So What Did You Do Next?

We got your Vizcaya heah – kinda like Venice ya know!

Brother Bob will attest that Vizcaya is a special place (Feb 2010-So What Do You Think of Miami Beach?) but this time it was the special Moonlit Garden Tour. We met Paul and Gregg at the gardens and proceeded to bask in the ambiance of a cloudless Miami night.

Here are some of our heroes enjoying a moon over Miami:

Paul and Gregg

The Baroness and the Baron

Gini wants you to know that the Baron is having a good time despite his aversion to posing for photos.

Chamber music splendiferously filled the central atrium of the villa as we entered. We then proceeded to wander lazily and wondrously through the property:





Bob is slowly being conditioned to the South Beach experience. Having left zero temps and an appreciable accumulation of snow his first priority was acclimating to a t-shirt and shorts. He is struggling but making progress.

He definitely likes the walking excursions in the morning. Even the Baron has acquiesced to participating in the perambulating parade. Yesterday’s reward was gelato on Ocean Drive.

As this is written Gini and Bob are heading for a nighttime swim in the heated of the two pools here at the Flamingo. Perhaps they will resolve the competitive activity of this afternoon’s pool table skirmishes. They were rather rowdy I am told.

Chris had opted for the movies once again. The list started with True Grit, then the Tourist followed by The Fighter (great Lowell ambiance). Today was the best so far, The King’s Speech. Colin Firth once again, with the estimable help of Geoffrey Rush, transfixed. (Last year’s A Single Man was incredibly powerful but too much to be seen twice - like Sophie’s Choice). This movie was interesting because of the historical situation of Edward VII abdicating the English throne because of his desire to marry Wallace Simpson and the subsequent coronation of his stuttering brother Bertie.

Chris also did a full tour of the Venetian Islands on his bike today while Gini and Bob explored Espanola Way and South Pointe Park. Tomorrow is more walking and laundry.

As for settling in to the apartment there have been some rough spots. Parking was tough. Last year a parking spot was included after much gnashing of teeth but this year they have foregone the gnashing and charged us $160 to park two towers over.

The dining room light did not work. This was not discovered until the second night when Gini had cooked a great dinner and we had retired to the dining table. However the management company was right on it the next day and Chris was able to dust off some Spanish as the staff person repaired the lamp.

With Kevin, our tenant and major sport nut arriving on Monday, we were a bit disappointed to find that basic cable meant we could follow the weather, watch Jeopardy and practice our Spanish a bit more. Gini is going through HGTV withdrawal but is handling it well. Chris is another story. Since the Patriots lost he is inconsolable and needs a good golf tournament to bring him out of it.

So tomorrow night is dinner at the restaurant at Paul and Gregg’s condo building. They have promised bacon wrapped fillets as a treat. Martinis will have to be libated along with mirth and merriment slated for coalescence.