Crossing Counties

 As my friend Norman well knows, I don't often drive north of the Miami Dade-Broward border -- let alone all the way to Palm Beach. Yesterday was an exception -- a cheer up visit with dear friends Boca.

My sister of another mister Dana broke her wrist while playing on a slippery wooden floor with her grandson, in Atlanta. She had it reduced in the ATL ER, and they flew home. Her smart as a whip grandson said "I don't think we should play soccer in the house anymore." His Dad is an engineer -- clearly he inherited those analytical skills.

Anyway, she had a successful surgery Wednesday, and I decided to use the Joelle approach -- something she taught me while Wifey was in a 3 week rehab stint following her stroke 5 years ago. Most caring friends say "Can I do anything?" Joelle DEMANDED I meet her and family for dinner, or come over for dinner. That's a lesson that will always resonate.

Eric and Dana have a TON of support -- their daughter and family lives close by, and even Josh made a special side trip from his business in Melbourne to check on Dana. But I know I am THE most fun and cheerful friend, and so I aggressively invited myself for a visit -- bringing dinner.

I planned to get there around 5:30 -- WAZE said it would be an hour, 45 minute trip. But for some happy reason, there was 1980 level traffic -- I made it from the Sunniland post office (my second trip of the day -- loafers open at 10 am instead of 9 like the rest of the biz world) to a Mexican place on Glades Road and the Turnpike in 1 hour and 10 minutes! Talk about back to the future!

I wanted Wifey to go, but she's still gingerly climbing back to normalcy. She DID go to Roasters to meet Boston friend Sheryl and happily reported she sat for 2 hours and drove back and forth pretty well. Baby steps...

Meanwhile, the drive up the TPK brought MANY memories. I made the trip weekly when I was in college -- it used to take 1 hr and 10 minutes from Coral Gables to Delray -- my parents comically brutal architectured condo, Kings Point. If there is an uglier complex than that, I never saw it -- essentially parking lots with squat, 2 story buildings where the view is either said lot or a narrow strip of grass with bottle brush trees never allowed to grow higher than 15 feet. Still -- my Mom LOVED the place -- lived there from 1979 until 2012 -- moving for her last 11 months to Little Haiti and Miami Jewish Home.

I conjured up the memories of all the life events -- parties, illnesses, just regular trips with my buds. After 1990, when my sister and bro in law and their kids moved to first Boynton and later Hypoluxo, the tpk trips were to fetch Grandma Sunny in Delray and then drive her up Jog Road to family meets.

Yep -- LOTS of Tpk memories.

The Mexican place, Tequila Something, was good -- I went in and ordered, and then drove into the gated Boca community. Dana, a true trooper, was in good spirits -- she showed me the lovely home improvements I only saw on Zoom meetings -- it had been pre plague last time I was there.

We talked of kids and grandkids and friends over the decades, and then Eric came home and mixed us some FINE Tito's martinis -- with refills from the big shaker. I told them I really liked that Boca bar.

We ate, and shared more tales of life -- how we all met as barely adults and traveled together into grandparenthood. Eric and I turn 65 this year -- I told them I plan a sunset sail in Biscayne Bay with just a few friends -- looks like they'll be in town mid July.

I left around 8 and drove home listening to the Panthers game -- poor Eric called -- he was called back to the hospital for a VIP patient he needed to see. Man, I don't miss work related emergencies -- Paul and I fielded plenty of those -- 2 am calls from clients on the cusp of multi million dollar settlements arrested, or about to commit domestic violence. Yeah, no, as we say in Miami -- that's best left for the young lawyers.

Today I meet my trainer, instead of Wednesday when the distempered raccoon kept me trapped, and yesterday when his Tesla tire needed a replacement.

Tomorrow D1 is bringing the boys -- she is taking Baby Man to a local party, and leaving Little Man with us. I think I may take him to my fish seller in The Redland -- time for some new cichlids -- the cold spells thinned their ranks. The koi did fine -- they can live in frozen lakes and ponds -- essentially prettier, hardy goldfish which are hard to kill.

Sunday after I drop off Little Man, I hope to see D2 and Jonathan for lunch, and then leave for Broward -- TWO cross county trips in 3 days! I'm meeting some friends for dinner and then a concert -- The Guess Who. Alas, Wifey's sitting it out -- so my drives will be solo. That's ok -- plenty of memories to keep me company.

And as Dana and I agreed, it is certainly possible to go through life without close friendships. We just don't see how...