My husband, Bob (right), and I have not taken many trips since we moved to Naples year round. We feel like we are on vacation every day living here. Last weekend, though, we were invited by some dear friends, Dottie and John Remondi, and former Boston neighbors to spend a weekend on Cape Cod, specifically in Osterville, and we could not resist. When we lived in downtown Boston, we loved traveling on weekends to our beach getaway in Cohasset, Massachusetts, truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. Cape Cod is not far from there, just down Route 3, so off we went.
On Friday evening, the Remondis held a fabulous party and invited many of our former neighbors. It was a wonderful evening. On Saturday, Dottie and John arranged for the four of us to take the fast ferry over to Nantucket Island for the day—something we had never done before and had always longed to do. The ferry ride was delightful. I hoped to see a whale or two, but had no such luck.
Once we landed on the island, we decided to tour the town. I have never seen so many spectacular hydrangea shrubs; they were everywhere. Before we started our tour, though, lunch was in order, so we stopped at a charming restaurant called Met on Main, where we were escorted to a table in the lovely garden.
I am frequently reminded what a small world we live in, and our visit to Nantucket Island proved this once again. As we ate delicious dishes with lobster and clams following the calamari appetizer, I noticed the foursome at the table next to us. One gentleman looked slightly familiar, but I didn’t give it another thought until I heard him mention Florida and then Naples.
Now, just so you know, I am not an eavesdropper. I just keep my eyes and ears open so I don’t miss anything. Anyway, now I had to ask the man about Naples and, sure enough, he said that he and his wife have a home on Gordon Drive. It also turned out that the gentleman, Frank Cerveny, is a retired high-ranking bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, and both he and his wife, Emmy, were a delight. The friends dining with Bob and me also own a home in Naples, and we all chatted about how wonderful the city is—the restaurants, the beauty, the arts—all the stuff we sometimes take for granted.
The conversation was lively. We discovered that the couple with the bishop and his wife, Jim and Natalie Haslam, are from Knoxville and are the parents of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. After we all left the restaurant and continued sightseeing, our foursome kept running into the Cervenys and the Haslams, and we resumed our conversation at each meeting.
Bob and Frank Cerveny exchanged cards, so perhaps he will be a guest on Bob’s Internet show in the coming season. Stay tuned!
Even though Bob and I felt reluctant to leave Naples even for a weekend, Naples found us while we were away on Nantucket.
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