Catching Up

It’s been awhile since I posted anything.

I’ll catch you up very quickly since this is the first day I’ve had the house to myself in like

12 days

(due to President’s Day and a snow day yesterday) 

and I have so much I HAVE to do 

and then a bunch of stuff I just WANT to do.

Monte and I went to Miami Beach for his 50th birthday.

Monte’s key lime pie birthday dessert.

He told me several months ago that all he wanted for his birthday was to be on an air boat in the Everglades looking for alligators.

Fine by me.

One of many birthday gator sightings at the Everglades.

We stayed in South Beach which we’ve been to a handful of times.

All before kids.

I just love the pastel painted 3-story or so hotels along the beach and all the unique restaurants.

We’ve stayed at the Boulevard 2 or 3 times. But not this time.

Nothing slick or overly fancy.

That’s on the north end of the beach where all the high rises are.

The trip started out on a Saturday with Monte getting the back of his head wanded by security because “something didn’t look right.”

As we were putting our watches and shoes back on Monte went up to security and asked what they saw or thought they saw on the back of his head.

I think he’s still a bit sensitive since the “flesh yarmulke” comment 

of New York City 2015.

The woman said, in a nutshell, and with little humor, that Monte had a large, strange-shaped head and needed a second look.

I wasn’t sure how she was going to take being questioned about her head wanding ways so I decided to throw in a “Oh, I get it.” I’d had two of Monte’s large-headed children, after all.

I thought she was going to fall over laughing.

Which, probably wasn’t the most sensitive thing I could’ve said 

considering Monte’s past issues.

But, we did make it through security.

Before we hopped on our flight, I went to the restroom where a custodial worker swept my feet while I was in the stall.

Like, I wasn’t even there.

Or like I WAS there but she didn’t have time to swing back by 

and hit that area after I was done.

On our flight, Monte said he wanted to be by the window and not stuck between two people since it was a three-seats-on-each-side-of-the-aisle kind of set up.

For whatever reason, he got stuck in the middle.

The woman who sat down next to him did not speak to him.

Or me.

She played Candy Crush until we took off and then whipped out two manuals on how to play tournament bridge.

Monte practically put his chin on her shoulder reading right along with her.

She would not even make eye contact with him.

He explained to me (and I’m sure not quietly) just how difficult bridge looked.

Then we both started reading and then laughing and then sharing with each other just what we found funny about what we had just read.

Both are funny reads!

I’m sure this woman hated us with the calculating mind that only a tournament bridge player could possess.

She should’ve talked to us.

We would’ve asked questions.

I’m sure Monte would’ve asked if she had a deck of cards in her purse and would she give him a tutorial.

But only after he showed her a card trick or two.

We landed in the sweet humidity of south Florida to find that our hotel had our reservation under Martha Hartranft instead of Monte.

It took very little persuading for the front desk guy to realize 

that Monte was indeed Martha.

More on Miami soon!

I’ve got to go enjoy ALL THE THINGS since, in case I haven’t mentioned, I have the house to myself FINALLY!