Day 281. October 7. Countdown 85 Days.

 

Day Two Hundred Eighty One. October 7. Countdown 85 Days. Picture # 281. "Collection of Collections". I do not smoke cigars. But I am fascinated by the boxes. These boxes, long emptied of cigars sits on a bookshelf in my home. Though emptied of cigars, the boxes are all full. Within this collection of boxes rest other collections; fossils, shells, pottery shards, etc. Years ago I was a department manager at Huckins Yacht Corporation a builder and servicer of yachts. http://www.huckinsyacht.com/index.php . Yachting is broken into different categories, with more divisions within each category. First division motor yachts VS sailboats.We were a motor yacht yard with many of the old timers derisively referring to sailboats as "blow boats". Motor yachting was then split into "cruiser" and "sportfish" classes. The cigar boxes come from the sportfishing boats. Sportfishing is a rich man's sport and a study in excess. These multi-million dollar boats are built solely to persue big game fish and in between fishing keep their owners in luxury. It is a strange competitive world of oneupmanship. Bigger, the more expensive the better. They need these giant floating mansions and the great expanses of ocean to contain the owners egos. But that being said, some of these guys were fun to be around. As part of my duties, I would hang around after work and socialize and talk business with the owners. They were very generous with their food and very good spirits. Scotch and microbrew whiskeys were my first choices. Sometimes these owners would hand me boxes of cigars to share with the yard owners and other managers. Cohíba Espléndidos a fine Cuban cigar currently sales for around $38 US apiece. I was handed full boxes of Cohíba Espléndidos a couple of times. I would give the cigars away, sometimes to the lowest paid guys in the yard, but I would keep the boxes. The boxes have traveled from Florida to Texas with me. They traveled with me when my marriage ended. They have come to represent the "boatyard years" to me. Many of my most entertaining stories are from that time of my life. I guess the boxes not only hold collections, they also contain memories. Canon Rebel T3i, on tripod. Canon 28-135mm lens. Focal length 28mm. f/4.5. ISO 400. Exposure 1/6 second.