Workshop Write

Prompt: "The two basic items necessary to sustain life are sunshine and coconut milk. Did you know that? That's a fact." ~Waldo Salt (1914-1987),...**

I'm staring at this quote, right here on Bartleby.com and wondering how on earth Uncle Waldo managed to land himself a single quote, much less this one. He also thought red pepper and honey was a surefire way to cure a cold in a day. Just because the sinuses are drained and you're on a sugar high doesn't mean the cold is cured.

I do have to say he got around. He was sailing in Burmuda the day he died. The only continent he hadn't visited was Antarctica, and that only because he consistently failed the physical required to make the trip. For a man who thrive on sunshine and coconut milk, I would have thought he'd grab at the perfect excuse and run with it. Instead he complained to his congressman.

Uncle Waldo was from a small town named Krum. He said the town was named because so many people turned fifteen and said, "Crumb, I gotta get outta here!" Of course, being of German ancestry they spelled it with a K. Kept their roots but took flight with their wings.

He was no millionaire, and had no degree from any prestigious university, but I really do think he knew as much if not more than anyone who had. He simply fed his urge to travel and experience more. His form of travel was to go till the money ran out and then work until he had enough to move on. Now I'm thinking there has to be all sorts of problems with that and passports, visas, etc., etc. I do think that sometimes his sister Agnes bailed him out with the money her husband had made in real estate. She was one rich widow, and he brought her all sorts of gifts from the places he visited. None of the rest of us got anything but stories.

He fell in love with the South Pacific. Hence the quote. I think someone used it in a book, but I wouldn't doubt that it was his before then. In fact, I really think it was someone who met him who made a mint on the Where's Waldo concept.
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**NUMBER: 47976
QUOTATION: The two basic items necessary to sustain life are sunshine and coconut milk. Did you know that? That’s a fact.
ATTRIBUTION: Waldo Salt (1914–1987), U.S. screenwriter, and John Schlesinger. Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) and Joe Buck (Jon Voight), Midnight Cowboy (1969).

Based On The Novel by Jam.