Friday, October 25, 2019


Our plan today was to eat breakfast here and then drive down to Vero and walk through McKee Botanical Gardens which, when I was a child, was McKee Jungle Gardens and a tourist attraction that my school visited and where I bought a tube of the most vile perfume ever made which was Orange Blossom but I loved it anyway. It was like an ointment. A perfumed, stinky ointment.
I only wore it on Sundays to church to keep it special.

Anyway, we visited the gardens and they were beautiful. Waldo Sexton (go ahead and google him if you'd like more information) was one of the founders of this place which means that there is some strange and beautiful stuff going on. That table which you can see above, is made of one slab of mahogany, can seat a hundred, and is to be found in the Hall of Giants.
Don't ask me.
Alongside the Hall of Giants is the Spanish Kitchen where one could grill a hundred steaks.
This makes perfect sense.


It really was lovely. The rain came and went as we walked the paths, the breezes blew and we admired the different palms, the ferns, the banyan trees, the water lilies, the orchids. 






And then we went to the Ocean Grill, my favorite restaurant in the entire world, where we have celebrated many anniversaries before. If you googled Waldo Sexton you'll know that he built that, too. I walk into that restaurant and smell the salt air, the cedar and cypress and the essence of seafood and I know I am home.

We had the best table in the joint today.


Day drinking! Onion rings! Oh, be still my heart.


Fried oysters. I had crab. There were corn muffins that were like cupcakes without the frosting. 
And the view from our table:


The ocean was whipped brine today, salt foamed waves as far as the eye could see. 
It was gorgeous. 

There's been more but I need to make a salad. I wanted to eat our anniversary lunch at the Grill but have our supper here so that I could watch the sunset. 


Thirty-five years of marriage. I think we're celebrating in good style.

And now, I will tell you the secret to a happy marriage:

Marry the right person. 
A kind person, a caring person, a hard-working person, a person who makes you laugh and who can make you feel safe. A person who tries very hard to make you feel loved in all regards. A person who respects you and whom you respect. Who accepts and loves you as you are. A person who makes you want to be kind and caring and hard-working. A person you want to make laugh. A person you want to make feel safe. A person who might make an excellent grandparent.

Okay. All of that and the use of good manners. 
And plenty of honeymoons, scheduled as regularly as possible. 

That's about all I have to say. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon


13 comments:

  1. The two of you are so special, and I'm so happy you found each other.

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  2. You said a mouthful and all of it true. I am so glad you are enjoying this anniversary. I hope you have many more to come.

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  3. You put tears in my eyes and ocean smell in my nose and waves in my ears, and fried onions in my mouth. All the seafood is yours. Happy anniversary, and please be back there every year.

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  4. What a gorgeous tradition you two have created and maintained throughout the years. You nurture each other in the most beautiful ways!

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  5. I think you both married the right person and what you wrote, it's so true. I did much better choosing my second husband and I love that man so much.

    Glad you had a wonderful day.

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  6. Love your secrets of a happy marriage. I think I shall share them with some young people I know!

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  7. sounds like a perfect day.

    took me three tries to come up with that.

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  8. It sounds like a fabulous anniversary. I remember hearing about McKee Jungle Gardens. I never went there, though, and it looks AMAZING. (You've convinced me -- next time I'm in Florida, I'm going to Roseland!) I have been to the Ocean Grill, as I think we've discussed. How can you beat that old-Florida feel and that view?!

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  9. A very happy anniversary to you both. Xx

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  10. I love your marriage advice! And your anniversary trip looks heavenly. Now I'm craving seafood, though.

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  11. i shared your marriage advice with my former student assistant coach for science olympiad (who was the older brother of one of the participants). may you and mr moon have many more anniversaries <3

    xxalainaxx

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