A Month in Florida

South Florida Paradise

Well, we thought it would be a let-down, leaving the luxury of the Queen Mary 2 and returning to the “real world,” but this past month has also been quite luxurious.

Our friends, Sondra & Dan Bannister, very generously offered the use of their penthouse on the 20th floor of a beautiful condo building on Estero Bay in Bonita Springs, Florida. (Close to Naples). From the spacious balcony we had panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico and the Colony Golf Course to the west, providing us some magnificent sunsets each evening during happy hour.

But, as we keep saying, “It’s not just about the place, it’s more about the people you meet along the way.” It’s been so much fun reconnecting with Sondra and Dan and some of our other long-time friends in south Florida. We had an opportunity to drive up to Venice (for Rebecca to have her hair cut) and have lunch with Judy Bacon and another time to get together with Kathleen & Bud Leeds. We also made new friends with Dan’s daughter Linda and husband Maury and had several dinners out and at their home. Sondra’s in-laws, Karen and Vince Kelty, visited for a few days from Virginia and we partied the whole time, getting together for breakfast, lunch, happy hours and dinners, plus a memorable night of dancing at the club.

There were also some not so happy occasions. Two weeks ago Sondra & Dan called on a Sunday morning, as we were getting ready for church, to tell us that their beloved golden retriever, Molson, (named for Molson Golden beer) had passed away. He was a special dog that we had come to know and love over the ten years of his life and we were all sadden by his passing.

The next week, Linda called to say she was at the hospital with her husband Maury who was suffering chest pains. Maury had a heart attack about ten years ago so they were concerned and spent the day at the hospital only to return again the next day when they admitted him and put shunts in two of his arteries which were 80% blocked. He’s home now and recovering nicely but he had us all worried. Linda’s taking good care of him and he’s anxious to get back to work.

A high point of our stay was a visit by more long-time friends Susan & Sam Campbell,l who live in The Villages (near Ocala, FL). They were returning from a motor home trip to Key West and stayed two nights. It was fun having dinners and lunch together and catching up on what everyone’s been doing

We also had our friends Charlie & Ricki Ryan (now living in Fort Meyers in the winter and Chesapeake Bay in the summer) over for dinner. They loved this condo and would seriously consider buying it if they can sell their home in Ft. Meyers and find a place to keep their boat. Last week they invited us to go out on their boat, with two other fun couples, to Marco Island for lunch. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and we had a great time. Hope to see them again when we’re in the Chesapeake Bay area in May.

The following day, Sondra, Dan, Doug and I got up at at the crack of dawn and drove to Ft.Meyers to take the "fast boat" to Key West for the day. We were all excited about the trip - especially Sondra who walked aboard and immediately grabbed a bar stool and ordered a Bloody Mary. Sondra's not a "water person" so was being very brave to make this trip with us. Well, we couldn't let her drink alone so we all had a good time while we waited to get underway. We started out slowly and then when we were a little further away from the harbor, increased speed and really zipped along. That is, until we stopped. The captain announced that we had a problem and would have to replace the fuel filters because of dirty fuel. The next announcement was that we would be further delayed and another boat came out to pass us some cans of new fuel and more filters. We continued to party, though Sondra escaped her anxiety by taking a nap. The next announcement was that we were going back to Ft. Meyers and would not make the trip to Key West that day. Also, they were refunding our money and giving us each a free ticket for another trip. So, we were all disappointed (well, maybe not Sondra)but made the best of it by finding an island-type restaurant where we got island drinks with fruit in them and ordered conch chowder, conch fritters and grouper - and pretended we were in Key West. We're planning out next trip and hope it goes better!

Last evening we had a call from one of the other couples, Louise & Bob Nagel, inviting us to join them for drinks. We found we had a lot in common and spent several hours discovering like interests and even found that we have mutual friends. Small world. Hope to see them again when we’re traveling up north this summer.

Between all this socializing, going to the fitness center, long walks and hanging out at the pool, I’ve found time to do some silk painting and try out some new techniques. I’ll be taking my art supplies with me to Mexico and am looking forward to some Mexican inspiration and influence in my art.

Today we received our weekly delivery of mail and were happy to have some personal correspondence from new and old friends: Our former dance instructor, Helen, from North Carolina; our new-found friends from the Queen Mary 2, Christa & Bernd of Germany; and my dear friend, Carol Gardyne, from San Diego. From many others, we keep in touch by phone and email and look forward to your messages and news.

While in Mexico (from March 7th until April 3rd), email or snail mail will be the best way to keep in touch. I plan to check email at the cyber café about twice a week, and look forward to hearing from all of our friends.