Day 472 - John!

Whoo hoo! I made it to the beach! John picked me up around 1400 & we drove off in his Avalanche to the beach. I noticed the cd hanging from his rearview mirror had the Barbados flag on it. I asked him if he’d been there before. He informed me that he was FROM there! I told him, ‘NO WAY! I’m going there in a week’s time!’ He jokingly told me he couldn’t be my friend anymore & why hadn’t I told him that yet?! No wonder he’s such a nice guy!

We visited about his 2 sons & life in Florida, his Mother & growing up in Barbados… Before I knew it, we were at the beach. It was a cool day, but certainly still warm enough for me! We walked up the beach & I happily snapped photos of the jellyfish, seagulls, pier & beach-goers of the day. John educated me on the buildings we passed, who owned what & so forth. After we’d walked far enough, we returned to the truck & headed down the ‘ritzy road’. We passed Mar Lago – Donald Trump’s place & also the church where he most recently married. I was amazed at the number of mansions! Where on earth do people find all of their money? These places are colossal! With groomed hedges & lawns, perfectly painted buildings, statues, fancy cars… The list is endless!

We drove past the building where the creator of Slim-Fast owns several floors. John worked for him at some point & said he was a really admirable man. We drove downtown West Palm Beach – the names are all escaping me & I’m not online to google it, so please forgive me!

It was a brilliant way to spend the afternoon & I would have never guessed that I would have made such a wonderful & kind friend that first night when I offered a smile & friendly hello to John. I promised him I would send a postcard from Barbados when I arrived.

After supper, as per usual, I filled Jaco in on my day’s events. It’s officially 2 weeks until I see him now! Yay! We’re both tired of poor phone connections & not seeing each other.

I visited the sauna & went to bed, careful not to wake up my roommate. My guts woke me up last night & I’m pretty sure they woke her up too. We haven’t officially met yet, but I’m already embarrassed. Whose guts rumble so loud they wake you up? Oh dear. I suppose with all the enemas & stuff happening it’s to be expected? No? Well, it was worth a try!

xxxxMaria

Another sunny day in WPB!

Playin' in the sand

Beautiful beach day!

Gull

Sand Castle

John, my friend from Barbados!

Father & son on the beach

The waves & the pier

Jellyfish!

Oceanfront property

Jellyfish again!

The creator of Slim Fast owns a large part of this property

I like the colour scheme/architecture

Day 456 - And We're Off! Well, I Am!

I was quite happy that I decided to drive to the city last night & stay at Mom2’s. It was a lot less stressful & I actually slept in a little! I was happy to have one last snuggle with the girls before I left them behind. **sniff, sniff**

My flight was at 1300, so we left for the airport shortly after 1000. Mom2 is getting the hang of picking me up & dropping me off at the airport. The first time it was $18 in parking charges, so now she drops me off & has made friends with the security fellows as to when to pick me up.

The first leg of the flight was to Houston. I was mildly upset, as Mike, Jenn’s husband, was in Houston for training & I couldn’t even get out to see him! Drat!

I spotted some fellows with plenty of pelican cases & assumed they were photographing/videoing something. Sure enough, I questioned them when we got to Houston & they were working for the BBC doing a documentary on extreme weather patterns around the world. They had just left Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories & were headed for Buenos Aires, Argentina.

I also met another couple that never had children & were traveling to Antarctica, Chile & Argentina for 6 weeks. (!!) They had been to South America previously & loved it so much they decided to go back. I LOVE to hear of people’s decision to travel to Antarctica. You can’t help but fall in love with Mother Nature when you travel there. It stirs something in your soul & never lets go completely. Of course, Africa is the same. As is Europe. As I type this in the Caribbean, there’s something about the blue-green waters & white sand of the tropical regions of the world. Leave me in Bora Bora or Yasawa or Barbados any day. Sigh. I do love to travel… That said, I’m grateful for the safe & uneventful flights I took today!

The flight to West Palm Beach wasn’t too long. Before I knew it, I was collecting my bags & heading outside to look for Alessandra. Who? Alessandra. She is the amazing young woman I met on the Star Princess back in 2007 when we sailed across the Atlantic, throughout Europe & up to the Baltic. She was onboard with her absolutely adorable son, Gianfranco, her parents & her uncle. We ended up on several tours together & I got to know & love them. Alessandra & I kept in touch via email over the years (although miserably on my part!) & this summer, she found me on Facebook. I told her of my health issues & she immediately suggested I come to Hippocrates. When she said it was close by, I didn’t question how close ‘close’ really was. Turns out she lives in Miami & it’s a 2 hour drive! I felt terrible when I realized the distance & I’d asked her if I could stay with her & Gianfranco!

Sure enough, she met me outside the airport & away we went to their home 2 hours away. We had a wonderful visit en route & a chance to catch up on what we’ve been missing these past few years.

Before I knew it, we were turning off the freeway & into a residential area. It was now nearly 0100. We were both tired. She showed me around the house & I tried to be as quiet as possible. Gianfranco was sleeping & her Mother was visiting.

Their home was beautiful! I LOVE her style – but then, I loved her taste in fashion from the day I met her… Of course I’m going to love her home! When it comes time to decorate Jaco & I’s home – WHEN – I know whom I’ll call to help with the décor!

 My head hit the pillow & it was lights out.

xxxxMaria in Miami

Only in Calgary will you find a bootjack at security. I found this hilarious. When I asked if I could take a photo of it, security didn't understand my sense of ha-ha. What's up with that?

Houston Airport.