Now that Mom and Dad are both gone, it seems very likely that Nicole and I will not be returning to Florida. We have nothing against it, really; it’s just that this state, and particularly this part of the state, doesn’t mesh with our styles. Originally developed by ITT Community Development Corporation, Palm Coast was a “planned” community, and is mostly centered around leisure activities and retirement. Mom and Dad liked it here since 1987, when their employer changed hands and brought their management training center here. They liked it because it is warm all year around, and because everything is clean and new.

Here are some other things our parents really enjoyed:

• Dad loved to bake, make soup, and make key lime pie for Abby.
• Mom sung and was a charter member of the Choral Arts Society.
• After they were retired, they enjoyed driving inland to find interesting places to eat lunch.
• My dad loved, and I mean loved, Potted Meat Food Product. He was also a master at creating baloney salad (which is like tuna salad, only with cheap baloney)
• Mom’s favorite foods, and by proxy my sister’s favorite foods, included sourdough bread, soft-boiled egg on toast, “Amercan” spaghetti, and cow pie/dog in a blanket.
• My father was history buff, and was one of the first customers in his area to order The History Channel.
• Mom’s favorite TV shows included 18 Kids and Counting, Monk, Frazier, and anything on CNN.
• The two giant orange trees in their back yard were Christmas gifts from us in about 1994. They yield huge, chewy oranges with giant seeds, but amazingly sweet juice.
• Traditionally, Nicole and I came to visit Mom and Dad for Christmas, but starting in about 2000, they decided they wanted to see us more often, so we included a summer visit as well.
• Dad had a sister, Carol, who died in 2006. Mom’s sister Margaret just returned to California after a long visit with Mom last month. The two had the times of their lives.