Bermuda Stories

Stories from the Road
November 25, 2013
Bermuda

The rains were heavy last night. They were accompanied by howling winds, and Vicki and I thought golf was out for today. We were wrong. Island weather seems to be fickle, as the morning brought no rain. As the day progressed the sun followed us around the Belmont Hills Golf Club. Names often give away the character of things, and true to form, there were many hills. The course was short but tight and undulating. The greens had attitude. All in all we had a fun day. The people who worked at the course were friendly and accommodating, and assuming the weather holds up, we will be back tomorrow or the next day.

Last night we ate dinner at a local restaurant with Barb and Chris Fullerton, who live on the island. Barb grew up here and met Chris, a Halifax native, at college in Canada. They are very gracious, caring people, and it was great fun talking with them about their island lives. Tomorrow they fly to London, where their daughter is graduating from law school.

As I move further from November 22, I remembered another Kennedy story. I was at the Galbraith’s bartending. Many of the brain trust professors were gathered for drinks, dinner, and discussion. At some point the junior senator from Massachusetts arrived. The professors, who tended to be skeptical and pessimistic, even were excited. Teddy Kennedy was handsome, and like his brother Jack, charismatic.

Ted’s early life had been difficult. The last of nine children, Ted’s parents weren’t very committed at that point to parenting. Teddy became like an affluent foster child, as his parents moved here and there. Moving from one school to another, Ted’s life was marked by inconsistency and unpredictability. His brothers were probably more  his parents than his father and mother. Ted’s problems in young adulthood are understandable in this light. He settled down with the help of his second wife, and it is perhaps not surprising that he dedicated the second half of his life to advocating for those in need.

Tonight we will dine at our hotel’s restaurant, which is reputed to be the best restaurant on the island. I will hoist a cold martini to my stateside golfing friends, Bert Edelstein, The Eatons, Tom Hardy and Michele LaRue, Richard Trumball, Gary Samad, Gary Vernon,  Clark Renner, and my wife, Vicki.

Have a good evening.