When I attended All Keys Cycles today in the locally known “Pink Plaza” on the Overseas Highway to enquire about the purchase of a tricycle I conjured up my erstwhile physician’s frequent and no doubt learned admonition; viz., “Keep moving!” Today’s project was however not entirely kinetic. It was a combination of necessity, utility and preference. My current immobility issues predict the indispensability of something upon which to carry my enfeebled corpus; and while I acknowledge the practicality and advantage of a tricycle for one such as I, the inalterable fact is that cycling has long been my most favoured means of discovery.

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It is manifestly “off season” on Key Largo. The traffic hasn’t yet become past bearing as we rightfully expect it will in the new year; we hadn’t any problem this morning securing a table for breakfast on the patio overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean; afterwards we were able to find a parking spot at the grocery store without difficulty; and most importantly when I swam in the pool this afternoon I was the only one there for the better part of an hour. The buoyancy instantly rejuvenated my burgeoning decrepitude. And did I mention 88°F in the blazing sunshine intermingled with massive cloud formations.

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America is poised on November 8th to make some potentially startling mid-term election decisions during the current presidency of Joseph R. Biden Jr (D) who entered the oval office on Capitol Hill in 2020. The expectancy is that the incumbents will maintain the lead; however, because former president Donald J. Trump (R), in spite of being the subject of broad litigation and unfavourable report arising from the insurrection following his defeat, continues to perpetuate his unsubstantiated “stolen election” theme without discernible reactionary discredit from his putative base, the prospects are open for roulette gain or loss. Significantly President Biden has warned Americans that the traditional minority of interest in mid-term elections is in this instance altered enormously by the risk of preservation of the central American theme of democracy.

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Five days ago on Wednesday, November 2nd we left home en route to Key Largo.  We arrived today on Sunday, November 6th. The moment we departed Homestead, Florida (the lowest end of the Florida peninsula) and entered the Florida Keys with its iconic turquoise coloured cement barrier separating the north and south lanes of the Overseas Highway I knew we had achieved a long-standing ambition to winter in Key Largo, an initiative which had been delayed upwards of two years by COVID- 19 and its corollary repercussions.

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Preposterous doesn’t begin to describe Four Points by Sheraton hotel on Fairforest Road in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  Our first clue developed when approaching the massive concrete construct which was reportedly built (or refurbished) for opening in July, 2022.  It is located nearby the Sheriff’s offices and a Community Services building, historically an unlikely and moderately off-putting proximity for a putatively high-end business. Overall the situs of the hotel is remote and hidden, a suitable introduction and small compliment to what proved to be a surreal and other-worldly experience.  Its planetary entertainment value did nothing to enhance our stay.

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Putting a label on love has never been uncomplicated.  The romantic image of the star-crossed lovers, Romeo Monteque and Juliet Capulet, is perhaps the most recognizable conundrum.  It competes at the polar opposite with Archie and Edith Bunker whose volatile but unquestionable love for one another makes for an equally hard act to follow (apologies to Shakespeare). Then there are those memorable scenes from Room with a View which bring to the fore the uncertain potency of what is most readily visible. Meanwhile the social challenges of love are pointedly addressed in Meet the Fockers. Like the other expositions it unites the enigma with families on both sides of the amorous entanglement.

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Though when we awoke this morning at 4:30 am we hadn’t anticipated doing so – particularly because today was the longest of our 5-day motor trip to the Florida Keys – we have arranged next week for the removal of the oversized furnishings from our new apartment. Our housekeeper is primed to supervise. The movers are the same ones who carted the stuff from our former apartment to the new one only yesterday. As well we’ve harmonized with the property manager. By further resourcefulness we have asked our erstwhile advisor at Cadieux Interiors for substitute suggestions which we shall pursue upon our return.

Cadieux Interiors

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By inexplicable fortuity we have accomplished today what has been heavy on our minds for six months. We have this morning unloaded our possessions in our new digs along the Mississippi River; and, we have this afternoon launched our winter journey to Key Largo. Inherent in these two branches of accomplishment are other transitions and growth.

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Today is November 1st, the start of our new residential tenancy at Riverfront Estates of which Peter Mansfield is the vaunted architect. The occasion, conjoining as it does the awakening of the newly constructed building to its intended purpose, is not without its moment. The cutting of a red ribbon by a municipal official to memorialize this astronomic local success would not have been incongruous. It is well understood by those following this particular venture that it surpasses expectations. The insinuation of local capital is an additional cause for officiation.

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There are two things frankly I hadn’t anticipated. One, that this day would ever come.  It’s the last day of October, the end of our tenancy at 100 Jamieson Street. And two, that I would feel so moved by the event. Precipitously I have been jerked from anxiousness to bewilderment. With unexpected fervour I am recalling those we have known at 100 Jamieson Street and the inexpressible memories arising.

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