With lizards in abundance in South Florida, why in the world would we bother bringing a metal lizard home, all the way from Arizona?

As a matter of fact when I see a lizard I yield right-of-way. I have a few really good lizard stories, but I digress. So, why hand one where we sit and enjoy the Intra-Coastal views? /sunoke,

Here, on our outdoor veranda, we have So-Flo meets the desert, and we like it.

Oh, the name?

He hails from  a hip shop in  the fabulous Arizona town of Jerome,

Oh, Pamela.

When you cross the continental United States,  from South Florida to Palm Springs, California...you discover so many things. For example, a pancake mix with a compelling name., and a taste that is light and fluffy.

Arizona, power-couple, Leslie and Richard had this pancake mix and we loved it. No, not simply because it is called Pamela's, but because it is delicious. So, now that we are back in North Palm Beach, we headed out on a quest to find it (yes, Amazon has it), and we did. This small package was $7.59 at GreenWise (the upscale version of Publix).

Road trippin' means  road eating, and we did. Pancakes in Arizona is not a bad thing.

Gerry already makes great pancakes, but this mix is on another level, in our humble opinion.

A funny things happened while hanging around inside Pier One in Palm Beach Gardens. I bought stuff!

More importantly, the cashier steered me to THE best deal on these martini glasses. Feast your eyes on those babies. I did, then I bought them, even though I had already purchased a bag full of fancy-pants champagne flutes.

Actually, I had no choice. They were practically free. They practically forced me to take them!

Okay, I took a little (six page) survey and got a discount that brought $9.00 glasses down to $1.25, each.

​Cheers!

Speaking of cheers, let's talk about Flavor Palm Beach going on during September.

Here is part of my FPB lunch at Capital Grill in Palm Beach Gardens...three courses for $20.

My lunch date (it was a girl day) and I opted for a libation of the adult variety, so we had that extra cost. Plus, I HAD to upgrade to the lobster bisque, so that added some change to the tab.

Yay, for Flavor Palm Beach!

Sometimes you do Flavor Palm Beach with friends, at their home.

​Let's call it Potluck Palm Beach!

When you live in the Palm Beaches, you have the opportunity to slide onto the fabulous Brightline rail and zip down to Fort Lauderdale or Miami in absolute style.  The only downside is the ride simply does not take long enough. Opting for Select (First Class, if you will) is my preference, naturally, and it has not disappointed. So, we rail it, then we Lyft it, then we meander around Miami like the true misfits we are. We are not nearly cool or hip enough for that mega-city, but we have NEVER cared about how we are perceived. Well, I can say I never have, G is perfectly able to address that one for himself.

The Brightline station in Miami has the best lounge for Select customers. The snacks and libations are complimentary, and you can recharge your devices and yourself. SCORE!

Photographic proof of two things.
We are misfits hanging out in the fabulous Miami.
We continue to FAIL at taking decent selfies, and my hair is horrendous. However, I do love G's hair!

As you can see, we just don't care! We appreciate you bearing with us, on this issue.

​Adventuring!

No matter where I am, THIS is what coffee is all about.

Forget your random coffee haunts, and always go where you see the illy sign. 

Brightline serves this deliciousness.

When hanging in North Palm Beach, I opt for it at our favorite breakfast establishment, Angry Moon.

G, every considerate, ordered illy pods, so now I brew it for myself. 

Even two misfits find their Zen, right!

When in the Palm Beaches, we always take our guests to Sea Shell City. Here is our guest, trying to get her beautiful face into the photo as I, evidently, try to cover her face with my beach-air-infused-hair. You know you have a true friend when you do this and she is still smiling. Oh, admit it, you didn't even notice...that faded wall-art is still pretty groovy, right? Hey, did our darling friend pose for that? Nah, she is WAY too young.

I love the rain, and rainy season has been fairly quiet this hurricane season (hopefully, the hurricanes got the message from the rain clouds). But, today, the clouds opened up and it was ever so lovely. Hello, Monday.

When you don't eat cows (yes, Gerry sampled brisket when at a relative's house last November, but no big deal) you have to be creative when you want meatloaf. Ground chicken can be BLAND. So yesterday I made a Southwest Meatloaf and it was delicious. Just a bit of kick, and loads of flavor. I made the taco seasoning from scratch, which I will do from now on.

One thing we wonder about, why do people get so weird when you tell them you don't eat beef? Who cares what anyone eats? Well, it seems to annoy some people. We are not fanatics about it, and try to keep it low-key-as it is boring to discuss. Someone recently told us they were going to get us into eating beef. We were at their home, so we tried to be polite. We ATE beef...for years...we don't now. Have you ever looked into the eyes of a cow?

The Junk Drawer is overflowing with just silly fun stuff on this Friday.

When a clever five-year-old decided to decorate by sharing her hair bow.

Sunsets just speak volumes.

Like Gigi, like Cate. Sometimes you just gotta be extremely expressive.

At the Fortune House Hotel in Miami, there are people everywhere you look. Some are even real.

I snapped this photo of Gerry, just groovin'with painted people.

When you live by scores of lovely, sandy beaches in South Florida you would think buying sand sifted into the category of, WHY?

Well, there is more to sand than a song by Elvis (Slicing Sand), or the regular, run-of-the-mill, old beach sand.

Bring on the Kinetic Sand, the term is a registered Trademark of Spin Master, the coolest, non-drying sand you have every dipped fingers into. Of course, Gerry was the first to introduce our darling, Cate, to this entertainment.

Playing with Kinetic Sand is so much fun, you forget that it  is also a bit messy. Actually, it is an excellent stress reliever, of sorts. Better than regular beach sand, the granules may be molded into various shapes, and it comes in an assortment of colors. 

Made from 98% real sand, and 2% polydimethylsiloxane (did you REALLY need to know that part?), it does not stick to other surfaced, just to itself. 

Kinetic Sand, give it a try, even if you don't have a five-year-old handy.

 Today my Junk Drawer is filled with everything...Miami!  We dropped in on the Brickell area.Embracing So-Flo is what we do, and sometimes it is at the tip of this rather thin peninsula. 

As a quick trip to Argentina is not on the horizon, and a trip to Total Wine has to wait for another day-I opted to grab this bottle of Malbec from the small, but interesting, shelves at Aldi this morning. Listen -- when a Malbec from Argentina is offered up for $3.99, I am game to give it a sip. Swill? Perhaps, but what fun, and that label is pretty cool at the very least, right? It clearly states, Adventure, and that's not a bad thing.

Sparkling libations are my personal preference as a rule...listen, Champagne and Prosecco pair with almost everything or simply a chilled flute in the hand.

But, how many of you know anything to speak of about Cava sparkling wine? If you do, excellent, tell me.

Personally, I am just learning about Cava Sparkling Wine, mostly from Spain, and it is quite intriguing. The fermentation process is closer to the process for Champagne than Prosecco, and you can taste that difference.

On my quest to explore and learn more, I snagged this bottle at Publix for $12.99. Let the bubbling commence!

Salud!