THE WEEK THAT WAS!

Actually, I guess I'm still on vacation ... just not in the Bahamas! This week has passed very quickly. We arrived home around 5:30 pm Sunday
evening; unloaded our suitcases and ordered take-out from Macaroni Grill for our dinner. We watched a little TV and turned in for the night.

Mundane duties, such as laundry, mail-check, (both cyber and postal) and grocery shopping took up time our first day or two home. However,
Wednesday hung before us with ominous dread. Ceremonial ashes were an outside reminder of days to come; but both Paul and I are ALMOST
ready to forego our "give up" ... sweets and their associations! Why is it that ads on TV, the cooking channels, news programs - all of them - place
emphasis on the construction of desserts and show them, close up, in all their technicolor splendor? Satan forever at his job ...

Saturday was Costco day plus a side trip to a view plants at a nursery. The boys have plantings in mind for strips along the fence surrounding their yard; but they change back and forth between types. Do they go with low tropical plants or floral bushes such as gardenias or both? Have a little time to decide; still waiting for that final pool inspection before they can finish tiling closer to the fence.

Sunday, we ate breakfast at home, for a change. The Doral golf tourney was in its final hours and we had passes to go watch for awhile. (Tiger had a 12:30pm tee-time.) Plans change, however, and we went on a "window
shopping" tour of furniture warehouses in an off-road area. Oriental, Bahamese, Morrocan - many types and styles; mostly antique-looking pieces but much, much lower in price than retail. I enjoyed looking at
the accessories and accompanying small items. Saw a couple of things I'm sure Kristin would have been interested in ... cutest little, worn-looking set of table and two chairs that would have suited Henry and Millie for a year or two. Perhaps when they have larger quarters ...

No purchases! We moved to another district and a handsome storefront building called Victoria's Armoire. Now this was more like it ... beautiful furniture for every room, moderately priced to expensive ... wandered between two floors and three or four rooms for some time ... purchases WERE made here!

Vivian was our escort ... she has clients who give her the lowdown on where to get interesting things at interesting prices. She was looking for bookcases for her home office ... she bought four dark wood units, with a
movable ladder attached to a high rod for cohesiveness. Will fill an entire wall in her office ... looks like a small library, with that ladder (which I suspect is only for show!) Absolutely loved it!

In the showroom, sitting by the bookcase, were two large statues. Vivian and Paul each bought one. Their shape reminded me of a dressmaker's form ... no head, arms or legs ... resting on a rod in the center of a black base. They were very dark brown, almost like molten lava rock. Couldn't decide if they were sculpted or molded ... very heavy. Could have been a
mixed-with-color cement poured into a mold ... interesting, rough texture.
Vivian's statue was a female form and Paul's male; but they had scant
clothing that I would describe as Aztec. Really cool; difficult to describe.
(Maybe pictures later.)

Of course, my purchase was obscure compared with theirs ... a James Dean paperback book with many photos and scant text. Easier to carry home than a handsome statue! We were near Coral Gables so Vivian
introduced us to a new shopping mall, Merrick Park. Nestled among
newly-built condo buildings, it had two levels and was more like a park than a mall ... absolutely beautiful! Many stores arranged on the two levels, but all similar in looks. Even the new condos had to conform to the
Spanish look of Coral Gables. Large trees, flower gardens and large planters, fountains, benches and tables - some shaded by yellow or orange
market umbrellas. Just beautiful! Even had concealed escalators as a choice from stone steps. Restaurants in Nordstrom and Nieman-Marcus, as well as two larger eateries with indoor or outdoor dining. We opted for
Villagio, apparently Italian, but ate inside as there was a forty-minute wait
for oudoor. The four of us shared two large pizzas (homemade crust) with very fresh ingredients ... filled us to capacity ... even had a little left over.

That concluded our wandering weekend. I checked the news to see who won the Doral tourney and reported to Paul ... didn't want him to be embarrassed when he returned to work Monday morn not knowing the
winner!

Now, let's see ... Hillary's birthday the 14th ... St. Paddy's on the 17th ... a weekend comng up that Paul said "things HAVE to get done." We will see
what that entails; especially if more interesting invitations are submitted.
Nothing like procrastination ... as my blogs have indicated.

Until "the devil gets behind my back" ...

Marma