Mar 2, 2013 - Disembarking in Miami

We sailed into The port at Miami just before the sun rose. We had to be up extra early as US immigration officials were coming on board to clear all non US citizens before anyone can go ashore so we were able to watch the city becoming clearer and clearer. After a lot of hanging around we were able to disembark to catch a coach to the airport to collect our hire car. Shock horror it was COLD! An unseasonable cold spell meant it was only about 15 C. After the drive up through Florida on almost straight roads all the way we arrived at...

Feb 3, 2013 - Party Weekend

Rosemary celebrated her birthday at Gulfstream Village with her closest friends by dining at the Bistro grill and then watching and betting on the horses at Gulfstream Park. I wasn't as lucky as I was last year - in fact I didn't pick one winner! Laurie & Jeanne hosted a Superbowl Party on Sunday evening and most of the attendees were employees of Everglades NP. She had a pool set up but only 48 squares were covered with names. There were no winners for the first 3 quarters but by luck of a last minute score, Ken won the last quarter and...

Jan 3, 2013 - Bimini Baby!

Hi All! We left No Name Harbor at 5:30 am and headed across the gulfstream to Bimini. The gulfstream is always a concern if it has a northerly component in the wind because it stacks up the waves and they become very big. It is always the biggest issue of getting to the Bahamas. After the crossing, everything becomes much easier. The problem is that the prevaiing winds are from the East which makes going into them very difficult. In order to get more favorable winds you have to wait for a cold front to come through and make the winds clock...

Jan 1, 2013 - Happy New Year! We are in South Beach Miami

12/27/12 - South Beach/Miami Hi All! Happy New Year Everyone! We left Coconut Grove Sailing Club after spending HOURS washing the boat...just love those little birds! We are now in South Beach Miami. We caught up with our buds Linda and Roger/SANDCASTLE. They are staying at Belle Island. We will go over to Sunset Lake tomorrow where it is much more peaceful. We had a great time being in South Beach. It is very easy to get to Publix, Fresh Market and all the eateries in town. Lincoln Road is a walking mall that goes from the harbor to the...

Dec 31, 2012 - Miami-Dade, FL

We arrived mid-day on December 1st at the Larry and Penny Thompson Campground, a Miami-Dade County Park in Southwest Miami. Our research had given it high marks and the rental rates were terrific, so we had high hopes for it as a base for our South Florida adventures. We found a well laid-out and nicely maintained facility that, while out of the main congestion of the area, was still convenient for traveling to everything that we wanted to see. A bonus here was a large stand of avocado trees that provided a constant supply of guacamole...

Dec 27, 2012 - Year End Musings

Fred here with a few thoughts. Boy, We sure are slowing down. We've been saying that for a while now, but this time we really mean it. Our 3 ½ month stint at the Cradle of Forestry seems to have been a turning point for us. It was the longest we've ever stayed in one spot and we've been kind of foot dragging ever since. After we left North Carolina and had a short vacation in Cancun for my son's stepson's wedding, we stopped in Georgia and spent a few weeks with our friends Lydia and Jim Decker while he's going through some chemo and...

Dec 25, 2012 - Coconut Grove/Miami

12/25/12 Coconut Grove/Miami, FL Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy your presents and being with family and friends. We are moored at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. It is a very nice facility EXCEPT FOR THE BIRDS that poo all over the boat. It can be very icky! The environmentalists in the infinite wisdom decided to cut down the trees around the marina because they were not indigenous to the area. Because of that the birds of prey left the area and the swarms of small birds took their place. They line up on...

Dec 19, 2012 - Made it to Miami

12/19/12 No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne, FL HI All! We left Fort Lauderdale and went outside in the ocean since the very last bridge on the ICW in Miami is only 56 feet (too short for our mast.) We anchored in No Name Harbor for a few days. No Name is part of Bill Baggs State Park. It is a great place for walking and taking in nature. The harbor is nice but gets very crowded on the weekends when all the city folk bring their big boats in and raft up. Overnight anchoring is $20 a night. We were in the harbor with George and Jackie/HERITAGE....

Dec 11, 2012 - Miami, FL

On December 11 we left the Orlando area and headed for Miami where we were going to stay at Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Park and Campground for 7 days. While here we planned to tour Miami and drive down to the Keys. We discovered very quickly that one does not get around Miami very quickly during the week, traffic is horrendous and it is specially tough when you are not familiar with the area. What we did see was interesting even though the weather didn't always cooperate. The Saturday after we arrived we drove down the Keys. To drive...

Dec 6, 2012 - Professional Basketball

Jeanne & Laurie gave Chic, Marilyn, and me a great gift of attending a basketball game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks. The drive over to Miami was good, passing by farms and orange groves and cypress trees. The night was warm and beautiful and we had the privilege of parking under the arena next to an elevator that took us right up near our seats! We watched the teams warm up, visited with each other, and even walked around the arena to see what was being sold in the way of food and souvenirs. The game started and the score...

Dec 1, 2012 - The party's over

We arrived in Miami about 2:30 AM and got off the ship around 7:30 carrying our own bags. We took a cab to the Budget place and arrived before it opened. Soon we were on our way driving north to DeBary. We met Jim and Julie and the kids at Steak and Shake in Oviedo so we could give them the presents we bought for them in Mallorca. Bryn and Alex insisted on wearing theirs right away and Jack seemed excited about the watch. Right after we mailed the presents to Avery and Lucas we received the picture from Laura saying that Avery loved her...

Dec 1, 2012 - board the Epic

We are left with the impression that if all the cruise ships left southern Florida, the bottom of the state would be empty. As we took the shuttle from Fort Lauderdale, we passed Port Everglades where eight huge ships were berthed. When we arrived in Miami to board the Epic it was one of four equally large cruise ships berthed here. We were told that Port Everglades is the largest cruise port in the world. Construction signs indicated that Miami is working hard to give its sister city some serious competition. The internet has made this...