





Ah… the Sunshine State. The perfect antidote to the Polar Vortex winters inflicting Ohio back then. It wasn't the first time for Mom and Dad; he'd beaten Mickey there as a kid, and they'd stayed at Walt Disney World twice with members of Mom's family in from Korea. On separate trips before they met, they even ventured as far as Key West. For me, the destination didn't matter so long as I was with them.
After packing up the Odyssey and arranging the second-row seat for me (see top photo), we set off. Mom and Dad shared driving. We brought the portable gas stove and lunched on kimchi and ramyeon, a Korean spicy noodle dish, at various rest stops (I stuck to my chow). At night, we stayed at La Quinta Inns because that chain is pet-friendly. Each night after we arrived, Mom, who's a food genius, whipped up something for me and them for dinner. In the morning, Mom repeated her magic and then we hit the road.
I first sighted the Atlantic Ocean came at Saint Petersburg, Florida. Dad tells me it claims to be the oldest city in the U.S.A. All I can say is it was colder than expected, and windy. We took some photos bundled up on a bench, but Dad can't locate them now. Our final destination, Boca Raton, was still hours away. After buying some presents for Dad's aunt and uncle, we climbed back into the car.
In an earlier blog, I told you about my house. Well, Dad's aunt and uncle's house was twice as big and next to a gorgeous golf course. We stayed in a second-floor bedroom suite. Mom laid out the training pads (by then I'd graduated to one or two sheets) and asked me to take care with my aim. At one point, she was concerned I might've made an oopsie on the Berber carpet (see photo). But after a close inspection, Dad cleared me and they breathed a sigh of relief.
Dad's cousin and family were also visiting. They brought along Charlie, a Havanese, a superb choice if you have allergies to pet dander. Charlie and I got along well. A few times, we stayed home alone when everyone else went to dinner. I'm not sure if Charlie got to take a walk on the golf course, like I did. It was great fun—right until the moment the security officer arrived in his cart and ordered us to leave!
The climax of the trip was a visit to Miami Beach. It was a beautiful but busy day; finding a parking spot took most of an hour. Finally, we neared the crashing waves and hot sand and… and stopped dead in our tracks. A large sign said I was forbidden on the beach. So Mom snapped that photo of me and Dad on the beach, but not on the sand. Nearby, cruise ships were departing, and we watched them for a while before returning to Boca Raton.
Soon we had to scurry home to Dublin. Our neighbors were coming over for New Year's Eve dinner; much cleaning and preparation awaited us. Also awaiting us was the New Year. We didn't know then, but it would usher in a BIG and WONDERFUL change. I'll tell you all about that next time.
Thanks for visiting my blog,
Tango
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