Saturday, February 14, 2009 - Valentine's Day
I have a cold - lucky me - my ears hurt, my head is full and I can't stop coughing. My whine for the day.
It was a very slow morning. We each got up and made our way to the pool deck. It was a glorious day - warm, clear and just enough wind to keep the sun from feeling too hot.
After a Valentine's Day breakfast Mark and Pat (or Ann and John depending on who is calling them) and Helene and I walked over to the Highlands Beach Club (just across A1A) and made our way down to the beach. Pat/Ann (or is it Jane?) finally had a first hand taste of 'her' ocean south. Pat and Helene went into the water while Mark and I walked along the shore. The water looked beautiful - calm and blue - it was a perfect day.
Well perfect for those that like sand and sun and sweat. So after a bit I headed home while the other three kept on going.
When we finally regrouped we packed the Mini and headed to Palm Beach with a short stop at Walgreens to get some antibiotics for me.
Driving through the various communities along Ocean Drive was eye popping. First it was fun to be in the Mini convertible on such a beautiful day. The homes, the manicured grounds and the ocean peeking out from the east and the Intercoastal waterway from the west made the drive interesting and special.
Dolores (our GPS) kept trying to take us to I-95 - she likes to get us there quickly - but we made her recalculate numerous times as we insisted on sticking to SR (Stage Route) A1A.
After about an hour of poking along the highway we made it to Palm Beach and Worth Avenue. This section of Worth is filled with designer stores - Gucci, Choo, Tiffany. You name it and there was a sign for it. There are many street front stores but every once in a while there would be an opening to a square 'behind' the street where there would be more stores and restaurants - very Spanish. At one of these stores Pat found little dresses that would be perfect for her granddaughters but decided that $400 per dress was a just a bit too much.
We found a n ice little Italian restaurant with a patio and had a glass of wine and a pizza. Just a snack to hold us over.
When that was done we headed back out to the street to window shop. For some reason I ended up walking (strolling - I never walk fast to begin with and I was trying to 'put in some time') alone down Worth.
As I walked by a store I noticed, up ahead, a man in a straw hat and baggy khakis animatedly talking to two young boys - probably 10 or 11 years old. As I got closer I heard him say we like larger stages because we like to spread out over the whole stage. I still didn't recognize him but because I am an addicted people watcher I slowed down even more. Then a young girl walked up to him and asked him if he would take a picture with her. He gently said sure - is there someone that can take the picture - her father or grandfather (this is Florida you can never tell!) stepped up and took the picture. By this time I was gawking trying to figure out who this was.
But when he smiled for the picture I figured it out - bottom teeth and jaw protruding - I was breathing the same air as The Boss - Bruce Springsteen.
As he finished taking the picture Patty came out of a store and they wandered down the street. By this time Helene and Pat and Mark had shown up and they stood gawking right along with me.
I've never really cared for Springsteen's music but my estimation of him as a human being went way up. He was engaging and decent with these kids. He seemed relaxed and when some people came up to him to shake his hand or as we stood and just looked at him he didn't seem to mind - he just went along with it - shaking hands and smiling back at us.
It was a nice encounter.
Dinner was at Gary and Vinnie's home. They are Jack and Tammy's friends who are renting the house that Jack and Tammy built a year or two ago. They are waiting to move into their new home which is just a few houses down the street from where Jack and Tammy live now.
The house is spectacular, backing onto the Intercoastal and with enough rooms to house a small army division
It was a very slow morning. We each got up and made our way to the pool deck. It was a glorious day - warm, clear and just enough wind to keep the sun from feeling too hot.
After a Valentine's Day breakfast Mark and Pat (or Ann and John depending on who is calling them) and Helene and I walked over to the Highlands Beach Club (just across A1A) and made our way down to the beach. Pat/Ann (or is it Jane?) finally had a first hand taste of 'her' ocean south. Pat and Helene went into the water while Mark and I walked along the shore. The water looked beautiful - calm and blue - it was a perfect day.
Well perfect for those that like sand and sun and sweat. So after a bit I headed home while the other three kept on going.
When we finally regrouped we packed the Mini and headed to Palm Beach with a short stop at Walgreens to get some antibiotics for me.
Driving through the various communities along Ocean Drive was eye popping. First it was fun to be in the Mini convertible on such a beautiful day. The homes, the manicured grounds and the ocean peeking out from the east and the Intercoastal waterway from the west made the drive interesting and special.
Dolores (our GPS) kept trying to take us to I-95 - she likes to get us there quickly - but we made her recalculate numerous times as we insisted on sticking to SR (Stage Route) A1A.
After about an hour of poking along the highway we made it to Palm Beach and Worth Avenue. This section of Worth is filled with designer stores - Gucci, Choo, Tiffany. You name it and there was a sign for it. There are many street front stores but every once in a while there would be an opening to a square 'behind' the street where there would be more stores and restaurants - very Spanish. At one of these stores Pat found little dresses that would be perfect for her granddaughters but decided that $400 per dress was a just a bit too much.
We found a n ice little Italian restaurant with a patio and had a glass of wine and a pizza. Just a snack to hold us over.
When that was done we headed back out to the street to window shop. For some reason I ended up walking (strolling - I never walk fast to begin with and I was trying to 'put in some time') alone down Worth.
As I walked by a store I noticed, up ahead, a man in a straw hat and baggy khakis animatedly talking to two young boys - probably 10 or 11 years old. As I got closer I heard him say we like larger stages because we like to spread out over the whole stage. I still didn't recognize him but because I am an addicted people watcher I slowed down even more. Then a young girl walked up to him and asked him if he would take a picture with her. He gently said sure - is there someone that can take the picture - her father or grandfather (this is Florida you can never tell!) stepped up and took the picture. By this time I was gawking trying to figure out who this was.
But when he smiled for the picture I figured it out - bottom teeth and jaw protruding - I was breathing the same air as The Boss - Bruce Springsteen.
As he finished taking the picture Patty came out of a store and they wandered down the street. By this time Helene and Pat and Mark had shown up and they stood gawking right along with me.
I've never really cared for Springsteen's music but my estimation of him as a human being went way up. He was engaging and decent with these kids. He seemed relaxed and when some people came up to him to shake his hand or as we stood and just looked at him he didn't seem to mind - he just went along with it - shaking hands and smiling back at us.
It was a nice encounter.
Dinner was at Gary and Vinnie's home. They are Jack and Tammy's friends who are renting the house that Jack and Tammy built a year or two ago. They are waiting to move into their new home which is just a few houses down the street from where Jack and Tammy live now.
The house is spectacular, backing onto the Intercoastal and with enough rooms to house a small army division
Labels: Ocean Drive, Palm Beach, Springsteen
posted by Cyril Kesten at 6:49 AM
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