A Million Little Pieces Of My Mind

Mary Steinberg, whom I married a few years later, and I, graduated high school together and we dated most of the summer after. Here are some of the things we did.

Mary and I dated our whole senior year, actually. So, maybe it wasn't a date, but I got her to model for a bank advertisement for the high school yearbook.

A popular dating activity was taking the Scenic Cruise in St. Augustine's Matanzas Bay. It's the central aquatic presence between St. Augustine and Anastasia Island, serving as a historical and scenic backdrop to the nation's oldest city. The bay's importance lies in its role as a natural harbor, offering protection and a navigable passage that has supported the city's maritime activities for centuries.

Taking a boat out on Matanzas Bay provides a unique vantage point to appreciate the area's rich history, including landmarks like the Castillo de San Marcos and the Bridge of Lions, while also enjoying the natural beauty of Florida's coastline and the chance to spot diverse wildlife in their natural habitat

When we graduated, I had to return the 35mm camera my classmate's dad had loaned me for the yearbook photos. So, for 50 cents, I bought myself a Diana camera at Woolworth's.

The Diana Camera was a classic example of a toy camera that emerged in the 1960s. Originating from the Great Wall Plastic Factory in Kowloon, Hong Kong, it was known for its simple construction and low-cost production. The Diana Camera, with its plastic meniscus lens, was popular for creating soft focus, dreamlike images that were reminiscent of the Pictorialist Period of artistic photography.

Personally, I hated the soft focus. Even with today's AI tools, it's difficult to extract a decent shot from those old 127 color slides. (Made worse because, on my high-schooler's budget, I bought the cheapest film I could find, which wasn't great to start with; and it's faded through the years even worse than the quality brands have.)

As we leave the dock, the first part of the cruise takes us under the Bridge of Lions.

So, yeah, I went on a boat with my lifeguard bathing suit. (A regular suit but with a patch sewn onto it declaring me a member of the St. John's County Lifeguard Corps.) But I wasn't flexing; that was my only bathing suit; and of course one wears a bathing suit for a boat ride. Just in case.

The Castillo de San Marcos in Florida stands as a monument to the tumultuous history of the region. Constructed by the Spanish between 1672 and 1695, it is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in the city of St. Augustine. The fort was built following a devastating raid by the English privateer Robert Searles and was designed by the Spanish engineer Ignacio Daza. Over the centuries, the fort has seen multiple sieges and changed hands peacefully five times among Spain, Great Britain, and the United States. It was renamed Fort Marion when Florida was ceded to the United States in 1821 and was used by the U.S. Army until 1899. In 1942, the original name was restored by an Act of Congress, and today, the Castillo de San Marcos is a National Monument, symbolizing the rich and diverse history of St. Augustine.

My summer night job was as assistant tour guide for the St. Augustine Candlelight Tours, which led people from one end of the St. George Street Restoration Area to the other. Although I did give a few tours, mostly my job was to light the candles in each building before the tour got there.

So a few times Mary came with me. I usually had my guitar with me so I would serenade her in between lighting candles and greeting tourists; and a favorite place for that was the Old Spanish Inn.

The Old Spanish Inn, dating back to the time of Spanish rule, has been meticulously restored. Originally serving as an inn, it now functions as an exhibition building, allowing visitors to step back in time and experience a piece of living history.

And then there was the Posada Menendez Restaurante, where I also worked as a busboy. That's where we'd go to have a really nice dinner. The Arroz con Pollo was always good! Alas, the place no longer exists, at least, as a restaurant.

And, of course, St. Augustine being a beach town, if we weren't working, we were usually swimming, or hanging out with friends. And I always was with the prettiest girl there!

Alas, Mary's dad was super strict. And (me being gay), I had always been a Perfect Gentleman when I was with her. Nevertheless, he didn't seem to like me. And finally, on the one night I got her to her house five minutes late—I mean that literally, five minutes past 11—before I could open the door, a sheriff's vehicle flashed its lights. The deputy told us Mary's father (who was a retired deputy, himself) had put out an all-points bulletin because we were late!

Regretfully, as I walked her to her door, I told Mary I liked her a lot, but I just couldn't deal with her father. And we broke up then and there.

For two years.