Hazy, lazy days of summer

American car rental companies probably never fretted about our total lack of willingness to make use of their services. They never knew we were in the US. Because every time we would leave for a new destination, our transportation options were consciously narrowed down to two: bus of taxi.

And true to our preferences, on July 3'rd we left Orlando and Hawthorn Suites behind aided by another Latino taxi driver, followed by an hour-long trip on board the renowned Greyhound bus express (from Orlando to Daytona Beach), before closing in on the unsuspecting neighbourhood of Pinta Street, Ormond Beach, on another four-wheeler. Yes, you guessed it: we hired one of the available maxi taxis in Daytona Beach, being more lucky than we really could have hoped for, as this was the opening day of the rather less than obscure Daytona Beach rally.

'YOU'RE GOING TO ORMOND BEACH?'

Really, the people we talked to couldn't believe we were heading for Ormond Beach, wilfully ignoring the razzamatazz and excitement that was to be on virtually every street of Daytona. But being far from partial to motor sports, we quietly resisted the possibility of any detour or distraction - reaching the hot and humid winter abode of Warren Hauser in the early afternoon.

We were very excited to be there. This was going to be our deep plunge into carefree, lazy and sunny comforts of Floridian summer. The proprietor of the house we were staying in, the aforementioned mr. Hauser of Tyssedal, Norway, had briefed us that the luscious beach was only a mere five minute walk away. And defying the relatively oppressive heat, we went reconnoitring as soon as we had - once more - stuffed our belongings into whatever vacant corner could be found.

THE TREACHEROUS RIP CURRENTS

It took us a wee while longer before nine pairs of travel-weary feet stumbled onto the miracle of this Atlantic Ocean solid rim of caressing and burning sand. But the tranformation from inept observer of fun to partaker of watery delights took less than a minute. And white-skinned and without the least concern we went for a collective run into what appeared to be gently rolling waves.

But....It was only a matter of seconds before we were able to educate ourselves on the very real dangers of the rip currents that none of us had encountered before. And thus we can account for the ensuing lack of impromptu risk-taking while basking and frolicking away the paleness of our Scandinavian skin: it's not worth dying from a swim that won't make you any more a dolphin than was the case before you came. Rip current is a very appropriate term. I can attest to that, as the forceful water currents more than once nearly managed to pull the rug from under my feet.

NOT LOOKING FOR COMPANY

Ormond Beach was just what we had hoped for. We didn't particurlarly look for company from outside our own group this time, but still we chanced into unforgettable locals like Bill, Chazz - the fruit and vegetable vendor, and Anette - the owner of the 'Notes of Love' book store. And on two occasions we sampled Lennie's cuisine, being particularly impressed with his extra large pizzas (25 inches in diameter). We had outdoor lunches in close proximity to the venue where the world's first ever care race happened in 1903, and we explored the national icon of American commercialism, WalMart, which by bus was a mere 15 minutes away from Warren's place.

July 4'th celebrations figured high on our list of pre-USA conversation topics, but we completely missed out on the parade, if ever there was one. But I was later told by my wife that the fireworks down on the beach were of unusual magnificence. She has seen some of these visual feasts previously, so I'm more than willing to believe her report. Nature itself, by the way, provided some of the more exotic meteorological pageants as ferocious thunderstorms and untamed torrents of rain remained a daily feature of life in our otherwise almost all too quiet street.

THE SENIOR CITIZEN STATE

I can understand why Florida has the highest percentage of retiree citizens in the USA. Albeit temperatures at times must be oppressive, and despite the occasional alligator intrusion, it must be as refreshing to Floridians - as it was to us - to simply doing nothing but recharging your batteries, and when need dictates simply pop down to the food store and buy whatever will give you the ultimate chill.

Did I mention that Warren Hauser graciously allowed us to stay in his house free of charge? Well, now you know!