This is a laptop update from Arcadia, Florida where I’m visiting my grandparents. They started coming down here a few years ago, but I’ve never seen their place before. It’s part of community call Sunny breeze that seems be heavily Mennonite based. The strange thing is that probably 25% of the people that live here are from the same southwest Michigan area as my grandparents. On top of that, at least 5 couples that they know are making plans to move down soon. It’s kind of creepy. My grandpa and grandma hang out here with people from Sturgis that they never talk to during the summer; they’re seasonal friends.
Omar has decorated the palm trees with Christmas lights, arranging them so that they look like a giant candle. He’s done lots of landscaping and put his metal animal creations all around. Their lot definitely looks better than the other ones in the neighborhood. The one thing that’s missing though is a fruit tree; most yards have orange, grapefruit or banana trees. Still, it’s very “Florida”.
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I learned how to play euchre tonight. There have been numerous attempts to teach me before, but I never picked it up. I guess I probably never wanted to know that badly, since the rules are pretty simple. I liked it a lot—probably because I kept winning.
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We went to a restaurant on the gulf tonight where you get to sit right by the water. It was a pretty average seafood place where the only vegetarian option was grilled cheese, but it had a good view. It’s true what they say about Florida though; it’s mostly retired folks and tourists. It’d be odd to live in an environment where being a year-round local is the minority status. I would imagine there is a sense of community amongst the seasonal people and the amongst the locals—but separately. I got to see some elderly couples doing old-style dancing on the boardwalk near the restaurant. I love happy old couples. I hope to be half of one some day.
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road sign on the Florida border
ocean view from the restaurant, photo by Isaiah King
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