Tamu and I drove south from Cape Canaveral and spent the night in Fort Pierce. I had nothing planned for the day, and stopped there because one of the Florida girls from work had spent her high school years there and thought it was a good resting place after these very active days further north. She was right.
Unfortunately, it was so restful that, for the first time in documenting this trip, I have come to a day with no photos or film. I know that Tamu and I went to Ft. Pierce Inlet State Park and had a quiet time walking the trail and relaxing at the beach. I know that I finished my Christmas cards that day and mailed them from Fort Pierce in the morning.
I remember that we stopped for lunch. I was wearing a T shirt from an Alzheimer’s Association walk I had done with my Ft. Pierce friend, and somebody from an adjacent table walked up to talk to me about her mom, who was struggling with the disease. It was the first time I noticed that people treat me differently when I am wearing Alzheimer’s gear. The epidemic is such that everybody seems to know somebody who has struggled with dementia. For some, their stories are more raw than others. But the sharing of it brings on a kindness that I have seen across the country, even at its most divided. I tend to travel with Alzheimer’s clothes a lot. When traveling, you need kindness from strangers, and I’ve seen a lot of dementia. I’m fine talking with people about their stories.
After a restful start to the day, Tamu and I headed to Boca Raton for the evening. We got there too late in the evening to see any sites, but I was there to meet more friends. An old chum from my Africa days–let’s call her Sweetie (I always do)–was there with her husband to visit their families in the area. They invited me over on this fifth night of Hanukah (if I counted correctly). Sweetie’s husband’s family throws an annual Latke and Vodka party, and I got to mingle with this generous and loving extended family. Both the latkes and the vodkas were delicious. I don’t have photos, but I think even Tamu went and made friends. So it was a day of kindness, if not of photos.