Banner Weekend

So all four of us went up to Palm Beach for a family weekend. We were celebrating D2's stellar junior year of high school: terrific grades, college board scores, and AP tests.

We had a detour on the way, to retrieve very old Grandma's car from the shopping center where she wreaked havoc on 2 parked cars. When I returned to her condo, I called in the claim with the auto insurance carrier, and found the paperwork for the car. I also called the two owners of the cars she hit, and they were surprisingly nice and understanding. Of course, one of the ladies was 84, and the gentleman whose truck was hit was 76. Maybe they see their own futures, too.

Anyway, we made it to the Manalapan Ritz Carlton --me, Wifey, Ds 1 and 2, and our granddog Madeleine. Madeleine was the hit of the weekend --by Sunday fellow guests were calling her by name. She seemed to really like the hotel. As a refined lap dog, the Ritz is clearly her style...

D1's boyfriend came over and joined us. We got him a room at the Chesterfield, which is in Palm Beach proper. He had about a 15 minute drive, but was happy to do it --he passed Mar a Lago and the other amazing Palm Beach estates. He's a very ambitious young man, and says he wants to be very succesful to take a trip where he stays in Ritz Carlton's around the world, sort of like some folks want to see baseball games in all MAjor League stadiums.

Wifey took a long nap, and we all laid out on a grass strip overlooking the ocean. It was glorius! We took Madeleine to the beack, and she dug holes and ran from the surf. She encountered a few large dogs and acquitted herself nicely, for a shrimp!

The Ritz only has one operating restaurant during the summer, and we had dinner there, outside. A delicious breeze was blowing, and we ate, and laughed.

Saturday D1 and I met for a lovely seaside breakfast, and later Dr. Eric, Dana, and their boy Josh met us. Their D1 has started UF, and we chatted about the Gator experience.

Saturday night Wifey drew the short straw, and stayed at the hotel with the dog, while we went to see "Bruno" and then had dinner near the theatre at the adjacent mall. The young ones liked the movie more than I did, but there were a few great laughs. Thomas left for his hotel, and D1, tired from the sun, went to sleep. D2, Wifey, Madeleine and I stayed ni the lobby until midnight, listening to an excellent jazz trio.

The people came and went; nothing really happened. I stole that from "The Grand Hotel," which the Ritz is.

This morning we checked out (reluctantly; everyone, including Madeliene, whined as we pulled out of the parking lot) and headed for the Chesterfield. Thomas showed us around THAT property, which is a charming little place, one block North of Worth Avenue. They have a library there about the size of D1's bedroom. I told her I was converting her room to one of these sooner than later.

We walked to Worth Avenue, which looked like it was hit by a neutron bomb. One shop was open, and there were virtually no other people on the street. There WAS, however, a working dog water basin, and Madeleine drank heartily.

We said goodbye to Thomas, who drove back to Gainesville. About 20 minutes from home, Wifey awoke the girls from their naps by shrieking when the puppy peed all over her. We all laughed, and Madeleine apologized.

Back to work and school tomorrow. I'm going to go check out the Miami Jewish Home for the Aged this week. My neighbor and friend Charlie raved about it --he knows my Mother and thinks she'd love it there. It's only about a 10 minute drive from my office, so I'd be able to visit Mom often, and Wifey would see her often, too. It 's inevitable that she needs to make a change, and that place might be the answer.

In the meantime, whatever happens, my runnig joke when leaving a vacation spot seems most apropriate. I always imitate the narrator on the old Disney travel logs they used to play in my elementary school:

As we reluctantly leave the Ritz Carlton of Palm Beach, we reflect on the wonderful memories we'll always treasure of the time we spent there.