Day 18 – Thursday

Well, my last full day. What will it be like? Who knows and what difference does it make? It is what it is. As friend Vicki reminds me, “Life is too short - live life while life lives within you." Good advice for all. On top of this comes an interesting e-mail from friend, Barbara, a most happy resident of Hawaii for years and former colleague at BMMS:

Sounds like you've had a great trip - good weather, good friends, good foods, good exercise, good experiences....this is what it's all about !....I find it interesting that you have FINALLY come to appreciate living at the beach !...even if it is Florida ! hahahah....You would love it over here - it's so much nicer with more mountains and greenery...amazing flora and fauna !...and so many DIFFERENT kinds of people !...Sure there are some that look like you - but the blend of all the other Asians, South Pacific islanders, Europeans, military types....it's a never-ending parade of people and foods and holidays and events !...Except that your family is on that side of the country, you should look at our beachside condos before you buy over there !...You could be right at the base of Diamond Head !...with Waikiki to your right, ritzy Kahala to your left, the Kapiolani Park (like Central Park) behind you and the aqua blue Pacific in front of you !...
Your diary entries were quite descriptive - and you'll have them to flashback on once you're back in familiar Peekskill, NY !...Just remember - you don't have to move & live there forever...give FL 5 years and then head west....try the desert, the Rockies, Portland, OR....America is full of really fine places

Very tempting indeed. Can you imagine? It’s bad enough attempting to try and slip down the eastern seacoast just two hours away let alone halfway around the world. Then we have the practicalities of cost of living and HI reciprocating the no-state-tax benefit on my pension. I doubt it….but I do love that description of what “could be.”
I think today I’ll take advantage of Mr. Sun and get one last dose before heading back north. As I write this, here is what I read for the forecast from NYC at Upton, NY:

Today...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 50s. Light and variable winds...becoming south 10 to 15 mph this afternoon.


Tonight...Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain and snow in the evening... Then rain after midnight. Lows in the mid 30s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 90 percent.


Friday...Rain. Highs in the upper 40s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.


Friday Night...Rain. Lows in the upper 30s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80 percent.


Saturday...Cloudy. Rain likely in the morning...then a chance of rain in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 50s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.


Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain in the evening...then partly cloudy after midnight. Lows in the mid 30s. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Perhaps you caught key words like “chance of rain”, “snow” “30’s”??? Yessireejaybob, here I come. That’s it for now. More later as my day unfolds. Carpe Diem.

The cloud cover approached around 11 am but not before I snuck in another couple of hours of sunning. I took Mya, Zahni, and Zane to their dental appointment. Lunch was at Crabby Joe’s out on the deck and then back for just another hour or so of sun at the pool. In a few minutes, I’m leaving for Via Genovese for my ‘last supper.’ Pizza!!!


Well, here it is…the end of (another) perfect day. Truly enjoyable and except for that which hangs over my head….returning to ‘the way it was,’ I’ve had a truly wonderful experience. I’m packed and tomorrow will try to sun before the 11:00 a.m. checkout. I’ll visit P&M and the kids one more time to say good bye, maybe have some lunch and take off from there. It’s I-95 north for the 7 hour trip or 700 miles whichever comes first before bedding down for the night. Lots of ‘think’ time and a good time to reflect on what turned out to be a better than expected trip with loads of good memories and introspective thinking. Reality next week includes at least 14 computer jobs and, in just April alone, 8 airport trips. Will ponder the future of those activities as well. Not that I'm into fishing, but the following photo taken this morning says it all.



Yup, the fella is fishing. His pole is stuck in the sand way to the left and not seen in the photo but that's just the way you'll find him; happy and content.
For more photos taken during my stay, pleas click on the link below and enjoy.

http://picasaweb.google.com/acharlie/ShotsOfDaytonaBeachFL/photo#s5185225353594605458