Sunshine State Wanderlust: The Continuation of the RV Road Trip

Caroline’s Adventures Through Florida

 

On the 29th of March, we left the home of Adah and Ramy in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

I’ve known Rami from the days I was people-watching in Cafe Roval Tel Aviv, which were, for me, the highlight of my social life.  

Their home is one of those homes where, when I visit, I feel like it’s an extension of my own place because I know everything about it. I cook, I bake, I make coffee, and I invite people to see me there. I’ve been visiting that house for 35 years.

One of my first friends in California, Ziva and Moshe Goldstein, came to visit us.

Ziva told me, “Nava, don’t forget us when your TV series is out. We wanna come to the red carpet.”

Tamar Muller, a writer friend who wrote “How to Be on a Diet for 45 Years and Never Be Thin”, shared a cappuccino with me in the RV.

Smadar and Anat visited with goodies and pictures for a reel. I met Smadar at Bellini, NYC, in 1992, a day before she had her baby boy, and, in a kismet way, we met at a lecture that I was giving at our mutual friend Yael’s home a few years back.

We drove the RV to Yael’s home for a photo op, as I had to meet her mother, Rachel.

Allan Cohen, whom I have known since 1988. His family owns the Bellinis of South Florida.

We continued to the Bellini store in Boca Raton and met with the Cohen family, Susan and Stanley. Isabella Freedberg also came to see us, and of course, we took pictures and Facetimed Jenifer, her mom, my longtime best customer.

We found a great campground on the water in West Palm County, pastoral galore, birds, iguanas, and ducks, but also, the trigger for an awful mosquito bite allergy. Remember, not everything is rosie and peachy when you live in a 25-foot RV. But as long as no body bags are in my trunk, I’ll take it.

 

On Saturday the 30th, we ended up visiting an old store, Rooms For A Prince And Princess. We saw Natália, but we missed Adam. I also got to see John and Agnes from the MB Baby Furniture Store in Brooklyn, NY, which was one of the top Nava’s Designs customers in the 1980s, ‘90s, and 2000s.

So, off to Brad’s home in Jupiter, Florida.

“Who is Brad, Nava?” My friend Gila asked 

Well, go back to my first post on my blog; his sister is the Gina London. 

Brad is a 53-year-old single boat craftsman who lives in a Hawaiian-feel farmhouse in Jupiter surrounded by fruits, trees, and wild plants and has a picturesque pond with… an alligator. 

Well, the alligator was gone when we visited, which was just as well for me because the last thing I need in my life is to have a face-to-face meet up with an alligator. 

His cat Jackson went missing, too. He’s not like me; he is not into strangers. 

Brad was an awesome Southern host and treated us like royalty. He made us some steaks, and we met his friend Stephanie with her sweet 15-year-old daughter Sophie. 

One of the highlights, in my opinion, was the fire pit. We sat around it and watched the flickering lights of the fire. I needed to be 67 before falling in love with bonfires. In our daily routine in the campground, we make a point of starting one as a nightcap. Remember, I don’t drink.

Again, I think RV living, meeting, and reconnecting with people is my ultimate way to travel.

Since I visited Brad, lots have happened, and I will make sure to write about it in my next post.

Remember, you never know what you like or dislike till you try it. I never believed I would be an RV camper kind of person, and most of the people I know didn’t believe I would like it either! I came up with ideas for cooking and baking in the tiny kitchen and even made homemade waffles!

As I said to my friend, “Creativity is the necessity to find solutions with an optimistic approach.”

She asked, “Who said that?”

I told her, “Me, just now.”