Best Spring Break Ever

D2 had a rough Fall semester, for a variety of reasons, and yet heroically kept up her 4.0 GPA and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. What a young lady! Spring has turned out much better, and she came home 2 Fridays ago for a wonderful Spring Break. We spent a lot of family time, and she visited her fading grandparents. And she had 2 dinners with her boyfriend's warm, Latin family, up in Aventuuuuura, as they call it. She left Monday for a cruise, on a ship that probably held 300 Gators. I saw the facebook (tm) pictures, and there were many of D2 and her friends having the time of their lives... Spring Break for my friends and I was a much simpler affair. We drove to Lauderdale, hung out at the Elbow Room and Penrods, and enjoyed a strange place called Area Code 305. Back then, all of South Florida had that area code, and this bar was set up with phones at each table, with the numb er on a placard. You'd spy groups of hot ladies at another table, and call them. They could see if you were a loser or worthy of further contact... One year, we drove to Disney, with a large group. Dr. Eric, then just Eric, had our theme park visit strategically planned, to maximize ride enjoyment, while avoiding lines. Thirty years later, he's exactly the same on trips, which is why he's a wonderful travelling companion. You miss nothing of importance at a destination when Dr. Eric is the guide... Anyway, I fetched D2 at the Port, and debriefed her on the trip. Saturday we all went to our family celebration place, Christy's, and had a great meal. We toasted the kids, the Canes winning their first ACC Championship, and the death of Hugo Chavez -- especially happy for Jonathan's Venezuelan family... D1 spent the night, for sister bonding, and yesterday am I awoke late, due to the time change, to see that D1 had prepared all ingredients necessary for me to make my signature Daddy pancakes. The four of us ate and laughed -- as we have been blessed to do together for over 2 decades. I then attended our homeowner's association meeting, as the Ds and Wifey left. Wifey went to a sleepover meeting of her book club in the Keys. The meeting was nice, though sparsely attended. Things have been too quiet. When there's a controversy -- like peafowl tearing up the place, or excessive dog pooping, or car break ins, folks come out. Lately, though, with none of these things happening, apathy reigns, and only about 1/4 of the households bothered to attend. We had a guest -- a botanist from the local botanical garden, and he led us all on a tour of the 'hood, pointing out interesting stuff about our trees. We apparently have ferns that only grow in our 'hood. The neighborhood's queen, Bobbe Dooley, kept right up. Bobbe's over 90, and living alone in the house she and her husband built 50 years ago. She's terrific -- Texas born, and living in Miami most of her life, with lots of kids and grandkids and great grandkids. She's still doing real estate deals, and tooling around in her Mercedes. She's the true outlier among the very aged -- living and loving her life. I wish my Mom was in similar condition... I returned home, and took a long nap, waking to a happy and relieved call -- D2 made it safely back to UF. And the house was all mine. I lit a fire outside in the cool air, and gave thanks to the stars and Big Man above...