Day 17 – Wednesday

Another day slipped by; everything outside my balcony view remains the same; the never ending roar of the waves, different directions, different intensities….always the same, always different. Sunrise is earlier and for the last couple of days I have not seen the sun until it climbs above the clouds on the horizon. But once out….you feel it’s presence.

The intensity of both heat and light is so much different on the beach. And no matter what time it is, you look out and there are the walkers, the joggers, the Beach Patrol and you know the day has begun. Then there are the local regulars who drive and park on the beach near the sea walls, set up their poles in holders pushed deep into the sand, cast away, and then stand and watch for hours on end. They are there at the same time AND the same place each day. The tide is usually out when I awake. At about 3 pm it’s up and leaving it’s darkened mark on the otherwise dried, packed powdered travel lanes. Soon the pick ups, SUV, and ATV will be going back and forth.

I didn’t walk today due to a tiny blister on my toe…not from walking but from the beach type sandals that irritated. Instead I got an early start on sunning and by noon had enough. I traveled to the restaurant Mya and I had lunch the other day down in Ponce Inlet called “North Turn”

http://www.racingsnorthturn.com/aboutus.html More time to sit and bask in the sun with my Half Moon draft beer…with orange slice. After lunch I walked the traffic free beach for awhile and once again got a view of the type of condo I’m looking for. It’s got to face due east and have a balcony larger than those I’ve seen so far. Certainly room for at least three or four persons.

Everyone I’ve seen down here from beach goers to folks in the shops and stores seem to be the same. This is why I haven’t spent time dwelling on the humans….like I said I would on Day 1. All service people, employees in stores have all be very nice and super friendly. I walked into Publix to pick up some goodies and every male coming in with me or leaving looked just like me…..I looked for pods that perhaps brought them all here in those trucks with the wooden sides and racks. Their heads were not enlarged, so I had nothing to fear. All had gray/white hair, probably my age, same shapes, same heights (no comments needed here, but thanks anyway). On the beach? Same thing. FYI, yes, this country has more than its share of obese people. I never saw so many congregating in one place. Oh yes, there are those who make you comment to yourself, “that person shouldn't be wearing a bathing suit.” The young (under 25) are trim and fit; great bodies. If they are over 25 but under forty, there are two or three tiny people running into the surf and then turning and screaming as they run out when the surf decides to chase them back to mommy or daddy. Practically all are couples, young and old. Anyone by themselves is usually the active jogger or speed walker who looks determined and with an agenda. Then there are those walking and holding hands. Always a nice thing to see at any age. At this time and in this place, the entire month of April is Spring Break time. Some one is always off from school be they college kids or public school kids. A very nice group of people down here. Even the ones I’ve notice coming and going from this motel. My housekeeper, Star, showed me one room that was left terribly dirty and messed up. We both wondered what their home must look like if they left a room in this condition. Today would be the last day I’d see Star. She’s off Thursdays and Fridays. I ran back into my room to hand her what I thought was an appropriate amount for a tip….it has been or will be 15 days that I’ve been here, after all. Well, you would have thought I gave her a million. She protested at accepting, said it wasn’t necessary, then gave me a big hug and a God Bless. That was kinda neat. Star is married, in her mid-forties, has a daughter, and spoke with an accent that I couldn’t place but guessed European. Who knows. When I saw that trashed room I told her she didn’t have to do my room…skip it a day; she refused saying my room was the easiest of all. The only thing she had to do for me was make the bed, vacuum, and replace the towels. Even I could do that.
Tonight for dinner we went to La Mariachi, a new Mexican restaurant. Food was good; just like the fare you’d expect in any Mexican restaurant. More food that will make a new comer feel at home because it tastes just like home.
Ahhh home; it looms in the distance with tomorrow my last full day, tomorrow night my “last supper.” P&M asked what I would like as my last meal. Answer? Won’t tell until tomorrow night. Add a comment and tell me what I chose.