PALM BEACH, FLORIDA

On our trip, we visited with lovely friends in Palm Beach, Florida. I did not now it, but soon realized we were on an island. The beautiful gift giving Atlantic Ocean was viewed on one side of the deck and if you turned you viewed the Intra Coastal Waterway.  “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink,”

Everyday we saw something new. One day we happened upon a shell shop. Now this was not your ordinary shell shop, this one is totally distinctive in a very creative approach. We happened back to the shell shop for photographs the next day and the owner allowed us to go back into the garden and workshop where they made some of their unusual items for sale in the front of the store. Palm Beach has something for everyone even in the pouring, pounding rain.

Shell hunting on the beach proved to be so much fun. We felt 5 years old again. Each new find was miraculous and surprising. Since the sea yielded up so many free shell gifts, we stopped to get a glass container to display them. We decided against the Steuben glass bowls on display at the Breakers Hotel gift shop and on our way to another outing on Worth Avenue we hoped to get something for a better price.  Instead we found a pair of earrings that were the most dramatic babbles I have ever experienced. The problem is that they were too heavy. You could only wear them for a short time and would not get your money’s worth, in my humble opinion. The price is $50,000 and if you are interested I will give you the name and exact location of the jewelry shop. After pricing a few more bowls for our shell display we stopped off at the Good Will and low and behold there stood a most perfect tall glass container for the bold price of $2.99. The deed was done, looks perfect with space for many more excursions on the beach for shell collections.

One morning we went to Charlie G’s for breakfast. I think that is the name. It is situated along the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. They must have the very best breakfasts in the world, I thought to myself, because the line wrapped around the buildings. It was raining and I wondered why anyone would stand in line in the first place, and stand in line in the rain for the second. The line went fairly fast and once inside you become quickly aware of why everyone was waiting in a long line in the rain. The food is piled high on the plates and is just delicious.  It does not compare with any other breakfasts I have ever experienced. Just a little glimpse is for you to imagine your favorite French toast dish smeared with creamy cream cheese and put together like a giant sandwich heaped up and put down in front of your watering mouth. OMG! The bacon is not to be believed. The coffee is great and there is something to be said about being in an environment where everyone is lip smacking(ly) enjoying their food to the utmost.

We were very fortunate to have such lovely friends to invite us to this part of the world and hope to go back and spend more time there in the future.

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I feel like telling you that First Class airline seating is a crock today. Maybe it is the wonder of flying, but today it is a crock.  I took Diane’s advice and shelled out the extra bucks for the first seats in the first class section for a flight across the Unites States.  Diane guess what, there were two ladies in back of me that were so totally irritating and when they included the lady across the way in their conversations, the sounds became unbearable. Their voices collectively and individually were piercing. I actually thought one was a man; a 300-pound man was my take until I turned around and saw an unattractive woman to match the voice. What a surprise. The two women directly behind me did not take a break from talking for the full 5-hour flight and the one directly behind me kept banging and kicking into my chair. Dear God, I had a headache and felt battered and beaten with words. I love words, all kinds of words, almost every word you can think of, but I hated their words, all of them. The way they said them, the way they kept up the banter, and I just wanted to yell. I kept thinking they would at least take a break during the drink service but no they did not even take the time to breath, they just kept talking. I didn’t turn around, but I am certain they talked with their mouths loaded.

Shame on me for my total lack of compassion for my fellow travelers, after all, we are all in the same boat, I mean plane. Finally, after about a full hour of the lady directly behind me banging, kicking, slamming my chair, opening and closing the tray table and heaven knows what else, I turned around and said, “Please.”  “Oh, I am sorry,” she said, but she never stopped talking on and on and on. They were so obnoxious I felt like I was going to throw up, but got the bright idea just in time to ask for the earphones given by the airline so that you can enjoy their selections of music. Whew!!

I had the earphones in place and that didn’t even stop the lady behind me. She stuck her hand through the little space between the seats, tapped me on the shoulder to ask what we were seeing as we passed over snow covered mountains and the unique topography of the Rockies. By this time I was so very annoyed at having no peace whatsoever the whole trip so far, I said I didn’t know, but I really did. It was a beautiful sight to see the Rockies with her tops covered with snowcaps. There was some dusting on the sides, but solid on the tops. It is an awesome sight to see these mountains stretch on for quite awhile. I imagined the pioneers in covered wagons trying to pass, or for that matter anyone who would be passing through these mountains any other way than flying. I remember our classroom had a Trucker Buddy named Joe who drove from Oneida New York in a Wall-Mart truck to visit us. I worried about him the whole time. He came in June so perhaps there was not as much snow. He made it to see us and made it home safely two years in a row. I have great admiration for Joe and my hats of to all the truckers across the world

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“MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES.”

Definition:

To do something while you have the time to do it.

To take an opportunity to do something when the time and conditions are near perfect or available.

To take advantage of a brief opportunity while it is still there. (To not waste time.)

The saying quoted here originates from farming communities. Often there would be a short or brief time in which the hay would be ready to cut. If reaped too soon the hay would be too green. To reap too late, there is risk that rain will come and it will be ruined.

I personally think it was a more than luck the day I had occasion to meet only briefly a lady who talked about the travels we were taking and said “Well, I see you are, Making hay while the sun shines.”  I thank her for getting it right and she was off in one direction and I in another.

I have been asked, “Why do you travel so much?” Don’t you think you should leave more time between trips?”  “What are you running from?” “Aren’t you content home?” or my least favorite, “Why aren’t you happy?” None of those reasons ring true and I did not have an answer except that I love to travel, albeit more than my partner, but still he goes and he gets there has sometimes, more fun that I do. I get energized and all my aches and pains disappear when traveling, but still that is not the answer.

The answer is really and truly; “We are making hay while the sun shines.”  It is as simple as that and it took me months to figure a proper real true answer for the questions some have asked. Thank you for asking, because the answer was so simple, so hard to uncover.

So you see Making Hay While the Sun Shines is not just an expression, it is a reality.

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