Hello South Florida
After saying farewell to Arlington in October, I put aside blog writing in order to settle into our new house, visit my grandchildren, and host many friends and family members. We’re located in Quail Ridge, a golf community in Boynton Beach, but just as we referred to our former home as “in the DC area,” it’s simplest now to say “South Florida,” because our range now stretches north to West Palm Beach and south to Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Coral Gables. Our first six months have been exhilarating, but now the “snowbird” season is over and there’s time to reflect on this big change in my life. Here is my list of joys and challenges:
Joys: living just an hour from two of our grandchildren; colorful birds and fragrant flowers, learning to cultivate orchids and tomatoes; making new friends, including many music lovers; a right-size house that had been beautifully renovated in 2011; new settings for beloved rugs and keepsakes; attending a church with great preaching, great music, and a women’s fellowship; attending performances of the Miami City Ballet at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach; frequent visits to the Flagler and Norton Museums, terrific green markets, entertaining enthusiastic visitors:
Challenges: learning to cultivate orchids (tomatoes were easier); finding a duet partner; acquiring enough bookcases for all the boxes of books still in the garage (and we brought only a small fraction of those accumulated over the years); a spur on my left big toe that required surgery; making more use of our swimming pool.
What I Miss: dear friends from the last 47 years; the Kennedy Center, the National Gallery, and the Smithsonian museums; fall leaves and spring flowers.
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