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Ya know what? The older I get, the more I realize what a privileged life I have been able to enjoy; not lots of money or material things, just THINGS. A unique aspect of my youth was brought to mind one day at our bicycle/lock and key shop, Diane and I operated for 42 years.

A customer brought into the shop four steamer or wardrobe trunks (like large foot lockers) needing new locks or keys. After giving the trunks the eyeball I told the customer we could do the job if he would leave them a couple days. He did and we did.  When he came to pick them up he told me he was from Tampa and he had taken the trunks to shops in Tampa, St. Pete and Bradenton. They all referred him to our shop.

Back in 1928-1940 my Dad operated Esthus Transfer Co. while learning to be a locksmith.  He became familiar with trunks brought in by winter travelers on the Seaboard Railroad and the Atlantic Coastline Railroad.

During those years, and later, another exposure to trunks was when the Ringling Circus would return to winter quarters. Headline and star performers traveled with trunks. While on the road keys got lost, and locks broken. I used to ride with my Dad out to the winter quarters to pick up trunks to repair. And a special treat was to repair unicycles and bicycles that would be ridden on the high wire.

WOW!  DID I HAVE BRAGGIN' RIGHTS!   Life was/is good.