Moving Forward

Now fully vaccinated, I’ve finally started to come out of my hibernation brought on by the pandemic. This past week my wife and I visited with some friends that we had not gathered with in more than a year. Last weekend was the first time that we had gone for a drive with a local group of sports car owners since 2019.

The visit with our friends was impacted by the weather, requiring a change of plans. We made do with a meal at a local restaurant and visiting at their home (which my wife and I hadn’t seen since they moved). While it wasn’t the surprise outing that our friends had planned, it was wonderful.

Similarly, the group drive did not feature the best that area roads have to offer. Yet the act of simply being able to get together with these folks that we hadn’t seen in such a long time while enjoying some top~down motoring on a beautiful sunny day, taking in Mt. Saint Helens in the process, felt great. It seems that “the little things” have all of a sudden become the not so little things in life.

But it was yesterday’s visit with my friend Bob that caused me to realize that my “pandemic life” had merged with my pre/post pandemic life Bob and I have known each other for years. We met due to the fact that we both like to play darts (steel-tip darts that is). I’ve been doing so at my local pub for more than 18 years now, which is where I met Bob of course.

My dart playing had come to an end before the pandemic hit, due to a tendon in my arm deciding to detach itself from the muscle it was joined to. It was a nasty separation and one that the doctor told me little could be done for. I figured that my dart playing days were done. Yet I had been keeping in touch with Bob via letters during the pandemic. My letters were written using a typewriter while Bob’s were put together with the use of a computer. Up until a while ago that is.

It seems that all of my enthusiasm for typewriters finally got the better of Bob. (I’ll admit to having encouraged Bob to consider the purchase of a typewriter more than once in the past.) Bob finally informed me of his purchase (that started as an innocent rental) of an Underwood typewriter. His is a 1942 Underwood Model S to be specific. I’ve got to admit that it was great to receive my first typed letter from Bob a while back.

At any rate, Bob and I were long overdue for a visit at our favorite local pub (which has been fortunate to have survived the pandemic). It was decided that we would meet for a beer or two and maybe even throw some darts if my arm was willing to comply. Even if the darts didn’t work out, it would be good just to see Bob again after such a long period of time. Still, I’ll admit that I had really enjoyed exchanging letters with him over the past year even if we do only live a few miles apart.

I showed up at the pub first and got myself situated. It wasn’t too much longer until Bob showed up. He came walking in carrying the big, heavy Underwood Model S in his arms. He was rightfully proud of it, wanting me to see it, while also thinking that there might be others who would like to give the “Wood” a try for themselves.

Other than myself, Bob had only one taker. A guy that was apparently visiting from Indiana had decided to give the Underwood a go, It appeared as if this person had never before tried a typewriter. That wasn’t surprising at all, What did stand out to me however was how the sound of Bob’s Underwood in use just blended right in with the rest of the background noise at the pub. While it might not have seemed this way to the other patrons, no one complained or said anything at all for that matter.

As the afternoon came to a close, not only was I delighted to find that I was still able to play darts after all of this time, but I realized just how ingrained typewriters have become in my life. I was throwing darts while someone was typing right behind me and thought nothing of it. If anything, this now familiar sound was comforting to me. This is now a part of my life’s soundtrack, regardless of what life has come to be as a result of the pandemic, and beyond. While it might be some time yet, I’ll be on the lookout for a Type-In here in the area.

AFTERTHOUGHTS: It feels good to see my friend Bob so excited about the old Underwood. Even before he bought this particular machine, he always referred to Underwood’s when talking about typewriters in the past, so it only seemed natural that he ended up with one. I have to admit that watching others I know develop a fascination with these machines has been one of the unexpected surprises when it comes to my own involvement with typewriters.