MAGNOLIA LANDING
By Duncan
Spring Break, 2010, I’m looking at the Atlantic Ocean from a 9th floor balcony, in Pompano Beach, Florida. The weather is fantastic, the air is clean, fresh, the breeze cool and refreshing. My Indiana winter clothes are gone. I’m wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and flip flops. There came a point when I ask myself,
WHY CAN’T I LIVE LIKE THIS EVERYDAY?
One should never ask themselves a question like that, when “one” is on their third glass of red-wine. And the answer to the question is, I can live anywhere I want! All I need to do is decide. I simply had to decide? Is this lifestyle what I really want at this point in my life?
It’s not as easy a decision as you might think. First and foremost, what about family? How are they going to feel about me moving a thousand miles away? I would have to leave my job, when do I tell them I am leaving? (If I do leave) How long would it take to sell my home? (If I decided to move.)
As I’m sipping a cheap bottle of “red” from my stemmed glass, more and more questions keep coming to mind. The reality of moving to Florida has never crossed my mind. I was stationed in Homestead, Florida for three years with the United States Air Force back in the 60’s. Homestead was south of Miami and north of the Florida Keys.
But I don’t remember thinking I want to live in Florida the rest of my life. As I recall, I could not get out of Florida fast enough. Or was it, I wanted to be unshackled from the rules and regulations of the Strategic Air Command, SACs spit and polish military life style. Well, whether I wanted to get military over with or I wanted to get back to civilian life, living in Florida was not on the bucket list during the 60’s.
Duncan - Jack Maynard - Tampa, Florida
Sure, I vacationed in Florida from time to time. My very close and personal friend, Jack Maynard and his wife Martha moved to Tampa from Indianapolis and invited me to come down during New Year to visit them for a few days. That was the early 2000s. But again, while I looked forward to my yearly Tampa visits, I had no desire to move to Florida full time. So, why all of sudden do I consider living in Florida important now?
There might be several factors that come into play when thinking about moving to Florida. One, could be the weather. No, I’m not talking about the Florida weather, but the Indiana weather. At some point, I became really tired of cold weather. The weather seemed to wear me down. It’s depressing at times. Overcast most of January and February, cold, and wind. Another way of saying it is, I made the Indiana winters a bigger deal than what the Indiana weathers are. From November to April, I convinced myself I was done with winter. One of my justifications for thinking about moving to Florida.
The other reason to move to Florida is not as clear. Could it have been the idea of “starting a new life” in a new place. Could it be the pioneering spirit deep down in my gut? I didn’t realize at the time, I might be deranged. You know, load up the buckboard and push the team of horses to a new land? I guess “derangement” could be part of the reason I wanted to move to Florida.
During the summer of 2012, I drove to Florida to figure out where to live. There was a community I was told to check out by several people, including my own son, Scott. I was told I needed to visit The Villages. So, I drove down, and I rented a Villa in The Villages. I approached a Realtor to get a feel for the homes for sale.
Looking back, I was very impressed with the place. I was thinking, “This is the place for me.” But as a year dragged on, I got to reading about The Villages and started to get cold feet about living there. The following year I decided that if I was going to live in Florida I needed to be as far south and as close to the water as I could afford.
I started looking at homes for sale in different places on-line. I drove down again and went up and down the west coast. From Marco Island, north through Naples, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, all the way up to Venice. I decided that Fort Myers was about as close to Indianapolis as it gets. I contacted a Realtor and was introduced to Magnolia Landing, in North Fort Myers.
It was a brand new home. Just built, and the people who built it decided to pull out at the last minute. I was shown the home and loved it. So, I made the big “decision” to buy it. I was taking care of my aging father, and had to figure out how to get George to Florida too. The home had three bedrooms and a library. Perfect for my father and ourselves. Life is good.
From 2014 to 2019 I lived in North Fort Myers. I was blessed with lots of friends. During this period, Dad passed in 2018, and in 2019, I made the decision to return to Indianapolis. Yes, all the things I complained about in Indianapolis, I was returning to restart my life all over again.
I never thought I would be returning to Florida. Little did I realize that my Florida friends would say, “Hey if you're in the area, stop by and let’s party.” I received enough “Let’s party” invitations so I decided to return for short visits in January or February. Now it’s almost an annual tradition. Hey, doors open and all I do is walk through the doors.
The Front Gate at Magnolia Landing
I approached the gate guard in my “Mean Yellow” and I was an instant give-a-way.
“Duncan, are you back for good or are you here for a visit.”
The gate cross bar went up and I was once again in Magnolia Landing headed for Tom Morookian’s home. I consider Magnolia Landing a special place. I spent five years of my life in this place. I took care of my father till he reached ninety-nine. He passed peacefully in our home. He asked me not to put him in a nursing home and I was pleased to be able to meet his wishes. So, Magnolia Landing is special to me.
Now, it’s time to live my life. I don’t know when it happened, but I became the parent and dad became the “child.” It’s interesting what passes through your mind when your father passes before your eyes. You know it’s coming, and the Last couple of days happen fast. Did I do everything I could for my father, did I tell him enough he was loved. Yes, there are some good memories in Magnolia Landing.
I pulled up in front of Tom’s home and there were lots of cars sitting on the curb. The garage door is open, so I walk into the home unannounced. Lo and behold there is a birthday party in progress.
Danielle Lecavalier, Gerry Lecavlier, Mark Robinson, Tom Morookian, Cherish.
Mark Robinson at the head of the table, is in Florida because his father Gary Robinson passed and is taking care of his arrangements. Gary Robinson (Mark’s Dad) was very close to Tom Morookian. It’s Mark's birthday, thus the birthday party. Danielle and Gerry were also very close friends. Cherish was Gary’s home caretaker. She was with Gary at the end of Gary’s life. Yes, I also knew Gary, and we had lunch together many times.
This party went into the wee hours of the morning. Tomorrow we will pick up the story of Magnolia Landing. I’ll be here for a couple of days, maybe longer than the “Three Day Rule.” We have new restaurants to visit and other gated communities to see.
