Underwood, Royal & Mr. Blue

Today, I stopped into the Berkeley store where I bought the machine to chat up the repair guy. We had a nice visit. As you know, folks love to talk about what they do. Well, Jesse's now got me interested in a 1920s Underwood. (If the transaction actually occurs, he'll be "Undie".) that he's repairing. I asked if he sold typewriter erasers and typing paper and carbon paper. He doesn't have the paper but he pulled a shoebox down from a shelf that was full of used erasers.

Jesse gave me two kick-ass brush erasers and a sheet of correction film for FREE. Showing interest in someone's passion has its unintended payoff.

While I was at the counter, admiring a 1910s upright Royal. It's built with the same sheet metal, painted jet black, that was on a Ford Model T. He's polished it wish plain car wax and it's gorgeous.

I was not really paying attention when an 80+ year old man, dressed to the 9s, walked in with an electric typewriter for repair. I'm admiring this old Royal, that's not for sale, and Jess says, "Mr. Blue, I really don't have the parts for a 1990s Smith-Corona." I looked up at him and said that I knew this wasn't for sale and that I wasn't interested in an S-C electric.

So then I'm stroking this beaute of a Royal and Jesse says, " Mr. Blue, I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do with this." Again, I gave him this weird look and then noticed the name on the work order he was writing for this dapper older man: "Charles Blue, Sr." was on the form.

I almost fainted. Here I am, wasting time in a Berkeley office machine repair shop and I bump into kin! Well, then I had to chat-up the other Mr. Blue. He's lived in Oakland for 50 years, has three sons and a daughter. His people are from Kentucky, which is connected to Virginia, the ancestral home of "my" Blues. I was smitten.

And then he was gone. Jesse, the typewriter guy, promised to keep me connected to Charles Blue.

My typewriter, machine and genealogy interests are converging in a beautiful, unexpected way.

Stay tuned. On your wireless.

Bruno