Prospects are looking good that this will be the last
time we celebrate the annual foodfest that comes with the back-to-back holidays
that start with Thanksgiving and continue on through Christmas and the New
Year. Considered a marathon by many, punctuated by a few short-lived sprints,
it’s a period that includes time set aside for family, friends, business
colleagues and yes, ourselves.
Finding time to hit the pause button and catch up over
shared experiences, Margo and I found respite in the few moments we were able
to set aside for ourselves. It may be the first and the last season we are
spending in our rental cottage while our new home is being constructed and
amongst our own self-inflicted craziness watching a house grow, it was such a
treat to have our family drop by for a week.
Daughter Anna, her husband Erich, and the grandkids Ella,
Evan and Aiden, all took time away from the chilly weather of Colorado to spend
a week with Mom and me. The weather was distinctly warmer than in Colorado yet
winter up in Florida’s panhandle isn’t the same as can be experienced this time
of year further down the peninsula and into the Florida Keys. So much so that
swimming in the pools and beaches near to our rental cottage proved
challenging.
Having a home filled with family was a new experience for
us. Our craziness may have been self-inflicted and we put that to one side and
watched as we just went with the flow. Any preconceptions over how to entertain
the many different and possibly competing agendas dissipated quickly, as the
rhythm of life stepped in and routines were quickly established. A reminder, if
you like, of times Margo and I experienced firsthand decades ago when we each
had a young daughter to raise.
We are barely two months into the construction phase of
our new build and already the speed at which it progresses we find impressive.
We know that there is a master plan and supporting spreadsheets involved, but
there’s no escaping that on a day-to-day basis there are checklists simply
scribbled on surfaces where a Sharpie scrawl suffices.
We have found various such lists scattered around the
house as projects transition between tasks. Given the speed of construction and
the sustained quality visible with each visit, it’s hard to argue against this
mode of construction oversight. It was just this week that we began to see the vision
we had for our house take shape as it happened right before our eyes.
Choosing a single level family house, we were surprised
to see the height of the entrance foyer; it is a lot higher than it appeared on
paper. Somehow this entry in a not-yet-finished house seems more impressive
than the one in the model house. With a height in excess of sixteen feet and a
chandelier that has a drop length of five feet, it will add a little drama to
our barely-customized house.
What to place on the elevated shelf above the door?
Suggestions included a play area for the grandkids complete with a drop-down
rope ladder (quickly nixed), or perhaps a carousel horse (too overbearing) or
just some statue of a bird that looks like it wants to fly out through the
window? How about a half-size replica Indy car as we like black and yellow?
Whatever decision we’ll make, there will be plenty to write about when the house
finally comes into our possession and we make it our home.
Walking into the great room, we can already see the
results of a few minor changes we requested. No faux beams, fancy fans or even
a fireplace but just an open space with a high vaulted ceiling that again, will
accentuate the drama first encountered upon entry.
Where we hope to experience little in the way of drama is
the view from the master bedroom that, when the project wraps up, will include
a view across our future swimming pool and spa to the large pond and reserve
directly behind it. While the pond is still in the early stage of formation
with a little more water (and filtering) to take place, the reserve is a
protected space that builder Minto will leave free of dwellings.
Minto is the builder tasked with completing the first
phase of 3,500 homes, all in the style of Florida’s Keys, with 2,000 having now
been sold. We asked a question of our builder Dave, “Will there be any
alligators that find their way into this pond?” The answer that followed left
us in no doubt. “You can expect to see alligators that maybe reach three or
four feet but, any bigger, and they are relocated into the wild.”
Encouraging words no doubt. As curious as I have always
been about the natural order, I am not in any hurry to come across such
reptiles. With the pool and spa we will also be getting a typical Florida
“birdcage” to mitigate insect attacks, but alligators? Maybe not! They are just
big lizards, right, and back home in Australia, as kids we saw many big lizards
in our backyard.
At this time of year, our business activities ramp up
considerably as clients look to maximize their marketing efforts before the
year runs out. Many of our clients remain quarterly, often even end-of-year
driven and bonuses rest on a successful end to the plans drawn up this time
last year. Safe to say, among the better organized operations of some clients,
it looks like goals set for the business will be met.
What transpires at this time of year is an annual
gathering of team members of the client, near to their offices in Columbus,
Ohio. In the past, we have flown into this city from Denver but now, located in
Florida, we elected to drive. The route included an overnight stay in
Nashville, Tennessee. On the subject of dramatic foyers and great rooms, our
chosen hotel had an atrium reaching up twenty-six stories and we were on the
next to the very top floor, looking down.
As for the view looking north west, it was clear that
Christmas had come to Music City. And with the rain that was falling and the
chill that was in the air, everything looked crisp with reflections in nearby
high-rise buildings mirroring the green and red décor. We had been concerned
about the weather and had made the decision to replace the nearly 3 years’ old,
original, SUV’s tires. It seemed more than prudent at the time; we only
encountered the occasional light rains even as the temperatures quickly dropped
below freezing as we left Florida and headed north.
There’s something about Christmas in the northern
hemisphere that I just never experienced back in my hometown, Sydney,
Australia. On the contrary, watching a traditionally garbed Santa ringing a
bell outside a department store when the temperatures climb into the 90s F, on
hindsight, seems quite ridiculous. I could only dream of what it might be like at
latitudes well to the north, elsewhere on the planet. Let me tell you, there
are times here in the US where those sunny days in Sydney look very attractive.
Together, Margo and I agree on one thing; we’d like to spend some future Christmases
back in Australia.
A quick look at the route between the Florida panhandle
and the state of Ohio revealed that the primary interstate we would be taking
passed right alongside the Corvette Museum, Factory and Race Track. How
serendipitous! On our return trip from Columbus, we decided to drop in to check
it out. This would be the third time we have paid the museum a visit and what
we found was a surprise and not necessarily a good one.
Having not looked at the web site, we were politely
greeted by a door attendant who told us that no, there would be no museum
deliveries to look at given how the venue doesn’t deliver cars on Sundays.
Completely admirable by my books but nevertheless, a little disappointing.
However, it just made us resolute to plan a return visit early next year. Could
our next purchase of a Corvette be a museum delivery? Residing nearby in
Florida then, well, maybe.
Then again, I hear that small voice suggesting, “Why
would we go buy a new Corvette when our C8 Vette has proved to be a perfect one,
experiencing no problems whatsoever?” That small voice, escalating in volume
each time it is spoken, just happens to be Margo’s favorite response when I am
starting to speculate as to which model and color might be our next choice.
No doubt, time will tell. Did I mention the return drive from the museum to Florida (when we visit it again) would take us along the Tail of the Dragon?
Trapsing up and down the east coast at this time of year,
drifting in and out of time zones that for us made little sense, confused us
more than once. Florida panhandle is on Central Time whereas Columbus is on
East Coast Time. Surely, everything west of the Appalachian Mountains should be
Central Time – how did Ohio make it into a time zone we associate with the
watery Atlantic? Then again, this was all determined at a time when politics
and industry influenced where the lines were drawn.
It was executives from a number of railway companies that
met in Chicago and cut the country up the way it now exists. It is a lesser-known
fact that it was North American railway executives (well, led by a Canadian, in
fact) who first introduced the concept of time zones that eventually made it
into the worldview we enjoy today. This included choosing the Greenwich
meridian as the Prime Meridian, marking the zero-degree longitude line for time
calculations. So yes, blame the mess we have today on executives looking to
sync their railway schedules.
A train ride, anyone?
Christmas in Latitude Margaritaville Water Sound (LMWS)
is proving to be wholeheartedly supported by residents. Wherever there is a
hanging branch or a cluster of palm trees, the decorations quickly appear.
Margo and I can assure you that there was nothing on display early in December when
we left for Columbus, Ohio, but on our return? The Christmas decorations had
made their appearance turning night into a colorful display. Thinking back to
my time in Sydney, we may not all share in the experience of Christmas (as I have
to believe that cultures everywhere do relate to and celebrate the dead of
winter one way or another), but it’s hard to ignore the arrival of the light
shows that draw us in year after year.
For Margo and me, of late it’s been a private time. Grandkids
were very often spending Christmas with Erich’s family. We have now decided,
starting next year, that we will alternate each Christmas - with them one year
and they, with Erich’s family, the next.
In 2025 our grandkids will be off to Minnesota without us and then, in 2026, we will most likely be celebrating Christmas with them in Colorado. The Florida panhandle at Christmas is too cold to enjoy a beach swim even for the hardy folks from Colorado. Spring, summer and fall is best if you want to swim in the ocean or our pool. As with all plans that extend beyond a calendar year, nothing is set in stone and is more than likely subject to change.
As evening falls the nightly mist descends, the sight of
palm trees is a reminder that so much has changed for Margo and me this year.
Gone are the snow-days and the treacherous road conditions. Gone too are the
concerns our HVAC failing. Yet, the misty is a tangible reminder of the mystery
of winter, of how shortly the days will begin to lengthen. Life is tentative
and our time here fragile but even as we watch time count down, one Christmas
at a time, together we can smile having weathered perhaps the most unexpected
year of our lives together.
Yes, we continue to work as our business never truly
shuts down but we do have plans for a break somewhere in the Caribbean. Shortly
we will be heading to Ft Lauderdale and warmer weather. It will be time to
watch the Atlantic waves ebb and flow against sands so different to what we
experience along Panama City Beach. A break, no matter where the path takes is
never taken for granted and we are looking to enjoy a couple of lazy days spent
doing absolutely nothing.
For now, with the green drinks put to one side, it’s the
time to replace with a red drink; one we did enjoy in Columbus. Red and green?
Blame the ancient Celts, as it was them who believed red and green holly plants
brought happiness and good fortune during the dark days of mid-winter when
life seemed bleakest.
From our family to yours, we wish you the same happiness
and good fortune together as we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year.
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