Some Kind of Heaven Film Review

Are you retired? Do you, or people you know, live in 55 and over retirement communities where the golden years of life are projected to be "fun under the sun" and full of carefree leisure time activities and fellow aged camaraderie?  For many, retirement is a time of fulfilling one's desires to enjoy life and accomplish the dream one has put aside when work requirements and raising a family were priorities. I know as retirees, my husband and I have been enjoying our life in our new location in the state of Colorado.  We have relished living close to our children and grandchildren, to be able to volunteer in our community in many interesting ways, and being able to have the time to travel to some far off places we always dreamed about.

 I was recently offered a chance to review a new one-hour twenty-one-minute documentary called  Some Kind of Heaven, directed by Lance Oppenheim and produced by Darren Aronofsky, The New York Times, and Los Angeles Media Fund. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. The film was acquired by Magnolia Pictures and was released on January 15, 2021. It follows a few people that live in what is thought of as a fairy tale retirement community in Florida called The Villages.  Created as a "Disneyworld for retirees" by developer Howard S. Schwartz in Central Florida in the '80s, in what was, at first, a trailer park. With housing and commercial development, it became a 30 square mile self-contained Active Adult Retirement Community.  It now houses over 120,000 residents and offers around 3,000 activities and clubs, 42 free fee golf courses, pools, walking trails, shopping, restaurants, health facilities, etc. All are a golf cart ride away for residents. 

Here is the documentary's official trailer:

Life in The Villages certainly sounds very idyllic, and for many residents, it is! This documentary, however, while showing many of the pleasures of The Villages, also focuses on four people within the communities whose experiences are not as happy one would expect. One is a widow, whose move to The Villages did not bring her the love and friendship she desired. Another, is a couple almost married 50 years who find their marriage strained under the husband's discontent and depression, which led to his use of illegal drugs.  Finally, we meet a drifter who is homeless, living in his van, and who is hoping to find a rich widow living in The Villages who will support him in his last years.  

The film is a fascinating look into some of the aspects of aging and retirement and its expectations. It shows the fact that happiness does not come from living in a place, or from a time in life, but from what makes us happy our whole life. Happiness and contentment are within--a state of mind and purpose that no sunny weather or unlimited golf or pickleball can bring us. This documentary is a candid look into four lives that have to learn that lesson and how to change their expectations.

Full disclosure: I was provided with a preview link to the film "Some Kind of Heaven" and no further compensation. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

A local view that makes me happy!

Spread kindness and stay happy, safe, and healthy!

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A Visit to Walt Disney World!

When my daughter learned that she had to go on a business trip to Orlando, Florida, last month, she made quick arrangements for a few days' vacations afterward, and for our son-in-law and granddaughter to accompany her so that they could all go to Walt Disney World! It was going to be our granddaughter's birthday and what better surprise than to go to what is called "the Happiest Place on Earth?" My husband and I decided to fly out to meet them to enjoy a few days in Disney World ourselves.  It has been many years since we last visited, and we've always dreamed of seeing it through a grandchild's eyes. (All photos and photo collages will enlarge if clicked on)

Since it was a last-minute trip we were fortunate to be able to make reservations in one of the Disney World Resorts--they are all popular and book up quickly year-round.  We stayed at Disney's Pop Century Resort, which was fun for our granddaughter, as it had giant fad memorabilia from the 50s to the '90s on the grounds. By staying in a Disney Resort we were able to take the free shuttle bus service to all the different Disney parks.  The day we were flying into Florida from Colorado, my daughter, and son-in-law visited Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park and had a wonderful time going on a safari and taking turns going on other rides.

On our first day, we visited The Magic Kingdom Park. It was so exciting to go on some of the iconic rides we remembered from past trips and also many new ones.  Our granddaughter's favorite ride was the classic ride It's a Small World.  I remember going on a version of this ride when I was a child, in the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.  Do you want to listen to the song? Click here.

We had made reservations for a lunch buffet in the Crystal Palace, and our granddaughter was so excited to meet the characters from the 100 Acre Wood--Piglet, Eeyore, Pooh, and Tigger! 

We went on many more rides after lunch, but meeting Disney characters and princesses was our granddaughter's favorite memory.  Meeting Cinderella was a highlight! 

The evening ended with the Grand Illumination and Fireworks Show over Cinderella's Castle  The castle was lit up with many scenes and music played before the fireworks show began.  You can watch a short video of the fireworks at this link on my Mille Fiori Favoriti Facebook page. 

The next day we visited Disney World's Epcot!  We enjoyed so many exhibits there.  The "Finding Nemo" ride in the Seas Pavilion and the aquarium. At the Living With the Land Pavilion, we enjoyed a boat ride through the greenhouse,  and the ride "Soarin Around the World." We also enjoyed the Journey to the Imagination Pavilion, and we were happy to see the character "Figment" was still part of the exhibits. We took the Spaceship Earth ride inside the giant globe and took a family-friendly Mission into Space in Future World. In the afternoon we visited the eleven countries of the World Showcase. Our granddaughter's favorite was Norway, as they had a Frozen After Ever ride.  We had a delicious dinner in the Marrakesh Restaurant in the Morrocan Pavilion.

Happily, we had the foresight to rent a stroller for three days to take our granddaughter around the parks, as there is quite a bit of walking required. At the end of our day in Epcot, my Fitbit told me I walked eight miles! 

One of my favorite shows in Epcot was the special Disney on Broadway Concert Series, where the original Broadway stars sang songs from Disney on Broadway Plays.  It has a limited run, and we were thrilled to be there to enjoy this production.

You can hear Mary Poppins sing in the Disney on Broadway Concert Series in the video above, which is also on my Mille Fiori Favoriti Facebook page on this link. 

On our last day at Disney World, we visited Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Many new attractions are in the works to open for this theme park, including the largest exclusive Star Wars area and a Toy Story area, but we enjoyed what was already opened. We sat in the audience for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, remembering seeing this timeless stunt show with our children many years ago. When my husband and daughter and son-in-law went to ride the Rock N Roll Rollercoaster, my granddaughter and I went to the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, which turned out to be one of our favorite shows of all!  It actually snowed in the theater during the last song! Again, my granddaughter had a good time meeting Disney characters, especially Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, and Chewbacca. We went to the Muppet Vision 3D movie, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and the Star Tours--the Adventure Continues ride.

All in all, we had a wonderful time! There is so much to see and do in Disney World that one visit can never be enough, and I know my family will be back one day. We returned home with many happy memories. Walt Disney World really is the "Happiest Place on Earth," where everyone can be a child at heart! 

 

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A Key West Interlude

I was away again for a few days last week, to do another dream drive on the way to a business function. Fortunate to have another chance to experience another few days of an  "endless summer," my husband and I flew into Miami and drove along U.S. 1, the Overseas Highway, through all the Florida Keys: Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine and the lower keys, and Key West.

This video shows some scenes of the Overseas Highway and explains why it was named an "All American Road" in 2009. (You can also watch this video on this link: http://youtu.be/dDmBtMuHZac)




The Overseas Highway is the only All-American Road in Florida. It’s the highest recognition possible under the National Scenic Byways program established by the U.S. Congress in 1991. Only 31 other roadways in the nation have earned the prestigious title.  Completed in 1938, the Overseas Highway incorporates 42 bridges over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. They include the Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon, which stretches 6.79 miles across open water and was referred on its completion as “the eighth wonder of the world.”

The views we had of the beautiful turquoise blue water and tropical islands that were situated along the highway were breathtaking to see!

This was our second time visiting Key West -- my prior posts about a longer visit we had there to celebrate a wedding anniversary, can be read on this link.  It was fun to see all the familiar sights we saw before, along with some new ones. Key West has its own very special charm and when you walk in its streets all cares and worries seem to fall away.  Its year long tropical climate, bohemian atmosphere, good food, fishing and sailing opportunities, museums, houses of past famous, stores, naval base, and of course places to drink a frosty margarita or two, all add to it's allure.

One of the most enjoyable things to do while visiting Key West is to go over to Mallory Square and watch the sun go down. This historic waterfront has a daily celebration for the sunset and large crowds gather as the sunset hour approaches. The cruise ship in the harbor departs, and vendors and performers gather.  I even saw an old cat, sitting under a bench, enjoying the warmth of the fleeting sunlight shining on his face.

It is truly magical, isn't it?

There is still time to enter the "My Memories" digital scrapbook software give away on my last post!  The winner will be announced on Tuesday. Click here to enter, and to see examples of the pages I was able to make with the software on my first tries!

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Sunset Sail in Key West, Florida

One of the days we were in Key West, Florida we decided to take a sunset sail and walked over to the historic seaport, where, at the foot of Greene and Elizabeth Street, we signed on to sail on the Jolly II Rover Schooner!

It was the only square rigged topsail schooner sailing out of the seaport, the same kind used by infamous pirates, rum runners, and those who first sought the freedom and solitude of the Florida Keys hundreds of years ago. This promised to be an exciting adventure on a beautiful evening!

There were 12 other customers aboard that evening, plus the captain and two mates, and we sailed out of the harbor along with other sailing ships and catamarans and fishing boats that were for hire, into the bay to watch the sunset.

We passed another schooner leaving the port.

The mates on the Jolly II Rover asked if anyone wanted to help hoist the red sails, and my husband was one of the volunteers.

It was hard work, but he loved having the chance to do it!

We sailed past our hotel, the Westin Resort and Marina.

The captain wanted to take us into the Atlantic Ocean first, as we had a couple of hours to sail before sunset, and the sky was turning stormy.

The views on the water were magnificent! All ocean and sky!

Today is the Christopher Columbus Day holiday, and I can tell you that sailing on the vast ocean gave me an even greater respect for the sailors of long ago who took their brave voyage that led to the discovery of the Americas.

The captain offered to turn the steering over to anyone who wanted to try, and yes, my husband volunteered again! Where was I? Taking photos, of course, and staying safe and sound in my seat!

My husband was able to steer close to the other schooner we saw earlier.

When we were side by side, the crew on our schooner "fired" the ship's cannons on them in true pirate style! Notice their startled expressions -- please click on all photos to enlarge. They fired back, but they were no match for the Jolly II Rover!

The captain now took the wheel and steered us back into the bay.......

....and my husband got a chance to sit for awhile and enjoy the trip.

We saw rain far out in the bay, and we were worried that we wouldn't see a sunset that night.

But, luckily, the rain stopped and some of the clouds opened up. Please click on to enlarge all the photos of the water, as the views were incredible!

The sun sank lower and lower....

The clouds made the scene even more magical, as the suns rays seemed to reach across the sky and bring it from darkness to light.

As the sun set on the water absolutely gorgeous colors appeared..................

.........until the last rays lit the horizon on fire!

After the sunset, when darkness descended, the Jolly II Rover headed back to the port.

It was the perfect end to a perfect day, one that gave us the gift of an anniversary memory to be cherished forever!

Key West Pink!

We recently celebrated our 34 wedding anniversary on the island Key West, Florida, and my last few blogs have been been about that pretty place.


As I walked around the island I realized I was seeing quite a bit of pink! Pink everywhere -- from the bright pink of the private house above to the pale pink of the San Carlos Institute on Duval Street, below.

Also on Duvall Street was Jimmy Buffett's pink Margaritaville! Now where is my lost shaker of salt?

There is also a department store called Fast Buck Freddie's on Duval Street which had the most wonderful displays in the windows and inside, and I was charmed to find this pink feather holiday tree full of flamingo ornaments! Click on the photo to enlarge it for a better view.

They also had this pretty table setting which had flamingo designs mixed with pink plaid -- a snazzy combination, don't you think?

This sculpture called "Daydreams" by renowned Key West sculptor J. Seward Johnson was of giant pink skinned women dancing around a reclining man figure was outside the Key West Custom House Museum.

The sculpture was inspired by the Henri Matisse’s painting of “The Dance.”

Below is The Southernmost House on Key West. It was once a private residence, now it is a 13 room hotel.

Key West is also know as The Conch Republic, so pretty pink conch shells are sold everywhere!


One of the cab companies on Key West has bright pink cabs for hire!

There are many free roaming chickens on Key West and also many six toed cats. I couldn't find a pink chicken or cat but I did find these pink cat fence post decorations for sale in a booth in Mallory Square! Aren't they cute?

One of the best things to do in Key West is enjoy the spectacular sunsets at the sunset celebration that happens each night in Mallory Square.

Here are a couple of sunsets that turned the sky beautiful shades of pink!

I hope you enjoyed my Key West themed Pink Saturday post!

To see more wonderful pink posts visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for the list of all the blogs which are participating in Pink Saturday.

Thanks, Beverly, for hosting such a wonderful event each Saturday!