14 April 2024
I arrived at Joel and Keith’s at 5 pm and we loaded the Jeep with them, Maureen and Andy – Joel and Kieth’s dog walking friends. After getting to the Pillars Hotel, we were offered complimentary champagne (as usual) and we were promptly seated at 5:30. It was great company and great fun and great food. Yelena took care of us all night and we were not rushed at all.
Maureen owned a restaurant in the Bahamas and she’s an excellent chef in her own right. She often cooks for 10 or more in the dog walking group at her house. I was a little concerned she would be critical of the food but she said it was cooked perfectly. I had the filet mignon with watermelon salad. Joel had the cauliflower soup with sea bass, Keith had the veal chop with cauliflower soup, Maureen had Bronzino and watermelon salad, and Any had sea bass with cauliflower soup. We all ordered desserts. We were well stuffed at the end.
We left a little before 8 pm and I got home around 8:45. The reason I was so late there was a lot going on the beach and the traffic was snarled. It took us 30 minutes to go 1/2 mile.
Either it was the late coffee or I had too much on my mind but I didn’t get much sleep last night – 5 1/2 hours. I got out of bed a little after 6 am and was on my walk before 8. I knew I wouldn’t do well today. My foot drop was bad and my stamina was terrible but I did manage 1.2 miles.
On the way back, I passed one of the offshoots of my stag horn fern.
This one hanging in an oak tree two houses west of me is an offshoot of mine. Originally I gave it to Stephen and Nicole (two houses east of me) but they needed to remove the tree from which it was hanging and they gave it to Rian.
Even though mine is the parent plant, it’s much smaller. I never had a tree big enough from which to hang it so it’s stayed pretty small. It’s an epiphyte (living on another plant) but it seems to do quite well in an old pot I had laying around the house.
Today I go to lunch with Daryl and Bill at their place at The Vi, a retirement village they moved to about a year ago. They kept inviting me and first cancer and then Covid prevented me. I’m finally making the trip today. I look forward to seeing them – it’s been over a year. Daryl taught on South Campus with me for around 30 years. She was next door to me for most of that time. She retired from the college before I did and has certainly enjoyed her retirement. Bill is retiring this year.
Stay tuned!