"Once Upon a Time"

This may look like a photo of a rather inept tablescape, snapped by a rather incompetent photographer, but its not.  What it is, is a modern day fairy tale.  And like all fairy tales, it begins with....

"Once Upon a Time," a long, long time ago, a penniless princess met an equally penniless prince.  As you might expect they fell hopelessly and totally in love.  Even though they were practically paupers, they decided to marry and live on love.   They had a small wedding with only their most favorite subjects in attendance.  Because they had literally nothing in the way of possessions, their loyal (and loving) subjects presented the happy couple mostly with the coin of the realm.  This was a blessing for they needed many, many basic things for their rented castle.  With the generosity of the gifts the couple was able to set up housekeeping, but agreed not to furnish the castle with luxury items but rather with things that would be usable everyday and provide for their needs.  The prince and princess dreamed of one day bringing great wealth to their kingdom and then, possibly they would consider adding luxurious accoutrements to their household.

Many years went by and although they were no longer penniless, their's was never the richest kingdom.  There was always some expense necessary for the kingdom.   So rather than getting wonderful crystal stemware, they replaced the transmission in their carriage.  Rather than investing in beautiful silver flatware, they sent the prince back to college to get a Bachelor's degree, then a Master's.  And instead of warm glowing fine china to grace their table when they entertained in their kingdom, they found they had a new little princess to clothe, and feed, and educate and so on and so on.

Over time, life went on and they didn't suffer because they never got around to getting their own luxurious things with which to set their table. Even the princess stopped wishing for a "someday" when she could choose her own special china and silver.  They made do with some inherited pieces and gifts, and even with things called "stoneware" and "stainless", and ....(gulp)....."glass"!  They never felt deprived. They were happy with their work, their family and especially their very own junior princess (granddaughter) who decreed that they would be Princess Grammy and Prince Poppa  for evermore!  Yes, they made a good life and lived happily ever after, even lasting together all the way to retirement age.

The End 

Whoa, Nellie!!  Hold the phone!!  What??  The end???  The end??????   That's not much of a fairy tale, you're probably saying.  Where's the fairy godmother?  Where's the three wishes??  Where's the magic??   You call that a happy ending???  What happened next?  Were the princess and prince sentenced to a life of parties with paper plates?  To cocktail parties with plastic cups??  To holiday dinners served on (shudder) everyday dishes??  Surely there must be more to the story!

(Oh, all right, all right!    Sheesh,everybody's a critic!    Okay, back to the kingdom.....)

One day Princess Grammy was making a royal visit to a local shop.  It was a shop filled with many gently used, but serviceable items.  All kinds of goods displayed on rack after rack by the proprietors of the shop.  The proprietors were very nice people filled with GOODWILL (ahem....hint, hint!) and sold most of the items for very little money.  Princess Grammy was looking specifically for a particular item needed for an upcoming theatrical presentation in the kingdom and the Shop of Goodwill was always a good place to look for such items.  As she was about to leave the shop, something caught her eye.  Her heart began to pitter-pat as she went to examine what appeared to be a stack of dishes.  She asked about it and was told the following story: 

It was a complete Service for 12 (!) of Mikasa fine china in the Amherst pattern (which is no longer made.)  In addition to the 12 place settings (dinner plate, salad plate, bread and butter plate, cup and saucer) there were 12 soup bowls, 11 small dessert bowls, sugar and creamer, two serving bowls, a medium-sized round platter, a large oval platter, and a gravy boat (not all shown below.)

[Although a thoroughly delightful, beautiful, and especially charming princess (hey, its a fairy tale!), Princess Grammy is a terrible photographer!   As there is no royal photographer in the kingdom, she tried her best to photograph some of the pieces. She apologizes for the crumminess of the pictures!!]

The china was beautiful.  The colors of the design were red, gold, and black on white.  The pattern was colorful, classic, and striking.  Princess Grammy fell in love.  She really, really loved it, but she knew she probably couldn't afford it (as usual, the castle needed a new fence and Prince Poppa needed new brakes for his carriage.)  She suddenly realized that the set would be AUCTIONED on the following Saturday. Auctioned??!!  Really??  Perhaps there was hope!  This was, of course, the Shop of Goodwill!

Home she ran just as fast as her not so tiny glass slippers would carry her.  She went to tell Prince Poppa of her discovery and he could see how much she wanted that china.  Together they agreed they would attend the auction (they went incognito, of course.)  They also agreed that they might even bid if the bids were in an affordable range but they would bid no higher than $300 (surprisingly, the coin of the realm was U.S. Dollars) If the bidding went above that, they would give up.

The day of the auction arrived, Princess Grammy and Prince Poppa planted themselves right up front.  Prince Poppa agreed that the china was as beautiful as he had been told!  At the appropriate time he began to bid.  Princess Grammy crossed all of her fingers.  (She would have crossed all of her toes too but she was afraid she would fall down!)  There were two other bidders but before long one dropped out, the bidding continued until finally Prince Poppa made their top bid....."$300.00!" he said.   Princess Grammy held her breath! 

And....

there.....

was............

silence!! 

Going, going, gone!  Princess Grammy yelled "Yay!"  and Prince Poppa grinned and all the other people clapped their hands.  It was theirs!!  A full service for 12....91 separate pieces!!  And they got it for a mere $3.30 per piece!!   That didn't even put a strain on the royal coffers!!  Princess Grammy finally had beautiful china of her very own!  After all those years.  What a joy!  They took it all home, used it for their Easter State Dinner, and  now it sits in 5 separate boxes until Prince Poppa gets to work on the new/old china cabinet to make a place for their new/old china!

And so, now  Princess Grammy and Prince Poppa are really living happily ever after! 

The E.....oh wait!! 

One more tiny, little thing.....did I happen to mention that when the Shop of Goodwill first received the china,  it was in a large box labeled, "Grammy's China"!    (Prickles at the back of my neck!!) Now is that magic, or what?!!

Like I said, a modern fairy tale!   Maybe the best one since "The Princess Bride".....but that's a whole 'nother "Once Upon a Time".....

The End 

(Really!)

**************************

 I've joined up with....
   


I'm participating in Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Go visit all the participants of Tablescape Thursday. Lovely table settings, with lots of imagination!!

You'll love it!

I've also joined up with: 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBI-Se6DzoZAv7FoNKP2CIcmCXWHyMTFLLoOzok29SCXhvzSxJJbcFp-qNfASuLQoZ68VGvUKc8hpXQtVfYK2ISIM3nDd6mKKVVeFQ0z_wcwGpS6oVVkrQ88Gm7pf9S3eWwFyFTizH7Mw/s1600-h/Seasonal%252520Sunday%252520Teapot%252520copy%25255B6%25255D.jpg

"It Ain't Right!'

Bit by bit the woman I am has been disappearing!  Just sort of fading away without my noticing it.  First, it was my hair.  Under cover of peroxide it was surreptitiously losing all color of it's own!   It left me with a mix of grey and white.  Well, okay, that turned out just fine, surprising the heck out of me.  Thank goodness (and Gram) I have always had a lot of hair....it's fine, but there is a LOT of it!  But lately with the changing hair, I'm getting more hair loss (for lack of a better term) than usual.  It's not at all critical, but I really don't want to end up with really thin hair!!


In addition to the hair thing, gravity has been playing havoc with my face!  I used to have a nice firm jawline.  That's gone.  Now instead of a crisp edge my chin (or should I say chins!)  has become a bumpy slide right into my neck.  It's not so bad, I guess but it is very aging.


My upper eyelids have decided to let go of their position and I can see and feel them settling in on top of the lower part of the lid.  Makes me look half asleep, for heaven's sake. 


In general, my cheeks look a bit like a bunch of small waves cascading down my face.  Don't like that much either.


Well all of that is part of normal "maturing"  (read:  aging!) and is directly related to the pull of gravity (or is it the push of gravity??  I get confused!)  Nothing much we can do about gravity.  I mean, it's kind of necessary, so we don't all fly off into the vacuum of space!!


However, lately there are two new changes going on that I just don't get!  My eyebrows and eye lashes have taken up disappearing!  I've never  had a preponderance of either, but there was enough to actually see with the naked eye!!  Not so much anymore!  If I put a little mascara on my lashes, you can see what's left, and it helps define where my eyes are (you know, whatever is not hiding under the sagging lids!)  The eyebrows are thinning out a lot and about half of what is left has come in white so they are virtually invisible unless I recreate them with pencil.


And the most annoying thing?  My lips are gone!  Where the hell did they go???  I used to have normal lips, with a pretty decent shape.  When I did the make-up thing, they were kind of pretty and they suited me.  BUT NOW????  When my mouth is closed (which in actuality, isn't all that often!), the lips sort of roll in toward the center and I am left with what looks like a crease!  I don't want a crease!  I want lips!!  Real honest to goodness lips!  A crease is what you iron into your slacks, it doesn't belong on your face!  


"It ain't right"!!  That really should not be our reward for managing to stay alive beyond 55!  Nope, it ain't right at all!


There are options of course, both surgical and cosmetic, that could "fix" all of this.  I might consider going that route, if it weren't for the fact that every single person I have ever seen who has had a facelift, or collagen, or botox, or any such thing, ends up looking like a freak!  I mean, really!  May I just mention Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers for your consideration??  Both of them are well over 70 and they look terrifying because of all the "work" they have had done.  I guess, there's a reason they call it "Plastic Surgery".


Celebrities are notorious for trying to stay "Young" by lifting, coloring, injecting, or other things.  What they end up looking like is an unreal, blubbery lipped, expressionless, Halloween mask!  I'm surprised they don't scare small children.  They don't look "young", they look scary!


Sooooo, I am not going to explore that avenue one bit further!  My face may be disappearing bit by bit, but least I still look like a human being, not an alien!  Of course, who knows what will disappear, droop, sag, or move next??


Nevertheless, if you happen to find my lips laying around somewhere, would you please get them back to me???  I kinda miss them a lot!

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

Despite the fact that my last name is an Irish one, I am not at all Irish!  Not a smidge.  I acquired the name along with the Big Guy!  He isn't all that Irish either as he has to go back two generations to get to his Irish roots.  Nevertheless, both Ratchlet and the Big Guy would say that they are Irish.  Well, okay!  Two (Mikey) or three (Ratchlet) generations isn't that far back, I guess.

Having lived in Chicago for many, many years, I am completely aware that (at least in Chicago) EVERYBODY is Irish on St. Patrick's Day.

Still, I have no Irish traditions to celebrate, but in the spirit of the day, I am re-posting something that's the closest thing I have to anything Irish!  So I'm sorry if you've read this one before! 

It has absolutely nothing to do with St. Patrick, Ireland, shamrocks, or little men in green suits!  But after you read it, you'll probably see how my encounter "somewhere over the rainbow" is close enough.

Original Posting:   "Look to the Rainbow"   September 16, 2009

I'm not particularly scientific, I can understand some principles when explained, but generally, I'm a words person, not a concept person. Neither am I mystic, psychic, or much into karma, chakkra, or anything that goes "bump in the night". That said, I once had an unbelievable experience that amazes most people when they hear about it. Let's see if it amazes you!

When Ratchlet was still in college (at St. Mary's College at Notre Dame), my BFF, Cath, and I planned to drive from Chicago to South Bend, IN to see a production of "West Side Story" that the Theatre Department was doing. We planned to leave on a Friday evening right after work at about 4:30 pm. Its only a 90 min. drive, so we would have plenty of time to get there, grab a bite, still be in time for the 8:00 pm curtain. As "West Side Story" is one of our favorite musicals, we were excited to see it and had been looking forward to the trip for weeks!

That Friday morning brought horrible rainstorms that lasted all day long, complete with pouring rain, thunder, lightening, and big, black ominous clouds. My BFF, my daughter, and I traded phone calls all day trying to decide whether or not to attempt the trip. We were so disappointed that we might have to cancel. We kept putting off an actual decision, hoping the weather would improve.

Finally, just before it was time for a make-or-break decision, the rain slowed to a sprinkle, the thunder and lightening disappeared, and the clouds began to slowly move off to the Southeast. That was good enough for us! The trip was a "GO!!"

All was proceeding just fine. Traffic wasn't too bad, the light sprinkling was manageable and we were on our way, high spirits restored. After the road made the required turn from South to East, the sun began to peak through the still cloudy skies in the West behind us. That breakthrough of sunlight began to make the roadway steam and the clouds ahead once again looked big, black, and ominous. It actually was kind of pretty; the rising mist with the sun highlighting the beautiful green trees and foliage all up against the nearly black sky ahead. As often happens in those circumstances a rainbow appeared.

As Cath and I were talking and laughing, having a good time, we began to focus our attention on the rainbow. It was a beautiful rainbow, a full arc, with the colors extremely vivid and well-defined, probably the best either of us had ever seen.

After a short while we realized the the rainbow was not dissipating, nor was it moving away from us (as mirages and other optical illusions often do). We were actually getting closer! We were heading right for it. The colors were still extremely vivid and the rainbow seemed to end right in the middle of the road upon which we were driving!! We couldn't believe it. Wow! Neither of us had ever been this close to a rainbow! How utterly amazing.

Now I swear that I am NOT making this up, as we continued (at about 50 mph, this was the Indiana Tollway after all) suddenly we were smack dab in the middle of the rainbow!! We were driving right through it!!! Oh my God, was this even possible?? We could see the refracted light on every surface inside the car....the hood, the dash, the doors, the seats, our clothes, everywhere! My hands tightly clenching the steering wheel each had a very clear rainbow of refracted light across the back. If I moved my hands the rainbows stayed right with me. It was unbelievably beautiful! Both of us could see it, so if it was crazy, we were BOTH crazy!!

We had no camera, so we couldn't document it; and no, we didn't stop and dig for gold! That never even occurred to us; the reality of what we were seeing was enough!

And then, just as suddenly, it was gone. Completely and totally gone, as if it had never been there at all. The whole thing couldn't have lasted much more than 15 or 20 seconds. Cath and I kept asking each other, "Did you see that??? I can't believe it!" There was no outward sign that any other driver had experienced what we had. We continued on our way, but we didn't talk about anything else for quite a while! Once we returned home, no one we talked to had ever experienced anything like it.

As I said, I am no scientist so perhaps this experience was nothing unusual. It might happen all the time, I just don't know. I'm sure there is some simple explanation for how or why it happened. Nevertheless, after all this time I don't think I want to know. I'd rather consider the experience unique and special. I'd rather think that somehow Cath and I are unique and special because of it. All I know for sure, is that now, whenever I "look to the rainbow," I remember....and I smile!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

"Lovely to Look At" (continued)

Yesterday I wrote about McKee Jungle Garden and all of its quirky-ness.  You might wonder why and how I knew so much about one of Florida's old-time attractions.  We lived in Vero Beach, the home of the Garden and for a few years (I'm not sure how long anymore), my grandparents lived there too and worked for McKee's. 

Gram worked with Dr. David Fairburn (the man in charge at the time).  She worked in the Orchid House.  She helped with all aspects of the orchids....planting and transplanting, pruning, making cuttings, and making orchid corsages that were sold in the Gift Shop and other places. 

Gramps was sort of a general-all-around-something.  I'm not sure I ever knew what his title really was.  He made rounds through the Garden at closing time and then again during the night.  He was a greeter, and ticket seller sometimes, he took care of the parrots, and he occasionally gave tours.  He was a little bit of everything.

There was a small house on the grounds, in the non-public areas, that went with the job and that's where they lived.  It was the perfect arrangement for an older couple.  I remember spending many Saturdays and Sunday visiting Gram and Gramps, often overnights. 

The Gardens closed at 5:00 p.m.  It wasn't set up for nighttime activity.  But at 5:00 p.m. there is still lots of light left in the summer....and that is when I took over!!

The Gardens became my own "estate".  I pretty much had free rein, the only places I could not go were the  alligators' enclosure and the undeveloped areas of the property.  I could be Guinivere and the Gardens were Camelot!  I could be Juliet and know that Romeo was fighting through the jungle to get to me....nevermind that I was pretty sketchy on the rest of the story, I made up my own.  Tarzan and Jane....Admiral Byrd discovering whichever pole he found....my imagination was up to the challenge.  I went all over the world in my Garden!!

I was never bored!  I could pound away on the huge drums Sexton brought back from Africa.  I could pretend to cook in the outdoor Spanish Kitchen.  I must have gotten "married" in the Royal Palm Grove a gazillion times.  I explored the Gardens from up and down and backward and forward and I ended up knowing it like the back of my hand.

During the hours that the park was open, I still spent a lot of time playing there, but I was a whole lot less visible!  Looking back on those days, I'm pretty sure that Dr. Fairburn and the rest of the staff knew I had made myself at home.  Evidently, however, I was so well behaved that they just accepted that I was there a lot!

I would walk with Gramps on his walkthrough at closing time.  We had some great conversations.  Other times I would sit with Gram in the Orchid House while she worked with the plants.  I'm sure I pretty much talked her ear off, but when I was getting too restless she would send me out to play in this wonderful fantasy land! 

I suppose I didn't really go out to the Gardens as often and I think I did, but it doesn't matter.  My memories of that time and place  live in a special place in my heart and always will.  

After we had all moved away, and I was grown up, and married, we took Ratchlet on vacation with us when she was about 4 (that was in 1970, before the Gardens were sold and nearly abandoned.)  We of course, visited McKee's.  Ratchlet and the Big Guy both enjoyed it, but I was  back in my own private daydream, which can never be taken away. 

I haven't been back to the Garden since it re-opened in its 2nd life.  But I will one day!

It was truly a wonderful, magical place and to a small 9-10 year old girl, it was a whole lot more than just "Lovely to Look At!" 

 

"Lovely to Look At" (continued from Tuesday)

This photo is of my very most favorite place to be when I was around 9 or 10.  It was magestic and gorgeous and I "would walk down aisle" and imagine that this is where I would marry my prince charming someday.  It was the Royal Palm Grove at what I thought of as my very own personal and private fantasy land.  Other people called it McKee Jungle Gardens and it was just south of Vero Beach, Florida.  It's the third Florida attraction I want to tell you about. 

Opened in 1922, McKee's was the brain child of a couple of old-time Floridians, one named McKee, cleverly enough.  I don't know anything about him other than his founder's status.  The other was a wealthy but true eccentric named Waldo Sexton.  Sexton had traveled all around the world and brought back an enormous number of treasures that he found.  He was particularly fond of the odd and unusual and the town of Vero Beach, his hometown, had them stashed all over town.  He built the oceanside, Driftwood Inn, made of wood from ships and old buildings and the sea.  It was unique among hotels, I believe.  He also built the Ocean Grill, an oceanside restaurant that perennially looked like it was falling down, but was rated 5 stars for many, many years.  He also built the Patio Restaurant in town.  All of these places (and several others) housed all of his finds from his travels....ceramic Spanish tiles, wrought iron gates and chandeliers, statuary, furniture, artifacts, artwork,  some of it incomplete and well-worn.  His things went a long way toward making Vero Beach a quirky little beachside town back in the 50s and 60s.

McKee Jungle Gardens was another depository of his treasures.  But Waldo Sexton's trinkets were not the only thing that made McKee's special.

There were gardens with trails and tours similar to the Cypress Gardens I told you about the other day, but McKee's was more natural, less manicured, and had some unique features.  It was basically a botanical garden with a botanist overseeing all of the plants.  As part of that there was the Orchid House, where all sorts of beautiful, unusual and rare orchids were grown and propagated and studied.  There was also a natural sulphur spring where the water smelled like rotten eggs, but there were many people who came regularly to collect the water for its supposed healthful qualities. 

There were a few creatures who made their home in McKee's too, most notably, two gorgeous Macaw Parrots (who lived right next to the sulphur spring....they must not have a very good sense of smell!!)  One was mostly blue and red and the other was green and yellow.  If I remember correctly, they were quite old (does over 75 sound right??)  And boy, were they LOUD!  You could hear their squawking all over the gardens.  They supposedly talked but I don't remember anything but the squawking! 

The other full-time residents were a couple of huge alligators.  (Well, they looked huge to me, but I was only 9 or 10, so maybe they weren't.)  I remember the biggest as being bigger around than I was!  They lived within an enclosure with a 4 ft. wall around it, that also contained a pond with lots of water grasses and plants.  It was kind of marshy.  There was a big grassy area where the alligators spent much of their time just lying in the sun or else just hiding in the water with only the tops of their heads and their eyes visible.  They were so still and you weren't sure they were even breathing.  They were kind of spooky to a little girl like me!  Every now and then tho, they would all of a sudden lumber from one position to somewhere else with no real warning.  Now I say "lumber" because alligators have legs that are only about 8 inches long, when they moved at a regular pace, they lumbered!  If they were agitated....YIKES, those babies could MOVE.  They are faster and more graceful than you would believe, and if they are after something to eat....well, just get out of their way!  Seriously!  I was pretty much afraid but fascinated by them.

The Gardens boasted an enormous pond crammed from bank to bank with water lilies.  They were so thick you couldn't see any water unless a fish or something moved through.

As I said the introductory photo was of the Royal Palm Grove.  There were probably 75-100 palms in tall straight rows with a center aisle.  The Royal Palm is the tallest and prettiest of the palm trees.  Their trunks are nearly white, a fully grown one is about as big around as bicycle tire at the bottom and they rise about 18-20 ft. high!  At the top of the trunk, is a bright green section, from which long and graceful fronds emerge; spreading like a canopy over the ground dappled with sunlight.  It was a gorgeous part of the Gardens.  Over the years many, many couples were married there in the most beautiful setting I could ever imagine.

The "piece de resistance" however, was the Hall of Giants.  The Hall was what seemed to me to be an enormous 2-story building filled with more of Waldo Sexton's treasures.  A large part of the lower level was used as the Gardens' Gift Shop.  They sold shell jewelry and novelties, carved coconut faces, post cards, stuffed animals, Orchid plants, books about plants and Florida history, Florida souveniers, and other odds and ends.  A lot of the merchandise was displayed on the biggest and most beautiful table I have ever seen.  It is the world's largest mahogany table!!

The table (shown here in an artist's rendering that doesn't do it justice at all!) which was 35 feet long, was made from one single slab of mahogany cut from the center of what must have been a huge tree.  The table was polished to a high sheen and the grain of the wood was beautiful.  The table had been transported in one piece by ship from somewhere in South American where it was made.

It saddens me that McKee Jungle Gardens no longer exists in the form that I remember.  But its not all bad news!  The following is a quote directly from McKee's website:

In the early 1970's, attendance dwindled due to competition from new large-scale attractions and the garden was forced to close its doors in 1976.

The land was sold and all but 18 acres were developed. The remaining acreage, zoned for additional development, sat vacant for twenty years. In 1994, the Indian River Land Trust launched a fund-raising campaign and successfully purchased the property on December 1, 1995 for $1.7 million.

Close to $9.1 million was raised to purchase, stabilize and restore the Garden. The Garden held its formal Dedication November, 2001

I urge you to visit this website, so you can get a better understanding all it had to offer and still has to offer today!    McKee Botanical Garden

I loved this place, it was truly "Lovely to Look At" and I spent many happy hours there. 

....so tomorrow I'll tell you the rest of the story!

"Lovely to Look At"

I have mentioned before that I lived in Florida as a child, we moved there in 1951 and left in September, 1964.  While those weren't exactly Pioneer Days, it was a long time ago.  Florida in 1951 was a much different place than it is now.  It was slower, poorer, simpler.  That was certainly true in the small towns and even in the bigger cities to some extent. 

There wasn't much industry except for citrus and cattle.  Much of Florida had the winter snow birds that would come down for the "season", so there was some tourism but mainly in the winter.  NASA was just getting started, but hadn't actually launched anything.  Orlando was just a city on the small side as cities go and it really didn't have much going for it.  Stuck there in the middle of the state, it had no beach access and no big draw, so it wasn't much of a town for tourism or growth. 

Nevertheless, the whole state was peppered with "attractions", but if you mentioned Disney, people thought of cartoons;  Busch meant beer; and no one had ever heard of Six Flags over anywhere.   

There were small roadside attractions that promoted everything from "Alligator Farms" to "Drive on the Beach at Daytona!" and air boats in the Everglades.  Some of the attractions were delightful others were just stupid.  Of course, their purpose was always the same.  Get people to stop and pay money to see the "the Live Prehistoric Creatures" (mostly alligators and iguanas), or "Pick Your Own Oranges", or "See Real Mermaids at Silver Springs".  Some of those roadside stops were a family's total source of income.  Many of them would actually sell you a living baby alligator that was about 18 in. long.  Most of those poor creatures were ultimately dumped into lakes , rivers, and sewers from New York City to L.A.

Not all the attractions were fake, trumped up wannabees.  There were several attractions that were truly worth the money  and time and offered something worth seeing.   Over the years there were three of that sort that I became quite familiar with and spent a lot of time at.  They were unique, wonderful places.  Sadly today, of the three, only one still exists, is still open and still worth the money and the time.  The other two eventually, along with most of the others, closed due to the poor attendance and the increasing sophistication and education of the tourists.  Basically they were overshadowed by Disney, Epcot, Busch Gardens, Sea World and the rest.  Tourists wanted the thrills, and chills, and excitement of the newer "theme" parks, where you could spend your entire vacation(and most of your money) in one place.  And they did, by the millions.

No wonder the smaller, less exciting attractions couldn't compete.

When I think of my favorite places in Florida, it isn't Disney, or Busch or Six Flags that comes to mind.  My favorites are three you probably have never even heard of if you're under 50 years old!  The thing that has always drawn me to these places is that they are eacg "Lovely to Look At."

The best known and largest of the three was Cypress Gardens just outside of Winter Haven.  It was a beautifully landscaped and meticulously maintained garden with gorgeous and unusual flowers and plants that thrived in Florida's climate.  The Gardens could be toured either by boat (through bayou type waterways) or by walking tours.  They were known for the beautiful young women dressed in Antebellum hooped skirt dresses and big picture hats that would gladly pose for photographs.  (If memory serves, several television and radio programs broadcast from the Gardens over the years....Arthur Godfrey was one, I think.  --  Again, if you're under 50 you won't have any idea who that was!)

They also had one of the very first and arguably the best, water skiing shows in the country.  Very impressive, again with beautiful young men and women who would perform tricks, and jumps, and pyramids, and patterns, while carrying flags and being pulled through the lake water right to the shore where they would let go of the ski rope and glide gracefully up the sandy beach.  It was beautiful and fun to watch.  Some of the performers were truly world class water skiers.  (Anyone recognize the name Tibado??)  The Gardens were justifiably famous all over the world and people came by the thousands to see them.  It was only about 30 miles from Disney World.  Sadly, it closed forever in 2009.  http://www.cypressgardens.com/cghistory.php

The second place I love is the Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales Florida.  Bok Tower is a gorgeous stone tower built by Edward Bok to house an enormous and beautiful carillon.  There are carillon concerts every day that can be heard all over the grounds. Its a fascinating and beautiful place.   Again there are wonderful gardens and walkways and places to sit to contemplate nature and life and and peace.  It is the most peaceful place I have ever been.  I am thrilled that it is still in existence and open to the public.

If you have never heard of it or been there, I can recommend it as a place that would shelter, comfort, and awe you.  Here  is their website, take a look!    http://www.boktowergardens.org/

The third and final place I want to tell you about deserves its own post, sooooooo I'll pick this up again tomorrow.  Y'all come on back tomorrow, ya heah?

"Miss America"

When I was around 12-13, I used to love watching the Miss America Pageant.  Those were still the days of Bert Parks (remember him anyone?) and fire baton twirlers.  Yep, back in the days when we all knew it was a contest to pick the prettiest girl.  There was Miss Congeniality for the nicest one and separate scholorships for the talented ones (usually not the twirlers!)  But the title went to the best looking one.  It was a parade of pretty girls, that's all.  And that was just fine.  At one point or another back then, I would bet that most girls in this country had at least one tiny little wish that they could be Miss America.  I was no different.  Those girls were gorgeous and almost all of them deserved to win.  I wanted to be one.

Within a short time after that, I realized that I was not and never would be one of the beautiful ones.  My face didn't scare small children, but Bert Parks would never be singing to me.  Well, that was sort of ok.  I mean, what are the odds of winning that thing anyway??  I was realistic enough to know that I would never have the right equipment.

Now I am NOT talking about inner beauty, or sweetness of character, or kindness or charity or goodness, or anything like that.  I am speaking strictly of the particular combination of features that make up my face.  That's all.

I would imagine that the truly beautiful, know that they are beautiful.  At least generally.  How they handle that  beauty is another story altogether, but the reality is that most of us can assess our strengths well enough to figure out where we fit in the range of beauty. 

So, bottom line, I've known for years that I am not physically beautiful in the strictest definition of the word.  I'm okay with that now.  It was a little tough during the teen years when I thought that if I were just a little prettier, I would be more....well, more everything!  Of course, I grew out of that phase and I realized that there are a multitude of different kinds of beautiful.

So, I came to acceptance all on my own.  I did the best I could with what I had.  I had good taste in clothes, discovered make-up, found hairdressers could do things with my hair that I would never have thought of and no one ever told me that I wasn't beautiful, exactly.  Still there were times throughout my life when other people have come very close.  Sort of backhand compliments if you know what I mean.

Like the High School boyfriend who said, "Well, I think you're beautiful."  or

The Dior rep in Macy's who said, "Hey if you've got some time, I could make you pretty....er, I mean, prettier!" or

The dozens who've said, "Oh, you have such pretty....hair, nails, eye color, toes,  (its multiple choice, pick one, I've heard them all!)

Then there was the dental tech who said, "You have a gorgeous dental lamina!"  Huh??  (Its something to do with the outer layer of the enamel, I think.)  Well, gee whiz now there's a compliment!

And most recently, the old friend  who, after looking at this blog, said, "Lose the picture of you in the hat.  You're much prettier than that."  In other words, "Yikes!"

So here's my request to the cosmos...."Give it up!  I get it, I really get it.  You don't have to keep reminding me that I'm not beautiful, maybe even not quite pretty.  I got it a long time ago!!  I will never be Miss America."

So that's the reason for the new picture.  I wasn't classically beautiful in 1960 and not in 1992 and I'm not classically beautiful today and its not going to change. 

After all who wants to be ole' dopey "Miss America" anyway?