Gentle sea breezes, sweeping verandas, white wicker furniture, high tea in the afternoon, 300-year-old live oaks dipping to the ground, azaleas in bloom, croquet on the lawn, miles of beaches, a living history as a past slave plantation and later as a turn-of-the-century playground for the rich and famous, an upgrade to the junior presidential suite at the Jekyll Island Club, a bagpiper at sunset. We thought we had died and gone to heaven.  

We traveled from Brandon to Daytona via Lakeland and stopped at the Florida Air Museum. We viewed many experimental, home-built aircraft. Quite fascinating.

We had a mid-day meal at Aunt Catfish's restaurant in Port Orange. Bonnie dined on pecan-crusted catfish and Lou settled for blackened tilapia.

Bonnie realized a longtime desire to see and walk the beach of Daytona, where one can ride a car on the beach. We had booked a one-nighter at this fabled beach to realize once we got there that we were in the middle of “Bike Week”! Add to that, Spring Break! That evening had nearly every one of our senses peaked—the smell of exhaust, the throaty sounds of engines revving, the color and variety of the cycles, and cyclists and onlookers parading about in all kinds of attire.

We arrived at our motel on Monday evening and walked on the beach to the downtown area about 1.7 miles away. How fun it was to see speed limit signs and lane designations on the beautifully hard-packed sand. The beach was a mega-beach. SUVs, cars, and motorcycles passed us by as we walked.

However, the sight downtown had us spellbound. Thousands of motorcycles paraded through the streets—motorcycles of every kind.

The following day we walked the beach again at sunrise. This time we saw thousands of birds lining the edge of the ocean looking for goodies as the tide ebbed. Watching fishermen with large poles at the water's edge was a beautiful sight, but seeing one of them entangle a bird in his line was a sight we had never seen before. The bird patiently let his captor untangle the line only to result in a broken wing—only to be attacked and killed by its neighbor when released.

Another oddity was to see a couple bring a bundle of green and white balloons and green-tinted carnations to the beach. Upon our return walk we saw no trace of the couple, and the green-tinted carnations lay at water's edge washed up to shore. What do you think that was all about?

To say the least Daytona Beach was a “happenin' place”.

Those Ringling brothers were geniuses at organization. They put into motion a machine which could move, feed, and house nightly not only 1300 workers but also the entire menagerie of the circus!

On Sunday, March 11, we visited John and Mary Ann Geis, old-time friends from our Wooster days. They took us to the Ringling Museum. John told us that his father remembered the days when the circus came to town and hired boys like himself as day laborers to help erect the big tents. Viewing the miniature circus lay-out was witness to the amount of effort which went into the final show; it was eye-candy, and we observed volunteers who were creating and/or repairing those sets.

Not only did we visit the Ringling Museum but also John and Mabel Ringling's mansion which was a work of art in itself. A third attraction was the Ringling art collection with Ruben's work being the highlights.

After a full day at the Ringling Museum we ate Spanish at the Columbia restaurant in Sarasota and, of course, had to have sangria. To top off a sweet day we enjoyed a slice of key lime pie at the Geis home prior to trek back to Brandon for our last night at that location (nine nights altogether).