Playing Catch Up: My Trip to Florida -- February 20 to 25.
Starting back in 2005, chering, operasnook, and I try to get together at least once a year. I live in Philadelphia, chering lives in Boise, Idaho, and operasnook lives in Coconut Creek, Florida. Strangely enough, for the last several years chering and I have agreed that when we get together in the winter, we are happy to travel to Coconut Creek. operasnook says she is happy to host our get-together. Neither chering or I have tried very hard to talk her out of her offer. Consequently, on Thursday, February 20th, four days after I got home from Norway, I once again hied me to Philadelphia International Airport and got on a plane for Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
This was not one of those planned and structured vacations. Our activities were centered on operasnook's lovely, two-bedroom apartment...
operasnook's front door.
...where we talked, watched the programs operasnook saved for us all year, talked, read, went for walks around her complex's grounds, and talked, talked, talked.
operasnook had saved three documetaries and a cute rom com for us to watch:
...The Bronx, USA documented life in the Bronx in the 1940's and 1950's. Illustrated with pictures from the period, it was narrated by guys who grew up then, like Hal Linden, Robert Klein, Colin Powell, and Carl Reiner. Too bad none of them made a name for themselves. They did put together a pleasant, mellow film.
...Decade of Fire was set in the Bronx in the 1970's, but it was anything but pleasant or mellow. It dealt with a case of criminal neglect by city authorities when fires in the South Bronx were left unchecked so that by the end of decade square block after square block had been leveled. The point of the film was how, in the 80's, the remaining residents of the South Bronx rallied and restored their neighborhool. I was so horrified at the callousness of the city's government that let it burn that I could hardly appreciate the courage and stamina of the residents' efforts.
...True Justice: Brian Stevenson. Brian Stevenson is a lawyer and the founder/executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). The EJI works to free black men who have been convicted unfairly of crimes or sentenced to unduly lengthy terms. Through their efforts more than 100 unjustly jailed men have so far been freed. Be warned: the black-and-white pictures from lynchings are horrific. I don't advocate turning away from viewing this film; how ever terrible these things did happen and happened in our country and must never be forgotten.
...The Thing About Harry starring Niko Terho and Jake Borelli, directed by Peter Paige. Two college students are forced to drive home from school together to attend a party. The problem? Harry was cute and popular in high school, and he made nerdy Sam's life miserable. Wit h trepidation, Sam agrees to let Harry ride home with him and, of course, they begin to talk. Harry, it turns out, has a lot of questions about how to act as a newly-coming-out gay man. Cute movie, and one I'd be happy to watch with my gay child.
Chering and operasnook walked everyday. I am sorry to say, I did not, and when I did, I didn't walk nearly as far or as long as they did. Bad fansee bad bad bad.
There are 5,260 condos in Wynmoor Village, and the whole, landscaped area is bounded by a walking track, similar to the one in this picture, and two-and-a-half miles long. Except for one rainy day, Chering and operasnook made two circuits of the track.
I doubt I made it as far as a mile any day.
Mostly operasnook cooked for us...nothing too elaborate but always delicious...but we did take her out to eat twice.
Well, sorta took her out. We paid for operasnook's ice cream cone.
I had sea salt caramel and cocoanut. Yum.
Dinner Saturday night was more substantial.
We shared an appetizer...
Then I had brook trout, prepared differently from any way I'd ever seen...but tasty and delicious.
It was sometime that weekend when I had a different sort of cocktail:
Somewhere in my travels I had picked up a bug...not a very virulent bug...but one that made me cough and cough. operasnook happily trotted out the Dayquil.
Before I left, I went through operasnook's library...
...and packed up three of her books to take home with me...as if I didn't already have a big TBR pile. As soon as I finish my current book, these three move to the head of the line.
I am so glad I went to Florida when I did. Now, with COVID-19 romping around, I don't want to get on an airplane, no matter how well their ventilation works. Forget about sitting cheek by jowl between two possibly infectious fellow flyers, I don't want to walk through the terminal. I'm snugged down here in my cozy apartment for the duration. FanSee
This was not one of those planned and structured vacations. Our activities were centered on operasnook's lovely, two-bedroom apartment...
operasnook's front door.
...where we talked, watched the programs operasnook saved for us all year, talked, read, went for walks around her complex's grounds, and talked, talked, talked.
operasnook had saved three documetaries and a cute rom com for us to watch:
...The Bronx, USA documented life in the Bronx in the 1940's and 1950's. Illustrated with pictures from the period, it was narrated by guys who grew up then, like Hal Linden, Robert Klein, Colin Powell, and Carl Reiner. Too bad none of them made a name for themselves. They did put together a pleasant, mellow film.
...Decade of Fire was set in the Bronx in the 1970's, but it was anything but pleasant or mellow. It dealt with a case of criminal neglect by city authorities when fires in the South Bronx were left unchecked so that by the end of decade square block after square block had been leveled. The point of the film was how, in the 80's, the remaining residents of the South Bronx rallied and restored their neighborhool. I was so horrified at the callousness of the city's government that let it burn that I could hardly appreciate the courage and stamina of the residents' efforts.
...True Justice: Brian Stevenson. Brian Stevenson is a lawyer and the founder/executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). The EJI works to free black men who have been convicted unfairly of crimes or sentenced to unduly lengthy terms. Through their efforts more than 100 unjustly jailed men have so far been freed. Be warned: the black-and-white pictures from lynchings are horrific. I don't advocate turning away from viewing this film; how ever terrible these things did happen and happened in our country and must never be forgotten.
...The Thing About Harry starring Niko Terho and Jake Borelli, directed by Peter Paige. Two college students are forced to drive home from school together to attend a party. The problem? Harry was cute and popular in high school, and he made nerdy Sam's life miserable. Wit h trepidation, Sam agrees to let Harry ride home with him and, of course, they begin to talk. Harry, it turns out, has a lot of questions about how to act as a newly-coming-out gay man. Cute movie, and one I'd be happy to watch with my gay child.
Chering and operasnook walked everyday. I am sorry to say, I did not, and when I did, I didn't walk nearly as far or as long as they did. Bad fansee bad bad bad.
There are 5,260 condos in Wynmoor Village, and the whole, landscaped area is bounded by a walking track, similar to the one in this picture, and two-and-a-half miles long. Except for one rainy day, Chering and operasnook made two circuits of the track.
I doubt I made it as far as a mile any day.
Mostly operasnook cooked for us...nothing too elaborate but always delicious...but we did take her out to eat twice.
Well, sorta took her out. We paid for operasnook's ice cream cone.
I had sea salt caramel and cocoanut. Yum.
Dinner Saturday night was more substantial.
We shared an appetizer...
Then I had brook trout, prepared differently from any way I'd ever seen...but tasty and delicious.
It was sometime that weekend when I had a different sort of cocktail:
Somewhere in my travels I had picked up a bug...not a very virulent bug...but one that made me cough and cough. operasnook happily trotted out the Dayquil.
Before I left, I went through operasnook's library...
...and packed up three of her books to take home with me...as if I didn't already have a big TBR pile. As soon as I finish my current book, these three move to the head of the line.
I am so glad I went to Florida when I did. Now, with COVID-19 romping around, I don't want to get on an airplane, no matter how well their ventilation works. Forget about sitting cheek by jowl between two possibly infectious fellow flyers, I don't want to walk through the terminal. I'm snugged down here in my cozy apartment for the duration. FanSee