I Like Hats

       More Letters From Paradise
             I Like Hats
I like wearing a hat, and that is not just because I am now bald. The sun here in Hawaii can cause skin cancer. I grew up in Northern Michigan where wearing a hat was necessary in winter, covering your ears too. In summer the hat worn, was a baseball hat. You could shape the bill to a curve of your liking. And this leads me to the fact that I firmly believe that only welders,umpires, and catchers should wear their hat backwards. Otherwise for others to do so, there must be a connection with low I Q.
Here in Hawaii hats are sold having a flat plastic bill. Stupid looking and again I suspect low IQ.

As an enlisted man in the Navy we all(except Chief Petty Officers) wore round white hats. These hats could be shaped by sailors to suit their individual tastes. It bothers me when actors in plays such as "South Pacific," wear their hats simply round and stupid looking. The last hat from my years in the Navy, was eaten by Lake Erie during an afternoon sail.

I mentioned to Teena that I would like to have a soft hat that would protect my ears, and could be rolled up and carried in a pocket. The visiting men and women from Australia who have come to our club to bowl, have just that kind of hat. And low and behold, she returned home recently with just such a hat. The hat also has a lanyard with a wood toggle to help keep it on in the sometimes brisk Trade Winds. She warned me that I should not be wearing it when meeting anybody important.

In Dearborn Michigan there was a small supper club called "Toppers." The club featured good food and a small dance floor with a trio of musicians. The walls were all covered with pictures of people wearing hats. Some famous people and others not at all famous. Alas,"Toppers" was bought by some rich hockey player and the pictures were all replaced by mirrors. Teena and I have fond memories of the place.

    Aloha
    Grant