Another terrific day. Larry took me for a tour of Miami and Biscayne Bay(?). First, we investigated the penthouse at a new high-rise--VERY high, on the 52nd floor, in fact. Of course, there were floor-to-ceiling windows just to scare the hell out of me, but it was fun to see the place. It struck me as incredible that there seem to be hundreds of similar buildings--how could they possibly be filled?
We then went to Viscayne, the estate of James Deering, heir to the International Harvester fortune.
Now this is the kind of thing I love: history, architecture, and opulence combined. The place--a kind of hybrid Italianate villa--was, of course, filled with priceless artifacts and stunning vistas of harbor and gardens.
Got home to have lunch with Helen--she made me a yummy ham and grilled cheese sandwich--then we prepared for dinner at Elaine's. I took a shower, dressed, and off we went.
What fun to be with so many members of this big, vibrant family! I loved the Cuban food--had plantains and yucca for the first time--not to mention the margaritas Elaine had made, one of my favorite drinks. I'm still sorting out my brother's huge family (and this was only one small portion of it), but the party included my nephew, Jim, a terrific guy, his younger son, Lucas, Elaine's and her husband's sons, Alex, Andrew, and Anthony, her grandson, Rudy, Terry and her granddaughters, Mia and Kayla, and hmm...were there others? Not sure, but there were at least three generations present. And what bright, articulate, warm, and friendly people they are! Would love to have my children know them better--know them at all, in fact--I'm positive they'd like each other a lot. (I hope and trust Mike, Tim, and Wes will follow through on their plans for a Byrne reunion in 2011!)
Gotta go--Larry and I are leaving for Disney shortly. I'm sorry Helen decided not to go, as she's been there many times, but am excited about it. Will be back on Friday.