Board room at Pineapple Hill

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Pineapple Hill’s “board room” has been a conference room, storage room, and now, finally, a room for oyster roast parties. We named it The Board Room because, before the car wreck, I used to make “fish boards” there. These were primitive South Pacific-style paintings of fish on recycled pallets boards. Some are mounted on the ceiling now. There’s three times more books than shown—books about the South, sailing, and other things. Would be a place for a writing group in Union County.

books about the South recycled pallet boards writing group in Union County

Bad things happened, an entire run of them that shut me down, caused me to withdraw from everything except my inner self.

One afternoon, in a hammock, I took a photo of myself. Just my legs. But there was no one to send it to. No one to understand.

I needed a sidekick so I sketched an armadillo because they’re crusty on the outside but not within. I made him my butler. Crusoe’s manservant Friday.

We began interacting—my hammock photo speaking to that critter, that critter speaking back.There’s a folder of cartoons somewhere. For now there’s just this one. (LINK)

Eventually after that I began writing novels.

I’m still a hermit, marooned you might say, but leaving my shell more and more—my inner self seeking its freedom through writing.