I took the above photograph of my sister Susan and mother Mary in August of 1997 in front of the Henry Flagler Mansion in Palm Beach, which we toured that day. Flagler owned the Florida and East Coast Railroad and developed Palm Beach as a tourist destination to attract riders for the railway. I always wondered why Flagler built his mansion on the Indian River, facing west, instead of right on the ocean. I myself always thought having a house right on the ocean, perhaps near Stuart Beach, would be the best thing since sliced bread. I stopped wondering after 3 hurricanes (two within several weeks of each other) made a direct hit on Stuart, Florida. Needless to say, properties right on the ocean were devastated. I now realize that the dream of oceanfront property in Florida can quickly turn into a nightmare, unless you are rich enough to rebuild after each disaster, and I am not quite that rich.
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