THE REST OF THE REST . . .

It is winddown time and Hillary and I are taking advantage of all the lounging and food intake that our bodies can endure. After our Safari Land trip and sunning by the pool, we once again began discussing - what else - food!! Paul arrived home fairly early and we all went to the Bonefish restaurant. Leisurely meal of our individual orders of fish ... mine, coconut shrimp ... an absolute fav'. Lots of laughter and tales of childhood adventures on the part of Hillary and Paul ... the roller derby stints with Sheila and Hillary competing in the basement, with Dan Hinchley and Paul as referees, always seems to be retold. How they survived that I will never know!! Wednesday was a "do-nothing" day ... going in and out of the sun; collecting stray items to put into suitcases for the trip home; watching Hill laugh as she checked Facebook comments on her published pictures. The evening was to be spent at Vivian and Mary's house "across the yard" ... dinner and conversation. Paul grabbed a bottle of wine and we wandered over ... a lovely dinner of roast pork with mojo glaze, black beans and rice with a selection of hot peppers and sauces, for those of us who wanted to tweak the taste, and Cuban bread. Once again, a "full" evening in all respects. For our last day, Paul had arranged a spa session at Doral. Hillary had said she would take nothing less than an eighty-minute massage by a therapist she had had before. It was the girl's day off, but she came in "just for Hillary" ... now that's celebrity treatment! We had to leave no later than one o'clock to catch our plane ... we both wished we could have gone the day before and spent more time in the hot tubs and outdoor cabanas ...just "luxuriating" in general. Felt so wonderful and relaxing ... and rich!! Paul was very busy with meetings, but Larry took us to meet Paul's staff. He did, however, excuse himself after conducting an interview; we got to bid him an appreciative farewell. Time passed so quickly. It seemed as though Hillary had just arrived. We made it to the airport in plenty of time. In fact, the plane was delayed for 45 minutes and then we had to wait on the plane for air traffic clearance. Upon our arrival at O'Hare, Ed came to meet Hill and the Drahoks came to get me. Jonferes met us at my house with a few food staples to tide me over AND a nice bottle of red wine. We sat around the table and caught up on some of the news ...Friday, those of the family who could make it, were attending a fish fry at Mack's Golden Pheasant ... many "welcome home" phone calls ... nice to be back! Easter is upon us soon ... that means Spring and warm weather, I think! 'Til I see each and every one of you ... I remain, Marma

"HILLARITY" IN MIAMI

It is a little after the fact, but the Chicago weather is somewhat different from Miami heat (no sports reference intended). More than a week has passed since landing at O'Hare ... pictures have been posted on Facebook with no explanation ... short-sleeved tee-shirts have been traded for sweatshirts ... many want to know what happened when Hillary came to visit. Needless to say, she wanted to wander and that we did! Paul took Monday off work and made eggs benedict for breakfast. (He wanted to test a new egg poacher.) Delicious! We left for an early tour of Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on Biscayne Bay. Vizcaya was built by James Deering, an agricultural industrialist, from 1916 to 1918. It is a huge European-inspired estate with lavish gardens featuring statues, fountains, and many piazzas used for entertaining. The main house is fully furnished and still contains much of the original art work. (The feature I liked most were the secret panels opening into different rooms and hidden stairways used by the servants to go to different floors.) There are three expansive stories in the house ... an elevator was to be used only by family and guests! Most of the day was spent wandering about the grounds and taking a tour of the mansion itself. Hillary loved the huge dock where yachts and boats anchored. It was a massive barge carved in stone and coral reef; the obligatory mermaid perched on the front and huge anchor on the back. It must have been at least a city block and a half long ... beautiful! Way past lunchtime ... Hill wanted a Cuban sandwich. We hit the renowned Versailles, ordered the sandwich and a dish called "Imperial chicken" ... yellow rice with different herbs and flavoring covering an abundance of slivered chicken and peppers. Groaning with gourmet satisfaction, we journeyed home. Tuesday, Hillary, Larry and I went to Safari Land where Jason had had his initial brush with alligators. She didn't want to be outdone by her little brother ... she HAD to go see live creatures in their natural habitat AND she insisted on holding the baby 'gator. We took the fun airboat ride and Hill was not disappointed. She loved every minute of it; and, for proof of her bravery, had her picture taken holding her next pair of shoes. Oops, sorry! She opted to return the little tyke to the wilds! Having enjoyed the seafood at Rickenbocker Fish Market when Jen and Jason visited, we took a side trip there and had mahi-mahi with mango salsa, peel-and-eat shrimp and conch fritters. (Sent pictures via IPhone to torment Paul, who was at work.) Home in time to sunbathe by the pool ... sun was hot ... water was cold ... ah-h-h, such is life in the civilized tropics of Miami. More fun with Hill-pill to follow!! Marma