Florida Wind-Down

I’m enjoying my last full day here in Florida. This trip, at five days long, is longer than any of my past February visits. As flight consideration loomed months ago I figured why not? I have the time, may as well take it.

I am not sorry.

The weather has been a bit hot in the mid to upper 80s, but beautiful just the same. I had a chance to catch up with former colleagues at the Palm Beach Post in a variety of ways; dinner with one small group, drinks with another small group. We talked about our professions now, how others are doing, and how interesting it is to hear how many reinvented themselves after the great buyout of 2008 (which I partook in). Snorkeling, massage, manicure, lots of food. Lots of that.

Oddly, one of my favorite parts of this trip has been that I rented a car this time. Libby is gracious and drove me places during past visits, but this time, since I was staying longer, I felt strongly about getting out of her working girl hair and doing my own thing these past few days. After picking up the car on Sunday I drove around.

It was really interesting to be behind the wheel of a car in my old stomping ground again. I felt both at home and alien. Was this street always this wide? And I don’t remember these palm trees being here. The home I used to rent an apartment out of is up for sale, and people still have a different driving style than at home. I watched someone blow through a red light at a major intersection the other day and nearby t-bone a car pulling out to make a left. Yeesh.

You can see captions for these photos if you click on them…