Florida: Good Addresses by Actor Luke Cheney

In 2020, actor, host and director Luc Chenay and producer, director, screenwriter and editor Johnny Gaumont-Brunette decided to change their lives. They sold their home in Shefford, Eastern Townships, not to move into a tiny house or condo, but to move full-time in a van and become nomads at ages 59 and 64!

Of course, they loved their environment: flowers, trees, a large swimming pool and this house was full of beautiful things, but one day they realized that they could get everything with “free neutrons”. They want to say.

Age also heavily influenced their decision: “How many good healthy years do you have left to explore the world? Seeing many of our good friends leave before the age of 65 was the final blow,” explains Luc Chenay.

So, ignoring the insecure comments of friends and close relatives, the couple said “bye bye” to normality.

In December 2022, they became the proud owners of a 22-foot Mercedes-Benz 4×4 van that was completely restored by CozyRoad. This vehicle, which they share with their 18-year-old cat Lilibeth, is their home, but also their workplace, as the couple has no intention of stopping: “As long as the acting industry wants me, I’ll be there, and so will Johnny. Our goal is simply to choose, to slow down,” he says. Says the actor, who is celebrating 50 years of his career this year.

Together for 22 years, they are currently developing L’Étoile et L’Autre, a documentary series dealing with their decision. Love birds They share moments from their daily lives, places they go and people they meet.

Florida, which they knew well, was the first organization they chose. Since 80% of their time is devoted to their work, here are places and places where business can be combined with pleasure.

The Container Store, Boca Raton

Johnny tells us about the first address he particularly admired: “One word to describe this amazing chain of stores in Boca Raton on Glades Road: Wow! While Luc was on a theater tour with Maude Guerin in Quebec, I turned our VR into a studio for our first shoot. Be it our office or our home, I have found all kinds of storage containers, containers, and useful gadgets to organize the cords of my many electronic devices.

Electronic RR, Sunrise

“If you’re a zany, electronic gadget freak, skip the impersonal Amazon and check out the lovely Martin Moncada at RR Electronics in Sawgrass Mills, Sunrise. A store where you can buy professional equipment at very good prices, but also essential tools like a smoke detector equipped with a surveillance camera when using the RV as a home. Psss… Martin is also a romantic singer sometimes! » (soundcloud.com/martinmoncada)

Sugar Sand Park, Boca Raton

“What a beautiful, inspiring place to create! Johnny has worked multiple times on this 53-hectare city park with a children’s science center, theater, gym, and nature trail. It has won Best of Best Parks multiple times! Trees, chirping birds, fluffy raccoons, and wild animals that are often fed by residents. It’s a peaceful place surrounded by cats. Admission is free and plus, RV enthusiasts can fill their water tank for free. »

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Deerfield Beach

“We tell each other, vanlife is very popular in Florida. One of the characteristics of this lifestyle is choosing to sleep as little as possible in campsites. construction, that is, choose unusual and free locations, such as at the water’s edge or in front of vast mountain expanses. But finding them on Florida’s east coast isn’t always easy. So sometimes we have to sleep in parking lotsOvernight camping is allowed. Some Walmarts, Brass Pro Shop, Target, and even Home Depot still allow it, however, we prefer the regular Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, a well-known chain of restaurants, all decorated the same way. Our favorite is Deerfield Beach, which is full of chickens, so we’re clamoring in the morning! Then, before leaving the premises, we perform a ritual, our cleaning work around the restaurant. It’s our way of saying thank you! Sleeping in many of these parking lots made us aware of a completely different reality in Florida, where all these families sleep in their vehicles. In the evening, mothers or fathers, often single parents with 2 or 3 children, set up mattresses in their cars to spend the night! It is very sad to see so many families find themselves in this situation. »

Floridian State Parks

“The State park Florida was one of our greatest discoveries. You can swim, fish, collect shells, cycle, kayak and even get married! Johnny and I chose to work there. Our two favorites are first the urban Hugh Taylor Birch State Park between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal. No wonder it’s also called Fort Lauderdale’s Central Park.

Dr. in Tania Beach near A1A. Van D. We also love Michelle-Eula Johnson State Park. It’s a beautiful place where you can meet a lot of Quebecers in vanlife mode, who come to spend the day on the beach, which is, well, spectacular. When I was rehearsing my speeches 5th rank, Genie was editing our documentary on the tempo of waves. Gratitude! How not to say “thank you for life”? Indeed, these parks are to be discovered, and also the people who work there with their smiles and good humour. »

TY (TOPEEKEE YUGNEE PARK), HOLLYWOOD

“Johnny, always looking for bucolic places to work, found TY Topeekeegee Yugnee Park in the heart of the Hollywood district, whose name means “meeting or gathering place,” which describes it very well because every weekend, Florida families gather there to celebrate birthdays. Potluck. »

Hollywood Beach, Hollywood and Deerfield Beach

“As Michael Rivard says in his song I want to see the sea… From N Ocean Drive take Scott Street and cross the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk to the end. You will find that the ocean is well established in your RV. What a great place to hang out with friends. There is a parking fee, but it’s worth the price. One day, Johnny and I decided to spend the night there for US$25 after rebuilding the world with Kaylaine Tremblay and her boyfriend Christian Lebel. We drifted off to sleep with the sound of the waves. Early in the morning, that is good morning The rising sun that woke us up!

Another must-see is Deerfield Beach. Here, at the sea, we park inexpensively, we swim, we soak up the leftovers of the day before, and we make new memories of the nomads.

►Visit L’Étoile et L’Autre’s Facebook page to follow the simple and very rich lives of Luc Senay and Janie Gaumond-Brunet.
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