An eating experience. . .

I made a return visit to the 18th Annual Americas Food & Beverage Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center today, and I may never eat again.  It's a trade-only event and I've written about attending  it in the past. I seem to be on the Show's books as the "Secretary" of Collins Fish & Seafood Company ever since Benard enrolled me with that title several years ago, even though I've never worked there.  But that's the reason for my annual invitation  and why we made the pilgrimage to Miami Beach this morning. 

When I say I'll never eat again, I'm not kidding.  You need strength and a huge appetite to make it through the multiple aisles of this giant show where every booth is offering something else to eat or drink. Latin America is heavily represented so the spice-level of some offerings is more than you can imagine.  However, everything gets washed down with little paper cups of wine, coconut water, mango juice, energy drinks, a few fluids you never heard of, and even a welcome bottle of ice cold  Icelandic Water.

The pictures tell the story.  Particularly the one of the very tired lady after three hours of walking and eating.
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Cheese, wonderful cheese, in every flavor

Brie with chutney.  Yum!

Luscious lobster.

He's not real, but the wine was.

H


Unbelievable fruits and veggies

No caption necessary.

A very special weekend. . . .

If you have to have a "big birthday", this was definitely the way to do it.  The celebration began with Andrea's arrival on Tuesday and really ramped up with the arrival of the kids, grandson Adam and his wife Amy, and great-grandson Grayson on Friday morning.

Pool party, l to r: Andrea, Jo, Grayson, Adam

I adore Adam and Amy, but the real attraction was the little one, and in truth, the weekend revolved around this three year old bundle of deliciousness. This was Grayson's first visit to Grove Isle and I wanted it to be perfect.  He totally approved of his great-grandmother's arrangements for an apartment on the same 7th floor as my condo, and showed it by his obvious enjoyment of the view from the wrap-around patio, his favorite spot in the apartment, his love of the swimming pool, and his expertise on the swings and slides in the kid's  playground on Grove Isle. 

In between, we grown-ups (including great-grandfather Ralph and grandfather Eliot) supped our way through a sushi feast (Adam's favorite) on Friday night and Pollo Tropical (Andrea's favorite) on Saturday night, all washed down with mucho bottles of beer, wine and diet Coke.

Fun on the swings

Five years ago I celebrated the big "80th" with a fancy party at a restaurant.  Sunday, the 19th, was the actual date of my birthday.  After the kids left, Andrea and I were invited to a private celebration dinner at Capital Grille.  For the hell of it, I decided to wear the same outfit I wore five years ago to that party..  That was my way of defying the calendar and saying "Age is just a number. . .especially if you are lucky enough to be healthy and still have your wits."

The good news is, it still fits!
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Running on the condo patio

Look at that smile!

The birthday girl.

 

October 19th is fast approaching. . . .

I have a birthday coming next week.  It's what some would call a big one, but I've decided to down-size it.  When you are my age, you are allowed to do that. 

I'd rather count my blessings.  Not sure from what side of the family my older sister and I got our genes, and I'm not sure either of us have done a very good job of passing them along to the next generation, but we are definitely the lucky ones with remarkable health and agility despite our age.

In the meantime, I've decided to re-do my bucket list.  My desire to visit the polar bears in Antarctica is still near the top, but so far not a soul has offered to go with me and it seems like a kind of cold trip to do on my own.  I still want to climb Machu Pichu while I can make it without help, and I've added Rio on my list and a visit with my friend Axel who lives there.

Most exciting this past year has been a remarkable up-tick in my free lance writing business. . . the paid kind, not just the pro bono stuff!  (I always did love a good pay check!)  I've seen my writing published in newspapers and magazines many time over the years in my role as a public relations person, but rarely with my name attached.  Have to admit I was excited to find myself recently on the masthead of a very fancy upscale magazine called the South Florida Luxury Guide as a "Contributing Writer of Home & Design".  Wow!  I'm still here, folks!

The best part of the upcoming birthday celebration will be the arrival of my family. . .daughter Andrea, grandson Adam and his wife Amy, and my delicious great-grandson Grayson.

Speaking of my bucket list, check off one more wish.  I always wanted to ride the carousel with my great-grandson. It happened at the Zoo in Jacksonville recently. That's Grayson on the tiger and Great-grandma Jo riding the leopard next to him.  And I actually hopped up there without a drop of help from anyone!
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