Mojo and I packed up the rented PT Cruiser and hit the road again this morning - back to Ashevegas. Thus ends our little 9-day Florida winter escape. Tonight we are in a semi-shabby Super 8 in St. Augustine. At least it's clean, but things sure are rickety, like the door latch... it takes about 25 attempts with the plastic Domino's-printed room key, so when the door finally does open, it's like hitting a slot machine. It's an incentive to NOT leave the room. Mojo likes it well enough, tho - he's snoozing atop the rather garish comforter on the bed and looking rather cozy and pleased. I think it was the pizza that got him - he only ate the crust, tho, as he's trying to watch his waistline, especially after being around those svelt and tanned South Florida dogs this past week. 

Mojo did dig the tropical break bigtime, tho, and learned how to dismember a coconut about the size of... well, him. He really loves my bro & sis-in-law's back yard, which is like a jungle adventure for him. My s-i-l, D is affectionately known as "the Nature Lady", and keeps sticking things in the ground that leap up in short order as lush tropical botany. It's really a cool place - beautifully and tastefully unpretentious in the midst of a blatantly posh environment - Key Biscayne (once "Nixon's Winter Whitehouse). I love how my bro and his family are so comfortable in their own skins and have not sold out to the "flash life". Instead of matching Porsches and dueling facelifts, they have caterpillars and driftwood gardens and a collection of beach glass you wouldn't believe. (ie: glass found on the beach that's smoothed by sand). And my nieces are two of the most well-adjusted and good kids I've ever known. Frankly, I think they are one of the most functional families I've ever known. I'm so proud of them all.

Mojo & I spent the whole time in KB, except for one night in Ft. Lauderdale with dear old pal, C, which was a mega-hoot and included a healthy amount of hilarity and imbibing. The whole trip was really nice. The weather was simply perfect - mid to upper 70's during the day and high 60's at night. Perfect. And the beach in Key Biscayne is pretty darn nice by any standards. Funny, I think I've had more beach time since I left Florida than I had in the previous 10 years of living there. 

The week was relaxing and busy at the same time. Again, I had some good quality friend-time - dinners and/or nights out with Lauderdale friends, West Palm Beach friends and Miami Beach friends, as well as visiting out-of-town friends from St. Louis and Albuquerque. It always makes me smile to know that these friendships survive the years and miles so well. We always just pick up where we left off, so to speak. Too cool.

Today, after an early meeting and a fairly long day of driving, Mojo and I pulled off at Exit 284 to rendezvous with Z & H, who were hurtling southward on I-95 to see peeps in Flagler Beach. So just for shits & grins, we decided to meet at that exit and just say "hey", et. al. It was really cool, tho - we laughed as we took photos of each other from the Chevron parking lot with the Flagler Beach green sign behind that one day we'd look back on this as "that time when we were in Florida together..." (we're such dorks, I know, but it made us laugh).

The best part, however, is that returning home to Asheville is something to look forward to. As much as I do love my FL peeps and some sun and warmth in January, I still wouldn't trade my Asheville life - even when it's frickin' freezing and I'm whining about it. Besides, Spring does eventually come, and in the meantime, South Florida is only 785 miles away.