More Miami...

This is my Mother's back yard, and the yard where I spent my youth. Where the pool is now, there used to be a play set with swings, and a slide, etc... and there are pictures of Aaron and I hanging on one another like monkeys and sticking our tongues out at my mother, making the picture. There used to be mango trees, avocado, banana, orange, grapefruit, and key lime trees too, but blights and hurricanes have taken them all but a couple of mango trees and the avocado tree. This yard is truly a piece of heaven.
a piece of heaven...
so, here's a fun story, thanks to facebook. On New Year's eve, I was sitting in my little blue house, alone, and was on facebook, just idly being a voyeur... when all of the sudden, I got a ping from Anita (shown here with her husband Frank), and Jane. Jane used to live across the street from me when I was growing up, and she and my mother were very close. Jane and Anita were the best of friends and so the three ladies spent some time together, well, actually for many years. Anita and Frank have 2 daughters and Jane and Gene have 2 sons and a daughter, and we're all relatively close in age, all of us within 10 years of each other... so, back to NYE... Anita and Jane and I were all drinking wine and we proceeded to have an hour long messaging session that culminated with me promising to visit Anita when I got into Miami. Weird right, having drunk fun with my Mother's old friends, but well, that's what facebook is all about... so when I got to Miami, I called Anita and invited myself over.
I had a great time over there and we even got silly enough to stand with a gap between us, so we could insert Jane into the mix, hahaha!!! we're so clever when we're drinking!
here's their cat, whose name I forget, but should be named cheerio, because he loves to chase them! hahaha, check it out!
yup, he was the cheerio king!
now I'm starting to get put of order, and just rambling, but I did so much down there in Miami, that my sequencing is muddling... anyhoo, here's Sheila getting some puppy love from my Mother. I learned to love animals from this woman. I would bring home all sorts of strays and she would inevitably say ok to keeping them. She's always so kind with them and animals live forever in her house. We had a cat that was older than my brother for 21 years, we used to tease him and tell him that his older sister, the cat, not me, got more attention than he did! hahaha...
Here's my mother being playful. Look at the mirth in her eyes... yup, that's where I get mine too... she was a tough Mom and I was a rotten kid, but my play, my love of all things silly and my easy way is directly from her... she's nutty, but she's fun! Love you Mom!!
Hahaa, here's my Mom and Samantha's Dad joking around at The Palace. The Palace is the assisted living home that both my Bubba and Samantha's grandfather live. My Bubba calls it the Prison, but you know, I kind of agree with her, it's like a college dorm with all single rooms, and although you should be sunsetting gracefully into the sweet here after, there's always someone asking you if you're ok, who's probably a quarter of your age, and well, of course you're not ok, you can no longer live on your own, and you're old, and your mind or body, or both are heading south, rapidly... it's tough. That said, I think that the Palace (the Prison) is a great opportunity, and my Bubba is lucky to have the money to live in assisted living.
We were listening to a lady cover Benny Goodman showtunes in the common area after an Italian dinner, on a Thursday evening. Life is good. Bubba said no pictures so this is the only one I got... she's so sassy sometimes!!
Back at home, Samantha made some pictures of my Mom and I being, my Mom and I...
I like this one...
the next afternoon, before I left Miami, I wanted to get a picture of us made my way (arms outstretched and doing it myself... Here I am testing light, usually I just erase these tests because I most often look like a moron, but I like this one...
aah, Mom, you're so awesome, but why do I have more gray hair than you do... Miami was so warm (and sometimes cold!!) and wonderful. I need to get down there more often... it's a whole 'nother world down there!
Cheers!