Venice Diaries I

Feb 2

Arrived in Venice about two p.m. yesterday, with time to visit the famous dog beach
and the Chamber of Commerce. Celebratory dinner at the Cafe Venice. Still a
little chilly to sit outside. High of 71 today, warmer tomorrow. R&R today in
our rental house. Running around in shorts and T-shirt.

Had very worthwhile visits with all of Barbara's daughters and families, on the way
down. Used up one of our non-travel days having an alternator replaced on the
Hyundai. Otherwise, very fast driving all the way, for about 1600 miles.

Feb 4

79 degrees and partly cloudy. Walked Tippy on the bike path across the street,
that follows the Intracoastal Waterway on the west side. We are on Venice Island,
separated from the mainland. The little ranch house we are renting from Barbara's
cousin is in a section settled in the 50s.

B developed a sinus infection on the trip down, so yesterday we became very well
acquainted with the Venice Regional Medical Center, spending two and one-half
hours proceeding through the medical bureaucracy. But the people were all very
nice to us, and the the PA who ultimately took care of her seemed to have a good
handle on accomplishing a cure without antibiotics. Today we were able to raid
the Publix market for supplies, at prices noticeably less than on Cape Cod.

Walking around the old shopping district led us to Cassariano's, a superb
Italian restaurant to which we will return on Feb.14th, our third anniversary.
Tomorrow we will grace with our presence St. Mark's Episcopal Church for the
principal service.

Feb 6

Disaster! The Hyundai died very conveniently in a parking space next to the
Venice post office. Alex, the AAA battery service technician with a pronounced
Russian accent, kindly replaced the battery, which was dead. Then he checked
the output of the alternator that we had installed last week in New Jersey.
Also dead. Then with enough juice to drive to a repair shop, we found that we
will have to purchase another alternator. We have determined to take the ten
year old Hyundai to a local car dealer to buy a new car for Barbara, break it
in here, and drive home in it.