Regrouped and recouped....

...ready to lay it all out. What I think I enjoyed most about this trip, weird probably to anyone but me, but as I went through 4 different airports on this trip to Florida, I was with someone. I have kinda gotten used to going through airports alone (for at least 9 years flying back and forth from Kentucky) but since being married to Randy, I get to be with someone....and it's fun. Sometimes I plug along, in a hurry, carrying my carry-on, chock full   (chock–full adjective \ˈchək-ˈfu̇l, ˈchäk-, -ˌfu̇l\: completely full of stuff) forgetting that there's someone willing to help carry the heavy stuff. That's what we do for each other in this here marriage, we help each other with our baggage. Anyway, we headed off to Florida. We don't do expensive vacays.....not yet anyways....just trips to see our kids and stuff like that or little week-enders at Tahoe or the beach but this was across the country (we did it last year too) and loved every minute of it, yep every minute. Landed here.....

 ...at our lovely, water-front condo. It's so comfy and hooked onto this beautiful old home....

...and I could have just spent the whole week, sitting right here, watching the boats go by.......

...and other stuff. Here are some of the things I saw whilst sitting on the porch....

The boats have names you know. That big one top right is named Marlena....hmmmm.....wonder what I'd name my boat. Most of them are girl names you know. Others are just "play on word" type names like.... "Wine Down".....or "RMT Nest"....I should have written them all down but I was about sittin' not writtin' but I did have a few friends drop by. The little critters just had no fear. The blue bird even took a sip of my lemonade when I wasn't lookin'. Right friendly folks around here. Everyone would wave at me and probably thought I really lived in that house. I was perfectly happy to let them think that for a week. We like to take a day and ride the water taxi.....this house is right next to a taxi stop.....

We rode the taxi down to the beach but on the way, there's so much to see and learn about; all the fancy folks that own homes here and all the yachts that cost more than the houses they are parked by....

Before the beach, we got off at Stop 6 and had some lunch at Bahia Cabana where Jimmy Buffet got his start singing.  Top left is the view from our lunch table. Then on to Stop 8, Ft. Lauderdale Beach.

Actually, a compilation of beach pictures as we went there three or four times during the week. Always fun....I even tried my hand at snorkeling. Randy found lots of fun stuff in the ocean....beautiful shells to add to my collection and a gold ring......

We learned about The Bonnet House and decided to go check it out. It's a wonderful old home built on ground that was purchased back in the late 1800's by Hugh Taylor Birch....click HERE to learn more but to make a long story short.....he gave the house to his daughter as a wedding present when she married Frederic Clay Bartlett, a Chicago artist. She died of cancer and he later married Evelyn Fortune Lilly. Frederic died in 1953 and in 1983, Evelyn gave Bonnet House to the State of Florida but continued to live there until she died....after living into her 90's. It is a beautiful, well-preserved, lush green property tucked right into the modern mansions and high rises on the beach of Florida.

Top left is what greets you as the tour guide opens the doors from the outside. It was so amazing and the grounds are so well-kept and so many varieties of orchids growing from everywhere. This place has been turned into an art gallery of Frederic's paintings that would be worth a lot but he never signed anything. He painted for pure pleasure and for himself. Evelyn soon learned that she could paint too....when Frederic told her that hers were better than his, she stopped for a while but took it up again later. 

This is the pathway from the yard out to the sea....I could just imagine the beautiful days spent there with the beach just a walk away. I'm just grateful that every once in a while, there is someone that wants something preserved to take us back to simpler times. That's what this property did for me. It was amazing.....

"Let's go get us some gator...." said Randy in his real Swamp People voice. We headed to the everglades and caught an air-boat. Fun on every level to say the least. 

We enjoyed evening strolls around the neighborhood and downtown to get ice cream.....

Took the kids to the art museum one day and couldn't resist a few pics in front of this big "I Love You" sign.....and speaking of love......Let me quote Jack Johnson here....

 Love is the answer at least for most of the questions in my heart, like

"Why are we here?" and, "Where do we go?"

And, "How come it's so hard?"

It's not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving

I'll tell you one thing it's always better when we're together

Yeah, it's always better when we're together

Mmm, we'll look at them stars and we're together

Well, it's always better when we're together

Yeah, it's always better when we're together....

So glad I have Randy to do stuff with.