Pug
Copyright© 2024 by Ralf Lipshitz
Chapter 49
Walker
Wed, Oct 21, 1970
“Lost
On a painted sky
Where the clouds are hung
For the poet’s eye
You may find him
If you may find him
There
On a distant shore
By the wings of dreams
Through an open door
You may know him
If you may
Be
As a page that aches for a word
Which speaks on a theme that is timeless
And the one God will make for your day
Sing
As a song in search of
a voice that is silent
And the sun God will make for your way
And we dance
To a whispered voice
Overheard by the soul
Undertook by the heart
You may know it
If you may know it
While the sand
Would become the stone
Which begat the spark
Turned to living bone
Holy, holy
Sanctus, sanctus
Be
As a page that aches for word
Which speaks on a theme that is timeless
And the one God will make for your day
Sing
As a song in search of
a voice that is silent
And the one God will make for your way”
Be (Introduction to Jonathon)
By Neil Diamond
From the Film & Book, Jonathon Livingston Seagull
By Richard Bach
Here are some great Quotes from Jonathon Livingston Seagull
By Richard Bach
“The trick was to know that his true nature Lived, as perfect as an unwritten number, everywhere at once across space and time.”
“For in spite of his lonely past, Jonathan Seagull was born to be an instructor, and his own way of demonstrating love was to give something of the truth that he had seen to a gull who asked only a chance to see truth for himself.”
“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation.”
“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch the perfect speed. And it isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is Being There.”
“The gull sees farthest who flies highest.”
“Seagulls, as you know, never falter, never stall. To stall in the air is for them disgrace and it is dishonor. But Jonathan Livingston Seagull, unashamed, stretching his wings again in that trembling hard curve–slowing, slowing, and stalling once more–was no ordinary bird.”
““I don’t understand how you manage to love a mob of birds that has just tried to kill you.’
‘Oh, Fletch, you don’t love that! You don’t love hatred and evil, of course. You have to practice and see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s what I mean by love. It’s fun, when you get the knack of it.’”
“Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”
“‘Why is it,’ Jonathan puzzled, ‘that the hardest thing in the world is to convince a bird that he is free, and that he can prove it for himself if he’d just spend a little time practicing? Why should that be so hard?’”
“He spoke of very simple things–It is right for a gull to fly, that freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual, or superstition, or limitation in any form.”
“We choose our next world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and Lead Weights to overcome.”
“Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight–how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.”
“A mile from shore a fishing boat chummed the water, and the word for Breakfast Flock flashed through the air, till a crowd of a 1,000 seagulls came to dodge & fight for bits of food. It was another busy day beginning. But way off alone, out by himself beyond boat and shore, Jonathan Livingston Seagull was practicing.”
“For a long time Jonathan forgot about the world that he had come from, that place where the Flock lived with its eyes tightly shut to the joy of flight, using its wings as means to the end of finding & fighting for food. But now & then, just for a moment, he remembered.”
“I
Eat to Live
Not
Live to Eat”
Derek & The Dominoes, Allman Brothers Band & Bob Marley & The Wailers, RCMH, NYC 8pm, Day 2 of 6.
McCloud, Episode #7, Our Man in Paris, NBC-TV, 10-11pm.
We continued our Bahamas Journey, Flying in our Twin Otters, using our Wheels, as we used the 5,000’ Runway on Chub Cay, to then Land on the 2,500’ Airstrip on Walker’s Cay, our next Bahamas Island we were Taking Over. It was 53 Miles between the A/P on Grand Bahama Island/Freeport, & Walker’s Cay, so didn’t take long.
Walker’s Cay had 1st been developed in 1935, by Buzz Shonnard, being given a 99-Year Lease. He Built a 75 Slip Marina, 2,500’ Airstrip & a 20-Room Hotel. It had a total of 58 Acres.
In 1970, it hadn’t changed much since it was 1st developed.
It was a favorite of President Dick Nixon, as well as his buddy Bebe Rebozo. That’s where Bebe had secretly given me the info on our Vietnam Secret Talks.
Since then, we had Ended the Vietnam Conflict. Because of that, Dick, Bebe & Pindling, had encouraged the current Owner, to Sell us 50% of Walker’s Cay.
Robert “Rob” Abplanalp, 48yo, had Invented the Aerosol Spray Valve, which made him a Fortune. It all pretty much dried-up though, after the CFC scare, when most CFC’s were Banned. Rob had taken over the Lease in 1960. He had a Grumman Seaplane, from WW2, that he Traveled in. He Flew it himself, being a Sea & Rescue Pilot in WW2.
Rob, Nixon & Bebe met us when we Landed ... All 3 were 3 Sheets to the Wind, though, so we just took care of ourselves. The Runway ended at the Marina, with the Hotel & Restaurant beyond the Marina.
We all just explored the Cay, just relaxing & getting better aquatinted, as soon of us had just met. The kids all had Biked with them, so they were the 1st to really explore Walker’s. We had a few of our MGF’s be their Caretakers, but all were great kids.
The Prevailing Winds were usually E-W, & that worked out, as Walker’s Cay was also formed in a long E-W shape, so the Airstrip fit perfectly. (9/27) We wished it was longer, but most of us would just Fly into the main Airport on Grand Bahama Island, just to the South. Freeport was located on GBI too, so it would work out.
We’d then Ferry everyone in our Twin Otters, as well as a Beech King Air 90, plus a Beech King Air 100. The King Air 90 was used for up to 5 Passengers, while the King Air 100 could carry 8, besides the Pilot. We didn’t want to Overload the King Airs, but they were designed for Short Runways, & Carried alot, compared to their Competitors. They were as tough as our Twin Otters. The great King Air 200 was still being developed, a couple years until Certification.
The 20-Room Hotel was full, with Pat & Dick Nixon, Bebe, Robert & all the Secret Servicemen around. We all stayed Aboard one of the Boats in the Marina, which we were enjoying. Even in Port, it is Soothing to Sleep Aboard, with the Gentle Rocking of the Craft.
We all fell in love with Rob, as he was super passionate about Billfish. I loved the fact, that he was the 1st to advise all to: Catch-Photo-Release of the Billfish. Why not let them Live, as most people didn’t eat them, they only wanted a Trophy. Fuk dat, we’ll make a fake fish, out of Fiberglass if you are that much of a He-Man. The thrill was the Catch.
Also with us were a few Walkers. Junior Walker, 39yo; T-Bone Walker, 60yo; & Jerry Jeff Walker, 28yo. With Jerry Jeff, was a pre-Famous Jimmy Buffett, 23yo.
But a huge new Partner was also On-Island.
Soichiro Honda, 63yo, had grown up SW of Tokyo, in the Shizuoka Prefecture.
His Dad ran a Bicycle Shop, where Soichiro learned all about Technology, becoming obsessed with Machinery. He was given the nickname of “Black Nose Weasel” because he always had Grease on his face. He would eventually be known as the “Japanese Henry Ford.”
After WW2, he 1st made Motorcycles, the 1st in 1946. By 1970, he was also making tiny Cars, just getting a Foothold in America.
Now, as part of U-Corp, we could make his Cars & Motorcycles in America, the Cars in Detroit, the Bikes in Milwaukee.
Soichiro spoke pretty good English, but I quickly gave him a MGF that was born in Japan, so spoke the language well. She helped Soichiro become comfortable right away.
I asked Soichiro, if he minded it if I nicknamed him “C-Chee”, as that’s kinda how it was pronounced. He said “Sure”, knowing we accepted him, if we gave him a Moniker.
We would Produce his Car, the Honda 600 with our 1971 Models. It was tiny, about the size of the Fiat 500.
I thought both would make great “Flex Cars.” We could keep some in all our Parking Garages, so any of our Employees could Sign One Out. These would be Run by Enterprise Rent-A-Car. They would be perfect to Rent to those in big Cities, as they were Fun, Easy to Park, Economical & Fun. Did I say they were Fun?
Both the Fiat 500 & Honda 600 were Underpowered though. The Fiat, due to Italy’s Taxing Highly, Engines with large Cubic Centimeters, so most were Sold with low powered 2-Cylinder Engines.
I suggested more Powerful Engines, as well as bigger Wheels. All would Run on Propane of course, but I could see some Hotrod 500 & 600’s.
I asked our Engineers to do all in their Power to make all our Cars Safer too. I wanted all Safety Features be Standard. 4-Wheel Disc Brakes, Passive Seatbelts, Crush Zones, Roll Cages, Side Impact Barriers, Better Frame Structures, better Transmissions, etc.
I had already suggested we Invent Airbags ASAP. Until then, we were working on lessening the Dangers in the Interior, that could Harm You in a Crash.
The Honda Motorcycles could be made at our Harley-Davidson Plant in Milwaukee. Once we fixed all the issues there, I wasn’t concerned about Quality, for either Harleys, as well as Hondas.
It was a given, that everything that came out of our Plymouth Road Plant, would be perfect. Slow Down & Be Happy.
C-Chee had always been the Technology Leader in Japan. He was considered a Radical Businessman, as he always Promoted his Employees due to their Industrial Knowledge & Performance. Sounds right to me.
His Success was due to his Passion, Determination, Resilience, Innovation, Quality & a Customer Centric Approach. Sounds just like Enzo Ferrari.
Honda would soon come out with the Civic, which we would now Produce in America. Things could only get better.
Thur, Oct 22, 1970
Derek & The Dominoes, Allman Brothers Band & Bob Marley & The Wailers, RCMH, NYC 8pm, Day 3 of 6.
The Odd Couple, #5, The Breakup, ABC-TV, 9:30-10pm.
“Money, who needs it?
Just to live my life free and easy
Put the toothbrush in my hand
And let me be travelin’, man
‘Cause I’m a roadrunner, baby
I’m a roadrunner, baby
Can’t stay in one place too long
I’m a roadrunner, baby
Mess with me and I’ll be gone
You can love me if you wanna
But I do declare
If I get restless
I’ve gotta move somewhere
I’m a roadrunner, baby
Can’t find my home (no!)
And I love the life I live
And I’m gonna live the life I love
Roadrunner, baby
Don’t a-want no woman
Just have me bound
Got to be free, baby
To roam around
All my life I’ve been like this
If you love me, it’s your own risk
When the dust hit my shoes
I got the urge to move
Said, I’m a roadrunner, baby
Just keep on, keepin’ on
Yeah!
And I live the life I love
And I’m gonna love the life I live
Yes, I’m a roadrunner, baby.”
(I’m a) Road Runner
Sung by Junior Walker
Written by Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland & Eddie Holland
2 more new Partners showed up together in a Twin Otter. They had brought their Families too. They had Flown into GBI minutes apart, in separate NetJets G2’s, so they said they’d Fly the short distance to Walker’s Cay in the same Twin Otter.
Roger Penske, 33yo, had been a successful Race Car Driver, since 1961, but had Retired in 1965. He began Penske Racing, in 1966. His nickname is “The Captain”
He became an Owner of Car Dealerships too.
He was also being asked by GM, to Partner with them with Detroit Diesel. Detroit Diesel would fit in nicely with C-4.
Roger would now become the CEO of all C-4 Dealerships, which would Sell both our Cars & Trucks.
With Jack C Taylor, the CEO of Enterprise R-A-C, we were setting Roger up with Penske Truck Leasing, Rental, Sales & Service.
As Ralf, Roger would later takeover the Truck Rental side of Hertz, becoming dominant in the Field. Why not have him Run it now, in 1970, as he was already a great businessman. I loved his philosophy & style. He was savvy & innovative.
He was HQ in Bloomfield Hills, MI, a suburb of Detroit, which was perfect for C-4, which was also HQ in Detroit.
Roger would be the Trucking Link in our Intermodal Freight System, using Containers, Transported by Truck, Train & Boat. We now had the Trucks & Boats, as we had completed our Purchase of American President Lines, APL. We were combining it wit Crowley Maritime, to form Crowley APL. I had some ideas on how to snatch up a Railroad or 3, but that will take some convincing.
We would have all our Companies use Penske, to provide all their Trucks, all Running on Propane. Instead of Buying a Truck, they would Lease it from Penske, who would do all the Maintenance on it. We would have Loaners too, so no-one was neglected.
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