Spring Break Survival

As it turned out, the 5 guests from Purdue Univ. turned out to be delightful guests. They were polite and actually gone a couple of the days - to Key West and SoBe in Miami. The late evenings we are used to, as Sam's home always seems to be a magnet for friends and there are often people visiting and of course, since it is warm here, hanging out around the patio table downstairs. Since we get phone calls during the night that are forwarded from the motel, I am used to interrupted sleep and falling asleep after selling a room at 4AM (we have someone who goes to the motel to sign them in).



My brother, Tom, arrived last Friday, right after the cleaning ladies sanitized the apartments downstairs after all the guests. He had purchased a truck in West Palm Beach and picked it up and headed down for his annual March visit. We look forward to his great company. The night he arrived, a cousin of ours, Barb Burtner, came for dinner with her son Rob and his wife Amy and 11 year old daughter, Macy. My cousin lives in Tampa and her son was visiting from Kansas City so they spent some time in the Keys. We had a great evening of catching up and there was an assortment of Sam's guests present also. Macy was entertaining and Harry cranked up the deep fryer outside and the next thing I knew, he and Macy and Sam were making funnel cakes. They were good!

Tom has spent today working on our boat and got our fuel gauges working. We were supposed to go out fishing but the winds are gusty today. He is a consummate putterer, just like Harry. The big plan tomorrow, after H-bomb (Tom's nickname for Harry) and I work is to stop at one of the bridges between Key Largo and Marathon and go fishing. I have wanted to join the throngs that bring their beer coolers and hang out on the bridge, and that is going to be my birthday present. Of course, they look like they do a lot more "fishin" than "catchin" but I will have to let you know...

Spring Break!

Sam and I often have communication issues. A perfect example happened Saturday. A couple months ago, Sam mentioned some friends coming down from Purdue for spring break. OK, I sort of forgot. But, when he announced they were three hours away, and there were 5 of them, I sort of got in the snit mood I usually go to when I am sprung some news that requires me to adjust my thinking and my life. I don't do little changes well. I can do big changes, like three moves in a year, with no problem. Just feed me lots of Diet Coke and away I go into Superwoman mode. But, ask me to change my routine, or my immediate environment and I get weird. Who cries when they get a new TV that seems too big? I think I may be a real pain to live with at times.

After I got used to the idea, and laid the ground rules, and reminded Sam that everyone has to be gone on Friday because my brother is coming down, we adjusted. Except for the little issue in the middle of the night when Harry was walking around nude and there were a couple kids he ran into. Oops! They were not supposed to be upstairs in our world but Sam forgot to tell them. I think the one girl may be traumatized for life. Fortunately it was dark...

They are all camped out downstairs on air mattresses and sofa cushions and who knows what. I don't want to see. They seem respectful and neat so far. Today they all went out on the boat to snorkel and were ahead of me when I began the lecture about cleaning the gear. It had been done. And, I couldn't help myself. I made them breakfast (Jezebel's yummy eggs cooked in green salsa over chorizo sausage served on corn tortillas - yum). And, since I am not working today, made dinner also so they don't have to spend their money. I think tomorrow they are hitting Key West for St. Patrick's day. I better send jail bond money.

There seems to be only one issue left to deal with. The beer in the refrigerator downstairs is Carolyn's for fishing. End of story.

Albuquerque

We spent a few days with Jezebel and Matt and Jenavieve in N.M. They seem to be adjusting to parenthood beautifully and Jenavieve is a real sweetie - starting to focus on objects and trying to reach for them, smiling and what I call the "Bobble Head" phase where she is working to hold her head up. It was great to spend some bonding time! I told Jez that I wished all of the kids lived nearby, and could come to Shabat dinner and I could babysit whenever they needed. This flying around to see them is hard! Soon I can Skype her like I do Jack and Ruby. We are so blessed with another perfect, beautiful baby in the family!!

I laughed when I saw the house overrun with baby items. Wow, there are so many amazing things to assist with parenthood! Heated wipes, swings that go side to side and back and forth while playing Mozart and heartbeats, jungle gyms, baby videos. It is amazing. I remember the big deal with Sam was a battery operated swing that kept us sane through dinner.

We arrived and ran to the airport bathrooms to change into "black-tie attire" and were whisked off to a benefit for the Natural History Museum that consisted of chocolate and more chocolate. First, we tasted chocolates that were provided for a competition among local chefs with accompanying chocolate sculptures to vote on. Wow, I was on a sugar high. Then a lovely dinner, music, Celtic dancing (the theme was Ireland) and silent auction. Next day we visited both Matt's new offices and Jezebel Gallery. We did a little cooking, ate out at one of their favorite spots and mostly visited. It was so good to catch up!

The pictures above are of Jenavieve, the view from the back of their house of the Rio Grande, and the Jezebel Gallery. Matt and Jez are an amazing couple, very entrepreneurial and focused. They are awesome!

Pete

I met Captain Pete Toscani through my cousin John Mitchell. Pete has been coming down to the Keys to fish with John, usually once a year, and in the past had hired Matt as their guide. In fact, John calls Matt "Fish" as a nickname.

This year, we were supposed to go out fishing but circumstances - weather, illness, etc. interfered so Pete still made his Keys trek alone, and came to dinner one evening. Pete is a Pharmacist in Ct. and also has a charter fishing business there called Pharma-Sea. And, he ties flies. These are not just utilitarian, they are works of art! Tiny artisitic replicas of insects, shrimp, crabs and other tasty morsels fish love to eat. They have feathers from birds, hens, roosters, peacocks. Hair from deer and other animals (Harry was about to hand over Guinness's locks) and beads, sparkly effects, plastics that are molded, etc. Pete had one called "Pete's Reel Squid" recently published in a book titled "Salt Water Flies of the Northeast" by Angelo Peluso. If you are ever in Bristol, CT. - you can call Capt. Pete for a charter at 860-620-3542.

There is something about fishing that I cannot explain to people who do not enjoy it. There is always the sense of surprise because you never know what is coming out of the deep on your

line. And there are all the issues of technique and skill. But during the down times, when you are not in the middle of heart pounding action of a very large muscular speed rocket testing your physical abilities, there is the quiet, calm, contempletive times when you do some of your very best thinking, in the very, very best surroundings. This could be what heaven looks like.