One thing about Palm Beach is that it brings people together from my many worlds and there is something about the sun, beautiful surroundings and beautiful people that makes it so special. We all miss our families, so friends often substitute for them.
Being here is all about seeing old friends and making new ones and this year is no different from the others.
I was delighted when my cousin Peter Ostrowsky, who I grew up with, told me his brother Danny is vacationing from Nice in France and would love to get together, so we met in Fort Lauderdale. Peter lives in Miami and I’m in Palm Beach, so Fort Lauderdale was a good halfway point, even though it took us each about an hour and a half to get to our destination: Shooters Waterfront, a beautiful restaurant right on the Intracoastal Waterway, where we watched beautiful yachts from our waterside lunch seats.
It was like walking down memory lane, with Peter and Danny recalling our growing up years living just blocks apart and our summers spent together in my lake house on Lake Oscawana in Putnam County.
All my cousins had homes there, but they all came to our home since we were the only ones on the lake.
Danny remembered his dad throwing him into the “crib” my father had built to teach us to swim and be safe. The white “crib” protected us when I was 3 and my dad did the same thing. We survived and, for a decade, we all grew into strong swimmers. We had a dock that was yards from our deck and that was as far as I swam. I was always a chicken staying safe and close to shore feeling secure, whereas the boys swam across the whole lake.
There were six of us and we bonded as friends as well as family.
Decades later, and living literally worlds apart — Danny in France and Peter in Miami — it meant a lot to me to spend precious time catching up. The sad part for me is that we grew up so close and yet the next generation, their children, I barely know.
It makes me happy to have my children and grandchildren near my home. I can’t wait until Valentine’s Day and their visit with me.
Time hasn’t diminished my love of my cousins, but distance has its price.
In a digital world, we can keep in touch, but nothing is better than pressing the flesh for a big warm hug.
The next day was a reunion of a different kind. My children’s father Murray Schneps went to law school, sitting next to Shep Scheinberg, and then ultimately Murray joined Shep’s law firm; it became Scheinberg, Schneps, De Petris & De Petris with offices in Riverhead and Aquebogue.
Shep has retired to Naples and we met in Palm Beach for lunch. I couldn’t help the tears falling down my cheeks as I met the man who knew me when I was 19 and engaged to Murray. Now, decades later, he put his arms around me and said, “I’m so proud of you — so, so, proud of what you accomplished!”
I still remember sitting around his kitchen table in his East Quogue waterfront home on Long Island just after I was married and thinking what a dull life I was living. Who could have thought…
Life is a great adventure and I’m so grateful that we had a few hours together to catch up. He no longer practices law, but has taken up guitar and country music. He told me he goes onto AI and finds the music to go with his lyrics. When I listened to what he wrote, it warmed my heart. He created a new career for himself and is loving every minute.
The trick to long life is loving what you do.
After a sweet lunch and long talk, I bid him goodbye and the tears started again.
As I was making my way to my room, I stopped into the Dolce Gabbana store in the hotel and standing in the back admiring the clothes was my dear late husband Stu Yunis’ favorite cousin Marcia Fischer.
As couples, we had traveled many roads together and after our husbands passed, she and I had many adventures to far away places like South America. I hadn’t seen her in perhaps eight years and after we embraced each other, we immediately began reminiscing.
Among both of our favorite stories is the time we were all having dinner on a canal in Venice, Italy, when I noticed a woman wearing a beautiful necklace. As she passed our table, I asked her where she bought it and she told me she was the designer and was having a show in the morning. Since we were leaving, I told her I can’t get to the show, so she asked me if I would like to try on the necklace. We went into the lobby, I tried on the necklace and now it’s one of my precious memories from that trip. Marcia remembered every detail as if it was yesterday.
She’s spending the winter in Palm Beach Gardens, and we promised to get together again soon. To be continued…
There is something precious about old friends!
As a news media publisher, my days are packed full of Zoom meetings and in-person dinners or galas, but this Sunday was a perfect mix of fun and work.
Every week, my Sundays begin with CBS’ “Sunday Morning,” where perfectly crafted vignettes tell unique stories. This week, my favorite was a vintage car race through scenic Italy. The program closes with a 1-minute video of a nature scene. This week, they showed beautiful, colorful birds in their native habitat. Stunning!
At 10:30, I got into my bathing suit, followed the sun and was embraced by the warmth of the day as I swam in the pool.
By noon I was meeting my colleague Sammy to have lunch with Darlene Grace, who we met at the Feeding the Hungry Gala and Casino Night.
When we finished, I took a jitney to the beach, walked on the silky sand and did my TM meditation for 20 minutes. It was a special interlude of a busy week. Just looking out on the icy cold waters of the ocean was a special treat. Florida had finally become “Florida hot!”
I got back to my room to shower and dress for dinner at Sant Ambroeus with friends, lawyer extraordinaire Ellyn Bank and her longtime partner Sel Zises, a founder of Esquire Bank.
What a perfect day of play and work! Nothing is better than that!
Love to you, my dear readers.
