Twenty-four Hours

 Ms. Atlas, your guacamole is ready,” a waiter said to us as we were swimming in the pool. The ‘Ms. Atlas’ was meant for my daughter who had scored us a free night at the Ritz using points.

 We had just come from a cold, rainy, dreary New York morning. Now we were in a luxurious pool in south Florida soaking in sun and whatever new adventure awaited us. I have to say that the guacamole was like no other I’ve ever tasted.

On Sunday morning we took a long walk on the beach path, viewing unusual and amazing birds and acquainting ourselves with a feral orange and white cat who won our hearts. This path is one of the main reasons we come to this area. It is filled with such lush foliage – palm trees, beautiful verdant bushes, and is always populated with walkers, runners, and bikers. The path runs between the hotels and the beach. The ocean here is this magnificent bluish-green, teal color, a color that is not found in the beaches up north. It brings me back to memories of the blue-green waters found in Banff. 

Eating at a brunch buffet ranks at the top of my daughter’s list of favorite things. She’s a major breakfast person. I always eat a solid amount of bacon on trips, and along with the bacon, I enjoyed the smoked salmon, cheddar cheese, salami, blueberries, and cantaloupe.

After brunch we continued our stay with a late check-out, returning to the large, luscious pool. We asked for chairs in the shade, but since there weren’t many shaded areas left, we were directed to this very cool spacious and private area in the shade. Everything seemed to work out so well.  After, we walked to the beach and went in the water which was warm albeit seaweed-y. We then went back to the hotel, picked up our stored luggage and proceeded to our next and main hotel where we will be for the next few days.

It had only been 24 hours since our arrival, but already it was magical.