When I was a little girl, my family spent many vacations in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. My Jensen Grandparents owned a home near the ocean and a large tract of land known as Hacienda Flores, which became an incorporated village along New River and was located just 6 miles from the ocean.
Hacienda Flores is where the Elliott Clan stayed and what a glorious place it was! Sadly, just after Joe and I were married, Hacienda had to be sold to the State of Florida so the land could become a gigantic interchange.
Hacienda may be gone, but the memories are still very much alive...
As I mentioned before, Missy shared an adverising booklet about Hacienda circa 1948, with all the siblings. Pat Collier, my grandfather's boss, originally owned the land and was reponsible for the creation of Hacienda Flores. Opa inherited the "village" when he became president of Collier Construction Company.
I wanted the pictures to be where I could see them!
For many years, Hacienda was a thriving trailer park.
As time went by, a swimming pool and jail were added to the village...
The orange grove was magnificent and the dock by the river was a good place to watch some Florida wildlife.
One of my favorite memories was of the restaurant, which as I recall, changed hands a number of times. Cassi, Johnny, and I would dance to the jukebox music and sit at the bar with our Shirley Temples.
Such fun!
Even as a young adult, I enjoyed vacations at our family apartment, Number Ten. I am so glad Joe and my children got to experience staying there, although the interchange construction had started.
My Uncle Peter took over Hacienda after my Opa passed away and really did a great job of maintaining the integrity of what Pat Collier, and then my grandfather created for many years.
Those were some of the BEST days and now I can revisit them when I look at my art boards!
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