Southport Village Voices
An E-Magazine by & for the Residents of Southport
Number 73, March 2016
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Forty Robins
by Ernest Ruber
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Forty Robins in her yard
Forty of them, working hard
Forty zooming in the breeze
In the bushes and the trees,
This is what she looks and sees.
Being tender in her heart
She feeds them Chinese noodles,
Tossing them out there by the oodles.
But they only eat a part.
To explain this, we must start.
Robins much prefer their worms,
And "The early robin gets the worm."
The others have to take their turn,
and then they yearn,
but now they learn.
So on the morrow they will set
Their alarm clocks earlier yet,
Perhaps to five on the following morn.
Then out they'll come as though new born.
And now they'll take their well-earned turn
And get themselves a nice, fat, worm.
Laggards though will get to know
That for their share - it's only fair,
They'll get more Chinese noodles.
But still, they'll get them by the oodles!
She'll see they get these for a start,
Being tender in her heart.
For Carole Bloom,
who tends towards vegetarianism,
with a tip of the hat to Dr. Seuss
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We're always looking for new Southport Village "Voices." If you have a story, an essay, a review, a poem, a memory, a photo or painting, etc. to share, please send
it along.
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interviews and photos by Andy Jablon
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 During our February vacation in Florida, Tracy and I visited retirement communities on both the east and west coasts of the state. We took the opportunity to visit with some other Southporters to see first hand where and how they live during their winter migration in Florida. There are hundreds of retirement communities in Florida, offering golf, tennis, swimming and social activities. Some date to the 1970s, others are currently under construction and they vary widely in scale and the scope of amenities on site. The largest communities offer more than one golf course, in excess of 20 tennis courts and showcase pools that rival those in any up-scale resort. Most have some kind of village center with fitness rooms, exercise studios and meeting areas. Some village centers have beautiful outdoor areas where neighbors can gather and some have full service restaurants on the premises, including poolside dining. Older communities tend to be close to the beaches and newer communities are being built farther inland; building styles vary greatly.
Given hundreds of choices, deciding where in Florida to reside and then choosing a community in that area could be a mind boggling exercise. Here's a glimpse of the lifestyles of three Southport couples as they avoid our New England winters in Florida.
Jan & Rick Miller 
Southport: 8 PGA Lane
Florida: Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club, Sarasota
Reside in Florida: 6 months a year
How did you choose Heritage Oaks? We have family in the Sarasota area and rented for many years. The place we rented became very expensive so we looked for something more reasonable and found our current community. After a short while as renters here, we heard about a unit for sale. Not actually intending to buy, we looked at it...and bought it!
What do you like best about living here? This is a golf community with an 18 hole golf course. There are four Har-Tru tennis courts and five swimming pools, all included in our monthly fee. We play both sports, so we appreciate how organized tennis and golf are here, with pros on site for both. There is also a formal restaurant and tavern on site. The complex is beautifully landscaped and near the cultural attractions of Sarasota.
How does Heritage Oaks compare to Southport? Heritage Oaks is twice the size of Southport. Residents in both communities are wonderful and this is what's important. Although Southport's amenities aren't on the same scale, its activities program is more structured; having a full time activities director makes a difference. Having enjoyed the beautiful landscaping at Heritage Oaks, we feel that Southport's entrance could be improved, since this is the first impression you get of any community.
Evelyn & George Laliberte 
Southport: 7 Pacific Avenue
Florida: Plantation Golf & Country Club, Venice
Reside in Florida: 6 months a year
How did you choose Plantation?
We explored communities between Naples and Sarasota. Our goal was to locate near Red Sox spring training in Fort Myers and also to be within three hours of Disneyworld in Orlando. We wanted a resort style community where we can play lots of golf and tennis. Plantation was just being developed at the time and we bought the builder's first furnished model in the early 90s. We have family close by in Venice.
What do you like best about living here? There are two 18 hole golf courses and 13 Har-Tru tennis courts. It's a very active tennis community, including pickle ball courts. We have a full restaurant on site and there are a lot of social functions. We're just five miles from the quaint town of Venice and its beautiful beaches.
How does Plantation compare to Southport? We are happy to be living in both places. People are friendly in both communities. Living costs are about the same. Plantation is about three times the size of Southport. We have a very large tennis community at Plantation and are encouraged to see the growth in tennis involvement at Southport. At Southport, we would like to see revisited the idea of a small breakfast and lunch cafe at our Clubhouse, and also the replacement of the expensive 24-hour guarded entrance with a gate that is operated with a code.
Carol & Sy Sackler 
Southport: 74 Leisure Green Drive
Florida: Morning Star Condos, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
Reside in Florida: 3 months
How did you choose Morning Star Condos? About 40 years ago we were visiting Fort Lauderdale during spring break and needed to find a quieter place. (We were not college kids on spring break.) We came upon this small town and saw lots of Patriots and Red Sox logos. After staying in hotels here for a number of years, we found Morning Star Condos; we rent a one bedroom unit.
What do you like best about living here? There are two buildings with 16 units each. We are right on the Inter-Coastal Waterway and just two blocks from the beach. We are a few steps away from a small, quaint village with restaurants, shops, live music on the streets and the beach close by. There are two beautiful
public tennis courts a few blocks away where a group plays every morning.
How does Morning Star compare to Southport? This is a very different lifestyle from Southport's. There is no village center and no organized activities or amenities. We go to the senior center for some activities. We relax by walking on the beach, playing tennis and participating in town events. Units are close together so we socialize with our neighbors on patios. Most everything we need or want is within walking distance.
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SOUTHPORT PROFILE
Joe & Sandy LeBlanc, Boaters Extraordinaire
an interview with Ernest Ruber
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 Joseph Edward and Sandra Eve LeBlanc, (the North Ridge LeBlancs) arrived in Southport in 2009 after living for 35 years in Newton, MA. They've been married 46 "blissful" years, have a daughter Jennifer and sons Matthew and Andrew and seven grandchildren. Among the latter, aged 8 weeks to 15 years, the names Joseph and Eve have been widely shared. When Joe and Sandy moved to Southport, their children regarded it a bit like moving to China, but it's worked out -- they've been available for grandchild and grand-dog sitting. They even took turns filling in at Jennifer's home day care center while she finished her nursing degree.
Joe grew up in Waltham, where his father, grandfather and Sandy's grandmother worked at the Waltham Watch factory. His grandmother came from Galway, and family tradition has it that his mother's ancestors owned the farmland where New York City's Penn Station now sits. If so, the money didn't flow to the present generation. Sandy's father was a Newton painting contractor and her mother came from Connecticut.
Sandy Moran and Joe LeBlanc first met socially at a party in 1965, started dating and married in 1970. This is ironic because both were raised in Waltham "around the corner from each other," and knew each other from the age of five. They both went to St. Charles, a parochial school with about 300 students, with one room each for grades 1 through 12. Sandy was valedictorian in her class of seven graduates!
She went on to earn a diploma in nursing at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and then went to work there, beginning a nearly 50-year career at the hospital and earning her certification as an operating room nurse. Sandy continued her studies at Northeastern University, where she became computer savvy but left just shy of her bachelor's degree because of family and work responsibilities.
Joe graduated from Waltham High School ("definitely not valedictorian") where he played basketball, baseball and a little tennis. He was the catcher on the baseball team that won the Class A State Championship in his senior year. He graduated from Northeastern University in 1970 and speaks glowingly of the school and its work-study program. His family neighborhood ("a great neighborhood"), was working class; when he interviewed at NU and was asked "why accounting?" he said "to learn a trade." His interviewer gently corrected him: "Accounting is a profession."
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Dancing has been a part of Sandy's life since she was two years old.
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Sandy began dancing lessons at age two and at 12 was selected by Merv Griffin ("before he became famous") to make a local TV commercial for "Play Spray." And "even though nursing keeps you quite fit," she found Jazzercise to be the kind of exercise she enjoyed. Sandy was 27 when arthroscopy indicated that she had degenerative knees, and at the tender age of 57, both knees were replaced. "It was by far the hardest thing I ever did," she says, "by comparison, birthing babies is a piece of cake." She returned to Jazzercise and six months later, in 2007, became certified as an instructor and started teaching. She continues to do so in Newton and at Southport.
After raising the children, Sandy also got into arts and crafts and learned stained glass techniques. She's knitted afghans for each of her grandchildren and some of her craft work graces the walls of their home. She plays golf and is determined to improve but has very little good to say about it yet. Sandy also serves on the Events Committee.
During Joe's work-study stints at Northeastern, his eyes were opened to the conventions of the business world when he had to wear a suit and tie every day. Another assignment, at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell, took him to a short course at the Watergate complex in Washington. (I doubt if most of our children or any grandchildren have heard of this infamous place).
After graduation Joe worked at Arthur Andersen and Co. while he earned his CPA certification. In addition to his degree, this required three years of relevant experience and the passing of rigorous written and oral exams, and since, 80 hours of training every two years to maintain his status. Joe then went to work in the tax department of Digital Equipment Corp. (now Hewlett Packard), becoming corporate budget manager and then a division controller. In 2003 he joined MITRE, a government contracting corporation in Bedford; he retired in 2013.
 In retirement Joe has become the best pool player at Southport, an avid tennis player and an enthusiastic golfer -- good enough to win the Southport 2015 Golf Club Championship. In his spare time he served as chair of the Engineering Study Committee, which worked many hours to evaluate Southport's infrastructure, and with Criterium Engineering to develop a Capital Reserve Fund plan to guide future budget decisions. He now serves as chair of the Finance Committee. Last year, deciding that he had enough to do, Joe gave up his official CPA status, but Sandy plans to maintain her nursing license "until the day I die." Sandy and Joe were avid power boaters for 25 years, boating every weekend when the children were young and exploring the coast from Maine to Montauk Point on summer vacations. They became seriously involved in Competitive Predicted Log Racing, i.e., navigating to various points and predicting your arrival time as precisely as possible without access to watches or electronic devices. They were successful competitors, winning many local events and competing as far afield as California, Puget Sound, Lake Erie and Chicago -- and winning a national championship in 1996. Joe has been treasurer and commodore of the Watertown Yacht Club and the North American Cruiser Association; both have served as commodore of the New England Cruiser Association.
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Joe & Sandy in their favorite location -- on the water
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The LeBlancs's navigational skills saved the day on one occasion when they were rafted together with about 14 other boats off World's End (Hingham-Hull), relaxing and waiting for scores on their latest event when a dense fog rolled in. They helped the boats disentangle and get started and then, with Sandy navigating, made their way through the socked-in Boston Harbor to their Charles River anchorage. Fog was always an issue as they had neither radar nor GPS.
Sandy and Joe used to have a time-share at South Cape, and as they left it one day they decided to take a look at Southport, where they were met by ambassadors Bob and Betty Mendes. After the usual back and forth they bought a home and moved here in 2009. Both did extended commuting for a while: Joe to Bedford and Sandy to Newton. He gave up his trek in 2013, and Sandy switched to part-time, still heading up to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital two days each week. "I love my job!" she says.
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Joe & Sandy and their grandchildren.
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Joe and Sandy participate and contribute to many things at Southport. In addition to sports, crafts and dances, they enjoy the seasonal Patriots tail-gate parties where, "like a high school dance, the boys all sit at one table and the girls at another and enjoy the event in their own ways."
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NON COMPOS MENDES
Bob Mendes
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- This just in: A report that President Obama has signed a law relocating all congressional offices to Guantanamo.
- Isn't the Pro Bowl irrelevant? They used to play it on the Sunday immediately after the Super Bowl, at which time it was anti-climactic. Now they play it on the Sunday between the last playoff games and the Super Bowl which assures that many, many of the elite players you'd really like to see play in it won't be there because they just lost a playoff game and they're ----- off.
- God did a lot of good things. He created apples, pretty girls and the four seasons. He produced Abner Doubleday who in turn invented baseball. But he messed up on some stuff too, like the knee. Ask any orthopedist. The leisure suit was another mistake, but he corrected that pretty quick. God's biggest mistake, however, was not giving dogs the same life span as humans. Did you ever try to explain to an eight-year old why his dog died?
- How come what used to be a pound of coffee is now 11.5 ounces?
- Isn't symmetry wonderful? Now when you enter Southport and drive to the end of Southport Drive, you have a choice of turning left onto Sea Spray Avenue or right onto Leisure Green Drive. Either way you turn you'll get to ride over broken road, experience chopped up driveways, scalped lawns, hunks of sod, chunks of asphalt, single file sidewalks and in general, a sense of what a London landscape must have been like during the Blitz. Ain't progress wonderful?
- Texas, everyone's favorite state -- for rampant stupidity, now has a law that not only permits guns on school campuses, but encourages it. I cannot think of any reason or any school where firearms on campus would be a good thing. Oh wait, there is one. West Point.
- I have a book -- Anything for a Vote...Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots and October Surprises -- that my son gave me (when he wasn't looking). It has fascinating information about elections past. I won't vouch for the truthfulness of these tales, but then, what part of politics is factual anyway? Over the next months leading up to the election I'll share some of these fables with you. I hope you enjoy these little scenarios as much as I did.
1852: Franklin Pierce, Democrat vs. Winfield Scott, Whig
Pierce, at 48 a youthful and good looking congressman and senator, fought in the Mexican war and was an alcoholic.
Scott. a 66-year-old army general standing 6'5", was a waffler, refusing to come down on either side of an issue.
Pierce was attacked by the Whigs, their attacks focused on what they called a fainting fit. In the Mexican War, Pierce had fainted during a battle due to a wound he had received the previous day and he had to be carried to safety. The Whigs, thereafter, referred to Pierce as "The Fainting General" and asked the electorate if it wanted a coward as a president.
The Democrats assailed Scott as a pompous ass and took him to task for currying favor with Irish Catholics by telling them that his dead sister had been a nun. The Whigs retaliated by digging up a clause in the New Hampshire constitution that prohibited Catholics from holding public office. Then they accused Pierce of writing it.
So, as they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
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The Shell Picker by Lydia Biersteker
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crunch beneath my feet,
their colors muted, tumbled
by the sea, some pecked
at, others trod on, none of
them perfect, all of them
spectacular! They're mine
to cull through as I amble
my way up the beach.
I give my craned neck
a rest and I look up at
the ocean-blue sky and
outward to the shrimp
boats and the cargo ships
that dot the horizon, more
rewards for my eyes and
gifts for my soul.
Occasionally I share a
reciprocal smile with a
passerby, another fleeting
pleasure. These are beautiful
days, and the shells are my
tokens, souvenirs to bring
home and treasure forever.
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MEMOIR
My Summer of '42
by Ray Schumack
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In bed, not long ago, waiting for sleep to come, my mind churning with memories and replaying old movies, Summer of '42* flashed on the screen in my head. It's a coming-of-age movie about the summer vacation on Nantucket of a teenage boy and his two sex-obsessed buddies. He embarks on a one-sided romance with a young widow whose husband had gone off to fight in World War II and never came home.
Every time I see that movie I recall my own summer of 1942. I was a confused, awkward and sexually aware 13-year-old, noticing that some girls were developing breasts and eliciting a mysterious new response from me. World War II was always in the background. Most young men had enlisted or had been inducted into military service, leaving many young women -- and some older women as well -- without male companionship.
Suddenly, my mother, for the first time in her marriage, was interested in building a nest egg. She accepted a job as a waitress and chamber maid at a resort on Lake Oscawanna in upstate New York, a few miles from our summer home. She persuaded me, still at home in the city, to give up my new summer job as a soda jerk and go to work in the resort's kitchen, preparing vegetables and washing dishes.
It was a wonderful summer. I didn't do anything as dramatic as falling in love with a soldier's widow, but as one of the few males available, of any age, I was much in demand to socialize and dance with lonely ladies, some as old as my mother. During the day I peeled potatoes, shelled peas and shucked string beans. After each meal I washed dishes, pots and silverware -- 1,842 items -- by hand, because the kitchen had no dishwasher. On breaks, I could swim or paddle around the lake in the resort's canoes. Sometimes there were fifty-cent tips for carrying luggage to guests' rooms.
A
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The term jukebox came into use in the United States beginning in 1940, apparently derived from the familiar usage juke joint , from the Gullah word 'juke' or 'joog', meaning disorderly, rowdy or wicked.
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t night, in the bar, the jukebox played that year's popular tunes. Most often we listened to Dick Hames singing Those Little White Lies. Rum and Coke was the popular drink.
I wanted to make and serve drinks but the owner said I was too young. But every lady in the bar wanted to dance with me, and I was prepared to accommodate them. I had sent for Arthur Murray's free brochure of dance lessons. At 13 years of age I could do a cool Lindy as well as the fox trot and waltz.
Then, Mary Ann arrived at the resort -- with her parents. She had short blond hair, a cute turned up nose and rosy cheeks. Instead of taking a room in the main building, her family checked into a bungalow by the lake. On the following day, when I went swimming, Mary Ann invited me to sit on a bench with her in front of the bungalow. We talked, got acquainted and continued to do that every day for a week.
On the night before her family was scheduled to leave for home, Mary Ann and I sat on that bench while a full moon was reflected in the calm water of the lake. Suddenly she rested her head on my shoulder, then looked up at me, turned my head towards her and kissed me on my lips. My first kiss! It felt like a bolt of lightning had hit my body. Then she said good night and went into the bungalow.
She left with her family the following morning. I never heard from her again.
* Summer of '42 was a blockbuster movie, the sixth highest grossing film of 1971 and one of the most successful films in history. It received rave reviews from the critics and was nominated for over a dozen awards, winning the 1972 Oscar for Original Dramatic Score for Michael Legrand. Ray Schumack is still waiting for his movie contract.
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Amazing Manatees
by Liz Rogers
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We left our Southport home on January 20, racing to sunny Florida ahead of a winter storm. When we stopped at a hotel in Deltona, the desk clerk suggested we visit nearby Blue Spring State Park to see the manatees. The park, a designated manatee refuge with a growing population of West Indian manatees, covers more than 2600 acres, including the largest spring on the St. John's River. We had visited the park many years ago but on that occasion the St. John's River was warm, so the manatees had stayed in the river.
 The truth is, Florida was not so sunny and warm in January, so the manatees -- about 400 of them -- were spending time in the Blue Spring, which maintains a constant 72 degrees, perfect for warming their 1300-pound bodies, only venturing into the colder St. John's River to eat.
It was an amazing sight, mothers with their calves, large groups of these gentle, beautiful creatures swimming together. Manatees are often called 'sea cows' and 'mermaids.' If I were a manatee, I would prefer 'mermaid'; I would have an issue with anyone who called me a 'sea cow.'
An attendant told us that we were fortunate to see so many of these wonderful marine mammals. They are often in the river and many visitors don't get to see them. It was a great day. Photo: Keith Rogers
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Contributors to the
March 2016 Edition of
Southport Village Voices
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Lydia Biersteker
grew up in Somerville, MA. She met her husband Dale on the beach at Falmouth Heights in 1969, while he was stationed at Fort Devens. After Dale retired in 2005 from his executive position with the USPS, they moved to Vero Beach, FL but decided that they preferred New England. They moved to Southport in 2011. Dale plays golf, and Lydia likes gardening, walking, writing poetry and short prose, exploring genealogy, and lunching with friends. Together, they enjoy dining, exploring wineries and brew pubs, walking the trails of Cape Cod, traveling and playing with their grandkids, who live on the North Shore.
Andy Jablon 
owns a television production company in Watertown that provides crews to shoot stories in New England for the major TV networks. As producer, he interviews all sorts of interesting people on a regular basis. His wife Tracy Tebbutt works at a cancer pharmaceutical company in Cambridge. Since July 2014, they split their time between Southport and Boston, depending on work schedules. Both are enthusiastic cyclists, riding their bikes along the Charles River to work in almost all kinds of weather. At Southport, they relax by walking, biking, playing tennis and soaking in the hot tub.
 David Kappwith his wife Billie, moved from Connecticut to Southport in 2009. David retired from a career as a university library administrator, after working in the libraries at Brandeis, Harvard and the University of Connecticut. He was a building consultant for the planning of a number of major university libraries and was, for many years, the editor of Connecticut Libraries. Billie enjoyed a career as an educator and social sciences consultant. The Kapps are frequent visitors to Hawaii where their daughter, son, grandson and many other family members live.
 Bob Mendes began his career as an advertising copywriter at Doyle Dane Bernbach in NYC before becoming senior vice president of marketing for a west coast department store chain. He left that position to start Pacific Sports, a sports and general marketing agency. There he developed "The Reading Team," a children's literacy program sponsored by the NFL and the American Library Association, using NFL players as literacy role models. Bob is the author of "A Twentieth Century Odyssey, the Bob Mathias Story." After retiring, he served as executive director of the Glendora, CA Chamber of Commerce. When grandson Adam was born, Bob and Bette moved to Cape Cod. He's had a number of part-time jobs, has written two more books, and volunteers. Bette serves on the Board of Governors and volunteers at the Falmouth Jewish Congregation. Their son Steve, a pediatrician, lives in Marion with his wife Sarah and their children; a second son, Jeff, practices law in Indianapolis.
Liz Rogers 
and her husband Keith moved to Southport from Rhode Island in 2012. Liz retired from a career as a professional conservationist with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. Liz and Keith have a son living in RI, whose children, Cody 13, Libby 8, and Abby 7, love to swim in the Village Center's indoor pool. Liz and Keith enjoy their home on Chadwick Court and Cape Cod. Time with friends is spent golfing, biking, kayaking, attending local theater, etc. Both are active on several Southport committees.
 Ernest Ruber
and his wife of 55 years, Natalie, came to Southport in 2002 and enjoyed their life together here until her death in early 2011. Ernie retired from Northeastern University where he was Professor of Biology and Ecology. He designed and recently revised the interpretive nature trail at Southport and has written many nature/science articles for Southport Village Voices. He reports for FOCUS on pool tournaments, in which he usually plays and frequently wins. Ernie has two adult children and a grandchild.
 Ray Schumack has held positions as a magazine editor, publicity director and an account executive for a Madison Avenue advertising and public relations agency. He served for 15 years as chief communications officer for a Fortune 500 company, responsible for all corporate communications and product promotion literature. His business articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Fortune magazine and elsewhere. He established his own public relations firm and continues to serve several clients in retirement. His recent memoir, News Releases from the Korean War, recounts his experiences as a war correspondent.
Special Thanks To
Joe & Sandy LeBlanc for their interview and pictures,
the Snow Birds who talked with Andy and posed for pictures
and to my proofreader Billie Kapp
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