We're at Ponce Inlet. It's just north of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. But you can't get here from New Smyrna. They don't connect. You have to drive all the way back inland, up the highway and then back to the beach. It's a bit frustrating. You can see the famous Ponce Inlet Lighthouse from New Smyrna - but you can't get there.
The entire area, for miles and miles is loaded with condos and lovely beach homes. But I remember when that was not the case.
In the 1970s when my husband, Ken was the minister of two downtown Orlando churches, there was an old lady in one of them who offered our family of six her New Smyrna beach house from time to time. This was before condos and before air conditioning. The house was big, with big rooms. It had seen better days. The lower floor had originally been servants quarters but when we were there had only an old washing machine.
The upper floor had a huge living room, a master bedroom and another huge bedroom with at least six beds. The jalousie windows were screened but the breeze that constantly flowed from the beach kept a constant layer of sand everywhere.
I cooked all of our meals in the big, ancient kitchen and day dreamed about how it might have been fun to stay in the servants quarters and cook and care for visitors from other parts of the world who had come to stay in this beach house.
Of course, there was no swimming pool like every house and condo have now but we had a garden hose for washing off the salt water we were in several times a day. And, with no TV, we spent our evening doing jigsaw puzzles and reading. It was fun. I hope my children remember it the way I do.
But I've enjoyed this week as well. The Florida east coast beach scene has changed - and so have I.
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