You mean you can make a functional radio out of two coconuts and some seaweed, but you can’t fix the hole in our fucking boat?

February 2, 1709 was a glorious and joyful day for one Alexander Selkirk, who had spent the past four and a half years marooned on one of the Juan Fernandez Islands far off the coast of Chile.  The English ships Duke and Duchess stopped off at the island, only to be happily greeted by the castaway Selkirk.  In September 1704, Selkirk was a member of the crew on the Cinque Ports (Be careful what you name your ship) when it stopped off at the island to resupply.  He judged that the vessel was not seaworthy and asked to be left on the island, which the 21 year old captain of the ship, Thomas Stradling, was only happy to comply with.  The Cinque Ports did cinque shortly thereafter, leaving Stradling and the surviving members of the crew to face a harsh life as prisoners of the Spanish.

Selkirk’s story of survival would go on to become one of the major inspirations for the title character in Daniel DeFoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe.  To capitalize on that association, in 1966 the Chilean government renamed the actual island Selkirk was stranded on Robinson Crusoe Island…

Don’t forget to get your selfie with the Robinson Crusoe statue, and come again!

Now it’s time to answer Di’s Share Your World questions for this week, one of which I promise you will not involve what three items I’d want with me on a desert island…

Stranded on an island with only weird looking balloons…

Do you consider yourself to be romantic?

Of course I don’t.  I can’t even write good romance, as Rainy would no doubt attest to…

Nothing like a nice, romantic dinner at the local Chinese buffet…

Do you send cards on Valentine’s Day?

I don’t send cards on any day, let alone a retail driven holiday like VD.  And thankfully, I’m long removed from grade school where VD card exchanges were as mandatory as the Pledge of Allegiance…

More proof I’m bad at writing romance.

Would you spend a considerable amount of money on a single red rose for your beloved?

Good Lord, what is wrong with people?  Why would anyone even want or think of doing something like that?  There are kids eating out of possum infested garbage cans in Bumfuckistan, yet FTD wants us to splurge on a goddamn overrated flower for our sweetheart?

Go to hell, Merlin Olsen…

What is your idea of a romantic evening?

Maybe I can write romance after all!

Gratitude: Love is all around. Embrace it.

Yes, it certainly is.  Speaking of love….