Family in Town . . .

My sister and niece flew in from Philly for something special . . .

Happy 85th birthday, Dad!

My dad turned 85!  We had a dinner with friends and family at Mellow Mushroom.  (Just wish our California family could have been there for the big event.  We missed you Sherry, Ben and Ethan! )

We were celebrating more than a birthday.  We celebrated Dad's resiliency.  In the past year, he's broken his arm, had triple bypass surgery and lost his wife, Dorothy.  Sheesh!

I'm proud of the life he's created for himself here in South Florida.

We had a couple days to have fun together at the zoo, the movies, Busch's Wildlife Sanctuary, kayaking, strolling the beach, etc.

My favorite photo was when my niece threw a food pellet to a crow only inches away and it caught it mid-air.  

Then, before I knew it, my niece and I went for our good-bye breakfast at Lazy Loggerhead Cafe by the beach.

 And off to the airport to hug my sister and niece. 

The visit was great!  The leaving?  Not so much!

Come back soon!

'Cause You Can't Work All the Time . . .

Kayaking with my niece, Nicole, who was visiting from Philadelphia.

Docking on Munyon Island (MacArthur Beach State Park) for a picnic of peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches. 

While hiking through Munyon Island, we learned there was a 5-story, 21-room, 8-bath hotel built on the end of the island in 1903.  It burnt to the ground in 1917. 

Nicole and I decided it would make a great setting for a horror story, where ghosts from the hotel still inhabit the tiny island.  And visitors, like us, are sometimes lured to the hotel . . . and never leave.

Hmm.  I guess when you're a writer, even when you're not working . . . your imagination is always on call.