On to Florida!

           After stopping for two or three days in Conyers, Georgia, to see my friend Beverly, I set out for Florida—and just in time, too, as the weather changed and temperatures dropped.  I’ll save my Georgia adventures for another time, as Bev extracted a promise from me to come back--soon. 

 

           As I entered Florida, just across the state line, the highway was lined with newly planted small palm trees, well braced, set in front of hardwood and evergreens that grow naturally along the roadways.  I suppose this is supposed to impress the tourists, but to me it just looked silly.  Since highways are not conducive to picture taking, I wasn’t able to snap any photos, but I did manage to find an article about FloridaDOT’s multi-million dollar program.  It’s astonishing what bureaucrats will do with taxpayer money.

 

           First stop:  Jacksonville Beach.  I’ve known the Dressers for several years. They come to Maine every summer and are active in church, which is where I met them.  Claudia is a talented and accomplished artist, and her home evidences her hand everywhere.  I would never have thought to make a collage of Old Masters as she did, on the walls of the bathroom off the room where I slept.  Truly stunning!

 

Guest bathroom with the Great Masters.

Detail of the background

A wall of Picasso.  Who could ask for more?

            Then there was the beach.  Oh, yes!  This truly is Florida!  Palm trees and other tropical plants growing everywhere, the walk to the beach is as lovely as the sand and water.

 

This palm towered above the 6 foot hedge.  How beautiful!

Lovely flowers still bloom even in January.

We walked past this quiet pool on the way to the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we crossed over the little footbridge, the ocean stretched out along the beach inviting a walk. 

Footbridge to another world.

 

 

Sophie, Claudia’s Golden Retriever, romped and played as we walked in the silver sand.  Is there anything so joyous as a dog?  

 

  

           It's fascinating to see how architecture and building change geographically. In Florida, apparently it's no big deal to knock down a house and then completely rebuild, rather than adding on or remodeling.  I saw a sterling example of this on our walk.   In the beginning, three modest houses stood side by side.  The first picture shows the original style. The house to its left was completely demolished, and is now being replaced by a larger structure.  To its left is a new structure that used to look like the one two doors down.  It, too, was leveled and a new house built on the site.  The new house, now much classier, sold for over a million dollars.  Call me a farm girl, but I can't imagine paying over that much for a house when I could buy all kinds of land in the country and populate it with livestock.

 

 

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was blessed to be there when Ciara, Claudia and Bill’s daughter, was visiting with her husband.

Ciara, Christian, and, of course, Sophie

           It’s hard to believe that I’ve know Ciara since she was in her late teens. For that matter, it’s hard to believe the years pass so swiftly that I’m always surprised at how long I’ve known so many people in my life.  Ciara and I talked about all kinds of things—homeopathy, diet, alternative health, kefir, GMOs, vaccines. Mostly health related, but sometimes observations on the politics of the day, sometimes comparisons on living in Maine compared to the rest of the Eastern seaboard. When she and Christian left on New Year’s Eve, I was sad to see her go.

 

           I left New Year’s Day, the rain falling like tears as I reluctantly left for the next stage of my journey.  It’s always hard to leave friends, even when the future invites.