Quick Trips

When out-of-state visitors come, we take them to Blue Springs, the Space Center, “The Attractions” and St. Augustine. For our own little 2-day getaways we go to Flagler Beach or Cocoa Beach and Cocoa Village (because they are close and they are the only places we know to go to).

Recently our son invited us to travel with him to Ft. Myers as he had business near there. We left from his home near Melbourne on a Thursday and arrived before noon.

After checking into our hotel and having lunch, Jess drove us about three blocks to the Edison Institute complex. While he was taking care of business, we took a guided tour (with an old gal older than me who was both knowledgeable and hilarious) through Edison’s botanical gardens where we found just about every tree that grows in tropical climates. Having never been to Hawaii and never been “leied” there, we had never seen frangipani blossoms or many of the other exotic trees and bushes. Sherlock Holmes would have heen ecstatic to discover all the trees with poisonous bark, berries, or seeds!

The Edison and Ford homes were interesting and lucky to be standing as 3 trees between them, as well as a big part of
the Edison wharf (pier? I still dom’t know the difference) fell victim to a big storm earlier this year. The Ford home retains the original roof. The porches were wonderful wrap around structures, the precursors to “air conditioning”.

At the Edison laboratory and museum across McGregor Boulevard, we saw the largest banyan tree in the United States, one of the largest in the world. We walked through it from several directions.

In the museum, Max was especially interested in the beautiful 1927 Cadillac, one of the first Model T trucks, and a 1929 Model A such as Max once owned when it was far from new. I was especially interested in a gold plated samovar given to Mr. Edison by Czar Nicholas of Russia.
It was a nice walk back to the hotel which had beautiful gardens, a good restaurant overlooking the something-hootchie river (I am long past being embarrassed by my disnomia), and other business and personal amenities including a spa, where Max and I were treated to therapeutic massages Friday morning. That night, though, we had an unexpected treat, when son Jess drove about 10 miles south of the hotel to the Bell Tower Plaza where we enjoyed a great meal at the Bistro 41. I have discovered mimosas in Florida and theirs are very good. The unexpected part was seeing hundreds of little trick-or-treaters in adorable costumes, and hearing some good music in the center of the mall.

On the way back to Melbourne the next day, we stopped and shopped at two flea markets. The wind had picked up and I was chilly and a nice golden brown sweater just materialized for me at only $2. Naturally I bought it.

We got back in time to get in the old Lumina and made it to Lake Helen and on home by dark.

It’s been 42 years since we’ve been to Sarasota. That has been a planned get away for the last 3 years, but we haven’t made it yet. It’s on my list for my birthday in February.

Because I am no longer able to drive due to near blindness, and because Max makes both of us nervous wrecks when he drives any distance, I “depend on the kindness of others”, even if they are not strangers. In January I’ll finally get to see the Keys when my snowbird friends come down from Indiana.

I’m open to suggestions for December!