Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Mother Loved Salt

We're in South Florida this morning, where the plan is to have an extremely intellectual vacation. By which I mean, pool, pool speakers, sun, sunscreen... and not moving too much. We'll see how well we do with that. There is a visit planned to a turtle sanctuary just up the coast. And going out to dinner with my father and brother in Lighthouse Point tonight. I wouldn't mind glimpsing some alligators. And maybe we'll see a friend in Miami this weekend, and uh-oh, there we go.

The thing I hadn't anticipated is how much this landscape conjures up my mother, and/or all the hard times of her last seven years. It's the first time I've been in Florida since her death last summer, and the palms, the clouds... Well, everything down to the salt shaker is reminding me of her right now. Not that there aren't plenty of things to like about that. It helps to make fun of myself: ("Mother loved salt!" "Mother loved alarm clocks!") But all I can say is, Reader, lucky you're not Mark Doty right now.

Pictures from the day:



3 comments:

Nancy Devine said...

warmth and sun sound inviting.

it's nice to be married and to have someone with whom you can share the less adorable aspects of yourself. i sometimes think about how for years my husband was someone i had no idea was walking around on the planet and now he knows so much about me.

weird what reminds us of one another...maybe not, though.

do enjoy your vacation!

galincal said...

Mother loved Mark Doty?

Paul Lisicky said...

Thank you, Nancy. Yes, a sunny clime: simultaneously energizing and debilitating, probably just what one wants from a vacation.

(And, yes, Mother loved everyone and everything.)