Tenth Anniversary Getaway to Vero Beach

~ snakesinthegrass2014

A detailed check of Bride’s Magazine, as one does, tells me that aluminum is the appropriate gift choice for a tenth anniversary. I’m not saying that Gorgeous was disappointed with my choice of the above, but it’s fair to admit that I didn’t win any brownie points for authenticity this time around. The 16th is wax, by the way; I can’t but imagine the possibilities for that one. I’ll keep trying till I get it right.

It is nevertheless a fact that my lovely bride and I celebrated our tenth last weekend. They say as one gets older that all milestones are “only a number.” Honestly, though, I think we can all agree that this sentiment is a bit of a dodge. The proverbial clock is ticking even if one isn’t ready to acknowledge it.

For me, I choose to see each milestone as meaningful. I have no idea how long I’ll live, but I’m going to try and enjoy each one of them.

It had been my hope to take Gorgeous to Hawaii this year. She’s never been, and I’d love to show her how beautiful Maui is. A milestone anniversary seemed like the perfect time to do that. But once again, the post-covid economy has burst a hole right through our budget faster than one can scream, “Sixty nine cents a pound for bananas??!!!! Are you kidding me?!” So instead we lowered our expectations for this one and traveled three hours south to Vero Beach. We lived in Vero prior to moving to St. Augustine. It’s familiar and comfortable territory for us. It’s also warmer. The temperatures last weekend were in the mid-eighties each day, and I was able to at least pretend that we were strolling along Front Street in Lahaina, even though in reality it was Ocean Drive, just a couple of blocks from Florida’s famed State Road A1A.

Ocean Drive store fronts in Vero Beach

We stayed at the Islander Inn, which is literally right next to all the shops and restaurants on Ocean Drive. Unknown to me at the time of booking back in September, our visit coincided with the town’s annual Christmas parade for that Saturday night. It belatedly explains why all the nearby big hotels were either booked or charging rates that on scale approximate those banana prices. But we lucked out because the Islander offered up clean, comfortable rooms at a reasonable price, along with personable and friendly service. Take that big, impersonal hotel chains.

Islander Inn, Vero Beach
Islander Inn, Vero Beach

Our room was even an ocean view!

Oh, come on, look harder and you’ll see it. I don’t feel like an argument here so just take my word for it. It was an ocean view, okay?

See? Why would I lie to you?

We no sooner checked in than it immediately became clear that both of us had completely different agendas for the entire stay. While it’s true that each involved the spending of money, Gorgeous’ desires had more to do with commerce and retail, while mine were more about consumption, though not necessarily the Keynesian kind.

Vero Beach is one of the locations for the TooJay’s deli chain. This was our first destination afar arriving, and where I — figuratively speaking — tied on a feed bag. It was “conspicuous consumption” on a somewhat grand scale. Gorgeous sat as far away from me as one can while still sitting at the same table…

My needs satisfied, for now, it was time for some of that retail and commerce in which my better half was aiming to enjoy.

On a very full stomach, I struggled to keep up with her…

If I’m honest, some of the shop names had me a little worried…

Some things she’s apparently still pondering, as evidenced by the fact that they were offered by her as additional photos for this post…

I was a good boy. I was patient… I walked into stores, walked out of stores, stared in endless windows, speculated on sizes, costs, etc. But at a certain point MY needs were again calling. They were met at a coffee joint called Cravings…

We sat outside and enjoyed a coffee and sampled, “a few” baked goods. One of us was accused at one point of not completely being “in the moment” with the other one.

Hm.

Dinner that evening was at the Ocean Grill, a legendary Vero Beach establishment that’s been around for over 80 years. Its bar has one of best ocean views of any restaurant I’ve ever seen. When we lived here, it was our primary watering hole and favorite dinner place.

There was indeed a Christmas parade…

We didn’t spend as much time on the beach as I would have liked, nor did we get around to all the places in town that we had planned on seeing.

Oh, Filthy’s. Darn the luck…

Ten is decidedly not just a number. I can also vouch that love is sweeter the second time around. And based on this trip, it’s also quite filling. See? I just knew that aluminum gift would get some use.

Until next time…

34 thoughts on “Tenth Anniversary Getaway to Vero Beach”

  3. Happy Anniversary!! I love Vero Beach and own 2 weeks at the Reef Ocean Resort in May and October! It’s a quick trip east on Hwy 60 from Lake Wales. All the shops are wonderful and the Ocean Grill is one of my favorites! Bloody Mary’s and brunch at the bar with that view are hard to beat. It looks like you had an awesome trip! Happy 10th!

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    1. That’s so cool, Carol! I think all things considered (re: post-covid, inflation, etc.) it really was a great place for us to go. May and October (other than, ahem, hurricanes hitting in the fall) are great times to be in Vero. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  4. I once had a room where you had to stand on your tip toes and look around the corner for your beach view! I’m wise to that now. Happy anniversary and I’m more about consuming than buying at this point but that kitchen store spoke to me.

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    1. I laughed so hard when Gorgeous pointed out the ocean. All I could see was the street in the immediate foreground and the parking lot beyond it! Glad to know you’re a fellow “consumer,” so to speak. We were surprised that the kitchen store survived the pandemic actually. But this being Florida I guess it didn’t matter. 🙄

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    1. That’s so cool that you were once there also, Jane! Apparently it has an interesting weather history because of storms (i.e. a bit of rebuilding and patching up). Vero is indeed a nice place. Ultimately we wanted access to better health care and culture, but I was reminded on this visit how much more sane the drivers are there. 😀

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  11. Hi Marty,
    Happy Anniversary! It looks like a beautiful and fun place to visit.
    All the food looked delicious, but I am not sure I want to eat at a place called Filthy’s lol
    You both look very happy together, and may you enjoy many, many more years together.
    Blessings!

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  12. Happy 10th and best wishes for many more. It looks like you had a great adventure even with a watchful eye on the budget. I’ve been watching the news, and they’ve been warning people about charging all their holiday gifts because bills will come due after the first of the year, and the interest rates will be high. Who knew? 🙂 Happy weekend!

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    1. Exactly — those higher interest rates that the Fed has been introducing over the last year to fight inflation are two-fold: (1) they are helpful for savers, but (2) they are awful for spenders who depend on credit. It’s a lousy time to carry a balance that’s for sure. Thanks for the well wishes, Judy!

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  15. Well, Marty, as I’m sitting here watching the snow fall in my new MI home, FL as an alternate winter home is looking a little better, except for your governor and all his cohort of kooks! I keep hooting about MI going blue since I voted in my first election here last month.

    You know, your sublime union w/Gorgeous gives me just a little hope that I might find such a great partner to experience wedded bliss if I ever dare to venture that way again. Meanwhile, you can just imagine the fun I had trying to find an appropriate gift for Mini-Me and her spouse’s 3rd anniversary. That’s the traditional gift for that milestone. I was fortunate that crystal is the modern alternative!

    Idiot ex and I married and honeymooned in Hawaii so my memories from there are mixed and muddled at the moment. I am drawn to a possible future visit to Vero Beach. I think it’s still the Dodgers’ spring training ground and thus for me would have some positive sentimental value. St. Augustine (and Savannah) are on my (bucket) list of places to visit, too.

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    1. Indeed, Sue. I am awfully proud of my boyhood state turning so blue in the last election. Michigan made me proud!

      Unfortunately the Dodgers vacated Vero Beach over ten years ago — quite sad! They’ve been trying to turn Dodgertown into a tourist/business draw but it isn’t really panned out. A cute place to visit, though.

      Savannah is a wonderful town!

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    1. Ha ha! I was trying as best I could to put the best possible spin on a celebration upon which inflation had made its mark. In normal times (i.e. a growing retirement savings), we would have gone to a more glamorous destination. But we made the best of it and the weather certainly cooperated. All things considered it was really nice. Thanks!

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