Day 106, Year 8: West Coast to East Coast
Date: Sunday, February 17, 2013
Weather: Partly Sunny, Cool and Windy
Location: Home of Sue and Brad Cook, Boynton Beach, Florida
Our time in Florida is drawing to a close. Tomorrow night we fly back to South Carolina from the airport in Fort Lauderdale. So today we traveled from Bonita Springs on Florida’s west coast to Boynton Beach on the east coast. We wanted to visit with my sister-in-law Sue and her husband Brad in Boynton Beach and we were fortunate that our friends Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg were driving from the west coast to the east coast today and offered us a ride. They picked us up at Mary Ellen and Lee’s in Bonita Springs and drove us to Plantation (near Fort Lauderdale) where Helaine’s parents live. We were delighted to meet Helaine’s parents, Lillian and Ellsworth. They have followed us around the world by reading our logs and the first thing Lillian said when I told her how nice it was to finally meet her in person was, “But I feel like I already know you.” It is always awe-inspiring to meet people nearing the century mark that are still so mentally sharp and have a sparkle in their eyes. That’s Lillian at 94 years and Ellsworth at a mere 98! Lillian and Ellsworth, we really enjoyed meeting you. You give us hope for our future years.
After our visit with Lillian and Ellsworth, my sister-in-law Sue and her husband Brad drove down from Boynton Beach to pick us up. Sue was married to one of my brothers who died at a very young age. When she remarried, my whole family embraced her new husband Brad as a part of our family and we have remained in close contact over the years. Sue recently tore ligaments in one leg and is having to do a bit of hobbling about, but she is doing really quite well. Ligaments just take a long time to heal. When we got to Sue and Brad’s, Sue’s sister Ginny was there to visit and to help out with dinner preparations. But it’s hard to keep a good woman down and even harder to keep her out of the kitchen. So Sue was up and down making sure all was going as she had planned. We had a fabulous early dinner. It was like Thanksgiving. We had turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, peas, and gravy that Sue made. It was yummy, but we felt guilty every time Sue got up to help. She swears her leg feels better if she doesn’t sit too long at one time. Before and after dinner, Mark worked with Sue to set up her Samsung tablet that was a Christmas present from one of her sons. Mark’s always up for a technical challenge and he was also having fun getting to see how a tablet different from his own works. I’m not sure what is in the plans for tomorrow, but I’ll bet there will be more time spent setting up the tablet. Since the weather has turned so cool, a good indoor activity is what we need.
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| 130217 Day 106 Florida Visit 2013, USA–West Coast to East Coast |
