Traffic

We reserved a timeshare in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for December 27, thinking
that traffic two days after Christmas would be light.  When we go to Florida, we
like to leave early so we can lunch at O’Steens in St. Augustine, one of our
favorite restaurants to enjoy fried shrimp.

We were on the road on the day after Christmas by 6:15 a.m.  Traffic was light
and we congratulated ourselves for planning ahead.  Then we hit South Carolina
at about 10:00 and came to a halt. I-95 was packed with cars and everyone
was in a rush.  We passed an accident about every 20 miles, some serious,
others were fender benders. We didn’t reach Savanna until after 12:00.  I-95
is three- laned in Georgia. We usually drive at 75 mph in a 70 mph speed
zone, but cars would come behind us and honk their horn, some drivers
giving us the finger.  We changed to 80 mph and still cars zipped by going
at least 90. And some of them didn’t get far. We passed a lot of accidents
in Georgia.

Instead of getting to our restaurant before 2:00 p.m. we arrived at 4:00 and
were then told the wait for a table was 40 minutes.  We waited. The good
news is that the fried shrimp was as good as ever.

We stayed near St. Augustine and then drove to Fort  Lauderdale the next day.
Again, traffic was light until mid-morning and was then bumper-to-bumper
with more accidents.  We were exhausted when we finally got to our condo.

We used to make this trip in one day.  Now, we’re so old we’ll take three
days rather than two.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Christmas Concert 2019

The Music Makers, a choral group of 50 singers in Carolina Preserve, practicing twice weekly since early September, presented their annual Christmas Concert on December 13 and 14 to a sellout audience of over 200 people each night.  I attended on Friday night.  It was wonderful.

Aloma, singing soprano, was positioned in the center of the first row.  She looked beautiful and confident.  Not only did she sing with the entire group, but she also performed in a select group of eight singers.  This was a surprise for me, the highlight of the evening.  I am so proud of her.

Before the concert, I hosted 15 friends and cousins for drinks, appetizers and sandwiches.  Even though it was a simple party, I was nervous that I would forget something.  Thanks for lists for my lists, the party worked out fine.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

The weather did not cooperate.  It rained most of the day.  We usually walk from our home to Bradford Hall for the concert, but most of us drove because of the rain.  It didn’t matter.

Thanks, Aloma, for the beautiful music and a reason for friends and cousins to get together.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com