While biking around Lake Osborne, I stopped at the Palm Beach County Airport late in the afternoon.
The gates were open so I gave myself a private tour despite "no trespassing" signs. The planes, tethered to the runway with rope, looked lonely all lined up.
It's hard not to think of JFK, Jr. whenever I see a small prop job.
This shiny red copter definitely looked like a rich adult's toy.
As a man of a certain age, I gravitated to the antiques. When my father was stationed in Saigon more than 50 years ago, he spent his lunch hours roaming the Tan Son Nhut Airport.
In the age of Elon Musk, it's hard to believe an internal combustion engine kept this baby aloft.
Phallic symbolism, pilot sexism.
A couple of small hangers keep the planes in much better condition.
I wonder how the sunset over Lake Osborne looks from 10,000 feet?
My parents allowed me to read comic books for several years in the early 60s when, as an Army brat living in Europe, I lost access to American TV. Not until I read this Michael Chabon's terrific yarn, however, did I realize that a German psychiatrist who testified before a Senate subcommittee exploring juvenile delinquency less than a year after my birth alleged that Batman and Robin were corrupting the youth of America by encouraging same sex relationships. This former 10-year-old Batman & Robin fanboy AND a budding homosexual who wanted nothing more to be kidnapped by a cute guy in my 4th grade class categorically refutes the notion. Although I was attracted to Batman--just as I was to Superman, primarily because of their chiseled chins and costumes that accentuated the broadness of their chests and the bulge of their biceps--it never occurred to me that the Caped Crusader might be schtupping his young ward! Methinks the pot was calling the kettle black, Mr. Wertham!
That said, the thing I'll remember most about Sam and Joe, a pair of Jewish cousins during the golden age of comics is the embedded gay romance on steroids, with seductions of Sam in the Empire State Building 86th floor observatory and beneath the 1939 World's Fair perisphere by Tracy Bacon (!) a goyische hunk hired to play one of his creations on the radio. Joe's horrifying sojourn in Antarctica during the war runs a close second.
Chabon also draws a compelling parallel between Citizen Kane and the graphic artistry of comics as they evolved. Hollywood should return the favor and make this doorstopper into a limited series NOW!
After Flamingo Gardens, we lunched on the Hollywood Broadwalk, a 2.2 mile long pedestrian promenade. Yes, that's "broad," not "board." Developers have done a pretty good job of branding it.
A seahorse mosaic, one of several sea creatures depicted at various entrances, caught my fancy.
As did some of the older structures.
Surfing is always an option here.
Palm trees cast long shadows at this time of year.
Thom described these sunbathers on a chilly afternoon as "alive but dead."
Thom and I headed down to the Folly immediately after Election Day. He brought his skates.
We overnighted in Florence, South Carolina and ate some delicious, socially distanced BBQ at Wholly Smokin'.
A well-shielded Chris flew in from Prague a couple of weeks after we arrived in Lake Worth.
He quarantined in the cabana until he got his drive-thru covid 19 test results from CVS.
We hosted Thanksgiving for Andrew & Steven who are working remotely from a nearby Airbnb. Thom cooked most of the delicious meal. I contributed creamed onions, something my mother always served, as well as string beans tossed with bacon, walnuts and blue cheese. Chris prepared the blackened brussel sprouts.
I'm not sure we'll be asking Andrew to carve (saw?) the turkey again!
There's plenty of time for spa days in retirement!
Curtis, who spent a couple of nights with us while Andrew & Steven picked up a friend in Miami, likes the sun almost as much as Thom.
Sandhill cranes almost as tall as we are were remarkably approachable at the latter.
I was ambivalent about decorating for Christmas, but Chris and Thom insisted, indoors and out.
We feasted on five fishes (salmon, herring, shrimp, clams & flounder) Christmas Eve.
Christine arrived in Lake Worth just in time to order an extraordinary chocolate cake frosted with meringue from Oceano Kitchen.
What a shame that we had to stop dining there every Friday because of surging covid transmissions in Palm Beach County.
Thom made a cassata for a very chilly Christmas dinner at Andrew's & Steven's. Fortunately their fabulous backyard has a fire pit and lots of USB-charged mood lighting.
A little bird must have told Magda and Joe about our increased liquid diet. They sent the perfect gift--Corkcicles for chillin' at the beach!
Secret Santa was good to both Curtis and me. He got a pink flamingo and I got half a dozen iguanas.
Yes, I am drunk. Very, very drunk.
Florian sent me a cool calendar of National Parks as illustrated by WPA artists for my birthday. January features Carlsbad Caverns.
Andrew & Steven have reciprocated our hospitality on many occasions. We'll miss them when they relocate to Wilton Manors at the end of January.
Chris and Christine drove to Miami/Dade County to get their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine on January 16. That brings this narrative to an end, if not the photos.
Abstractions:
Black & white:
Bicycles:
Thom and Chris bought new bikes at Family Bicycle on Dixie Highway.
Cars:
This one gives a whole new meaning to "mini van."
Lake Worth & Palm Beach:
Notice the mailbox in the shape of a cross in front of the garage door.
Here's the backyard of that same house at night. Scary.
Nature:
People:
Check out this guy's mask. He gave my wheels a thorough tune-up at Relentless Bicycles.
