Cape Karen
Frank and I just returned from our January trek down to Florida. And again, it was too cold for sunbathing or doing much enjoyable beach walking. The week Frank chooses to vacation each year always seems to be the one week when Florida has it's little 'cold snap.' I know . . . it's January, and those native Floridians' live for the cooler temperatures~ but this was just plain nuts for us!
The day we arrived it was around 65º and windy. No problem! I like the 60's - after all, I come from the 60's generation, and now I have entered them as a chronological age. So, yup, the 60's are good - but not when the wind is blowing in gusts up to 40 mph, and the flying beach sand is scraping the flesh off your body as you attempt to take a walk by the ocean! I braved the wind and used my beach towel as a shield - I looked a bit strange, but at least it saved my skin from getting torn off. Hardier souls were walking along in bathing suits. (I guess they were trying to pretend that it wasn't cold, and that the sand wasn't biting?)
We stayed in a wonderful beachfront resort complex, built by Fairfield and called, "Ocean Walk" (compliment's of the company where Frank works.) It had a fully equipped spa, a complete gym and exercise room, a fancy-dancy-expensive logo-items shop, an indoor putting green, two big children's activity rooms, an adult computer room, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, an outdoor rafting pool, lots of interesting outdoor walkway shops, many restaurants, and even a big multiple movie theater. It was the perfect setting for having a nice vacation, even if you never left the property.
I especially loved going to a restaurant called, "Johnny Rockets" and enjoying the 60's ambiance; complete with the little booth-side juke boxes, like they had in our favorite teenage hang-out called, "Bill and Thelma's" in the early 1960's, the old-fashioned silver napkin holders, and our oldie's songs playing loudly in the background. One night, they lowered the lights and the waitress and the manager stopped everything and 'flash danced' to the music. 
It was a fun place ~ with great 'casual' food.
But, without much sunshine and warm temperatures, it was hard to enjoy a lot of it. Walking the outdoor complex became an exercise in ocean wind resistance, and required bundling-up in warm clothing. All those shorts and T-shirts stayed packed the entire week. I should have brought along my mink jacket; it would have been the perfect choice for the weather. Now that we are home again, in 50º rainy, gloomy weather - it's in the 80's down there, and it will be hot and sunny this whole week. (Damn!)
Fortunately, it didn't rain, and so Frank was able to play golf; 
but, most of all it was a successful vacation because I was able to accomplish my goal of leaving Daytona Beach (not my favorite beach in the world) and drive south to visit with friends I hadn't seen in over ten years.
The cool weather couldn't put a damper on the warm visits with my friends of the heart and soul!
I was able to quickly zoom down to the Palm Beach area and spend a little time with Louise and Carol - and to briefly visit with Louise's mom; one of my 'surrogate' moms of years gone by, Mary - who is now 89 years young! Louise's handsome son, Tristan, came along, too. We all went to dinner at a restaurant called "Jettys," right on the harbor, with the Jupiter Beach lighthouse in the background. It was a wonderful meal, and we had a great view ~ even if we did sit on the outdoor patio, and shivered a bit under their heat lamps. Who cared?!
We were together for the first time in forever, and it was wonderful!
Next, it was back on the highway to meet-up with my friend, Carol, who lives in Pompano Beach. We met half-way at an iHop in Delray Beach and, in-between many cups of coffee, and while choking down our breakfast, we talked ourselves blue in the face, non-stop, for three hours. It was as if we had been together just yesterday. Nope ~ time does not change friendships of the heart one bit!
Everyone looked wonderful - we are all aging surprisingly well in spite of cancer scares, Bell's Palsy and other medical challenges that come with growing older. Mary is frail, but still Mary! We 'youngsters' do have few more lines and wrinkles here and there - and some of those damn sun spots on the backs of our living-at-the-seashore-all-our-lives hands. We might walk just a tiny bit slower, and we do need our glasses to read the menu ~ but, all in all, we are the same 'fiesty' gals we always were! No canes, hearing aids or walkers. . . yet! And, of course, no gray hairs for us! (We all know how to open a bottle of hair dye and/or use a frosting cap.)
I know it won't be another ten years between visits- we don't have the luxury of time to let the years slip by so easily anymore. Life happens while we wait, and so waiting just isn't an option!
Gals, I'll see you again soon and, next time, for more than just a few hours. I'll be 'doing Florida' in the months of March or April, when it's more apt to be warm and sunny ~ but never again in January!
Brrrrrrrr!
Posted by Karen at January 23, 2006 11:48 AM