[Mike P]

Hi Sherry, hopefully, I'll be on the Vineatrd the 9th of October until the following Sunday. The only snag is the phone company strike. My wife works for Verizon, as did several of the old Playland crew, and if they stay out a long time, money is going to be too tight for the trip, in which case I'll probably be at the Cape. But I have money put aside so I'll still be able to do Huff's memorial. Maybe if I can't make the Derby I'll at least hop on the ferry for the awards ceremony and take a taxi to OB.

You know, I've fished the Canal since I was six (with my dad, of course) and it's only the past few years I've heard of muggings there. Theft, yeah, that always happened, I got ripped off at the Run once and at Monument Beach another time. But it was always a place where I felt physically safe. Now, I'm very reluctant to hit some of the more remote areas at night, I don't ride the bike at night any more, and I especially stay away from the west end when the biker bars in Buzzards Bay have last call. A friend of mine that makes two of me was approached by a guy with malice on his mind, ironically the very night Huff passed away. The guy asked him if he was alone, and took off like a flushed quail when he heard the voice of my friend's buddy. Then there was that business with Hatteras Jack being ripped off at the show. Sign of changing times, I guess. Sad.