Relocation...All I Ever Wanted

So our family news continues to be about the return of D2 and Jonathan, from that long sabbatical in Fun City. I'm sure they've never heard NYC referred to as that. I remember it from my childhood in the 60s, where there was lots of non fun things going on there -- like crime, filth, and poverty, and the mayor, John Lindsay, told everyone to start calling it that. Never stuck -- the Big Apple was better...

Speaking of geographic nicknames -- I told D2 that Coconut Grove was called the "Greenwich Village of Miami," and she thinks I made that up. I explained I most certainly did NOT -- the Grove was, in the 60s, the Winter outpost of the Village folk scene. John Sebastian lived here, and even wrote a musical homage to his retreat, called, creatively, "Coconut Grove." Fred Neill, a wildly unappreciated songwriter, lived in the Grove.

David Crosby lived in a boat in Sailboat Bay, and used to hang at the Flick Coffeehouse in the Gables, now Titanic. He heard a shy Canadian singer there, and convinced her he would help her career by bringing her back to his boat...from there he took her to LA, and, well, Joni Mitchell did ok relating to the angst of women of a certain age...

When I moved to Miami in '79, there were still remaining Grove hippies about.  They went to the Village Inn, and hung about the Taurus. They even sat on the brick sidewalks and made hats out of palm fronds.

Some are still there -- colorful types, whose cottages are now worth 7 figures. Yes -- the Grove is no longer the Grove, in the way that Greenwich Village is no longer the Village -- too upscale and hipster, and less Bohemian.  In other words -- both are still awesome places, with a real sense of being somewhere else within a big city.

D2 and Jonathan are in negotiations with a condo owner via their realtor Isaac. I hope the place we saw becomes their home -- I got a wonderful feeling there -- balcony big enough for parties of 50, with a sick view of everything. I explained to Wifey that "sick" is a very positive word for Millennials...

D2 is awating word from her employer whether she can stay with them and work remotely. I hope that happens -- she really likes the company, and I know they must really dig her. If not, as D1 points out, a Phi Beta Kappa with a MS who has worked in NYC for 4 years probably has some marketability here, in the Magic City...

Last night, after Thai food at Chana, Wifey and I called Jonathan's parents, to share in a consuegro kvell. Wait -- "consuegro kvell" would be a great name for a Latin Jewish band.

They are extremely happy about the return, too. We reminisced about a secret dinner we had last year -- to celebrate the kids' engagement. Jonathan had told us in June, at his brother's wedding, but wished to wait until December to pop the question. So his parents and Wifey and I went to Capital Grille to toast our good fortune -- they sort of dig their son like we dig our daughter, and are happy with his choice of life partner, as we are...

This time -- no secrets. Just happiness.

The good news is, their move will be easy. No furniture need make its way down the East Coast. They'll give away things to anyone who wants it, and there are actually set days in Manhattan where you can leave furniture on the street for those seeking it.

As for the new, four times the size place -- that may work out well, too. We've been in Villa Wifey nearly 19 years, and never redecorated. That's fine with me --but Wifey needs a change. She's right, of course.

So, she just hired two young women to do the job, and D2 had a fine idea: maybe whatever is destined for exit from our house can find a new place in their apartment. Our furniture is in fine shape, except for some leather discoloring brought about by dogs -- and since this is a rental, D2 and Jonathan aren't too picky.  Maybe that'll work out well, and since I abhor waste, would make me happy.

Again, though, these are nice issues to deal with .

When we spoke to Jonathan's parents last night, I reminded them we would be hosting Thanksgiving again, as we did last year. It'll be lovely to know I won't, Big Man willing, be fighting the crowds at MIA as I have for the past 4 T Days...nice to have them home.