A slice out of time

The old Ruth Louise, in photos from the late '50s - early '60s. Am I just a nostalgia freak, or are these older boats uniquely handsome?

I have a waterfront listing in downtown Sarasota that was owned by the same family continuously from about 1946 until recently. I attended the estate sale held there today, and an old scrapbook of the owner’s was for sale. A couple of pictures caught my eye, and I asked to have them. The Ruth Luise, named after the matriarch of the clan, is shown here, and I believe the body of water is Whittaker Bayou, just down the way from the house. In other photos, she was shown with the Clewiston locks in the background – these are in central Florida, separating Lake Okeechobee from the waters leading to the Gulf of Mexico. Apparently the owners got around a bit in her. When I was a boy, boats like this were common. Now that they are scarce, I can’t help but feel that something precious has been lost.