As soon as we got to Fort Lauderdale we were met at the Southport Raw Bar by old friend and former co-worker Chelle Robinson. It’s been years since we’ve seen her and we loved having some time to catch up and share the EV experience.
My sister and brother-in-law planned to come down for a quick visit before we head to the Bahamas but when they learned of our medical setback they asked if they should cancel. Heck no! Vacations are fun, but when we’re facing hardships of any kind, family is the best medicine. We were so happy so see them and they settled in again to life aboard as if they never left.
Left to our own devices Jack and I might have sat in a depressed stupor but with Nancy and Dave around we had a couple of fun days before the Big Event at Cleveland Clinic. We drove to the Riverwalk in downtown Fort Lauderdale and walked through the crowds of people dancing to a pretty good band. They played Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” It’s a song that always touches me deeply.
The courtyard of the science museum features a colorful mechanical clock and we spent some time trying to figure out how it works.
That evening a pair of loons moved in to Lake Sylvia. They add a haunting soundtrack to the anchorage.
Monday was our last free day for a while because Tuesday poor Jack was scheduled for a full day of pre-operative testing, poking, prodding, and sticking, topped off by the same liquid diet prep he did last week. We decided to visit our nearly 91-year-old Uncle Ralph and we’re so glad we did. He’s the youngest of our mother’s siblings. The Original Recipe, Jack calls them. Visiting with Ralph is just like being with any of our aunts and uncles or our mom. They were all of a piece, all fun to be with and we got caught up with the news of his branch of the family.
Before we left Uncle Ralph said, “I’m going to sing for you.” Now, my Uncle Ralph has a beautiful baritone voice and has been singing in various choirs his whole life and produces periodic concerts these days at his residential community. He stood up and with no warmup gave us his rendition of “You light Up My Life,” which he said is new to his repertoire. We were touched by his performance, and let me remind you, he’s nearly 91.
Knowing that Jack might be out of commission for a while we invited True Colors and Macushla of Shannon aboard for a last minute sundowner. We met Mark and Sue of Macushla first in Charleston and later in St. Augustine, so it was nice to catch up with them, and Lisa and Marty of True Colors have taken good care of us this week, from leaving us baked goods to Izzy care to ferry service. Nancy and Dave enjoyed meeting other cruisers and said its easy to see why we love this life.
Made me cry – I can hear Uncle Ralph singing.