Marjo-Martha Week

Marjo van Patten, my friend of almost 75 years, flew here from Ohio on January 18 for what has become her annual January visit. From the Middle East to West Texas, we have traveled to many interesting places together. Come with us as we explore Southwest Florida for seven days.

Thursday 18 January – History.  Our first destination was the Boca Raton Historical Society in a beautiful city just 25 minutes to the south. There we learned about early Florida Pioneers, the architectural influence of Addison Mizner, Boca Raton’s vital role in World War II, and how Boca Raton became the birthplace of the IBM personal computer. I invite you to view this album of photos we took for more details.

Friday, the 19th – Art and Friends. Jayne Dworman met us at the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, where she works as Children’s Librarian. We heard a fascinating lecture on the art exhibit, Scenes of New York City: The Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection, given by Wendy Nalani E. Ikemoto, Senior Curator of American Art at the New York Historical Society. Dr. Ikemoto told fascinating stories about the works we were to see later. But first we went for a tasty lunch at nearby Renato’s on Via Mizner, Worth Avenue. Then we returned to Four Arts for a virtual trip to New York City. See my Photo Album here. For dinner that night we hosted Peg and Jack (whom I had introduced to Marjo several years ago) and a new friend, Joe Laney.

Saturday – Nature, Animals, Family. On the road by 8:00 am, we drove south to Coral Gables and picked up my granddaughter Margot. Her twin sister Nina was playing in a soccer game that morning. What a MARvelous MARathon MARgot, MARjo and MARtha had at Zoo Miami! Margot is incessantly curious and shows real concern for endangered animals. You can see in this album how much we learned! After three hours of walking around just half of the enormous Zoo Miami, we drove back to Coral Gables for a comfortable hour-long concert, Music from Outer Space, at the University of Miami. Margot liked the goodie bag “Darth Vader” gave her and brought one home for her sister Nina, where Marjo and I enjoyed quiet time with Leslie and David. A very full Saturday concluded with dinner at Pisco y Nazca, a Peruvian restaurant in Coral Gables and a one-hour drive back home.

Sunday was a rainy day of Rest and Family. We worshipped at First Presbyterian, Delray Beach. then had both lunch and dinner at home. We enjoyed a long telephone conversation with my brother Joel and his wife Elisabeth and an hour of Zoom with Lilli, David, and Shelby.

Monday we walked to the Quail Ridge Fitness Center and worked out. Then we lunched with Friends Rhea and Nick Hagoort, who had enjoyed meeting Marjo last year. When they mentioned having books to contribute to our church’s Rummage Sale next month, we stopped at their house and picked them up. Back home, we cooked dinner and watched a movie, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Tuesday was devoted to History and Music. After tutoring at Crosspointe Elementary, I took Marjo to visit the Spady Cultural History Museum in Delray Beach, the sponsor of the Martin Luther King, Jr Brunch that I had attended on MLK Day, January 15. There we talked with a staff member who introduced us to the history of Blacks in Delray. I still have plenty to learn about Florida history. In the afternoon I directed the Quail Ridge Chorus, rather than accompanying as usual, since Director Emily was home with a fever. Steve and Marjo met me at the Club, where we had a quick, delicious dinner.

While Steve hosted his book club at our house Tuesday evening, Marjo and I attended a concert at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach by Fanoos, an ensemble composed of four individuals from a renowned musical family. Ahmad Fanoos (Vocals) and his two sons, Elham (Keyboard) and Mehran (Violin), and Sohail Karim (Tabla) reunited in the U.S. in December 2021 after five years apart, and made their U.S. debut in the spring of 2022, one year after their flight to freedom from the Taliban. Fanoos Ensemble’s mission is to unite people and cultures from all over the world through their music, while emphasizing Afghanistan’s rich cultural and musical heritage. The concert attracted some very interesting people, with whom we enjoyed talking.

Wednesday involved Gardening, Music, Reading, and Friends. On our last day together, Marjo and I joined the Quail Ridge Garden Club for a tour of nearby Morikami Gardens. It’s one of my favorite places to take visitors; Marjo had been there several times. Our guide told us that the three most important elements of Japanese Gardens are water, rocks and trees, so we had a new way of looking at the beautiful gardens.

For lunch our group gathered for delicious Japanese bento boxes. We chatted with a new member of the Garden Club, Rebecca McNamara, who had lived in Ohio. While I taught music lessons in the afternoon, Marjo read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, a novel of historical fiction that follows a Korean family who immigrates to Japan, a fitting subject after a morning in a Japanese garden! For Marjo’s last evening, we were delighted to be invited for dinner with our friends Peg and Jack. There we met yet another new friend, Judith Wentzell, a snowbird from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Marjo-Martha Week was full  of good food, wonderful friends, and fascinating sites. Two kids from Phillips, Texas know how to have fun!