Florida

We flew from North Carolina down to a significantly warmer Fort Lauderdale, not just because it is our springboard to Mexico, but because it is the home of Robert, Deborah's dear friend from her New York days who we haven't seen in ten years. Robert and his Peruvian partner Jose have a cozy, plant-filled, breezy Floridian rambler with a pool, a screened-in patio, a pair of Pekinese pooches and a 24 lb cat named Oliver. Robert was working the night shift during our visit and so was able to join us for beach walks and lunches out.

Unfortunately, he also had to shuttle us around in search of medical care thanks to Deborah's persistent urinary tract infection. She was set up with antibiotics before we left but they haven't been doing the job. Calls to her urologist back in Olympia met with the astoundingly unhelpful response of “Well, they SHOULD have worked.” So, after a couple of false leads, we finally managed to find a walk-in clinic who could prescribe some more powerful antibiotics. The walk-in clinic was almost comically inefficient. It took over an hour and a half of mostly waiting as various nurses and technicians filed into and out of the exam room at widely spaced random intervals until the doctor finally appeared for a two-minute interview that resulted in the much sought-after prescription – although it took quite awhile for him to locate his prescription pad. Even paying the undeserved $100 fee proved an ordeal as they struggled to get their credit card machine to function. We are actually looking forward to going to Mexico where the health care – at least in many areas – is reputed to be both excellent and affordable.

The ordeal at the walk-in clinic made us late for a lunch appointment with Deborah's second cousin Melissa (daughter of Denise) who we all agree is adorable. She went to college and now lives in Fort Lauderdale – at least when she isn't traveling in Thailand or Bali. She's young, but the travel bug has already got her...

Jose, Deborah, Rob and the Children

Rob and Jose's Place - The Patio

Rob and Jose's Place - The Pool



Rob and Jose's Place - The Patio Bar

Waiting to Bark at the Mailman

Oliver the cat - all 24 pounds of him.