Alice and the Adventure Ends

            It all started one night when I looked at Alice.  There seemed to be more fluff on the left side of her cheek than on the right.  When I picked her up, there was a definite bulge of bone on the cheek.  It could have been there a while, I just had not noticed. 

            The next day, I called the vet for an appointment and was able to schedule one for the next afternoon.  Alice was not happy about being at the vet as she had just spent a week there, but everyone was very nice to her.  After looking at her and trying to move the piece of bone, he asked if we could leave her for a couple of hours so he could take x-rays of her head.  When I returned, the vet showed me the x-ray of her head with a definite mass on the left and then a chest x-ray that showed a spot on her lungs. A biopsy was needed on the masses and also a sonogram to determine just how big the masses were.  Of course, the first thought was the possibility that the mass was bone cancer that had spread to the lungs.

            I was a basket case for a couple of days until the results of the biopsy and the sonogram came back.  The mass on her cheek was pure bone, with no sign of cancer.  It was now time to do a biopsy on the mass on the lung.  Meanwhile, a visiting vet with his sonogram machine came to the vets to do Alice’s procedure.  There was a definite mass in the lungs, but the sonogram could not tell what kind it was.

            Again, I was a basket case as all sorts of scenarios went through my mind.  Alice was considered too young to have cancer, but there was a mass there.  Finally, after waiting three weeks, the results of the biopsy of the mass in lungs came back.  The mass was part of Alice’s liver that had gone into the lung cavity.  The vet had no idea how long it had been there – for all we new it could have been congential.  As she often squeaked when we picked her up, that could have been because of the hernia in the lung sack. 

            After researching on the computer and talking with Dr. Williamson in Carrollton, we determined that, although it is unusual, bone growths like Alice’s could be because part of the liver was in her lung cavity.  Most of the cases reported had the growth on the legs of dogs, but a few cats had had the condition. 

            In June, we took a short trip back to Carrollton with Alice so that Dr. Williamson could look at her.  Classical music had calmed cats before, but Alice was not to be calmed. She yowled the whole way! Although glad to be back home, she was lonely because Chloe had died in December and Leo was staying with the kids next door.

Dr. Williamson did a thorough examination of Alice.  Based on what I told him, he agreed that Alice probably had hypertrophic osteopathy He shared some printed information on the condition; and also said he would consult with a vet from Auburn who was very familiar with the condition.

            After our return to Florida, Dr. Williamson sent me an e-mail confirming his thoughts on the condition.  His consulting doctor had agreed that the bone growth on the cheek was a result of the liver being in her lung cavity.  Because it did not seem to bother her, he suggested that we just leave it until either the bone mass grew or Alice was not able open her jaw as much as she had.  At present, she could not open her jaw as much as a regular cat, but eating was no problem.

            Not long after our return to Florida, David came home early one day to tell me that he had been laid off from his job.  That did not seem possible after all the expense and effort the company had expended on getting us down to Florida.  We were both stunned and felt that the rug had been pulled out from under us.  For David, this was the second time he had been released from a position because of corporate actions.  So that he could not say the action was a result of his age, he was given a list of other positions and ages of those persons released from employment.  There was only one under 50 years old!  The company would give him four weeks of severance pay along with his unused vacation, pay for moving us back, pay for COBRA until the end of October, pay for breaking the lease, and reimburse us for driving two cars back to Georgia. 

            Our landlord was a wonderful person who was more than willing to let us break the lease.  Although we were sorry to leave, I was glad to be getting back to Georgia.  It was lucky that we had told the company that we still had a house in Georgia, or they might not have paid for the move back.  At first, it looked like it would take several weeks to get everything in order, but almost as quickly as we had contacted the moving company, the pack up was scheduled and the delivery day in Georgia was set for two days later.   A long drive with both cars packed with our stuff and a very noisy Alice on the Saturday before a tropical storm was scheduled to make landfall in Florida meant we were back in Georgia within two weeks.  On a clear Sunday afternoon, the moving truck arrived and emptied all our boxes in the hall.  The “Florida Adventure” was over.

            
Note:  When the growth on Alice's face began to grow, on Dr. Williamson's recommendation, we took Alice to the Auburn University Veterinary School.  What we had thought was just a bone mass was actually a cancer tumor growing inside a non-malignant mass.  Surgery removed most of the mass, but not all.  Alice lived a good life for about six months when the mass began to grow again to the point where she was unable to eat.  Sadly we had to let her go, and she is now buried in the side yard under a big stone.

             

The Dorothy's Florida Adventure: New Year, the Honda Classic, and a Trip to Georgia

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I don’t remember what we did for New Year’s Eve.  My leg was hurting and my brain was so hazy with painkillers, that I remember very little of the days after the accident.  I think we watched the ball drop at Times Square and we drank a toast to 2012, but the exact chain of events is debatable. 

I was so knocked out by the painkillers that I spent the remaining days of Margaret and Kenneth’s visit in the bed reading, sleeping, or playing games on the Nook I had purchased with a special employee discount prior to the holidays.  The knee immobilizer made sleeping difficult, as I could not turn over easily.  And walking with the crutches meant that I just shuffled, as I could not put any weight on my left leg. 

Margaret and Kenneth left on New Year’s Day so they could both be back for school and the store.  It was a long drive, but they made it in record time as the traffic was light.  I was still confined to bed or the sofa, so the days went by very slowly.  By the time I saw the doctor on January 6^th, the pain had lessened, but the knee immobilizer still made sleeping difficult.  At least Dr. Leighton adjusted the immobilizer for a better fit and adjusted the crutches so that I could actually use them.  He suggested that I keep putting some weight on the leg, but to keep the leg straight.   So far, it had not been an auspicious beginning to the New Year. 

Kept out of work because I was unable stand for any length of time, I began to work on various projects at home.  Soon I began to hear all sorts of banging on the edge of the hotel parking lot just beyond our patio door.  It looked like a lot of stakes were being driven into the ground.  Even with binoculars I could not tell what was being built.  After a platform was placed on the stakes, metal struts and white cloth were added to make it a large tent structure.  It finally hit me that it was something to do with the Honda Classic golf tournament, as it was scheduled to be the last week in February.

After my second visit with Dr. Leighton, he said I could start putting weight on my leg, but still had to keep in straight.  I could drive if necessary, but I could not bend the knee.  I had an automatic, so driving with my right leg would not be a problem.  The only problem seemed to be getting into the car – I had to let the seat back as far as possible, get my leg into the car without bending it, then move the seat forward until my right foot could reach the gas pedal.   It is a good thing I did not have any incidents where I would have had to exit the car quickly because I would not have made it.

            Being stuck at the apartment meant that I could start working on writing a history of the Arts Study Club, Horton’s Books & Gifts, and Mary Malinda the ghost.  Reviewing all of those CDs and files from jump drives was time-consuming, but the results were worth it.  There were ads from Horton’s for many years, stories about my family and its part in Carrollton history, and information about the folks in our CHS Class of 1966.  I started working on posting items on the store Facebook page as well as looking at what we could do with the calendar of events on the Website. 

            In between all my work on the CDs and other files, I had to visit Dr. Leighton again and then begin my physical therapy.  For three days, I did leg lefts, rolled on a big rubber ball, and worked on getting my knee back in shape.  I even had homework – exercises to keep my knee flexible.  In addition, I was to walk every day, so I would set out each morning to walk around the lake and tennis courts, passing the ever-growing Honda Pavilion on my path.  

            After being off of work for a month, I went back to work the week of the Honda Classic.  Every day we had to make certain that our parking passes were in the car, and that the policeman at the entrance to our apartments was able to see  it when we would go into the area.  ABC news bought all the copies of the Palm Beach Post the first day of the tournament, and several people came in that were connected with the event.  As we were not able to get tickets, we sat at home on Saturday and Sunday to watch the action as it took place just outside our apartment.  It was great fun.

            In early April, it was time to travel home to Carrollton to visit the Ann Fazio, our tax accountant.  I had hoped to also see Chris about the website and other computer concerns, but all of my days were spent trying to get all the tax stuff together.   I did manage to make it to the Art Study Club meeting where I gave a short report explaining what I was doing with the newspaper scans and asked for contributions of books and other items relating to the club so that we could donate the items to our collection at the West Georgia Regional Library.

            Once we had taken all of our tax “stuff” to Ann, we were able take some time off to visit the Carlos Museum at Emory.  It had been a while since we had visited there, so it was nice to just wander around the exhibits and then check out the bookstore.  After visiting the museum, we stopped by Atlanta Vintage Books were I found some copies of the “Little Colonel” books and then Eagle Eye Books where we were able to talk with the owner’s son.  Our next stop was the nearby Indian restaurant where we had delicious curry and other Indian delicacies.

            That Sunday, David and I drove back to Palm Beach Gardens, this time taking the Florida Turnpike rather than I10 and I95 as we had done on our trip home.  There had been construction in Jacksonville, hard rain, and then more construction after Valdosta.  We had managed to take a secondary road to bypass the construction, so on our trip down we were prepared for some construction delays.  Much to our delight, there were little delays and the turnpike cut about an hour off of the trip.  We decided that on our next trip, we would look at the “SunPass” as a way to pay rather than to carry toll fares with us.

            David went back to work the next morning and I went to pick up Alice from the vets where she had been boarding while we were gone.  All of us, including Alice, were glad to be back in our little apartment.

           

Dorothy's Florida Adventure: Settling In and the Holidays

Once we had settled in, David and I decided to explore one of the state parks for which we had seen several signs. John D. Mac Arthur Beach State Park is 317 acres of coastal uplands and another 120 of submerged. It is a unique area of estuaries, hardwood hammocks, beach dunes, and reefs. The visitor’s center had a resident a large turtle along with some other reptiles found in the park.  After crossing the estuary along a long wooden bridge, we took a sandy trail to the beach.  It was a beautiful warm day, but with very few people actually in the water.  At a time when South Florida’s natural coastal areas are almost nonexistent, the park is one of the finest examples of subtropical coastal habitat remaining in southeast Florida.  If you ignored the high-rise buildings to the south, you would think you were in the middle of a wilderness.

After spending several weeks arranging the apartment, it was time I did some job searching as the holidays were coming quickly.  We had arrived at the high season so finding a position at the local Hallmark store was no problem.  After being my own boss with my own style of dress, I had to go shopping for the required black slacks and white polo top.  In addition, my closed toed (required) black shoes decided to wear out as soon as I put them on. (To those who remember, I wear a very narrow shoe, so finding a pair to fit is almost impossible.)  A desperate e-mail to Margaret and a package containing two pairs of shoes arrived the next week.

          I became one of the official greeters at the Hallmark store.  It was my job to greet everyone and to direct him or her to the proper section of the store.   Captain Peacock in "Are You Being Served" had nothing on me.  I enjoyed meeting all the customers, saying hello to the children, and exclaiming over the dogs that came shopping as well.  Soon after that, I was offered a position at the local Barnes & Noble working almost full-time.  There was no uniform needed, but close-toed shoes were also required.  This was the holiday season, so every day was a busy one.  I met customers from all over the world, as well as from all over the United States and Canada.  When I mentioned I had a store called "Horton's," most of my Canadian customers offered to send a sample of Tim Horton's coffee to me.  It was great fun, but very tiring.  My hours often meant I would leave the apartment at 3:00 p.m. and not return until after 11:00 on weekdays and midnight on Friday or Saturday.  Right up until Christmas, I worked one of my off days at the Hallmark store, as they were still busy with the holiday shoppers.

Alice in her favorite bowl

Christmas tree in bowl and presents all around the coffee table

            As we did not have space for a big Christmas tree, I opted for a very small already decorated one from Michael's.  There was a large bowl (one of Alice’s favorite resting places) in the center of the glass coffee table, so it became the official spot for the tree.  To give it some depth, I put a decorated wreath around the bottom of the tree covering the bowl.  As for the presents, the space under the table became the spot.   It actually looked pretty good.

            I had also brought down several unpainted plaster "Santa's Village" buildings.  Setting up on the small dinning table, I painted buildings and matching trees for several weeks.  As there was a small buffet with a mirrored display case, I placed the houses on fake snow on the bottom shelf of the unit.  Christmas stockings and pillows completed our decoration for the season.

On one of my weekend days off, David and I traveled to Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park.  Inhabited since the Archaic Period over 5,000 years ago, the park had been the scene of two battles:  Powell’s Battle on January 15, 1838 and Jesup’s Battle on January 24, 1838 during the Second Seminole Wars.  Trails led us by wild and scenic rivers as well as through scrub and palms.

Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park

Since my work schedule would not allow us to travel back to Carrollton, Margaret and Kenneth made the journey down here.  It was a little crowded, but we survived.  Kenneth slept on an inflatable mattress in the living area while Margaret took over the guest bedroom.  For several days, I had been at work at 8:00 a.m., so I left everyone sleeping.  The kids and David took several day trips while I worked.  They had a great time exploring the Jupiter Lighthouse and the state parks in the area.  Together we visited the Morikami Museum and Japanese Garden in Delray Beach.  After the park, we found a “Friendly’s for lunch and a “Happy Ending” dessert.  The ice cream was just as delicious as we remembered from Maryland.

   On January 30th when I arrived to work for my 8:00 a.m. shift I slipped on the wet floor in the staff room and fell on my knees.  My left knee just hurt at first, but within an hour, I could not stand on my left leg at all.  Luckily David and the kids had not set out on any adventures, so he was able to take me from work to the Emergency Room at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.  The bad news was that my kneecap was broken; the good news was that Workman's Compensation would take care of the expenses.  With my leg wrapped in a knee immobilizer and walking with a pair of juvenile sized crutches, I crawled into the back seat of David's car on the way to the pharmacy and home.   Needless to say, I would not be returning to work anytime soon.

Dorothy’s Florida Adventure: The Big Move-In

We drove down to Palm Beach Gardens in my little red car.  It was great fun, except for the cat, Alice, who complained all the time she was in her carrier.  In prior trips with felines, I had found classical music would have a calming effect, but not this time.  She made it very clear she was not happy with the situation and was going to make certain that we knew it.  In the hotel room in Ocala where we stopped for the night on the way down, she was fine. She stayed in the room and was quiet during the night.  The next night at the Doubletree in Palm Beach Gardens we had a room on the ground level corridor room all to ourselves.  Alice had a great time looking at the wildlife through the sliding doors.  Once we had moved into the apartment, she was in heaven.  There were large patio doors and multiple windows from which to view all the wildlife -- ibis, wood cranes, osprey, and lizards (lots of them).  And, of course, there were golfers and golf carts out on the course every day.
          

Alice settled in at 526 Club DR

 The truck with our “stuff” arrived on Saturday morning and was quickly unloaded. There were boxes filled up the whole living area.  We unpacked out clothes and washed the bed and bath linens from the master bedroom.  When we made up the bed, we discovered that the king bed was actually two twins beds placed together with one headboard.  In addition, the beds were shorter than regular single beds so the fitted king sheet was loose around the edges.  Most of that day and the following were devoted to cleaning the drawers and unpacking our clothes.

 David left for work that Monday with a few boxes still left to be unpacked.  There was packing newsprint paper everywhere.  The kitchen was fully furnished with lots of pots and pans, but no microwave safe cookware.  There was a coffee maker and a toaster, but it did not last long as the first time we put bread in it, it caught on fire!  (I thought that only happened in movies, but I was wrong.)  As we were avid coffee drinkers, we had brought our own mugs and a set of dishes and glasses to supplement what was in the kitchen.   Unlike my own kitchen, the cabinets were set up high – so high I had to have a step stool just to shelve the clean dishes.   As there was no real space to store the bath towels, I took the top two shelves from the food pantry.

This was a two bedroom apartment, but there were five (5) televisions in the place -- one in the living area, one in each bedroom, and two in two different closets; and three (3) vacuums cleaners.  There were bedspreads, extra rugs, pillows and other household items in the closets. With the help and understanding of our landlord, I was able to clean out the storage closet and box up all the items we would not need from the other closets.  We had tried to use the large TV in the living area, but found it would not work with our DVD player or Apple TV.   It joined the five TVs that found a home in either the dumpster or a charity.  Ditto for two of the three vacuum cleaners.  We upgraded our television experience by adding a new flat-screen HD TV and a Blu-Ray/DVD player to the existing cable box.

Lucky for us, one of the TV units in the second bedroom had had a rotating pullout TV stand that would be perfect for our computer.  With a little creative wiring, we were able to attach two printers and have the extra wires out of the way. 

Because the telephone cord from the modem to the base unit ran from the kitchen along the sidewall to the far east corner behind the sofa, I had to do a little creative moving to relocate the modem and our router under the bedside table in the master bedroom.  Connecting the telephone unit there activated the base unit, so the base unit no longer needed the long wire.  There were enough cables around the apartment to attach the TV and use the wireless router for the computer and Blu-Ray player.  Now the modem in the bedroom was out of sight, but still provided a soft glowing nightlight for the bedroom.

Alice was settled in the second bathroom. She spends her evenings there sleeping in the cupboard under the hand basin. (We have to open the doors for her, or she will keep us up all night trying to open them). I purchased her one of those x-shaped scratching resting places as well as one shaped like a bowl -- they soon became her favorites.  The white L-shaped sofa unit was covered with the beige sheet covers I had made for the sofas in Maryland.  They could be easily washed and would not show Alice’s yellow fur.  Actually, the tiger stripped pillows already there looked better with the beige. A couple of tables and lamps moved and we had a comfortable and smart looking living and dinning area.  The second bedroom became the computer room, office, and craft supply room.

Our apartment was small, but it was becoming a little more like home.

Dorothy's Florida Adventure: And the winner of the apartment hunt is . . .?

After a lot of discussion and thought, we decided to take on Palm Beach Gardens as an adventure.  But we first had to find a furnished apartment within our price range that would take pets.  Before our “house-hunting” trip, we had visited the local furniture rental store to check on costs and terms for renting.  After looking at that option, we decided it would be better to just look for a furnished apartment.  There would be fewer items to take and the total costs would probably be lower.

We traveled to Palm Beach Gardens by car for our apartment-hunting trip.  Prior to the trip, we had become very discouraged because our relator’s preliminary review of available apartments that took pets had not been very productive.  After talking with her, she tried another type of search and found several possible units for our review.  The first stop for us was the Club Cottages in PGA.  These “cottages” were all one level in conjoined buildings of four to eight units set back so that each entrance was separate circled around a center area for dumpsters and mailboxes.  The first apartment was a challenge because the key safe would not open until a lot of patience and determination opened it.  From the moment we walked in, I knew this was the apartment for us.  It had tile floors with two sliding glass windows overlooking a golf course, two full baths, and two bedrooms.  A compact washer/dryer and new appliances made the kitchen welcoming.  Even after looking at other apartments in PGA, we kept comparing them to the first apartment. A quick telephone call to the relator handing the rental and our offer for a year’s rental for 526 Club DR was accepted.   Once that was done, I asked if we could have a final look to take photographs of the rooms and kitchen utensils so we would know what was already there.  I would have to pack some plates and kitchen things, but all the linens were already in the apartment.  There were also three vacuum cleaners, two TVs in closets, and a TV in each room, but we would deal with all that later.   Our move-in was scheduled for October 21^st.

Living Room

View of Patio

Front door of 526 Club DR

When there was some free time, we set out to visit the Norton Museum of Art.  It seemed strange that the entire parking lot was deserted.  An employee explained that the museum was closed because of renovations.  So that we would return, he gave us two passes for the museum.  These were safely stored in the glove box in the car.

During the whole time staying at the Doubletree in Palm Beach Gardens, I had a headache and the AC did not seem to work correctly.  It was either too hot or too cold – resulting in very little sleep for either of us. When I complained, no one seemed to respond. One morning at breakfast when I told the waiter I didn’t feel good, he brought me a wonderfully hot pot of soothing tea and two pieces of toast.  I also had trouble trying to print items from the computers in the business center, so eventually one of the desk staff let me us her own computer to print pages.

(When the online survey came from the Hilton group, I told them about the wonderful waiter in the restaurant, but I also told them of the AC problems and the other things that were just not right.  Within a day, an e-mail arrived to apologize and offer a free stay in the future.  That had been unexpected, so we planned to use it when we came down prior to our move-in.)

The company offered to move one automobile down for us, so we decided that the Prius would be it.   About a week before the movers were to come pack up our “stuff,” a gentlemen came with a tow truck to pick up the car.  He could not actually load it from our driveway, so he took the tow truck to Center Street and then drove the Prius up the ramp.  After it was secured, we waved as he drove off with our little blue car.

Our moving company was not one that either of us knew.  They were supposed to be the best, so we gathered our items into boxes in the hall and kitchen.  We also noted that the computer, printers, and the modem were to be packed as well.  The only real furniture we took was a filing cabinet and my sewing table.  As we not certain just how cold it was going to be, we took very few winter garments.   It took them only a few hours to pack everything in boxes and secure everything in the front of the moving van.  As our “things” had completely filled a moving van on our move to Georgia, seeing our belongings in just one small section of the big van was a little disheartening.  We were taking the minimum, leaving a large part of ourselves at home in Carrollton.   They were scheduled to deliver our boxes the day we were to take possession of the apartment.  After waving goodbye to the van, we started getting ourselves ready for our move.   The “adventure” had begun.

Dorothy's Florida Adventure: And then there was Palm Beach Gardens:

No sooner had David made the transition and was easily commuting to Newnan, than he came home with the news that his company was going to relocate everyone from his division to Palm Beach Gardens Florida within the next year and half.  We decided to consider this an "adventure."  My roots were in Carrollton and I had no intention of transplanting them elsewhere.  We had lived in Orlando for three years so we were familiar with Florida.  My basic memory of Orlando was the heat and the supersonic growth.

I had visited West Palm Beach when my aunt Esther’s sister Irma lived there; and later David and I had toured the Flagler mansion on the way to a visit to Miami Beach.  We were not certain we really wanted to move, but decided to at least have the company give us the tour and specifics before we made a final decision.

After the flight down, I remembered why I disliked flying so much.  When flying back and forth to the UK several times during my stay there and in the years we would travel over to see David’s family, security involved putting the hand luggage in the machine, taking a coat off, and passing though a scanner  -- that was it.  Now we had to find small bottles to decant my contact solution, purchase small tubes of toothpaste, etc.  There had always been some restrictions on carry-on size, but it was now really a pain as many more passengers carried bigger and bigger hand luggage so they would not have to pay for a checked bag.  David likes to sit by the aisle and I like the window, but no such luck.  I had the window, but David had to sit in the middle seat – not his favorite spot. The flight attendants were great – handing me a blanket and pillow (I am always cold so I try to sleep during flights) and extra peanuts for snacks.

The hotel did not have a shuttle from the West Palm Beach airport, so several of his co-workers on the same plane joined with us in finding a van taxi to the Hilton Gardens Inn in Palm Beach Gardens.  After an uneventful ride, we settled into a room overlooking the large lake just outside the hotel.  There was a “meet and greet” scheduled for that evening, so we unpacked and rested a while before we headed down to the event.  If I remember correctly, it was a buffet where we could grab a quick bite and then meet some of the other couples down for the tour.  After a short round of introductions, it was time for us to hear the schedule for the next two days.  The company had big plans for us to tour the city, dine at two of the best waterfront restaurants, take a boat tour down the inland waterway to see Palm Beach from the water, and meet with real estate agents to look at possible apartments.

John D. MacArthur, a millionaire insurance magnate and landowner, founded the city of Palm Beach Gardens in 1959.  His plans were to develop 4,000 acres into a beautiful garden city for 55,000 people where houses and services would be built around beautiful waterways, lush foliage, and winding streets named after flowers. He specifically stated that the development would not endanger any trees that had been growing a long time.  The city now spans 56.16 square miles with over 50% of its land mass either forested or landscaped green space.

While the city was being developed, in 1961 Mr. MacArthur heard of an 80-year-old Banyan tree that was in danger of being taken down in an adjoining city because it was threatening the foundation of the owner home and damaging the street in front of her house.  MacArthur wanted to save the tree, so he had it moved from its location to a specially prepared hole at the entrance to his new city.  This was no easy feat as the tree weighed 75 tons, was 60 feet tall, and had a limb spread of 125 feet.  It took the city six months to prepare the tree for its move.  According to the official history from the city’s website:

“On the morning of April 26, 1961, John D. MacArthur sent two cranes to lift the tree onto two cargo trailers for the move to its new home five miles away. However, an unforeseen problem arose when a feed mill truck burst and spewed 10,000 gallons of molasses onto a roadway that was specially bulldozed to move the tree. The fill used to cover the spill raised the roadway just enough to make the tree hit and snap several railway signal lines which caused crossing gates to close for eight miles. Additionally, a cable parted while the tree was being hoisted over 18-foot Western Union lines connecting southern Florida with the rest of the world. The tree dropped when one of the cables being used to hoist the tree over the train tracks snapped under the heavy strain of the tree. When the 1:30 p.m. train came down the tracks it was forced to stop and workmen quickly got busy sawing off the limbs of the tree to clear the tracks. Thirteen minutes later the train was on its way again.

“Shortly after 2:00 p.m., the tree was dropped into the large hole that had been prepared. The Rev. A. P. Snyder of St. John's Evangelical Church said a prayer. Mr. MacArthur traveled with the entourage the whole trip and threw the first shovel of dirt over the roots of the tree. The entire process cost $30,000 and 1008 hours of manpower. Approximately one year later, a second tree was moved to keep company with the first tree. It was a smaller tree weighing only 40 tons.

“When people questioned the expense of moving older trees instead of planting new ones, Mr. MacArthur responded by saying, "I can buy anything but age. This tree will be the centerpiece of our entrance, and while we could plant a little one there, I wouldn't be around 80 years from now to see it as it should be". Mr. MacArthur’s philosophy continues today, as the City Council and staff apply strict guidelines for landscaping and aesthetics in all current and future development. The two Banyan trees remain standing proudly at the entrance to the City of Palm Beach Gardens as a reminder to us all.”

We passed the banyan tree on our bus tour, and it is big and beautiful -- just as described in the website.    

After a short box lunch, we were off to the boat tour of the Inter-coastal waterway that would take us along the backside of the sixteen-mile Palm Beach barrier island.  It was named by early settlers who salvaged the cargo of cocoanuts from the shipwrecked “Providencia,” and planted the cocoanuts not native to South Florida in an effort to begin a commercial cocoanut industry. The island being the closest to the Gulf Stream, produces lush gardens, palm lined beaches, boat docks with yachts as big as houses, and architecturally stunning homes.   We had been warned to use restroom facilities before getting on the tour boat as it no facilities.  That was good, as there were drinks of all kinds available as well as finger sandwiches and snacks.  Looking at all those multimillion dollar houses used for about two weeks in the winter season made me feel happy to be where I was in the social scale.  After the boat tour, we were taken to one of the most popular (as evidenced by the number of cars in the parking lot) restaurants for dinner.  It was lucky that I had not eaten many of the snacks on the boat tour as the entree at the restaurant was more than I could eat.

The next day was devoted to looking at apartments.  Our real estate agent spent the morning and early afternoon taking us to various furnished and unfurnished apartments throughout the area.  Lunch was at a popular local sports bar hangout. As we were planning to bring Alice down with us, it was imperative that we find an apartment that allowed pets. In addition to looking at Abacoa townhouses, we also looked at two possible apartments in high rises on the beach. After looking at apartments, our agent drove us along the coast so that we could see the beach. The Sea Turtle Festival was in full swing, so we were unable to look at the museum there.  We arrived back at the hotel just in time to board the bus for dinner at another waterside restaurant. 

The restaurant was a “classy one” with our group being settled in a dinning room surrounded by library looking shelves and a view of the wine cellar.  The food here was great even though I could not eat everything on the plate.  The wine flowed freely as everyone toasted everyone else.  It has to be a quick dinner, as everyone had to be at the airport early to catch a flight the next morning.

I took some bottled water to drink as we waited.  That was a big mistake! I had forgotten the liquid limitations so at the security checkpoint, I was taken aside for my carry-on to be searched and  my water bottles confiscated.   Embarrassed no end, I boarded the flight to back to Atlanta.

We returned home with a decision to make. The company offered David an increase in salary to offset the higher cost of living and promised him a laboratory to run.   We could take Alice, but Leo would have to stay behind because of his ability to scratch the furniture.  David could have taken a job in Newnan, but it was one he already done.  I was not too keen to move, but I knew Margaret could handle the store, so I was not worried about that part of the move.  We had to make up our minds so that we would be settled in Palm Beach Gardens by November.   It was a tough one.

Dorothy's Florida Adventure: Indianapolis and Museums

           Driving into Indianapolis was completely different.  We approached the city from the southeast, as that was the location of our hotel.  The tour of the facility was scheduled for the next morning, so we took a “dry run” tour on our own so we could find the building.  As it was on the grounds of the Indianapolis Airport, it was easily located. After a restful night, we set out in the morning to look at David’s possible office location.  The building was HUGH to put it mildly—and David’s company was using only one section of it.  As the company was attaching the upright tips to the wings on commercial jets large hangers were needed accommodate the plane and work on it from three different levels.  There was a corridor with service bays all along one side and larger work areas on the other.  We seemed to walk for miles just to reach the end of the building – the fact borne out by the mileage markers on the corridor walls.  We met some of David’s co-workers already relocated to Indianapolis who showed us their office – a windowless inner office along the main corridor.   It was actually depressing.

            After the tour of the facility, we headed to the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  At the entrance was the art work “LOVE” by Robert Indiana.  The ground bounded the White River and featured beautiful gardens as well as  the beautiful Oldfields-Lilly House and Gardens. Entering the Oldfields estate, a 22 room mansion owned by Indianapolis businessman E. J. Lilly, through the west side gardens brought me to a stop.  The formal garden looked familiar – just like ours at home!  When I asked the receptionist in the home about them, she said Olmstead brothers had designed the gardens.  The individual who had designed our garden at home, J. Leon  Hoffman, had worked with the Olmsteads before setting up his business in Atlanta.  No wonder the gardens had a familiar feel!

            Other than getting lost in the wilds of Louisville, the return trip was uneventful.  The Speed Art Museum is the oldest museum in Kentucky.  Founded in 1925 by Harrie Bishop Speed, in memory of her husband, James Breckinridge Speed, the museum opened its doors in 1927 with an exhibition sponsored by the Louisville Art Association.  Through the years, the museum has expended several times and includes beautiful art works.

            Once we had toured the museum, it was time to hit the road again. The crack had grown a bit, but it did not obstruct my vision, so it was on to Carrollton.  David had an interview planned for a company located in Newnan.  It was still a commute, but a better one than to the Atlanta airport area.

            (We later heard that David’s section had been sold.  The new owners closed the Atlanta site and laid off the remaining staff, including those who had transferred to Indianapolis.  Whew!!!)

Dorothy's Florida Adventure: Kentucky and Cincinnati Art Museum

            Not certain just what awaited us at the Big Bone Lick State Park, we were delighted to find that it had been a place where prehistoric animals such as bison, primitive horses, giant mammoths, mastodons, stag-moose, and ground sloth had come to feed on the swampy land.  As these large animals fed, the swampy “jelly” land gave way under their weight and they sank.  Carnivores looking for a quick meal would feast on the trapped animals, only to sink into the quagmire.  The result was a bounty of large bones scattered throughout the area.

            Later, settlers began to collect the big fossils and also make use of the salt deposits left by the two salt streams that fed into the main river.  Hearing of the fossil finds at Big Bone Like, in 1807, President Thomas Jefferson sent General William Clark with a party of ten men to collect fossils.  After studying the fossils, Jefferson kept a third, sent a third to the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, and the remaining third to the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle of France.

            During the 19^th century, Big Bone Lick enjoyed the distinction of being a health resort.  The mineral waters that had attracted the prehistoric animals in the past now drew thousands of people to “take the water” at the park.  The Clay Hotel and bathhouses lined the creek.  The guest continued to bath in the “healing waters” until 1847.

Walking around the park, it was impossible to escape the sulfur smell that rose from the streams.  Of course, I was one of those individuals that met the soggy stream first hand as I lost my footing and found myself  looking skyward from the middle of a muddy section of sulfur water.  The back of my jeans and top were soaked;  and I smelled awful.  There were rest rooms in the shop, so I tried to wipe the caked mud off to reduce the smell, but it was of little use.  One quick look through the shop and I left, giving David my purchases. Luckily a change of clothes was easy to do, but my skin and hair still had a slight smell of sulfur as we drove out of the park.

            One of the most beautiful sights we encountered was our entrance to Cincinnati from the bridge over the Ohio River.  It is beautiful city!  We had driven through the city years ago returning from Chicago to Georgia, but had never seen it coming from the south.  I think there was an “Oh my God!” said as we crossed into the city. The Cincinnati Art Museum was easily found.  It was free and beautiful.  We had a great time just going through the collections and enjoying the atmosphere.

Dorothy's Florida Adventure: The Adventure Begins

            In the beginning it was going to be Indianapolis.  David’s company had decided that the Atlanta division would be closed and everyone relocated to Indiana.  I don’t have anything against Indianapolis – we had travelled through it twice on our way to Chicago the summer we married as my friend from the University of Georgia days had secured me a temporary position as a reference librarian at Roosevelt University.  The drive through the city had been a break from the never-ending flat landscape of farms and field.  I just didn’t want to have to deal with the snow again.

Having resided in Maryland for fifteen years and seen a “boatload” of snow most winters, it was nice to be home in Carrollton where there was very little snow and ice.  The jonquils bloomed in March and the azaleas in April, not like May and June in Maryland. We would need to find a furnished apartment; and there did not seem to be many of them in Indianapolis.

            Before we made the final decision, the company scheduled us a trip to Indianapolis.  Of course, on the way, we scheduled side trips to see the tar pits at Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky, Cincinnati Art Museum, and the museum in Louisville. Starting out early to miss the Atlanta traffic, we were soon on the Interstate above Chattanooga. Suddenly there was a large cracking sound that made me jump.  There was this starburst on the edge of the windshield of the driver’s side. Knowing that there was a possibility it would grow and we could be pulled over by a state patrol officer, I made a quick call to Whitman’s in Carrollton to ask Jack’s advice.  Assured that as long as the crack did not obstruct the driver’s vision and that it could not break because of the plastic between the sheets of glass, we headed towards Kentucky.