The Burg to Deerfield Beach

Barbara arrived only 30 minutes late, planes stacked up over Atlanta....HOW UNUSUAL?!  I, too, ran into traffic load when I got into JIA and found the first three parking garage levels full!! For the first time in all the years I’ve lived here I had to park on Level 4 (out in the open air). I didn’t even know there was a Level 4!!!  No one could tell me why all these people were here on a Tuesday! I thought sure I must have missed some big event or tournament!   And I could not believe all these folks wanted to attend the Clay County Agricultural Fair!!!

We started out trip south on I-95 in bands of cloudy skies interspersed with bands of Noah’s Flood degrees of deluge. Mary Todd performed like the champion she is while I just kept driving, slow and sure. Barbara and I talked nearly non-stop (I know no one is surprised) on topics ranging from sci-if books to gardening tips.

About 6 we stopped in Melbourne for dinner and indulged at Outback!!! Juliana was a delightful waitress and made our meal kind of fun. We began with a Blooming Onion - neither of had had one since we shared one at Whiteys years ago. The second that sauce hit my tongue, I was transported to all the  meals brother Bill and I shared at various Outbacks in his area.

Barbara splurged on Prime Rib, while I sated myself with a small Filet and a few ribs. We each declined dessert but when I asked for a box for my leftovers, Juliana surprised us with bread and honey butter for our “late night snack.”

The Best Western. Barbara found for us here in Deerfield Beach is charming and clean and seems to be a good spot. We have a 5th floor corner room with a small balcony and no neighbor noise, though I-95 is right outside out windows.

Speaking of I-95 - more idiot drivers are down that road that I’ve ever seen in Jacksonville. Apparently, to paraphrase The Pirates of the Caribbean, speed limits are more of a suggestion than a rule!!!

Tomorrow we enter the world of Holland America. More follows.