GETTING THERE
We had a rocky start to our time in Cocoa Beach. My mid-morning flight didn't leave until mid-afternoon, due to what was eventually revealed to be "smoke in the cabin". I easily connected with my Uber to Cocoa Beach and arrived around sunset. Time enough to order provisions from Publix and Total Wine, all to be delivered the next day. However, I hadn't eaten all day because of the problems leaving MSP, and there was absolutely nothing in the apartment. So I was a little shaky and quite cranky.
Bob didn't arrive until the next day, because his opthalmologist, Dr. Huda Sheheitli, refused to clear him for travel until she had ensured that all was well after his eye surgery six weeks earlier. His own flight and car pick-up went without a hitch and he got to the condo in the late afternoon, in time for happy hour and a lenten Friday dinner of Gorton's fish fillets, baked in the oven, and surprisingly delicious.
We had a pleasant Saturday -- so easy to get used to a spectcacular sunrise and a great view of the lovely beach.
We Minnesotans love our Florida vacations. In March, our first visitors were Sonia and Jim, who drove up from Sarasota where they were visiting friends from home. It was their first trip to Cocoa Beach so they enjoyed exploring the beach and walking all over town. One of their favorite spots for coffee: Grand Parlor Speakeasy Cafe. The cool darkness of the venue is particularly welcome on a hot day. The most fun for us was catching up, without time pressures or the distractions of daily life. Our guests treated us to a good meal on a very windy day at Sunset Cafe.
The next gang arrived a few days after Trudy and John's departure. Chris, Melissa, Aggie and Johnny rented their own condo in the same building, directly below us on the fourth floor. As happy as I was to see the adults, it was most fun for me to play with the children. Chris brought them up to visit every morning and before bedtime. They learned how to make our king bed and then showed off their skills on their own beds. We spent a lot of time in the pool, where the water wings were a huge success -- I had them ready because the entire pool is really too deep for young children. I was amazed at their excellent listening skills, respecting the imaginary perimeter I created in the "shallow" end of the pool.
A major hightlight: "breaking news!". One very chilly afternoon a group of "kids" (really young adults) arrived. One guy did a huge cannonball into the pool, announcing "Breaking News!'. Others soon followed and our little ones were thrilled and totally mesmerized. Aggie was soon doing her own cannonballs, shouting "breaking news!" with every jump. Our new friends at the other end of the pool proclaimed one of her jumps "the best", thereby making her day. Johnny was an observer until the next day, when he told me quietly that he was ready to do "breaking news", an expression will forever bring me back to that happy afternoon in the pool.
The day after they arrived, we met up with my cousin Nancy Rentz and her husband Tom, who joined us for lunch at Fishlips after driving up the coast from Vero Beach, on their ways to the Gulf coast. It was great to catch up and, especially, to have Chris, Mel and the kids meet Nancy and Tom. Family means so much to all of us and I'm always so happy to see people make connections.
The surf was pounding for virtually the entire time of their visit, but they made tood use of their time. I enjoyed taking pictures of the family from the rooftop. 
ROCKET LAUNCHES
HOME ON HOLY THURSDAY
A familiar sore throat work me up one night late in our stay and by the time we left for home I was feeling very sick with a bad cold. I missed the Triduum and even Mass on Easter Sunday. No church, no choir for me. I was happy to be home with good memories of our 2024 Florida vacation.
