Back from Gatorland

Well I did it, managed to get myself organized, packed, out of here and home again without any major crisis, financial or otherwise.  I'm so very pleased because I had serious doubts I could manage this without a melt down. It's been a decade since I've travelled anywhere by plane and I've never been to the US except once for 20 minutes to visit a health food store just across the border back in the era where you were just waved through and back. And then the wave and smile were even reasonably friendly.

Now Gatorland, aka Florida where I did see a gator though it wasn't as easy a quest as one might think, is not my personal go to place for anything except my family: G, E and baby C. Yes it was warm, how could that much concrete not be warm? That is, miles of roads, malls and suburbs. I wouldn't want to be poor in that sort of environment or without a car. Can't actually see what all the fuss is about, when people go all gooshy about Florida, except of course in the middle of a nasty Canadian winter.  But did I enjoy myself? Oh yes, it was a very interesting experience of another culture and made me more aware of just what the difference between Canadian and American culture is.  

What made the whole thing amazing though was the time spent with my grandson,
son and daughter-in-law. How very very fortunate I am in my family and the love we share. I miss them all more than I can say and I wish we lived much much closer to each other. Maybe that will happen and maybe it won't, but I won't let another ten years pass without finding a way to spend time with them again, because hey, now I have a passport!