The Last Hurrah!

I’m sitting in my room at home in Delaware, looking out the window through dappled sunlight at the new chartreuse foliage on the oaks in our woods, bright red and pink rhododendron blossoms and freshly mowed lawn. It was 46 degrees Fahrenheit this morning, whereas insouth Florida it’s probably seventy-two at this hour. Mind you, I’m not complaining, just drawing a comparison between Palm Beach and lower, slower Delaware weather. Before we left south Florida we spent one last perfect day at the beach and I took this photograph of sailboats and the gentle waves of the Atlantic. I’ll miss the clear transparent aqua, turquoise, and emerald greens of the ocean in south Florida, the graceful curves of the coconut palms, the massive, concrete like trunks of the royal palms, and the clipped, park-like roads and parkways of the Southeast Florida mega-city. However, there’s a great deal to be said for the more natural state of our woods, farms, and rural roads in the northern states.

So, to cut to the chase, or the arrival in this case – we got back to Rehoboth Beach around 5:00 this past Friday evening, and were welcomed not only by the marvelous natural display of new foliage, blankets of purple Dutch Iris, and rich magenta pink azaleas and new “rhodo” blooms, but also by hot pink blow-up flamingo balloons hanging from the oak tree branches on the front lawn, bright yellow rubber “duckies” floating in the drainage ponds next to the driveway, multi-colored rubber tub toys all over the front entrance steps and entry to the house, and welcome home balloons wired to the mail box and columns of the front porch. Our neighbors had prepared the scene in anticipation of our home coming, and it made our approach through the white oaks of Sussex County and cool mid-spring shower extremely welcoming. I’ll post pictures of the scene next time.