O c to b e r 2 0 1 2 • v o l.1 0 • is s u e 5 - South Florida Social

Finally, we are back.
Because we ended last season
with the May issue, we have had an
extraordinarily long sabbatical; thus, it’s
even harder to get back into work!
The best part of the beginning of the
season for me is that it also is the beginning
of football season!
Don’t ask me why, but I joined a Fantasy
Football League.
Like the Dolphins, I am off to a dismal
start (could that be because I missed the
online draft?).
Nonetheless, it’s fun and hopefully my
team will put up with my neophyte ways.
For the charity world, it doesn’t get better
than South Florida. Throughout the summer,
invitations continued to pour in which
means that many of you are continuing
your work throughout the summer season.
After all, people in need, innocent children
left abandoned or abused, and abandoned
or abused pets never take a vacation.
Summer for me included several fun
trips, including one back to Tennessee for
a class reunion. (Let me warn you, this is
dangerous territory for anyone over 60.)
Be prepared for meeting a lot of people
who are much older than you. I mean, really,
I didn’t recognize many of my former
classmates until they came up and began
talking. I even asked one classmate, to my
later dismay, “What did you teach?”
A table was set up with the senior class
photographs of those who had passed on.
Among them were my first kiss (spin the
bottle), my first crush and many former
good friends.
I recognized more people on the table
than I did of those who attended.
But it was a rewarding experience.
I visited my best friend in high school
and her family, as my parents are both deceased.
I had forgotten the beautiful dewsplashed
mornings, listening to the mocking
birds as they flew to the bird feeder
on the front porch (That’s right, the front
porch.) People in the South love to sit on
the front porch. A quiet calm reigned over
the nights, with a stillness that we never
hear in this part of South Florida.
And the hospitality and southern cooking!
I guess you have to be from the South
to appreciate that, but it is catching on,
as my sophisticated New York daughter
occasionally tells me she enjoyed “cornbread”
at a restaurant in the city.
From the class reunion, it was off to
D.C. where I joined friends from Amsterdam
(these contacts came about through a
student who stayed with me one summer
while studying English here). We were
there for a global insurance conference.
But we had plenty of time for sightseeing.
We stayed at the luxurious, 4-star
Ritz-Carlton at 1150 22nd St., NW in
downtown D.C.
The hotel was wonderful, just a short
walk to the White House, Georgetown
and several other landmarks along Pennsylvania
Avenue.
Tourists and protesters were in abundance
in front of the White House, along
with thousands of Girl Scouts who were
celebrating their 100th anniversary.
We all were hurriedly whisked away from
the front of the White House when President
Obama’s helicopter came in to land.
We also visited the Arlington National
Cemetery (by taxi). This is a tremendously
moving experience, and gave me
renewed respect for our fallen heroes
who gave the greatest gift one can give
for their country: their lives. The 200-acre
picturesque site has daily “funerals” and
guests are free to tour the grounds at their
own pace.
D.C. is a fabulous trip in the summer
with so much to do. By taxi, we went to
the quaint city of Alexandria for dinner.
Luckily for me, the place that we initially
had planned to dine had more than an
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hour wait to be seated, so we opted for
The Fish House where I spent my time
running between the restaurant and the
sports bar to watch the Heat play Boston
in the play-offs. A shocking experience to
be surrounded by people who did not appreciate
our Heat, and there were plenty
of good-natured barbs between me and
a gentleman at the bar until my friends
came and rescued me. (I’ll bet those same
people have new respect for our Miami
Heat today!)
If you’re planning a visit to D.C.,
I highly recommend the Ritz-Carlton
where we stayed. And be sure to include
access to the Club Lounge on the 9th floor
in your reservation.
It gives you an intimate opportunity to
meet fellow guests, and also enjoy free
cocktails, a continental breakfast, hors
d’oeuvres and desserts or cordials.
If Curtis is still there as concierge, be sure
you ask him for his incredible Cappuccino.
That about does it for my travels, with
the exception of family visits to Virginia
and New York.
On a serious note, please don’t forget to
vote in November. I implore you to not let
your emotions nor all the pundits decide
whom you will choose. Instead, my hope
is that you will carefully study everything
as independently as possible about the
candidates, where they stand on issues,
their past records of service, and who best
can get our economy moving again.
Please pray for our nation.
Until next time... BETTY
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