Florida Trip 2010: Mickey to Smyrna

There is no way to compare Key West to Orlando. Key West seems so rooted to me and Orlando is pure fantasy land. I could never settle down in Orlando, even if for only a month. I am certain there is good value in the time spent in the major theme parks. This trip, I did not visit any, but I have in the past. The real show is in the fast food and chain restaurants. Watching the horde approach, circle and then attack the breakfast, lunch or dinner buffet is seeing humanity at the best of its human instincts. Why eat two eggs and a strip of bacon, when there are pancakes, fried chicken and French toast with fructose syrup just there for the taking? Thank goodness the path to the plain vanilla yogurt is always unobstructed.

Thursday I visited friends with other friends up in Nancy Lopez's favorite town (now a city) the Villagesday. The place is a Mecca of senior activities. They have a full newspaper full of activities and special interest clubs. My new desire in life is to become the sixty-five year and older pickelball champion of the city (and thereby the entire world). A more ambitious goal is to be the captain of the Precision Golf Cart Drill Team and become a legend of polo halftime entertainment fame. Seriously, life at the Villages demands the careful consideration of anyone wanting an active, congenial retirement.

Today I am at New Smyrna Beach on Florida's Atlantic coast. This is a wonderful, quiet beach town. I ended last evening with a four mile round trip walk on the beach and started today taking that same walk. There are plenty of Harley-Davidsons in the town as well as a mixed of retired northerners and comely bikinied teenagers. Being near the ocean listening to the surf is very satisfying to my ears and spirit.

Here are a few pictures of the latest days of my Florida visit:

Me enjoying a chesseburgeer in paradise at Jimmy Buffet's original restaurant on Duval Street in Key West.

My life was in the hands of Captain Tim as we sailed out of Key West harbor into the dangerous Atlantic Ocean.

Another schooner sailing by us on our sunset cruise in Key West.

This is the closest I got to a birdie on any of Florida's numerous golf courses.

Here is the dream of every Villages resident. The ultimate in designer golf carts.

There are plenty of golf carts to choose from, in fact it is the largest retail industry int he Villages!