The Bold and the (not so) Beautiful

Dok, if you think Mum is bad with the proud mom stuff, you should see the endless amount of Soccer Mom's in their SUV's, sporting vanity plates (apparently the name for those personalised number plates) with 'super mom', or bumper stickers with 'parent of Harvard honour student' bumper stickers.. So Florida is a strange person. I'm having a great time but i can't help but be cynical when i look at it objectively. We had a lovely 'high tea' in the pavillion of a sort of estate that belonged to an old family who built one of the railways. Its a beautiful day today and nice and warm without being annoyingly hot. We then went for a stroll down Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, which is sort of the Bond Street of Florida, i gather. Every haute couture boutique you can think of, as well as Cartier, Tiffany's etc. We passed by quite a few characters (which is really quite a nice way of putting it) who where basically 'vielle peaux' who had been face-lifted till they could barely see out of their eyes. Their alien-appearances and leather-bodies gave away their ages. Everyone is 'blonde' and over 60, with diamonds dripping off them, and i SWEAR to God, i saw 3 black people today. One was driving a truck, the other was a construction worker, and the third was one of the waitresses at the pavillion. She was basically thrown in there to create a whole Gone with the wind Negro cook vibe, coming around to fill up our lemonade glasses. The social segregation i noticed is even more marked down here and you really only see 'poor people' when your driving down the freeway and you see trailer parks along the road. Its kinda like a 'Trailer Park Safari' where you observe the poor people at a safe distance, from the safety of your car. Quite different to California, where theyre roaming around in the wild! Anyway, it certainly is very relaxing down here because to be honest there isnt very much to do in terms of culture. It basically has this fake astrotuf vibe to it and could be called a giant golf-course, flecked with a few country clubs, some characterless highrise apartments, and lots of old people who all worship the same god: money. I wouldnt class Florida as one of the wonders of the world. Having said all that, and my cynicalness is probably coming out in unnatural quantities because im away from 'Europe", it is a great place to come if you just want to relax. Its been lovely to go for a swim, sit in the sun, and just chill. Marge's parents are lovely and have made me feel very welcome. We had a lovely meal last night, and i tasted swordfish for the first time which was very tasty indeed. Tomorow we might hit the beach and go for a swim in the ocean which id say will be a bit nippy. Im inlcluding some of the pics ive taken along the way.