Day 2

I sleep in Cooper Riverside Park



I ran into a guy named Alan, who is homeless and offered me a beer. He seemed like a good Christian guy and was full of information about things homeless in Mobile.



He suggested spots for me to play, based upon his seeing other musicians do well at them.


I walked around and explored, but didn't set up and play.
I hadn't re-strung the guitar yet, and was feeling tired, lazy and depressed, and wasn't sure that I could play my way out of it.
The day had been exhausting, with about 5 miles of walking in the humidity, after having slept sporadically on a Greyhound the previous night.


I ran into Alan again, after an exploration which put another 3 miles on my sneakers.
Alan was on his 13th beer, having obtained another 12-pack.
He invited me to a certain park so that I could meet a "Mr. Cooper." He said that Mr. Cooper was a very cool guy, who was 89 years old, and who always sat in the same park, on the same bench; and he gave away cigarettes.

We got to the park, which bears the name Cooper Riverside Park. I thought it interesting that Mr. Cooper would hang out in his own park, but, there on a bench facing the bay, was a figure sitting.
Alan said that Mr. Cooper always had cigarettes and asked me if I would go and beg one of him. Alan said that he himself had bummed a lot of them recently, and didn't want to wear out his welcome.

Mr. Cooper "Himself."
I walked over in the dark and approached the man, who was thin and well dressed and seemed to be caught in a muse, as he stared motionlessly out to sea.
I actually got as far as starting to introduce myself to the man, when I realised that he was an incredibly lifelike statue, which had been placed upon the bench.
Alan broke out laughing and told me "They got me the same way when I first came here."
Other people in the park were laughing also. I guess the verisimilitude of the statue is legendary. It looked real all the way up to about 6 feet.
I had a fairly good night's sleep. I retired early and was up at 6 am.
My First 3 Bucks
I decided to jump in the median, right across from Cooper Riverside Park, as it was an off ramp of sorts, for cars coming into the city. I made 3 bucks in about 20 minutes, but, most importantly, a cop came by, smiled after reading my sign, gave me a "thumbs up" and drove along.
Alan was right about that.
Maybe he will turn out to be right about Dauphin Street. I will need a lot more than 3 bucks....
I ate breakfast at a church, and am now at the library.
Pros and Cons

So far the pros of Mobile are:

• facilities for the homeless


• 3 Cool people, so far


• Tolerance for street musicians by the Law


• Free library Internet

The "cons" are:

• No AM sports station


• Oppressive humidity, even compared to Jacksonville


• No place to pitch a tent within 5 miles of downtown


• The Blacks comprise 60% of the population, and some are just plain rude.


• The buses are $1.25


• vastness of the city means long walks are frequently necessary in lieu of the $1.25 bus.

I don't know what I will do come football season. I might have to go north before it gets even hotter. The white homeless stay together in packs for safety reasons, and that is not the kind of social dynamic which I am used to, nor desire. Grade So far: D