South Florida Vacation Club

It's Sunday morning and my neighborhood Starbucks doesn't open until 7 AM. Sometimes I go to the one in Ft. Lauderdale on Broward and US 1 because they open at 5:30 on Saturdays and Sundays. They've got great team members there too...I mean I go there sometimes on Saturdays and Sundays or not on the weekends or sometimes just one day and not the other and they always remember me. They always remember what drink I like and they will deliver my drink or snack to my table. Also there's this one guy who works there that is like Johnny Sunshine and he'll come by and make sure my coffee is hot and get me a refill. Seriously great service. Howard should pay attention to that location too.

Anyway, I was up at dark:30 this morning and realized it had been a while since I'd watched the sunrise so I ventured to the beach instead of out for coffee...plus Starbucks didn't open until 7 and the sunrise would happen before that and all. So away I go to the beach.

I love watching the tourists watch the sunrise. There are many locals like me who meet at the Atlantic Blvd beach to watch the miracle of another day being born. It's so funny to watch all the people taking pictures of the beauty and magnificence that happens each morning....even the cold, gray, rainy ones.

Today there was a group of 5 white haired ladies probably in their 50's and 60's...all great friends vacationing together. They walked to the beach benches holding their coffee cups and were dressed in various styles of tee shirts, capri pants, and shorts all the same colors of white and sunshine yellow. Several of them took photos while the sunrise colors fanned the skies.

Pompano Beach is a very clean beach. Each morning around 6:30 AM two tractors comb the beaches picking up debris and smoothing out the sand for another glorious day at the beach. This morning as the tractors started their rounds the group of 5 ladies watched intensely. It wasn't windy this morning so there was no threat of sand in the eyes as the tractor passed by the benches facing the shore. There are always two tractors, one blue and one red, that share the workload of cleaning the beach. Their routine is regular and systematic....very zen actually. I like watching the bumpy dirty beach become a smooth clean place to walk.

The ladies watched the tractors too this morning. I sat several benches away from them where the locals gather to watch the daily rituals. The tourists typically stay on the other side of the benches. This morning there was a person sleeping in a sleeping bag near the lifeguard station just south of the benches. The tractors went their way and the ladies jumped up to watch if the tractor would run over the sleeping being.

The locals and I started laughing out loud. So much fun! Watching the tourists...picture taking trying to capture a moment...photography. Not my medium. But I can understand the attraction...

The ladies watched the tractor miss the body and relieved, they returned to the benches to finish watching the sun rise. I started talking to a local guy who I've seen a lot at Starbucks and at the beach...he rides his bike and is really fit. He's one of these guys who smokes and bikes. God, how I wish I could be a casual smoker....but. That's not my path....sad really. My addiction.

Anyway...the ladies are taking pictures of themselves and one came towards me, the only woman local watching the sunrise this morning, to see if I'd take a picture of them. Of course! I was happy to do it!!!

We jabber-jawed and they were delightful. Two of them live here 3 months out of the year and the other 3 were visiting for 7 days. They were having a blast together as good friends do when they're together at the beach or in a cabin or on a cruise or at someone's house....it really doesn't matter where you are when you are with your friends. God...such a great feeling. That sharing and communing with people you love.

The 5 ladies had 4 cameras and my dream to test out digital cameras came true! Each lady had a different digital camera and I tested each one out seeing how they worked and it was a great lesson. The Nikon (I think) had the best color of capturing the sunrise and the ladies. They were having so much fun and I asked them all sorts of questions. One lady made a sign that said "POMPANO BEACH DAY FOUR".

I asked how many more days were left and they said 3. Soon three of them would be headed back to North Carolina, Missouri and Kansas. I asked them if I could write about them and they said yes...so here it is. I asked them if they had a name for their little club and they called themselves The South Florida Vacation Club.

Dottie from Missouri became the natural spokesman for the group.

I told the ladies that I thought that a lot of people belonged to their club. Dottie started shaking her head fiercely. She said, "Oh no...this is our club only!"

I said, 'You know, it's not a very good name. No offense."

She said, "Yes, but it is our name."

I said, "What if others want to join your group? How do you handle that?"

Dottie said, "Oh no...no new members."

I said, "What if it is by invitation only." The ladies looked at each and started nodding as if a silent language had been spoken when they looked into each other eyes.

"Okay." Said Dottie. "By invitation only."

I smiled and felt I had to be honest with the group. I said, "You know, the locals and I over there were laughing at you a few minutes ago when the tractor went by."

They chuckled and Dottie said, "Well, we wanted to see if they'd run over the body."

I said, "Yeah, everyday we hope they run over one, but every day they miss!"

They laughed.

Dearest God...especially the God who listens to white haired ladies at the beach,

Please protect and watch over the kind older ladies of the South Florida Vacation Club. Dearest kind god, please let them remember the blessing they have for creating a clan of women they can relate too and visit with. Community is so important and as we live these lives that lack creative energy, the memory of beauty and truth can become muddled in everyday living. Let them remember that the feeling of being in community when times are hard. May their lives be full of inspiration as the challenges of life arise...new babies, sick husbands, lost loved ones, cancer, and all other physical challenges that happen in this world.

Oh sweet merciful goddess, thank you for the kind man this morning too and his comments on my figure. It was much needed and maybe I'll take his suggestion and visit the nudist beach in Miami....but maybe not today. Too much to do, but something to consider.

Ashey. Namasta.