A couple of weeks ago, in between all my travels out of town, a tornado hit a few miles from where I live. It was really weird seeing the twister reaching down from the sky and later learning how much destruction it had done in just a few minutes of time. In the blink of an eye, our paths can quickly change just as this twister did.
This past month has been full of travels, of which one I had never visited before. Normally I am not into the hoity toity but since it was a convention that my husband had to go to, I figured one of us would have fun. With day spas and restaurants on every corner, Boca Raton offered very little for those who did not want to foolishly throw away money. Although I did get to see a Lamborghini which is not something one sees everyday!
The beach offered a poor man's spa; beautifully fine cocoa sand which my feet snuggled into with every step. 
Also, one night we stumbled upon an cozy Irish pub in Mizner park, The Dubliner. Most of the patrons were too busy boozing it up to truly enjoy the songs of Joe Dougherty. But Joe looked like he enjoyed what he was doing so much that he didn't seem to care. He strummed his guitar singing a song favorite of mine, "Brown Eyed Girl".
Marshmallows – Hot cocoa just isn’t the same without marshmallows. Not sure why since all they seem to do is add more sugar to an already sweet drink. Maybe it is the gooey factor or possibly the elusion of warmth from watching them melt as you sip on the hot steamy drink. If nothing else, it is
a reminder to be a kid at heart and to enjoy the simple things that life brings us.
(Click Photo to Enlarge)
This week the farmer's market that is a bike ride away from my home closes until November. At this time of year the majority of the produce has to come from to far away which results in a shorter shelf life; November is when local produce begins to harvest again.
I love supporting them, not only because of the garden fresh tasting fruits/veggies and great prices, but also because they are one of the few people in this area that hasn't sold out to big money. Right next to this tiny little market and land filled with goats sits a Publix grocery store, restaurants, condos and apartments. It is really nice to see a piece of what old Florida used to be like. Unfortunately, if you blink you will miss it.
When I first moved to Fort Myers, I had heard about a place by the airport that had delicious chocolate. Later I learned that this pastry chef, Norman Love, collaborated with Godiva to make a special "G" collection. Yet, when I hear the name I always think of tunes from "G Love and the Special Sauce". Possibly, for a full-sensory experience one could combine Love chocolate & music together.
This past weekend I excitingly received my Masters degree. After lots of hard but satisfying work, it was nice to be honored. From the speeches at the graduation, one stood out among the rest, a scientific researcher receiving an Honorary Doctorate for his work in intermolecular forces. In short, Dr. Israelachvili started his speech by telling the audience that "we are lost" but that is ok. It is ok to not know what our futures hold. Rather it is more important to do whatever we are doing in the moment to our greatest ability; the future will come soon enough. It seemed to me that Dr. Israelachvili must have found some of life's basic lessons even in the complex research he is studying.
