“Mom, how do you make lion costumes?” asked my daughter calling me on the day of a gala philanthropic event supporting literacy in which college men compete for a crown by dancing across stage to musical productions they choreograph themselves with a team of girls.
My daughter’s team was competing to tunes from The Lion King.
No need to panic, even though it was the very day of the event. Our family knows how to make the easiest, cheapest, lion costumes ever.
My mind flashed back to my early days of parenting when this same daughter was a twin set with her sister who is only a year older; two little blond darlings with huge, relaxed smiles and easy giggles.
We were living in Louisiana, eating beans and cornbread every night and thankful just to pay our bills.
For Vacation Bible School that year I turned to my rag closet and pulled out an old brown towel to make the costumes they needed for Noah’s Arc day. They skipped into church, holding hands and dressed as a pair of lions without worrying about the fact that, scripturally speaking, one of them should have been a male.
“Guess what, Mom, we won first prize!” was how they greeted me that afternoon, tiny fingers trailing fluttery blue ribbons in the air.
To make two costumes, you’ll need about fifteen minutes and the following:
-one brown or tan towel,
-3 yards of bright ribbon,
-2 plastic hair bands,
-2 safety pins to hold the tail to their pants,
-your glue gun.
Cut the towel in half, lengthways.
Then, to make two tails, cut another four inch strip lengthways off the rough edge of each half. Roll up each four-inch strip to form the tails, but cut off the last three inches to save for making the ears. With your glue gun, run a seam down your rolled tail almost to the end to hold it together. Cut the lose end, fringing to look like a lion’s fuzzy tail.
Cut your ribbon into six equal parts, ½ yard each, then, tie one ribbon around the ends of each tail. Done.
To make the lion’s mane, fringe the remaining towel into strips starting from the rough side and cutting to within two inches of the seemed side. Don’t cut all the way through, just close to the seemed side of the towel.
Glue a piece of ribbon on each end of the seemed side, hang it around the neck of each little lion and tie a big bow. Done.
To make the ears, simply fold the remaining scraps from the tails into squares, then, cut into triangles. Glue two triangles onto each headband. All done.
We laughed as we watched two grown college men dance to “I just can’t wait to be king,” competing with twenty other contestants. But the best part was when both lions made the finals.
We are pretty sure it had something to do with the costumes.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are welcome at http://checklistcharlis.blogspot.com or cathykrafve.gmail.com.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Red, White and Blue Festival Sign Up Now
Ever dream of being a rock star? Want to hear the next country star before he’s famous?
Now is the time to sign up if you are planning to compete or perform or participate in any of the many events planned during this year’s Red, White, and Blue Festival which happens November 5-8 right here in East Texas, in Bullard.
There are so many ways to participate; it’s hard to know what to sign up for first.
The Talent Search is an obvious opportunity if you are a talented, amateur musician. Besides the chance to perform on a professional stage in front of a receptive, hometown audience, there is the grand prize of a professionally recorded sound tract contributed to the event by Greg Hunt of Rosewood Studios.
Is your child a promising young artist?
Area school children are invited to participate in a poster contest honoring vets.
Are you a young woman longing to put your patriotism into words? Do you look forward to a future as a writer?
Miss Armed Forces will be selected based on an essay written in honor of vets. She will be crowned right after the parade on Saturday. Those essays can be submitted at the newspaper office.
Ever dream of marching in a parade or riding on a float?
The Smith County Sherriff’s Posse, and the Shriners, horse clubs, bands, US Armed Forces squads and many others are promising to turn up and wow the crowds lining downtown Bullard. If you are interested in honoring our military veterans by strutting your stuff, too, now is the time to reserve a place for your group or float.
You’ll be marching with a star-studded line up this year including Star McFarlin, the Great American Dog and Proud Mary who is the fastest woman in a speed boat according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Have a tractor or an antique car you like to show?
Registration is already happening for the Antique Car Show and the Tractor Show.
Have you got crafts you want to sell or projects to bless the community?
Clubs, artists, and craftsmen are already contacting the Chamber of Commerce about filling the limited number of spaces.
And what would all this fun amount to without the food, right?
Food venders, including corn dogs, hamburgers, lemonade, funnel cakes, nachos, you name it, are signing up now.
For more information, go to www.bullartdtexaschamber.com.
See ya at the Festival!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang.
Comments are invited at caeKrafve2@aol.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Now is the time to sign up if you are planning to compete or perform or participate in any of the many events planned during this year’s Red, White, and Blue Festival which happens November 5-8 right here in East Texas, in Bullard.
There are so many ways to participate; it’s hard to know what to sign up for first.
The Talent Search is an obvious opportunity if you are a talented, amateur musician. Besides the chance to perform on a professional stage in front of a receptive, hometown audience, there is the grand prize of a professionally recorded sound tract contributed to the event by Greg Hunt of Rosewood Studios.
Is your child a promising young artist?
Area school children are invited to participate in a poster contest honoring vets.
Are you a young woman longing to put your patriotism into words? Do you look forward to a future as a writer?
Miss Armed Forces will be selected based on an essay written in honor of vets. She will be crowned right after the parade on Saturday. Those essays can be submitted at the newspaper office.
Ever dream of marching in a parade or riding on a float?
The Smith County Sherriff’s Posse, and the Shriners, horse clubs, bands, US Armed Forces squads and many others are promising to turn up and wow the crowds lining downtown Bullard. If you are interested in honoring our military veterans by strutting your stuff, too, now is the time to reserve a place for your group or float.
You’ll be marching with a star-studded line up this year including Star McFarlin, the Great American Dog and Proud Mary who is the fastest woman in a speed boat according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Have a tractor or an antique car you like to show?
Registration is already happening for the Antique Car Show and the Tractor Show.
Have you got crafts you want to sell or projects to bless the community?
Clubs, artists, and craftsmen are already contacting the Chamber of Commerce about filling the limited number of spaces.
And what would all this fun amount to without the food, right?
Food venders, including corn dogs, hamburgers, lemonade, funnel cakes, nachos, you name it, are signing up now.
For more information, go to www.bullartdtexaschamber.com.
See ya at the Festival!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang.
Comments are invited at caeKrafve2@aol.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Motivating Your Child
How can I motivate this child?
I can’t count the number of years that the above prayer haunted my sub-conscious like an old, but annoying friend that I couldn’t seem to understand.
All parents find themselves in a tug of war with a lethargic, rebellious, or de-motivated child from time to time. In those moments, all the glory and victories of parenthood are forgotten amid the exhausting work of seemingly endless cajoling and pep-talking.
What’s a parent to do? Hang in there, I guess.
Then, one day, I was puttering through I John again for the zillionth time- okay, zillionth in any book of the Bible is an exaggeration for me- and… Eureka!
The answer to motivation jumped off the page. Why had I not seen it before!
The Bible is a collection of documents, not one book as is often assumed. I John is a short but informative document written as a public memo to answer the question, “Is my faith real?”
Anyway, lo and behold, there in verse 2:16 were three of the four categories of things that motivate kiddoes.
The Boastful Pride of Life, the Lust of the Eye, and the Lust of the Flesh.
“She’s got to be kidding!” could be what you are thinking right now as you read this.
Okay, I’ll admit it sounds far-fetched. That is, until you realize that those three categories are the main motivators of all humans, including parents, no matter what our age.
Tripping over the lingo? Yeah. Me, too.
Try this for a Texas-style paraphrase:
-The Boastful Pride of Life: Wanting to be the big cheese. Seeking fame and accolades from other humans. Peer pressure. Status seeking. Recognition for your hard work. Popularity contests. That kind of stuff. Oh.
-Lust of the Eye. Wanting stuff. Collecting stuff. Getting the best technology, sports car, fancy house, mink coat…Oops, for a minute there I forgot we were talking about kids.
-Lust of the Flesh. Well, besides the obvious, this is anything that makes us feel safe and special. Security. Abundance. Overeating.
There is one more category of motive that is described in Matthew 4. Matthew is the training manual for folks who want to follow Jesus.
The fourth category is the Desire to Respond to a Loving God by honoring Him. Hmmm…easier said than done.
As a parent, then, the challenge is to notice which motives surface in our children’s hearts and direct them toward a loving God who can inspire them to be loving like Him.
Or, just maybe, the real challenge is to notice what is motivating my own parental heart.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at cathykrafve@gmail.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
I can’t count the number of years that the above prayer haunted my sub-conscious like an old, but annoying friend that I couldn’t seem to understand.
All parents find themselves in a tug of war with a lethargic, rebellious, or de-motivated child from time to time. In those moments, all the glory and victories of parenthood are forgotten amid the exhausting work of seemingly endless cajoling and pep-talking.
What’s a parent to do? Hang in there, I guess.
Then, one day, I was puttering through I John again for the zillionth time- okay, zillionth in any book of the Bible is an exaggeration for me- and… Eureka!
The answer to motivation jumped off the page. Why had I not seen it before!
The Bible is a collection of documents, not one book as is often assumed. I John is a short but informative document written as a public memo to answer the question, “Is my faith real?”
Anyway, lo and behold, there in verse 2:16 were three of the four categories of things that motivate kiddoes.
The Boastful Pride of Life, the Lust of the Eye, and the Lust of the Flesh.
“She’s got to be kidding!” could be what you are thinking right now as you read this.
Okay, I’ll admit it sounds far-fetched. That is, until you realize that those three categories are the main motivators of all humans, including parents, no matter what our age.
Tripping over the lingo? Yeah. Me, too.
Try this for a Texas-style paraphrase:
-The Boastful Pride of Life: Wanting to be the big cheese. Seeking fame and accolades from other humans. Peer pressure. Status seeking. Recognition for your hard work. Popularity contests. That kind of stuff. Oh.
-Lust of the Eye. Wanting stuff. Collecting stuff. Getting the best technology, sports car, fancy house, mink coat…Oops, for a minute there I forgot we were talking about kids.
-Lust of the Flesh. Well, besides the obvious, this is anything that makes us feel safe and special. Security. Abundance. Overeating.
There is one more category of motive that is described in Matthew 4. Matthew is the training manual for folks who want to follow Jesus.
The fourth category is the Desire to Respond to a Loving God by honoring Him. Hmmm…easier said than done.
As a parent, then, the challenge is to notice which motives surface in our children’s hearts and direct them toward a loving God who can inspire them to be loving like Him.
Or, just maybe, the real challenge is to notice what is motivating my own parental heart.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at cathykrafve@gmail.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Overcoming Scuba Aversion
“Oh that was just a sand shark. They don’t even have teeth,” she said with a soothing smile.
I wanted to believe her. The big, blue sea beckoned.
Most folks have an instinctive aversion to scuba. Too much equipment.
Scuba is closely related to swimming and swimming is, after all, one of those water sports where the motto, “Less is better,” means a practical bathing suit is better than a fancy or skimpy one. Less distraction from the pure delight of being in the sun and water, right?
It follows that cumbersome scuba equipment, while necessary, would be a distraction.
Of course, when it comes to scuba diving, there is that worrisome problem of needing oxygen to live. For me, it always seemed logical to enjoy water sports on top of the water where human lungs function best.
Not to mention sharks. They seem more real under water, don’t they? Like they have the home team advantage. Even sand sharks.
Scuba was not even in my vocabulary until I went snorkeling.
Who knew there was so much social life under the surface? Snorkeling gave me a ring-side seat to the underworld circus of fish and sea creatures too numerous to name.
From the moment I got a glimpse of the sun fish flitting under the surface, I knew I would need a tank to get close enough to satisfy my curiosity.
If you are trying to get a scuba-phobe to immerse with you, here are some things that may help encourage a new scubie to bite the bullet. Oops, mentioning biting in the same column as sharks seems counterproductive.
-First, the tanks are a lot lighter under water. When you use up all the air, the tank actually tends to make you float to the surface. I find this somewhat reassuring.
-It is great for families; scuba is a great way to keep your kids involved with you and stuck together for hours at a time, in a pursuit so fascinating and complicated that they forget to whine or complain. That is, until they finally come up for air and remember suddenly that they are totally starving.
-The underwater world is an incredible expression of God’s creativity. The variety and beauty of the fish alone, not to mention the other creatures or the vegetation, are enough to make you take a second look at the infinite variety of the people He made.
-Learning something new keeps old folks young. And it is great exercise.
-Scuba masters have been through rigorous training themselves. They seem to enjoy checking all the equipment as many times as you like, which in my case is annoyingly often. Like Texans know the best fishing holes, Dive Masters often know the underwater terrain in their neighborhood and can make sure you see lots of action.
-If you reserve an excursion off the coast, you’ll get to ride in a big boat under a big blue sky on the wide-open turquoise water to the dive site.
When we got back from my first blue water dive recently, I trolled for sand shark on the internet. Guess what? Sand sharks do have teeth. They can even be dangerous!
It’s just a good thing I couldn’t take my lap top on the boat.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at cathykrafve@gmail or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
I wanted to believe her. The big, blue sea beckoned.
Most folks have an instinctive aversion to scuba. Too much equipment.
Scuba is closely related to swimming and swimming is, after all, one of those water sports where the motto, “Less is better,” means a practical bathing suit is better than a fancy or skimpy one. Less distraction from the pure delight of being in the sun and water, right?
It follows that cumbersome scuba equipment, while necessary, would be a distraction.
Of course, when it comes to scuba diving, there is that worrisome problem of needing oxygen to live. For me, it always seemed logical to enjoy water sports on top of the water where human lungs function best.
Not to mention sharks. They seem more real under water, don’t they? Like they have the home team advantage. Even sand sharks.
Scuba was not even in my vocabulary until I went snorkeling.
Who knew there was so much social life under the surface? Snorkeling gave me a ring-side seat to the underworld circus of fish and sea creatures too numerous to name.
From the moment I got a glimpse of the sun fish flitting under the surface, I knew I would need a tank to get close enough to satisfy my curiosity.
If you are trying to get a scuba-phobe to immerse with you, here are some things that may help encourage a new scubie to bite the bullet. Oops, mentioning biting in the same column as sharks seems counterproductive.
-First, the tanks are a lot lighter under water. When you use up all the air, the tank actually tends to make you float to the surface. I find this somewhat reassuring.
-It is great for families; scuba is a great way to keep your kids involved with you and stuck together for hours at a time, in a pursuit so fascinating and complicated that they forget to whine or complain. That is, until they finally come up for air and remember suddenly that they are totally starving.
-The underwater world is an incredible expression of God’s creativity. The variety and beauty of the fish alone, not to mention the other creatures or the vegetation, are enough to make you take a second look at the infinite variety of the people He made.
-Learning something new keeps old folks young. And it is great exercise.
-Scuba masters have been through rigorous training themselves. They seem to enjoy checking all the equipment as many times as you like, which in my case is annoyingly often. Like Texans know the best fishing holes, Dive Masters often know the underwater terrain in their neighborhood and can make sure you see lots of action.
-If you reserve an excursion off the coast, you’ll get to ride in a big boat under a big blue sky on the wide-open turquoise water to the dive site.
When we got back from my first blue water dive recently, I trolled for sand shark on the internet. Guess what? Sand sharks do have teeth. They can even be dangerous!
It’s just a good thing I couldn’t take my lap top on the boat.
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at cathykrafve@gmail or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
What to Do First in Romantic Miami?
It turns out that Miami is one of my favorite places in the world. Who knew?
I guess I pictured the Miami that Hollywood invented, filled with drug-dealers and scantily dressed floozies.
Turns out Miami is the perfect place to travel with your family. Or, as we recently found out, it’s a great place for a romantic getaway.
Of course, who can argue with any place that features sunshine glistening off of turquoise water and sandy beaches, combined with fun stuff to do, delicious restaurants, and live music?
Here are just a few of our favorite things about Miami:
-The aquarium. Yes, and I am old enough to remember and be impressed by the original set of the TV series, “Flipper.”
-South Beach. The sandy, white beaches are fringed by water so clear you can see for yards and so gentle, that your smallest children can walk out that far without ever getting into trouble. Plus, there is public access through parks that have restrooms and outdoor showers; parks so picturesque that they frequently make the cut as sets in movies and TV shows.
-South Beach shopping. Still in your bathing suit, wander into any of the famous designer stores or, my favorite, choose from all the shoe stores whose windows boast shelves of fancy, colorful shoes and purses at discount prices.
-The Vizcaya. This historic mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay once belonged to the guy who owned American Harvester and sent his decorator all over Europe, furnishing his summer home in layers of history by way of antiques. It is also a self-sustaining, eco-friendly agricultural estate.
-Los Ranchos at Bayside. A Nicaraguan restaurant serving thin-cut steak served with three sauces, my favorite of which is a parsley and garlic sauce. Steaks come with fried green plantains which are crisp like potato chips, fried sweet plantains which are similar to sweet potatoes, and pinto gallo, a traditional way of preparing pinto beans and rice. Don’t miss the Yucca or the Nicaraguan tamales.
-The Café Versailles in Little Havana. A classic Cuban restaurant serving flaky, buttery pastries unique to Cuba that bring to mind Paris but are filled with tropical jellies like mango or guava. Here, elderly Cuban gentlemen dressed in nice slacks and dress shirts line up at the window outside for the Cuban coffee. Inside reasonably-priced Cuban specialties are served on white table clothes. Plan to order in Spanish because the waiters aren’t necessarily bilingual.
-Puerto Sagua on South Beach. Try the fish soup or the pushed Cuban sandwich. Similar to French bread, Cubans make their soft, crusty loaves fresh every day, then fill them so full of ham, turkey and a mild, melted cheese that the sandwich has to be pushed down to hold together.
-Catch an outdoor concert. Walk outside any day of the week in South Beach and you’ll stumble onto a live concert at any of the restaurants where tables spill over onto the sidewalks. Order dinner and enjoy the musical benefits of the local culture. If you are so inclined, you can even smoke one of the other benefits of Miami culture, hand-rolled Cuban-style cigars.
Outside of Texas, there are few places in the world that I want to visit twice. It turns out Miami is on my short list of places to return to again and again. Bienvenidos a Miami!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at CaeKrafve2@aol.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
I guess I pictured the Miami that Hollywood invented, filled with drug-dealers and scantily dressed floozies.
Turns out Miami is the perfect place to travel with your family. Or, as we recently found out, it’s a great place for a romantic getaway.
Of course, who can argue with any place that features sunshine glistening off of turquoise water and sandy beaches, combined with fun stuff to do, delicious restaurants, and live music?
Here are just a few of our favorite things about Miami:
-The aquarium. Yes, and I am old enough to remember and be impressed by the original set of the TV series, “Flipper.”
-South Beach. The sandy, white beaches are fringed by water so clear you can see for yards and so gentle, that your smallest children can walk out that far without ever getting into trouble. Plus, there is public access through parks that have restrooms and outdoor showers; parks so picturesque that they frequently make the cut as sets in movies and TV shows.
-South Beach shopping. Still in your bathing suit, wander into any of the famous designer stores or, my favorite, choose from all the shoe stores whose windows boast shelves of fancy, colorful shoes and purses at discount prices.
-The Vizcaya. This historic mansion overlooking Biscayne Bay once belonged to the guy who owned American Harvester and sent his decorator all over Europe, furnishing his summer home in layers of history by way of antiques. It is also a self-sustaining, eco-friendly agricultural estate.
-Los Ranchos at Bayside. A Nicaraguan restaurant serving thin-cut steak served with three sauces, my favorite of which is a parsley and garlic sauce. Steaks come with fried green plantains which are crisp like potato chips, fried sweet plantains which are similar to sweet potatoes, and pinto gallo, a traditional way of preparing pinto beans and rice. Don’t miss the Yucca or the Nicaraguan tamales.
-The Café Versailles in Little Havana. A classic Cuban restaurant serving flaky, buttery pastries unique to Cuba that bring to mind Paris but are filled with tropical jellies like mango or guava. Here, elderly Cuban gentlemen dressed in nice slacks and dress shirts line up at the window outside for the Cuban coffee. Inside reasonably-priced Cuban specialties are served on white table clothes. Plan to order in Spanish because the waiters aren’t necessarily bilingual.
-Puerto Sagua on South Beach. Try the fish soup or the pushed Cuban sandwich. Similar to French bread, Cubans make their soft, crusty loaves fresh every day, then fill them so full of ham, turkey and a mild, melted cheese that the sandwich has to be pushed down to hold together.
-Catch an outdoor concert. Walk outside any day of the week in South Beach and you’ll stumble onto a live concert at any of the restaurants where tables spill over onto the sidewalks. Order dinner and enjoy the musical benefits of the local culture. If you are so inclined, you can even smoke one of the other benefits of Miami culture, hand-rolled Cuban-style cigars.
Outside of Texas, there are few places in the world that I want to visit twice. It turns out Miami is on my short list of places to return to again and again. Bienvenidos a Miami!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at CaeKrafve2@aol.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
Travel the Florida Keys
Twenty-five years later, my husband and I decided it was time to celebrate our marriage with a fancy trip.
“It’s a miracle,” he said every time anyone commented on our marital accomplishment.
You would think I’d feel insulted hearing that over and over again as we traveled down the Florida Keys.
Not so. There’s just enough truth in the comment to be funny. After all, I was there for those same twenty-five years together, miraculously enough.
We both know Who gets the credit for keeping us committed to each other and to the process called marriage.
Given that marriage is one long negotiation, we wisely decided on a destination that produced no squabbling; the beach.
It turned out to be a judicious choice, even given Florida’s propensity for hurricanes. Days were balmy and lazy, filled with sunshine, surf, and seafood.
Here are the places along the way that deserve consideration for honeymooners, families, or old lovers, like us.
-Palm Island. There’s no car access to the island, so prepare yourself to be taxied over in a gorgeous wooden motor boat named “Bess” or “Truman” after the presidential couple who made Palm Island one of their favorite fishing get-aways. Executive Chef, Luis A Pous, is the #2 chef in the world, apparently. I have no idea where #1 works, but the food on Palm Island was terrific. I also enjoyed dancing under the stars to live music.
-Deer Key. The last remaining 700 or so of their own special species are making a comeback here in this tropical paradise. These tiny deer know they are loved, so they think nothing of coming up and nuzzling humans.
-Casa Marina in Key West. Recently updated, this jewel of a resort hotel has two swimming pools over-looking the Atlantic and luxurious, crisp linens.
-Turtle Kraals. Sit upstairs on the deck, watch the sun set, and enjoy nachos even Texans can appreciate while you watch the yachts come and go at the marina.
-Southpoint Scuba. Its tempting to laze by the pool all day and take in the innumerable restaurants in Key West, going from lounge chair to table and back again, but don’t miss an amazing chance to get scuba certified in a matter of two days on the #3 choral reef in the world.
-Graffiti’s. It is hard to narrow down the best boutique shopping in Key West, simply because there are so many stores and they were all running sales while we were there. My pick is Graffiti’s where the owner sells his own design of Speedo-style trunks for men. However, if I write too much about the swim trunks I bought there for my husband, I may not make it to our twenty-sixth.
The total drive time from Miami to Key West is an easy four hours; that is, if there is no threat of hurricane. The locals tend to view hurricanes as an excuse to have hurricane parties.
I’ve already started negotiating for another relaxed trip to the beach for our thirtieth. I’d wait to our golden anniversary, but it will be miracle enough just to live that long.
If only marriage were just one long trip to the beach. Wouldn’t that be grand!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at cathykrafve@gmail.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
“It’s a miracle,” he said every time anyone commented on our marital accomplishment.
You would think I’d feel insulted hearing that over and over again as we traveled down the Florida Keys.
Not so. There’s just enough truth in the comment to be funny. After all, I was there for those same twenty-five years together, miraculously enough.
We both know Who gets the credit for keeping us committed to each other and to the process called marriage.
Given that marriage is one long negotiation, we wisely decided on a destination that produced no squabbling; the beach.
It turned out to be a judicious choice, even given Florida’s propensity for hurricanes. Days were balmy and lazy, filled with sunshine, surf, and seafood.
Here are the places along the way that deserve consideration for honeymooners, families, or old lovers, like us.
-Palm Island. There’s no car access to the island, so prepare yourself to be taxied over in a gorgeous wooden motor boat named “Bess” or “Truman” after the presidential couple who made Palm Island one of their favorite fishing get-aways. Executive Chef, Luis A Pous, is the #2 chef in the world, apparently. I have no idea where #1 works, but the food on Palm Island was terrific. I also enjoyed dancing under the stars to live music.
-Deer Key. The last remaining 700 or so of their own special species are making a comeback here in this tropical paradise. These tiny deer know they are loved, so they think nothing of coming up and nuzzling humans.
-Casa Marina in Key West. Recently updated, this jewel of a resort hotel has two swimming pools over-looking the Atlantic and luxurious, crisp linens.
-Turtle Kraals. Sit upstairs on the deck, watch the sun set, and enjoy nachos even Texans can appreciate while you watch the yachts come and go at the marina.
-Southpoint Scuba. Its tempting to laze by the pool all day and take in the innumerable restaurants in Key West, going from lounge chair to table and back again, but don’t miss an amazing chance to get scuba certified in a matter of two days on the #3 choral reef in the world.
-Graffiti’s. It is hard to narrow down the best boutique shopping in Key West, simply because there are so many stores and they were all running sales while we were there. My pick is Graffiti’s where the owner sells his own design of Speedo-style trunks for men. However, if I write too much about the swim trunks I bought there for my husband, I may not make it to our twenty-sixth.
The total drive time from Miami to Key West is an easy four hours; that is, if there is no threat of hurricane. The locals tend to view hurricanes as an excuse to have hurricane parties.
I’ve already started negotiating for another relaxed trip to the beach for our thirtieth. I’d wait to our golden anniversary, but it will be miracle enough just to live that long.
If only marriage were just one long trip to the beach. Wouldn’t that be grand!
Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives and writes with a Texas twang. Comments are invited at cathykrafve@gmail.com or http://checklistcharlie.blogspot.com.
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