eliminate bugs was also added to my weekly repertoire. Saturdays and Sundays were reserved for family time. One beach we inadvertently visited on a section of long beach allowed topless women bathers. No sign that we viewed informed us of this fact. We vowed never to return to this area of beach and inquired about and discovered a “family beach”. Later however and in 1998 we saw a young woman on this “family beach” completely naked and apparently on drugs who was being tormented by some men. An interesting visit to a national park culminated in producing an anxiety in me as alligators roamed freely on pedestrian walkways. Another park we visited near to our home to swim and sunbathe had many raccoons roaming throughout the park that picked through the trash barrels. I expressed my concern to spouse that these animals could be carrying the rabies virus because raccoons by nature are nocturnal animals. After smelling a foul odor and noting a large pipe running under this body of water used for swimming and wading, I thought perhaps that this bathing area was contaminated with sewerage, so for two reasons we no longer returned to this park to swim and bathe. Eventually, we discovered quieter areas of beach to visit that were not as decadent and bizarre.
The home purchased by spouse and I was about one half mile from a large salt water bay. One day while driving along a roadway adjacent to the bay, I noticed an old house that was left to deteriorate facing the bay that exhibited a sandy beach area in the back of the dilapidated structure. That evening at dinner, one wondered to spouse why smaller beach areas were not available for community enjoyment alongside this bay. In planning an outing to the beach in this area of South Florida, one needed to drive many miles away and through much traffic to attend designated crowded beach areas where exposures to considerable immoralities were occurring to those attending these beaches.
A few times, we enjoyed excursions on an airboat which brought us through a major wetland area that contained alligators, unusual and interesting birds, and fish. At some point during this airboat excursion people on the boat were invited by the guide to step out of the airboat barefoot and onto a spongy, water covered moss contained in the wetland. Later, I realized how potentially dangerous this action was as the marsh contained, in addition to alligators, many poisonous snakes.
On one visit to a wildlife sanctuary, I viewed a young couple who was picnicking along a brackish water tributary that led to the ocean. They were eating food from Styrofoam containers and when finished eating threw these containers, bags, and other garbage into the tributary. I was greatly perturbed as I watched this garbage float away in this pristine, natural area.
For my birthday, greeting cards were received from people of my acquaintance. After thoroughly cleaning our home either on or near my birthday, I received a birthday greeting card in the mail one afternoon. Sitting down at our dining room table, I proceeded to open the mail beginning with this birthday card. Upon opening the card, I discovered it to be filled with sequins, small pieces of confetti, and glitter. I was annoyed as this mess spilled onto our dining room table but was relieved that I did not open the card while standing inside the area of our home.
Through a discussion with an acquaintance of who was of Cuban heredity, I discovered that vital medicines such as inexpensive antibiotics were being withheld from many people living in Cuba,