Earl and I are doing our annual break from Michigan’s winter weather; only instead of taking a cruise this year we decided to rent a condo in Marathon in the Florida Keys. I’ve always resisted being one of those older people who visits Florida in the winter; it seemed so “old” to me. But here I am . . . and really enjoying it.
We’re in a two-story, two-bedroom, two-bath condo where the sun sets directly behind our back porch. We’ve watched it every night and marveled at its consistency; between 6:21 PM and 6:26 PM it plops into the Florida Bay and announces that evening has arrived. We move into low gear, Earl on the couch and me at the computer.
On a cruise ship, we also see the sun set; but it doesn’t signal low gear at all. Instead, it’s time for our four course dinner followed by theater performances or other entertainments. We walk on the Promenade Deck and catch the comedian in one of the lounges. We read the daily paper to learn what’s happening tomorrow.
Here in Marathon, we’re on our own. Nobody fixes dinner for us. We either visit the local supermarket for our own provisions or head to the local raw bar for oysters on the half shell. In the past week, we’ve done both.
There is no entertainment waiting to fill our evening; rather, Earl has read two books and I’ve worked on a manuscript. American Idol has captured my attention, while Earl checks in with Bill O’Reilly just as he does at home.
We’ve three days to go before we need to pack and head north again. But so far, the consensus of opinion is that we would do this again. I’m afraid we’ve actually become the old people I’ve resisted.
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