Looking Out My Back Door

No Rest For The Weary

This past weekend, I had a wedding to attend in South Beach (Miami, FL). My dear neighbor (now former neighbor) Charlotte was marrying Sam, and it was an event I could not miss. Prices being what they are in South Beach, though, made me reluctant to spend the weekend there. Brainstorm! My good friend KellyB lives in Ft. Lauderdale, not that far away. Could I spend the weekend with KellyB and the Bs? Absolutely!

I arrived Friday night and KellyB met me at the airport. It was great to see her. We picked up her son, JT, dropped him home (where I met their adorable weiner dog, Woody), and went out to a French bistro, where we dined lavishly on escargots, rack of lamb, and chocolate mousse cake. In many ways, KellyB is my Doppelganger. We drove around the beach area afterwards, then headed back to her home. Hubby Michael was already asleep after his grueling evening of MBA courses.

Michael the ghost had to head to campus early for part two of the weekend's courses, so I missed him again. KellyB and I went out sightseeing. I realized it had been 30 years since I'd been in Ft. Lauderdale. Lots had changed. The Jolly Roger Motel off A1A was renamed and revamped. Another piece of my childhood gone. No matter. KellyB then took me to her favorite Greek restaurant, where we inhaled about a pound of garlic. She also made me try octopus, even though I remembered having done that once, and it's not something I'd order for myself. Everything else was wonderful, though, and I can see why she loves the place.

Back to the ranch for naps and for me to then get ready for the wedding. A car was coming for me at 6:15, so I reluctantly threw myself in the shower around 5 and started the dressing and makeup process, aided at the end by the talents of KellyB. When I came downstairs, Michael was home, and it was a delight to meet him. Nice guy, easy to talk to, and I can understand how the high school sweethearts fell for each other all those years ago, and are still a happy, loving couple. They have a great son, a great weiner dog, and a great life.

Unfortunately, a limo showed up for me about 15 minutes later. I was going to show up in South Beach in style. It was a scaled down limo (intermittent radio, no TV, empty bar), so I made a few calls on my cellphone and then arrived at the Tides Hotel.

Posh. Very posh. I immediately felt uncomfortable, but, fortunately, I saw two of the three people I knew (other than the bride and groom) right there in the lobby. We chatted, then Charlotte and Sam made their entrance. Wow. They looked glam, stunning, and happy as clams. The ceremony was held poolside, followed by a cocktail hour. I met two of their very good friends, Maryanne and Bart, and it turned out we had many things in common, so I enjoyed their company. To make things even better, the three of us were seated at our own table for dinner. Talk about serendipity!

The meal was lovely and the conversation even better. I will be keeping in touch with Maryanne and Bart. Good people. Charlotte and Sam took to the dance floor, still looking fabulous and absolutely perfect in the lovely setting, which was accompanied by a wonderful guitarist.

I was the first to leave, as my car showed up at 10:30, but that was fine. I was exhausted by the trip down and from running around Ft. Lauderdale. By the time I got back to KellyB's, she was half-zonked on the couch, so I threw on my jammies and watched some old episodes of "Roseanne" and "Designing Women" until sleep came.

Michael the ghost had already left for campus by the time I got up (and it was early for me, 9am on a Sunday!), so KellyB and I deserted JT and Woody and had breakfast at a local diner before I headed to the airport. It was sad to leave my friends, but we're planning more get togethers in the future and until then, there's always email and the phone. (Michael, by the way, is not a professional student but an actual professor at Nova, taking advantage of the educational opportunities outside his field that the university offers. Just so you know.)

Weather conditions in the Northeast delayed my trip home, but I was very happy to be greeted by my three insane cats, and happier still to climb into bed with them and the remote, catching up on purr time and on the shows I'd taped while I was away. It's nice to travel, but as Dorothy said, "There's no place like home." Well, except for Paris.

posted by Hopster @ 1:13 PM