FLORIDA

 

We arrived at Treasa’s in Boynton Beach in time for three main celebrations – Thanksgiving, Jann’s birthday and Christmas. 

Jann, Aunt Treasa and Mary in front of Aunt Treasa's condo.

 

"Treasa" is Jann's aunt, her father's oldest sister.  She's been living in Florida for 50 years and has lived in many towns in Florida and is now in Boynton Beach.  She lost her husband, Ralph about ten years ago.  She played golf everyday until she was 85 years old!  She has one son, Ralph.  Ralph lives about three miles away.  He's divorced and has four children—two sons and two daughters.  Both boys are in the military and both girls are married.  One lives in PA and the other lives in the Carolinas.

Treasa lives in a retirement community on the golf course (Leisureville) and with three community clubhouses and three pools there was always something going on.   We met a lot of Treasa’s friends, including her BFF Mary, who lives just across the courtyard.  They are great company for each other and do a lot of activities together.  We had a very nice Thanksgiving with Treasa and Mary and for Jann’s birthday we went for a lunch to our favorite restaurant in Boynton – Two Georges – which is right on the intercoastal.  Although we always drove to the Two Georges, it is possible to pull your boat along side the dock and get off for lunch.  The downside is that, when you are sitting and enjoying the view, some of the boats are so large they completely block the view of intercoastal when they are docked.  Also, when they leave, they make a lot of noise and pollution from their boat motor(s).

Jann, Mary & Aunt Treasa celebrating Jann's b'day at Two Georges on the Intercoastal.

 Together with Mary and Treasa we went down to the inter- coastal for the Boynton Beach boat parade.  Mary and Treasa knew just where to go and how to prepare, so we had nice camping chairs in the front row with a cooler of beer and a nice warm blanket to watch a lovely parade of Christmas decorated boats.  Not quite on the scale of Newport Beach but fun nonetheless.

Jann, Aunt Treasa & Mary watching the boat parade in Boynton.

Lit boat going down the Intercoastal.  Great shot with the moon!

Just before Christmas we arranged to rent a condo that was just opposite Treasa’s in the courtyard.  It was a lovely two bedroom, two bath, fully furnished unit looking out onto the lake and the golf course.  We finally unloaded the van, a bigger job than you might think, but it was nice to have everything available to us again.  The owners of the unit, Peter and Jean, live in Massachusetts and the unit used to be Peter’s mothers condo.  It was nicely furnished and had all the necessities for a cozy rental. 

Look at the van fully packed & I mean every sq. in. of space!

Our Christmas decorations at our apartment rental in FL.

View of inside of our apartment in FL.  Note Jann's bike.

Our lanai with view of the lake & golf course.

Our backyard view over the lake & golf course.  Lovely!

Our first event while staying in Florida was Christmas. We cooked dinner for Treasa and Mary, including introducing them to Christmas crackers—an English tradition.  Mary lent us some decorations, including a little tree, so we were able to be in the spirit of the season.  We did go to the annual Christmas show at one of the clubhouses that was put on by the residents.  Overall it was okay but I knew we were in for a long night when the first performance was “Silent Night” in Polish!!!

Jann with Aunt Treasa in her kitchen making "angel strudel."

We kept ourselves pretty busy participating in some of the Leisureville activities, including the ubiquitous bingo, card games, pool and the weekly local HOA flea market.  Pat joined an otherwise all-male poker group that played every Tuesday at Doug’s house.  She also joined a group at the local tennis courts and got some good tennis games. 

Poker with the boys was a $30 buy in, played as a no-limit tournament with first, second and third place.  She was able to win once but managed to stay ahead in winnings during the four months we were there.  Jann bought a bike for $40 at one of the flea markets (and bought a new basket for the same price as the bike!!) and used it to get around.  Primarily she went regularly to where the fishing boats came in and watched as they unloaded the days catch.

One of Treasa’s favorite things is to play cards, especially a very simple game called “31” (aka Scat).  So whenever there was nothing else on the agenda we would get together in the evenings with any and all neighbors who wanted to play and spend the evening playing for nickels and dimes.  I think over the months we were there everyone finished up even.

Playing scat (and what looks like a hanging chicken is a Christmas decoration !)

We were able to see some different wildlife from the porch including herons and other different birds.  One day Jann saw something moving across the lawn and went out to investigate.   It was a large turtle that had come across from the lake to lay eggs under one of the bushes.  When the turtle found just the right place, it was a very lengthy period of digging, then laying the eggs, then putting the soil back on top.  After that was done she was off back to the lake with never a backward look.  I guess the little ones were on their own if they even survived.  We did put some leaves over the area and shooed the birds away to try and at least give the little ones a chance.  However, we never did see anything rise up from the ground during the time we were there so they may just not have been fertilized eggs.

Jann's entertainment one morning watching her dig a hole for her eggs!

One day we all went to the South Florida fair, which was only about a 45 minute drive away.  Compared to the fairs we were used to in California it was not as big and definitely not as crowded.  They had all the usual rides, vendors and food (including a donut hamburger – replacing the hamburger buns with glazed donuts, yum……or yuck)  One of the attractions here that we didn’t see in California were the pig races--little pigs chasing each other round the track chasing a piece of food on a string.  Ah, what a piece of Americana.

Midway at the South Florida fair

Pig races at the fair in Florida.

Covered pavilion at South Florida fair

We decided to take a weekend trip up to Cape Canaveral to visit the Kennedy Space Center.  It is such a huge site that you have to take a bus ride around the center in order to see everything. Although they were finishing the space shuttle program the launch site was still on view as were all the historical rockets and space capsules.  One thing that struck you when you looked at the capsules that the astronauts flew into space for days at a time, was how small they were.  It was a very cramped environment and must have been very uncomfortable.  The next impression was the size of the rockets.  Patricia went on the shuttle experience where you are strapped in and get to experience the sheer noise and vibrations that occur at blast-off.  

 At the end of the tour you can walk around the memorial gardens for the astronauts who died during the space program and it was quite astounding how many have lost their lives.  Some of the more spectacular failures are well documented but there were many that have faded in people's memories.  It was a very moving dedication wall with the names engraved.  At night a light shone behind the names to make them stand out from the black stone. 

One of our favorite places is Delray Beach.  We went there many times, both for the great English pub - the Blue Anchor, for the beach and for the art shows.  We spent a day at the boat show in Delray and got to dream about which yacht we would buy if we won the lottery.  We also got to visit the yacht that had been used by President Kennedy which had a beautiful interior with lots of wooden fittings.  Nice day out.

Blue Anchor Pub, Delray Beach

Art fair in Delray Beach

Our new yacht !!

Presidential yacht dining room

Jann driving the Presidential yacht.  If only!

There were a lot of art fairs during the season but two of the most memorable were in Jupiter Beach and Lake Worth.  In Jupiter Beach it was memorable, not only for the quality of the art, but because of the location.  It was right alongside the ocean and a beautiful day for an art fair.

Jupiter Beach art fair

In Lake Worth they have an annual art fair where they close off the downtown area and artists come in and create chalk drawings on the road.  The quality of the art was amazing considering that,  for all this work it would disappear at the first rain.  

Lake Worth chalk art festival

Adele.

Renoir

Martini

Tropical, beach scene.

While we were there we had visits from both our families.  First to arrive was Jann’s Dad and his wife.  They live in Sebring during the winter.  They came down for the day with a cousin, Frank.  We had a nice meal and played “31” for a few hours.  Jann’s Dad is now 93 and is having a little difficulty getting around so Frank was able to drive them down and back.  His knees are weak and his balance is unsteady and he should walk with a cane but usually doesn't bother and he has old age Type II diabetes but—other than the above—he's fine.

Treasa, Jann and Jann's Dad

Next to visit was Pat’s sister,  Sheila, niece, Judy and two grandnieces, Lexi and Jocelyn.  They stayed for a week and luckily the condo was big enough to hold everyone albeit Judy and Jocelyn slept out in the enclosed patio area on a sofa sleeper but it was all very cozy. 

Everyone had a list of what they wanted to do in Florida and we pretty much achieved everything.  Sheila wanted to take a boat ride through the Everglades which is a lot of fun – looks like you are driving through grass – and as a bonus she got to hold a baby alligator. 

Sheila, Judy, Jocelyn and Lexi on the Everglades boat

Everglades Park

Sheila and her alligator

For Jocelyn and Lexi, we went to Lion Country where we were able to drive through the area and see wild animals in an open environment, including Jocelyn’s favorite, giraffes.  Judy and her husband Jamaine, have a goal of visiting all the NFL stadiums across the US, so on our way down to South Beach, Miami ,we stopped at the Miami Dolphin Stadium.  Although it was closed, they were very friendly and Judy got to take pictures to prove her visit.

Jocelyn at Lion Country Safari

Lexi at Lion Country Safari

Jocelyn getting "cool"

Jocelyn and Lexi on the ride

Lion Country walkway

There was no parking in South Beach so I dropped them off to explore Collins Avenue and then we drove down to Bayside Market and caught a cruise around Miami harbor. 

Looking back at Miami

Lexi, Sheila, Judy and Jocelyn on the cruise

 We had a great visit and, of course, Treasa introduced them to “31” and Lexi in particular became very good at it, winning extra pocket money and wanting to play it as much as Treasa.  I think she took it back to Delaware with her. 

Lexi’s wish was to visit a mall but I don’t think she was prepared for the size of Sawgrass Mills.  It is, I think, the biggest outlet mall in America.  When you say you have to get valet parking in order to park your car – you get the idea.

Sawgrass Mills

Our friend from Palm Springs, Judy Harris came down to 
Delray with another friend.  It was really nice to spend time with them and catch up on comings and goings in their lives. We had a nice dinner out, although the Key Lime House Restaurant did not live up to the hype, except for the location.

Judy Harris, Jann, Pat and Judy's friend

Last, but not least, Jann’s sister Linda and her husband Raymond came down for a week and stayed with us in the condo.  I thought it would be fun to do something totally different with Linda and Ray and suggested we go out on a fishing boat into the ocean to see if we could catch anything.  You have a choice of 8:00 to 12:00 or 1:00 to 5:00.  It's anyone's guess when the fish are biting so you take your chances.  We opted for the 8-12 trip.  You board down at the Two Georges marina.  The day was a little windy.  In any event we did not catch anything.  It's $60 to go out so needless to say we could have bought a lot of fish $180.00!  I think Linda and Ray enjoyed the day.  I know I did.

My sister, Linda, on a boat (not the fishing boat) cruising down the Intracoastal.

While we were in Florida, Treasa had her 89^th birthday so we all went out for dinner to her favorite place, the Longhorn Restaurant.  Her son, Ralph, joined us and we persuaded Treasa to have a cocktail—with alcohol!!!  Needless to say, a good time was had by all. 

South Beach in Miami is really a beautiful area.  We went down to Miami for the day and had a great time.  

Jann on Miami Beach

Jann actually spent a few weekends in Miami at the US Sommelier Institute where she studied wine (go figure.)   Actually, she studied and took the exam at the end of the course and is now a certified sommelier !  She was invited to a wine event in Miami that introduced wines from Miguel Torres, Chile.  Actually Torres winery in Spain is very well known and this is the son who has taken over their wine operations in Chile.  It was a good event in that Jann was also able to make some good contacts in the wine industry.

We had a good time in Florida and really got involved in the community and the lifestyle.  We even joined a protest against the Citizens United, Supreme Court decision that gave corporations personhood.

Corporations are NOT people!

The community had a party for all residents in our block and everyone brought food to share.  One of the residents played his accordion accompanied by the president of the homeowners on the guitar and Treasa and Mary even danced a polka.  Lots of fun.

Setting up the community party

Party entertainment

Mary and Treasa doing the tango

Jann got to know her Aunt Treasa and cousin better, even going to Ralph’s weekly bowling league (where he bowled a 300 game) and met a lot of fun and interesting people. 

However, it was time to leave so we packed up the van again and put it in storage (air conditioned) and headed down to Miami to catch the Celebrity Eclipse over to Southampton.  We had a driver take us to Miami where we boarded the ship and Aunt Treasa came along to say "goodbye". 

View of Miami Beach from our ships balcony

Goodbye Miami and America!  We're off to unknown adventures!  Yeah!

We liked Florida but it's too hot and humid in the summertime.  However, it is less expensive to live there and property values are much less than in California. 

And so to Europe……..