine tasting counters and these peoples what seem to want you to think they know what they're doing, take a big slug of wine, swish it around in their mouths, and spit it in to this big bowl. Nasty. Kinda glad we was in a hurry.

Them Peoples What is Called Mimes

One of the things I found strange in San Francisco (I ain't got time to mention all of 'em) was peoples dressed up kinda like clowns and walking around without saying nothing. They would act like they was caught in a invisible cage and was trying to figure the way out by moving their hands up and down and all around like it was a window or door or something in front of 'em. And you know what? They was a lot like them beef eating guards in London. You couldn't get 'em to smile or laugh or nothing unless it were a part of their act. I'm glad Dorothy were with me 'cause she knew all about them and could fill me in on what they was doing. She said she were a big fan of this French mime named Mark Selmarso. I reckon you could understand what he were saying even if you couldn't speak no French. The next day on our trip we went up to the wine country. I'll tell about them happenings next time.

First Stop on Our Trip

We's back. Me and Dorothy had the time of our life on our wedding trip. I'm gonna tell y'all all about it over the next few weeks. I ain't gonna be able to come on this blog-thing ever day like I use to do, Hollis being in school and all. But we hope to post ever week or maybe more often.
Our first stop was supposed to be Los Angeles. But I didn't care much about going there. They said I would be able to see Hollywood and I said ever body I wanted to see in Hollywood were dead: John Wayne, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Steward, Betty Grable. I wanted to go to San Francisco to show Dorothy were they taken me after I come home from Korea with froze feets. And I hadn't got to see none of it anyway 'cause all I seen were the inside of a hospital room. Dorothy had already seen Hollywood, so off we was to San Francisco. My friend, Willie, told me if I were going to San Fran. I had to try the Rice-A-Roni. He said, "After all it is the San Francisco treat." Me and Willie is always funning around like that.
San Francisco is a beautiful place, one of the prettiest places you'll ever see, but the peoples out there is about as strange as they come. Next time I'll tell y'all about this man we seen on the street what was acting out things without saying a single word.

Note from Hollis

How This Works by Hollis

It was I who prompted Uncle Harvey Lee to give me material for this blog. He has a reputation for storytelling and people in and around Harper are often seen in groups of four or more prodding him for another tale. I go to school five days a week and work a part-time job on Saturday and two or three evenings each week. It is easier for me to meet with Uncle Harvey Lee two or three days each week and gather the material for posting. As you can see I try to divide the stories evenly, not making any one day too long. I have promised my uncle to write everything as close to his words as possible. This is not an easy task and occasionally this difficulty may show in my work.

It is my wish that everyone will enjoy reading about Harper and Uncle Harvey Lee's life here. Your comments are appreciated. Please be frank. I will not show anything to my uncle that could cause him concern. If you enjoy reading about our town please tell your friends. Uncle Harvey Lee can't believe the response and asks me every time I see him for the numbers.

Uncle Harvey Lee will be home from his extended honeymoon this week and will begin posting soon.

October 2 Harper Bee Lo-Lytes

News: Last Thursday there was more excitement in Harper than we are used to. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Felix Monroe was rolled with toilet paper. That's a thing usually done by teenagers where they take rolls of toilet paper and throw them high into trees. Lucky for the Monroes and not so good for the teens,  Mrs. Mildred Sojoiner lives across the street. Mildred is well known to the local authorities for bringing to their attention situations of crime, both felony and misdemeanor. Thursday night she not only witnessed the vandalism but with the aid of her field glasses she was able to see the license tags of all three cars driven by the culprits. Sheriff Mendale Wylie turned the matter over to the parents of the children and they planned a cleanup of the Monroe property for Saturday. One of the teenagers, who will go nameless because of age, got the bright idea to try to burn the toilet paper from the trees to avoid a day of hard labor. He and some friends purchased BIC lighters at the Toot and Tell It Store on Harper Lake Drive. The Friday night blaze was spectacular according to various eyewitnesses. Mrs. Sojoiner saw the action before the flames reached the first low-lying limb and notified the Harper Volunteer Firemen, all of whom were on her speed call. By the time the volunteers arrived Mr. Monroe had extinguished the flames with his garden hose. Saturday cleanup went off as planned except Mr. Monroe provide a list of yard chores he was planning to do over the next few weeks. The group got them all done before sunset.