It was two weeks ago that we left the winter of the Midwest for the balmy weather of Ft. Lauderdale. It was interesting to watch the ground below on our flight from Savoy to Chicago, as it looked like a black and white photo. Everything was white, covered with snow, except for the grayish-black of the roads, stands of trees, and waterways. It was unusual not to see the fertileness of the region, but our soil needs its rest too.
Our ultimate destination was the Solstice of the Celebrity Cruise Line, but we left early to spend a day with Bob’s best friend from high school, an Irishman named John. I had met him only one other time, at Bob’s 50th high school reunion, which is when Bob also renewed his contact.
Bob and John are similar in size and both sport incredible heads of white hair. One person even asked me if they were brothers. John is an attorney who has his own financial consulting business and has called Florida home for the last 25 years. He was a great guide.
We started the day, 72 degrees and sunny, with an airboat ride through the Everglades, the largest wetlands in the lower 48 states. I was so surprised to learn that it is actually a river--a shallow, slow-moving freshwater river nearly fifty miles wide. It is alive with vegetation and creatures of all kinds. On our boat ride, we mostly passed next to sawgrass (and were told to keep our arms in the boat so they wouldn’t be cut by its serrated, razor-edged blades) and mangroves, native trees that are an important part of the ecosystem (often called “walking trees” as their tangled roots appear to be standing or walking on the water). We saw the usual blue heron, white ibis, and egret, but were also introduced to the common moorhen, purple gallinule and others. Raccoons came to the shore to greet us, and we spotted numerous alligators sunning on rocks. We also found a large iguana who blended quite well into the stick he was on.
Hungry from the fresh air, we headed for lunch at a lovely restaurant overlooking the ocean, but first we drove down Ocean Boulevard. The sandy beach and beautiful blue water looked very inviting. On a wall in front of the beach, we saw the funniest sight of the day. A man and his Great Dane were sitting side-by-side--the dog was resting exactly like a person with his bottom on the wall, his arms in the air, and his hind feet on the ground. Before we could get a photo, the light turned green.
At lunch it was humorous listening to the guys talk about high school in the 50’s. There was much talk of the “good” and “bad” girls, until it finally dawned on them that afternoon that many of the girls were doing all the same things! John kept saying, “But, I put her up on a pedestal.”
With our thirst and hunger satisfied, John drove us to Las Olas, their Rodeo Drive. We window shopped, and also enjoyed many additional dog sightings. At one outdoor café sat a man, woman, and dog--each in a chair around a table--and the people were feeding the dog the pepperoni off of the pizza. I was glad I wasn’t going to be with that dog that night…his poor tummy.
Time to call it a day, and a blessed one it was. Spending the day with your best friend from high school...it can't be beat.
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