I unfolded the paper slip from my prompt box today, and on it was written “half-dressed.” This of course made me think of our recent trip to South Beach in Miami, where “half-dressed” is a generous description of the people we saw from our various perches around town. Quarter-dressed, or in many cases, tenth-dressed is more appropriate.

Sadly (or maybe happily) for you, I don’t have pictures of all the nine-tenths-naked bodies we saw. However, pulling the prompt made me realize that I never wrote about or published any photographs from our trip. And this trip was significant: it was the first time my husband and I have spent more than one night alone together since our first child was born almost 12 years ago.

And it was amazing.

http://me.sh/15mtu1pq/2po-hbb

We stayed The Angler’s, a small hotel off the main strip so that we could relax into quiet if we needed to, and we were thrilled to have our little oasis to return to after walks on the beach or around town.

Sea grapes and South Beach tower

Bright umbrellas

Starlight on the strip

Pretty water

Art Deco lighthouse

We walked on the beach, lay by the pool and drank wine and cocktails, wandered the boardwalks and sidewalks by day and by night, ate when we were hungry, slept when we were tired, visited an art museum, went out on dates every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The art deco architecture was refreshing — so much different from what we’re used to in southwest Virginia, and we particularly loved the bright life guard stands.

Did I mention it was amazing? Hopefully it won’t be another 12 years before we take a trip together again.

Thank you to sapel2013 for the prompt “half-dressed.”