Wintering in Winter Park

 

Sunday, February 12, 2012 – Wintering in Winter Park

I felt right at home this morning.  Temperatures were chilly, in the 40s.  Another reason why it feels familiar here – the name of our hotel is Best Western Mount Vernon.  Well, back in Virginia, George Washington is practically a neighbor of ours.  The architecture of the building and the décor are more English colonial than Spanish colonial, which is unusual in the middle of Florida.

Having a computer with me on this trip has been great.  We’re in the restaurant and I’m writing while Elliott finishes up his breakfast.  It’s a feast:  a lightly fried egg, bacon, toast, and a big bowl of oatmeal. Our server brought out containers of raisins and brown sugar for the oatmeal, and Elliott promptly dumped the contents on top of his steaming cereal, transforming this would-be healthy breakfast item into dessert.  Good coffee – I’m on my second cup.  As a recent convert to caffeine, I know it will keep me energized for several hours.  And that’s important because we’re driving to St. Pete after we check out.  

Last night, I walked over to a local family-owned Italian place, to pick up a take out dinner.  It was already dark when I set out but it was completely safe, and I realized that I wasn’t battling traffic, I wasn’t battling crowds, and I wasn’t battling weather.  There was no challenge.  Would I be happy living in a place like this?  Would I miss the adrenal rush that comes from the daily struggle for survival?  It's something for us to consider.  By the way, sharing the pizza with Elliott was a romantic and sensuous experience:  swooning over the perfectly seasoned sauce, just the right amount of cheese, the garlicky sautéed spinach and fresh mushroom topping, and a thin crust that was crispy at the edges. Mmmm.