Goodbye Ft. Lauderdale

 

Leaving Hall of Fame Marina

 

View of downtown Ft. Lauderdale

 

The 17th Street Bridge opening. We met the bridge tender Ron a few days ago. He is a fellow Bostonian who moved to FL a few years ago. 

 

Last glimpse of Ft. Lauderdale beach. 

Last pictures from Ft. Lauderdale....

 

 

 

 

The last week and a half....

 

Well, the last week and a half has been full of interesting tidbits for us here in Ft. Lauderdale. 

The good news is that both Bill and I have finally received our Florida drivers licenses, which means we are officially Floridians. Yeah! 

We had a lovely Easter in St. Petersburg with Bill's mom. Mary Alice cooked a delicious Easter roast, potatoes, and green beans and we feasted. There were a few games of Skip-bo as well as a movie for Mary Alice and me (while Bill watched the Masters) and lunches in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg. 

Saturday night Bill and I celebrated our anniversary at Berns Steakhouse in Tampa. It was one of the most fun experiences we have had at a restaurant. We had a delicious dinner and then had a tour of the kitchen and wine cellar. Afterwards we went to a separate area and had dessert and coffee. We had reservations at 7:30 and didn't get home until 11:00! It was quite the experience. 

Bill and I drove back to Ft. Lauderdale on Monday afternoon in a rental car. We left our car in St. Petersburg (thank you Mary Alice!) so it will be there in June and we don't have to worry about it while we cruise the Keys for the next few weeks. 

 

On Friday on the way to St. Petersburg Bill and I stopped in Sarasota for a few hours to check out a marina. As we wrote before, we looked at 9 marinas in the St. Pete area but didn't find anything that we really loved. Since we are going to be on the West Coast of Florida for at least the whole summer, we really wanted to find somewhere that was close to everything and had the facilities that we have grown used to (pump out, laundry, secure marina, etc.) Well, we found that and more at Marina Jacks in downtown Sarasota. We are excited about our new "home" and look forward to arriving sometime in June. Sarasota is about 45-50 minutes from St. Pete so we will be making plenty of visits to see and stay with Mary Alice. 

 

Last week we were woken up by someone banging on the boat telling us our car had been vandalized. We went up to the parking lot to find the passenger side window of our car smashed. The police had already been and filed a report. Apparently someone smashed the windows of five cars in the parking lot in the early hours of the morning. The vandals took only what was in the glove compartment -- the registration, proof of insurance, car manual, and our AAA membership. We are very lucky in the sense that they did not take Bill's golf clubs, which were in the back seat!!! We called the glass company and they fixed the window that afternoon. 

 

Bill played golf last week with a few buddies and shot an 87, which he was very excited about. I went to the beach for a few hours. We also saw Amy and Juan for dinner last week, which is always fun. And of course we now have the Red Sox to keep us busy at night. We signed up for the MLB package again so we can watch all the games on the computer. We are still loving the Mac. 

So today we provisioned and are ready to leave for Miami tomorrow morning. We will spend a few days in Miami and then head to Key Largo, Marathon, Key West (and points in between) before heading up to the West Coast of Florida. 

We know we haven't been good about keeping up the blog (sorry!) and promise to be better about posting pictures and keeping everyone up to date with our travels. 

Hope everyone had a great Easter! 

 

This week Bill and I broke down and got a new computer. And this time around.... we got a MacBook Pro!! We love it and it is surprisingly easy to work on a Mac after years and years of a PC. The three very cool things about our new computer are: it has an 8 hour battery life (no more cords, no more turning on the inverter to get a charge for the computer), it has an anti glare screen (I can even sit in the sun topside and use it) and lastly, there is this really cool application called Garage Band where Bill can practice and learn the guitar. 

I love this picture of Bill transferring all of our pictures and documents from the other two computers we had to the new MacBook. 

The marina is starting to slowly but steadily empty. Most people either go back to their home states or travel on the boat somewhere other than Florida for the summers -- too hot. The weather here in Lauderdale has been in the high 80s, which is about as hot as it ever gets in Boston and it is only April! 

 

Visitors

Bill and I have had the pleasure of having my father and sister here in Ft. Lauderdale for a few days. We had a great time golfing (Bill and my father) going to the beach (Andrea and me), visiting the casino (both my father and Andrea hit jackpots on the slots!) and going to Oviedo, FL (near Orlando) to visit my uncle and his family. Here are some pictures of the visit.

Andrea relaxing with my uncle's dog.

Andrea, Juan, Bill, my father, Ken, and me at dinner out on the town.

My father and uncle with their two dogs.

Andrea, my father, uncle, aunt, cousin, Bill and I had a delicious dinner in Oviedo.

Dad cooking a sauce on the boat!!!!

My father flew home on Monday, Andrea on Tuesday. Bill left Tuesday for Lake Wales with Dave so I have the boat to myself for a few days.

To see the rest of the pictures from the visit, click here.

Red Sox!

On Saturday Bill and I went to the Red Sox game in Ft. Lauderdale. They were playing Baltimore, who use Lauderdale as their Spring Training facility. We went plenty early so we were able to see batting practice. Unfortunately none of the Red Sox starters were in the game. It was h-o-t in the sun in the bleacher seats. We ended up staying for seven innings. On Saturday night we went out to the beach and had happy hour etc. with our boat neighbor Ken.

Sunday was an errand day; Laundromat, grocery shopping, etc. Bill did a few boat projects and then cooked a delicious dinner!

We had a great weekend!

Traffic

The traffic in Ft. Lauderdale is horrendous -- especially these past few weeks with spring breakers. We have learned (after this past Sunday when it took me 45 minutes to go about 2 miles!) that we should just never get in the car on Sundays - period. Sundays are especially crowded on the beach. And since the weather has been so perfect (80s, sunny, a little wind) it is even more packed. It's funny that we have been here so long that we have experienced a change in the city - more vacationers and "snow birders" on the beach and walking around, more people at restaurants, the supermarket, Starbucks. And traffic, traffic, traffic!

Marina activities

We have had a week full of marina activities. Last night the marina sponsored a happy hour and appetizers gathering at a nearby restaurant. It was nice to meet and chat with some of the people who have been here all winter and hear their stories. We are the newest addition to Hall of Fame. Most people bring (or leave) their boats here each year and have for a long time.

Monday night we had our boat neighbor over for dinner. Again it was nice to get to know the people who live right next door to us. And in a marina we all spend a lot of time in close proximity.

Tuesday night we went to a local restaurant with another boat neighbor. We had a great meal and conversation. Today Bill and I are going to do a few errands. I have to pack and get ready for DC. I leave tomorrow to visit Katie and help out with the new baby who is expected today!

We have been playing a lot with our new Kindle, which came in the mail when we were in St. Pete. I also think that I have my taxes figured out with the help of Fran at the State Department. I never received my W2s but she put me in touch with the right people so a duplicate can be sent to our FL address. With Cindy's help we figured out that it makes the most sense to become Florida residents. Our car is registered here, we will be here for the next year at least (off an on anyway), we are exempt from the boat tax since we bought the boat in MD over two years ago, etc. And FL has no state income tax.

On another note, Bill and I hope that Beeb feels better very soon.

These pictures are all of our visit to St. Pete last weekend.

Bonnet House

Yesterday while Bill was in DC I visited the Bonnet House, which is right up the road. The Bonnet House was the winter vacation house of Frederic Clay Bartlett and his wives Helen (who died shortly after they were married) and Evelyn who gave the land to Florida before her death in the late 90s. The brochure stressed that it was the last piece of land not developed with mega hotels and condos in Southern Florida. Supposedly the property is 35 acres, although I only saw a sliver of the land.

Yahoo travel summarizes:

Built in 1921, this historic two-story, 35-acre waterfront house was once the winter home of artist Frederic Clay Bartlett and his wife Evelyn. The Bonnet House is serenely elegant and preserved amidst the urban expansion of Fort Lauderdale Beach, which is what makes the land so special. Mrs. Bartlett, who died in 1997, gave the estate to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation in 1983 in order to keep the property unchanged. Several concerts and events are held here throughout the year, and the house is available for private events such as weddings. Named for a waterlily that once inhabited the property, the Bonnet House is open year-round for guided tours.

So I sat through the hour and a half tour of the house and learned all about the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I was disappointed because I didn't catch a glimpse of any of the supposed monkeys and all types of birds that live on the property (although I did see a swan). The tour guide was great, but it was a very expensive 'home' to look at ($20 bucks!) It was a beautiful afternoon and I did take some nice pictures of the courtyard. Bartlett was an artist / art collector and the House featured some of his works as well as a gallery of contemporary artists, which was nice. I got my 'cultural' fix for the week I guess. They also collected sea shells from all over the world and had an extensive orchid garden (which was what peaked my interest to begin with). Unfortunately, the orchids were housed in a green house which we couldn't enter - although we could peak through the windows and they were spectacular.

Views from our cockpit

As I have mentioned (several times) before, the marina where we have stayed for the past month + is fabulous. We are at Hall of Fame Marina, although we kind of ended up here by accident. Why is it such a great marina you might ask? Well because it is clean. And close to everything. And the staff is great. For example, yesterday I was returning from a Target, liquor store, Laundromat, Starbucks run (yes, we are with car again) and had a very large and heavy dockcart full to the brim. As I was going down the ramp trying very hard not to dump a bottle of wine or the freshly laundered pillow cases in the water, I saw Scott the Dockmaster walking the other way on the phone. He waved for me to stop, hung up the phone, and proceeded to take the dockcart from me and walk me back to the boat. Oh, and I should mention that it was way after 5:00 pm and he should have already gone home?

The marina office has also been very flexible and patient with our plans. We had a reservation for only two weeks. We are going on six.

Another great thing about this marina is that it is small. There is a north side (where the big boats are) and a south side (where we are) which is mostly liveaboards. Last night when the wind was howling out of the East pushing us onto the dock at low tide, my mind started doing that thing it does best when Bill isn't around to solve all the problems of the world (or at least give me the impression that he will). I conjured up the scenario of how the fenders were going to be caught under the dock as the tide started to rise and the boat would list to port and / or the fenders would be lost. But I did go to bed assured that if anything happened while Bill was in DC, I would simply knock on the boat door of a neighbor and ask for help changing the lines or whatever. Of course it didn't come to that.... But it was nice to feel comfortable enough that I could ask for help.

Cruising, living aboard, boating in general brings out the best in people. For the most part, it has been our experience that everyone is willing to help and be helped and then pay it forward. It is nice to feel part of a small community in some way... especially when we are so transient.

I will admit that we don't really know our neighbors at Hall of Fame too, too well. There haven't been any dock happy hours or dinners. I think part of the reason is because Bill and I have only been in Lauderdale to hang out one of the five weekends we have been here (Boston, Largo, my dad was here, Lake Wales). Ironically we were invited to a BBQ on a neighbor's boat last night. Bill was in DC and I politely declined since I was rearranging and cleaning out all of the closets on the boat. Plus I had to get through Mama Mia before Bill came home or I would never see that damn movie! When the cats away.... yeah right! Hopefully there will be another invite or we can host before we leave.

Saturday we had a nice visit from Cindy, Boyd, Ginger, and Darren. We hung out and enjoyed the afternoon and had tacos for dinner. Tacos are easy and we probably have them for dinner at least once a week. I am becoming more in tune with our oven. I have learned that as long as I let the oven warm up for a good 20 minutes and turn it up an extra 25 degrees from what the recipe calls for, all is good in our baking / broiling / oven-cooking world. Of course Bill and I just have to remember the pan! Last week when Bill cooked chicken tettraziti, he had the mushrooms, chicken, and pasta all cooked and ready to go into the oven when we realized we didn't have a baking pan. Oops. So I jumped in the car and made a very quick run to Publix. We use the disposable tinfoil-like pans since they come in smaller sizes. Our oven isn't big enough to hold the regular size pans that you would get at Bed Bath and Beyond or Target, etc. Plus, we gave my sister Amy all of our baking pans when we moved out of our place in Alexandria in October (which she and her roommate Allison are now enjoying as they moved into their new place last weekend.)

So we had a nice time on the boat Saturday afternoon. It is fun having people on board and entertaining. There was some sort of sailfish tournament hosted at the marina across from us on Staurday and Sunday. We watched about a dozen big sportfish boats come in with their sailfish flags flying. One boat had 19 flags flying (meaning they caught and released 19 fish!!!) Most of the boats had between 5 and 8 flags flying. The clouds and the sunset both Saturday and Sunday were simply stunning.

Today Bill flies to DC for the night. He has finally given up on trying to get a straight answer out of the folks at TriCare (his medical insurance company via the military). They are at a loss on how he can get a doctors appointment since our address on file with them is Alexandria, VA but we are physically in Florida. His records are in DC, which is a different 'zone' than Florida so a referral is needed. Sounds easy, right? Right.... He has literally spoken to a dozen different people who have passed the buck and given him another phone number to call. This has been going on off and on since Thanksgiving! Very, very frustrating. It is discouraging when it is easier to get on a plane and fly to a different state than to see a military doctor down the street.

the beach!

Here are some pics of Ft. Lauderdale. Last week Bill and I went to the beach for an hour and saw a cruise ship going out. They are massive.... We also saw lots of kite boarders, which is still something that Bill wants to try. Since it was a beautiful day the beach was fairly crowded in front of the hotels. Since we are a little further south, where we planted our chairs was perfectly quiet.

The weather has been chilly but we aren't complaining. Some of the restaurants on the beach have been closed at night since there is no inside seating and the 'strip' is pretty desolate at night with the cold.

On another note, we received the replacement part for the propane and are now 'back in business' which is nice. Bill cooked a delicious chicken tetrazzini last night for dinner. We have a ton of leftovers. Today we are turning in the rental car (after two and a half weeks!) so I have stocked up at the grocery store, etc.

Happy Friday to everyone.

We have a new neighbor....

On Friday morning as we were packing our stuff to meet Dave and Molly a h-u-g-e yacht docked off our stern. So our current view is of the mighty m/y Man of Steel. She is 160 feet long and has three decks. Read more in an article that we found on the internet about m/y Man of Steel.

My father and Bill golfed 5 times in 5 days. On Saturday they were paired up with two guys from Duxbury who actually know the Whalens (my Godmother). Small world.

We had a really nice time while my father was here. It was fun to show him around, for Bill to have a good golfing partner, to all spend some time together. Saturday night we drove to the Hard Rock Casino, and even though none of us won, it was a blast. It was actually much more crowded than we would thought.

On Sunday they had an early tee time, which would have left plenty of time to start the sauce. After they got back to the boat and had some lunch, my dad started to cook. But... we ran out of propane - again. Usually the tanks last us six months each (and we have two). I just had the propane filled when we were in Boca less than a month ago. Something is wrong. When I had the tanks filled before the guy told me they were safe but should probably be replaced soon since the salt air and water easily corrodes the tanks. It was on our list of things to get done before we leave Lauderdale. We discovered yesterday, however, that the part of the hose that connects the tank to the boat is leaking. Bill spoke to Island Packet who will let us know if it is a part that we can get at West Marine or if we have to order it through the manufacturer. Bottom line, however, is that we couldn't make the sauce. The good news is that my dad gave me the recipe, so I will be able to attempt to recreate his delicious cooking once everything is fixed.

In addition to taking care of the propane issues, I have a few other errands to do today including having my eyes checked. I have prescription glasses for driving and watching movies, but I think it is time to get prescription sunglasses so I can spot the markers in the distance.

Hope everyone has a good week.