Happy #116 (+HP B'day #53)

On this day, in 1896, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born at 481 Laurel Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota.


I have selected this poolside family photograph of the Fitzgeralds because Scott looks vibrant and athletic. Zelda has already been swimming. Scottie was old enough–according to her mother– to be a "voting member of the Fitzgerald household."


This may explain why the child appears to not be dressed for the pool. Scottie had to cast the decisive vote as to which of her parents was the better swimmer.



Attempting to influence the electorate, the female candidate undoubtedly talked of her youth.
Zelda Sayre was–bar none–the best swimmer at Lanier High School in Montgomery, Alabama.
"I introduced my classmates to skinny-dipping. That is something your father could only do under the influence of moonshine."

In Zelda Fitzgerald's Save Me The Waltz, mother says to her child

How can I be two things at once? Because, my daughter, I am so outrageously clever that I believe I could be a whole world to myself if I didn't like living in Daddy's better.

Happy Birthday, Scott Fitzgerald. I hope your Holy Trinity is enjoying an invigorating vote-free post-humous swim as I write this.




Blogger's Notes
Last week, my personal coach–and Lewis Carroll School administrator–Etta Seamster Jr. texted a reminder that today is also Daniel DiMaria's 53rd birthday.

We welcome yr presence @ Piscataway Pizza

From my blog-nest in southern California, I can almost hear her laughing AND vice versa. To say that her mother and Daniel's father are my personal God & Godette is only a mild use of hyperbole. All my contact with their offspring is via text, email or snail mail. Why?
It suffices to say the correspondence between us is immeasurable. Were I to have eye-to-eye contact with the "Juniors" the immaculate conception I have of their parents might burst. (Ditto for ear-to-ear contact.)
To complement my insistence on the absence of eye contact, the "Juniors" mandated that I cannot publish any photographs of either generation of Seamster/DiMaria. Were I to do so, this blog site would self-destruct.
I can live with that.

Happy Birthday, Daniel. I hope your day is full of Amazing Grace because that was your mother-in-law's favorite song.