Having been born in the ancient settlement of St. Augustine in mid-1931, at the tail end of the Depression) my outlook for a normal and enjoyable youth were, at best, quite slim.
My parents were already raising three daughters and one son when I arrived. Dad was a typesetter for the local newspaper, and wages were not the best.
That fact, however, presented the opportunity, as I grew, to appreciate essential hunting and fishing trips in northeast Florida, as well as family outings to the pristine springs and rivers of the area in our old Dodge touring car. My most enjoyable two-week vacation from school, however, took place when my parents allowed me to visit with my three aunts and their families in an emerging playground on the southeast coast, known in the late 1930s as Miami-Miami Beach.
Each of my three aunts were accomplished property managers. After being placed safely on board one of Florida’s east coast trains, I was met in Miami by one or more relatives, to spend a wonderful summer at an apartment-hotel on Miami Beach….at the Pershing on Biscayne Boulevard, or at the original McFadden-Deauville on N. Miami Beach, which had the largest saltwater pool in the state.
Other unique events included visits to the Seminole Indian Village, glass-bottom boats on Biscayne Bay, watch seaplanes taking off for the Bahamas, the Serpentarium, walking to the movie theaters and playing carpet golf on the balmy night when the surrender of Japan was announced.
Those great memories still abound, many years later!