We are in The Villages in central Florida, being very well hosted by a high school friend of Edie’s and her husband. We got a full tour, had a very fine dinner at the Bluefin Grill, and heard a very listenable r and b band play in a town center square.

How do I describe The Villages?

We will start with facts. About 160,000 people, almost all over 55, living in an ever expanding universe controlled by the Morse family, an area located in three Florida counties, larger than Manhattan Island, with middle and upper class families, virtually all white, who like to golf, eat and party the night away. The residents are mostly Trump supporters, some are snowbirds, some live here full time, almost all retired from their jobs somewhere else.

There seem to be more golf carts than automobiles, chugging up the sidewalkless streets. There about twelve golf courses, several recreational centers, three boisterous town centers, a full school system (serving children of outsiders who work in The Villages), and several health care and assisted living facilities, funeral parlors, churches and synagogues.

The governmental structure is impossible to understand and the boundaries are always expanding change, but the entire mammoth development is the product of the benevolent (and filthy rich) Morse family, the paternalistic monarchs who rule their own Magic Kingdom.

There are many restaurants, theaters and the like and more opportunities for extracurricular activities than you can imagine. And every night, in the three city centers, live entertainment with dancing outside. And crowds beyond imagination. Did you hear what I said? Beyond imagination.

All built from scratch over the last forty and for the most part over the last 25. Attractive enough, very American, and very clean and well maintained.

An hour northwest of Disney World, The Villages is a world unto itself.

Everyone seems happy, relaxed, and content.

My final thoughts about the place? HELP, GET ME OUT OF HERE.