A Visit to Southern Florida |
Lila and I returned today from a visit to Southern Florida.
We went there to visit with some friends who now reside in
Florida and to see what all this hoopla is about people relocating to
that area. I soon found out
that all is not perfect in southern Florida.
First of all and I am sure that many of you do not realize that
it is warm there. There is
no snow, no ice, and no heavy clothes to wear and yet these crazy people
really think this is great. You
can never explain taste. Now
you have to understand that many senior citizens move to Florida just to
get away from the rest of the family�the kids, the grandchildren, and
cousins and have to suffer with the heat.
I soon came to realize that in southern Florida they do not have
a �rush� hour with traffic on every street.
They have a �slow� hour with traffic on every street
that lasts all day. This is
because they have senior citizens sitting in cars �it is very hard to
see them, they become quite invisible as soon as they get in the
car�traveling everywhere, but mostly to get food and prescriptions. We
visited with Bea and Harold who are our friends from the time they lived
across the street from us in Silver Spring.
They are the old-timers, if you will, as they have settled in
Florida many years ago and live near the ocean�that means they can see
it from their many windows and balconies.
But I have asked many of the other seniors living in these
various developments if they ever go to the ocean and they often reply,
�Is there an ocean near here?�
We had a truly great time with Bea and Harold as we have always
enjoyed spending time with them. We
also visited with Ginger, Lila�s Mother�s friend from the Brooklyn
days yet. Ginger is a truly
spry lady who took us to lunch in the caf� in her housing community.
When we walked in to the caf� it seemed that all the people
there lived in my neighborhood when I was a kid.
Despite all the problems with the heat they seemed happy and well
adjusted�everybody knew everyone else.
Ginger has a wonderful outlook on life and is always looking
forward, never dwelling on the past. Lila
and I also had a great time having dinner with our friends, Roberta and
Normand, who only recently moved to southern Florida from Connecticut.
They have not had a whole bunch of time to settle in, and
unfortunately can only get to play tennis and bridge about five or six
times a week. But
with practice I am sure that they will perfect their schedule so they
can be busy just twelve hours each day.
Lila and I wish them only the best in their new
surroundings�but watch out for the heat. Well,
after about five days of fighting the seniors on the roads in the
environs of Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach and Deerfield
Beach�funny names because they tell me there is no ocean nearby�we
head for the Keys. I am
really excited since I heard about Key West all my life and have never
been to visit. We get on
the Florida Turnpike four lanes of pounding cars heading south, which
soon reduce down to three lanes, then two lanes and finally, only one
lane heading south into the Keys. What
is unique about the turnpike is that you can drive as fast as you
want�no speed limit, because every mile you have to stop and give
seventy-five cents to the toll collector.
But
we get beyond that and soon all the cars are heading to the Keys.
For some ungodly reason I thought that I would be the only one
heading down there. I
don�t know why...it just seemed like that is the way it should be.
About one third of the way through the Keys, the local sheriff
must have known that I was coming on down and he set about to welcome
me. As I see all the cars in front of me come to a stop and
I get dutifully in line as well, we crawl for the next seven miles�one
lane heading south, no way out, no where else to go.
And seniors did not cause this great traffic jam, as they do not
usually venture very far from their home, but rather it is a flea
market. Now, down in
Florida flea markets are a really big event...sort of like a
presidential inauguration anywhere else.
Key
West was not at all what I had expected�if nothing else it was hot and
humid�like Washington, D. C. in the summer.
Had I mentioned before about the heat in Florida�I guess not.
We
also walked through the City Cemetery, which had a Jewish Cemetery
section as well. Most of
the grave markers date back to the beginning of the last century�some
earlier. While there
a guide was showing a group a grave with the inscription �I told you I
was sick��supposedly marking the grave of a confirmed hypochondriac. We
stayed in an interesting guesthouse and were able to meet and talk with
other visitors to the area during breakfast around the pool and in the
evening when we also sat in the garden/pool area.
We visited some excellent restaurants sampling some of the local
cuisine. A local resident
best described Key West as a �Granola Bar��. a bunch of fruits, a
bunch of nuts and some flakes all brought together in this community. The
next day we headed out of Key West�through each of the fifteen to
twenty keys heading north toward Miami and then west to the Gulf coast
past Naples, Venice and Ft. Myers on our way to Sarasota.
The west coast enjoyed cool breezes; much less humid air and we
enjoyed walking along Lido Beach where we were staying.
We had lunch with Beverly and Dee and her husband, Tom.
I had worked with Beverly and Dee and it was wonderful to visit
with them again. One
evening we had dinner on a restaurant�s outdoor deck (we did enjoy
eating outside many times during the trip) and watched the sun set on
the gulf�always a terrific experience.
Here again in Sarasota, traffic was a bear and one has to be very
careful when you try to head to a certain destination because it may be
�slow� time or a bridge is being raised to let a boat pass or there
is an accident. Anyway
our trip was coming to a close and we had to head back across Florida to
West Palm Beach to catch our plane.
We had been advised to use the interstate roads, but they went
clear around the state�s periphery.
A long trip at best, but we were told it would be faster.
With Bev�s help we opted to head across the state roads going
through the center of the state. It
was estimated to be a four and one-half hour trip.
Well, we passed orange groves, sod farms and many ranches as well
as many cars and trucks. I
did this with Lila telling me to be careful�I am going too fast.
It took us only two and three quarter hours and it was a great
ride. Well,
the next day we caught our plane home, a short two-hour flight.
It was a very nice trip, but did I mention that it was quite warm
in Florida. I am glad to be
back in the cold�even though we are expecting a big snow tomorrow.
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