1st Day: TX Trip

Sometimes vacations start out very well.  We got loaded and on the road at 8:00AM as planned, and other than some delay about 20 miles into the trip on I75, we made it to our first stop: Tallahassee.

The desk clerk told me that there was an antique area about 10 miles away when we checked into the motel.  So we drove to Havana, FL instead of going to the pool.  The pictures show a little of what we found – a lot of stores in a small town that have been turned into antique shops or malls.  A few are huge, a few are tiny, a few are all antiques while others are more gifts/art and some are a combination.  There is quite a bit of great big new and used furniture, also.

One shop had a mid-sized room filled with books.  The books were nicely displayed, individually priced with a variety of topics.  Many of the other stores or booths had a small variety of books but most weren’t in very good condition.

Bob was happy to find a die cast Volkswagon made in Italy in one booth. He said that a 1/24 scale made in Italy is just what he was looking for! Luckily it was priced low enough so he could purchase it and resell for a bit of profit.  That buy made his day.

On our way out of the neat, clean antique town we just had to stop at the junk store! From the sublime to the ridiculous.

I didn’t know anything about Havana, FL but was very impressed with how neat and clean and friendly it was.  If you have the time to get off I10 when you’re in the area, stop and shop for awhile.  It is easy to find.

Boca Grande, FL Day Trip

I like day trips. And from my location in S.W. FL I can get to a lot of beautiful locations and back home in one day. So, now that I don't have to be to work at noon (or just getting out of work then), Bob and I took a day trip to Boca Grande (Gasparilla Island), just about 5 miles via Charlotte Harbor - but 30 miles (one way) via car - which is how Bob and I went.  Interesting detail about getting there - there is a $4.00 fee to get over the bridge to the Island but my Lee County transponder isn't accepted - we were told this is a private bridge. (I don't understand a private bridge with a fee on a public road but decided to not hold up traffic while I questioned the fact.)

Locally Boca is known for a couple of things besides fishing and beaches: it is 1. the Bushes' Florida winter vacation site and 2. Iguanas.  I didn't go to see either of these attractions but to see the private Johann Furst library I'd read about some time ago.  

It was built (or endowed by) Mr. Furst who wanted it to be a library, resource center and community center for his favorite FL vacation location.  At the time there was no public library on this small island - which is a part of two different counties (the southern half is part of Lee County, the northern portion is part of Charlotte County).

The library is charming as you can see in these photos.  With doors made from the hard local cypress trees and the landscaped courtyard, it is a charming, relaxing place to visit.  There are two display cases of named local and national sea shells, a small lending library, a nice selection of local history books that cannot be checked out and a juvenile book room.

There is also a locked displayed case with a page from the Book of the Dead ( "The Book of Dead" is the usual name given to the ancient Egyptian  funeral text, a page from the Gutenberg Bible, a page from the Vulgate (early Catholic translation) and a "stone tablet" (literally a stone with text) http://www.bl.uk/treasures/gutenberg/makingbible.html .   These are all very nice holdings for a small community island library!

Lee County has since opened a small lending library on the island in a very nice building so the small year 'round  community does have access to a lending library with access to the books in the county-wide system.

There were lots of tourists, the day was beautifully sunny and warm, the beaches were windy and the water cool but since we weren't there for shopping or the water, we were very pleased with the day's outing.  We visited both libraries, didn't stand in line to eat and didn't run over an Iguana - or tourist (both of which  you just have to watch out for) so we had a successful day trip.  I'll try to add a couple of the very nice photos I was able to take.

Hard Road by Barbara D'Amato

For my recent birthday, a friend sent me a copy of HARD ROAD by Barbara D'Amato - an author and a book I didn't know anything about.

I'm happy to have a copy but not because the writing was so good.  I don't know what age group the author was targeting but hopefully it was the adult market.  It must not have been for the 10 year old market, either because some nice lady's head got shot into pieces early on at an Oz festival in Chicago.  

Because it is a mystery, there was a lot of running through the Chicago tunnels, some reporter trying to figure out the culprit and threats on the main character's life.  All of this intrigue while using Oz characters' names that the reader is supposed to be able to track down to the original character in the Oz books - a puzzle within a mystery. An unusual writing style I would guess.


However, to me the more interesting part of the book is the last 40 pages where the author's son, Brian D'Amato addresses L. Frank Baum's life, career and the never ending theory's of what he really meant in his Oz stories.  He mentions Macatawa, MI where Baum built Sign of the Goose, a cottage on Lake Michigan so named because he bought it with the money he made from Father Goose: His Book, Baum's pre-Oz book.  I used to live in Holland, MI which has now pretty much absorbed "Macatawa" although there is a post office there still with that name.

Brian also addresses various criticisms of Baum's books, some criticism of Baum (specifically the articles he wrote referred to as the "Sitting Bull" editorials,  "The Wooden Gargoyles", "Transmutation" and "Rough Play".  If you are interested in different interpretations of the Oz books and don't have this one, it might be of interest to you.  The same is true if you are an Oz collector and don't have this one yet.  It was published in 2001 by Scribner with an illustrated dust jacket.  My copy is signed :).

Retirement Begins With a Party!

My work at the medical library has ended after 7 yrs and 11 months. When I was younger, this was called "unemployment" but now that I'm 65 it is called "retirement" :)

One major difference is that there was a very nice luncheon held to send me out the door.  Many of the very nice library volunteers took more time out of their week to attend and wish me well.  I was quite surprised and moved by their generosity of time, sentiments and gifts!  They all chipped in to purchase a Garmin GPS and suitcase to get me started on my retirement travels.  I also received flowers, balloons, and a couple of other more personal gifts along with the cards.  

I don't
know how many volunteers I worked with over the years but I had the opportunity to meet a lot of very, very nice people and I hope that I'm able to keep in touch with many of them.

Birthday Celebration Continues

Well, What can I say? My dughter took me out to dinner to celebrate my birthday - even though it was a few days late.  Chedders - a restaurant I've never been to but hope to go back!  They do serve a nice sized drink...(I wasn't driving!)

Medicare Age is Here!

Yesterday I officially turned 65. I have my Medicare card. I have supplemental PPO coverage. I have Social Security.  Supposedly I am ready for the future - at least that's what I've been told since Medicare was enacted - wasn't that under Lyndon Johnson?  I've worked hard all these years to maintain insurance coverage, worrying about what job to take - not based on what I liked but on insurance coverage all the time glad to know that at 65 I would be covered by Medicare. Society would provide security.

And now I'm here and not feeling all that secure. Lower pay for women turned into lower social security payments based on my life long lower income.  Medicare is being threatened by greed, no monitoring of abuse, the expense of more technology and the baby boomers coming along 'en masse.

I didn't and couldn't possibly have saved up the million dollars during my working years (isn't that the minimum "they" say we need?).  And a bunch of what I managed to save was taken (lost) in the most recent Wall Street event. 2/3 of the "value" on our condo has been wiped out.  They actually sell for 20% less than what we paid for ours 9 years ago. 

I'm not feeling all that secure at 65.  But I celebrated with friends and neighbors and all was well for the day.  And I'm healthy, there is something liberating about being healthy - an optimism, a blessing that I have that allows me to celebrate not only reaching 65 but getting here without pain or limitations.  A belief that I've made it this far and I'll make it further. 

Retirement Coming Up Soon!

In about two months, I'll be retiring from my library job.  Hopefully, I'll be able to concentrate on selling books and other collectibles.  First, I hope to do some visiting family like every other retiree!  The one thing I won't have to do: Move South! I'm already here I can skip that step.

To start, I have this model ship for sale. It includes the framed case you see.  I also have a book to go with it.
$300.00