Reality Does Enter the Loop 3-6-09

A casual reader of my blog might get the impression that Loopers blithely continue traveling and are impervious to bad news and bad things happening. This is not accurate—I have just not mentioned them. During this trip, reality has intervened with Loopers having to face health problems, family members going through divorce, layoffs and death, and all of us watching our savings erode in the stock market. Since we are away from our usual support system of family and friends, it has been helpful to support each other during the tough times.

Bob and I retired last September just before starting the Loop, but if I were facing the same decision this year, I am not sure what I would do. A number of you may be facing that same decision. I can tell you that doing the Loop has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and has changed me as a person.

It might seem frivolous to start out on the adventure of a lifetime when times are so uncertain. But, any adventure starts with the dream and that does not cost much money. Let your imagination soar and see where it takes you. You can then put the reigns on later. If you stop dreaming, then fear wins. Keep dreaming.

Exploring Old Ft. Lauderdale and Finding Loopers 3-5-09

We explored old Lauderdale today and its birthplace by the New River. There is no Ft. Lauderdale surviving today but it did exist in the 1830’s when Major William Lauderdale was deployed here in the 1830’s against the Seminoles. His troops were not here long as the Seminoles walked away from the conflict, and also refused to sign a peace treaty and remain the only Native Americans to do so.

The modern Ft. Lauderdale was first incubated here by Frank Stanahan who developed a small ferry line here in the 1890’s and development got an impetus from the Flagler RR in the 1900’s. In 1900, there were 52 people counted in the Census and the land was part of the Everglades complete with swamps, insects, large game, snakes and fish. These were hardy pioneers. Frank and Ivy Stanahan built their home here as well as a trading post, post office, bank and school.

Some say that the house is haunted. Ivy’s brother, Harold, died in this bedroom and Frank himself committed suicide by throwing himself off the river dock as he was despondent about losing everything in the Depression. His wife, Ivy, continued to live until her 90’s and was a real survivor channeling her energy into educating the Seminoles, writing poetry, practicing yoga, and managing to save the family home by moving into tight 3rd floor quarters and renting out the rest as a restaurant. Quite a story given our current economic uncertainties.

We were walking back through the New River marina when we saw an AGLCA burgee on “Biddi and the Beast” parked alongside the million dollar boats. Dan joked that his boat looked like their dinghy. We last saw Dan and Biddi at Clearwater Beach. We knocked on their boat and were thrilled that they were at home. We caught up with each other about all our adventures. They will be heading north to attend the Rendezvous in Charleston. Dan met a boater in Key West who gave him recommendations about marinas between FL and SC and Dan shared these with us. Sharing—that is what is so great about looping.

Slowing Down in Lauderdale 3-4-09

We will be here a week on Friday and with la Nina very active this year, hopefully we can cross to the Bahamas early next week. Might as well relax and enjoy the area.

We walked along the beachwalk north to Bonnet House today. It is situated on a coastal barrier island with the Atlantic to the east, and the Intracoastal to the west. It is named for the lovely bonnet lily that grows in the ponds and was the home of the Frederic and Helen Birch Bartlett who deeded it to the FL Trust. This 35 acre site is surrounded by hi-rise condos but when you are visiting there, you are immersed in a natural area complete with swans, cockatoos and monkeys. When it was built in the early 1920’s, it was a jungle complete with bobcats, panthers, rattlers and the real marauder, the FL mosquito.

The hidden courtyard invites you in. You can understand why local artists regularly paint there to capture its beauty. Frederic Bartlett was an artist himself and did many murals and decorative touches to the property.

After our tour, it started to rain which is an unusual event in FL these days. We took the bus back to the marina and I decided to take a nap and then read all afternoon Rainy days are great for that.

Warmer in Denver than in Ft. Lauderdale 3-3-09

It was 45 degrees this morning with a high of 65 while it was 74 in Denver today. It has definitely been a topsy-turvy winter.

“Highlander” took off this morning at 8:45 a.m. bound for Riviera Beach and made it safely there by 4pm. We miss them already.

We decided to explore Ft. Lauderdale and took the #11 bus for a grand total of $1.20 for 2 seniors. We went to the downtown Museum of Art for their “Coming of Age: American Art, 1850-1950” exhibit. Although they only had one Georgia O’Keeffe painting, “Wave, Night”, they had a very interesting 45 minute retrospective video on her work. It was interesting to see an exhibit that cataloged American Art coming of age during this century.

We found our way again to the Riverwalk area for lunch. We also walked up to the New River and Cooley marinas to see if any Loopers had come in but none yet. When you travel so much, it is hard to catch a movie so when we saw the sign for “Sunrise Cinema”, we lined up and bought a ticket for “Grand Torino.” We really liked the movie and even though Clint Eastwood was doing another version of his Dirty Harry role, it was softened with the other nuances of his character as well as an amazing story of redemption.

Back to the boat to do lots of loads of laundry tonight which was made more interesting with conversation and wine with other liveaboards.

Breezy in Fort Lauderdale 3-2-09

It was 52 degrees and breezy this morning at 10 a.m. for my walk along the Ft. Lauderdale boardwalk. A drop of 20 degrees certainly clears the beach and you can have any beach chair you like. The boardwalk is well done and goes for miles and without the weekend cars cruising, it was quiet.

I found Hugh Taylor Birch State Park just across the street from Bonnet Beach and accessed it through an underground tunnel. I came from the windy ocean side right into a peaceful urban oasis. It offers hiking and bike trails, canoe rentals, picnic areas and the Terramar Visitor Center which is an interesting combination of Spanish/Art Deco architecture.

Speaking of architecture, I thought you might like to see a picture of our neighbor’s home across the waterway. It is another example of a huge mansion and luxury yacht combination. A general rule of thumb seems to be that the larger the boat, the less likely that it will leave the dock.

We met Vic and Marilyn from Newfoundland who are here on a mooring ball in Ft. Lauderdale on their 30foot C&C sailboat, “Whisper.” We used to have a 26 foot C&C and they are great sailing boats. They noticed that we had our shopping cart and asked if we were going to the store by bus as they were also. We laughed as cruising couples have so much in common. Vic and Marilyn pride themselves on long haul provisioning and use a pressure cooker to keep meats and vegetables edible for months. They are bound for Cuba and did mention that we could come along as long as they “paid” for everything which apparently satisfies US regulations. We’re asking now-- why are we headed for the Bahamas.

We say good-bye for now to Jeannette and Charlie on "Highlander" who will go north tomorrow. We had a great dinner at Coconuts and laughed as it looked like Jeannette and Bob's entrees were served in dog bowls. Here's to good friends.

Finding our Groove in Lauderdale 3-1-09

We are here in Ft. Lauderdale luckily before Spring Break starts and there is plenty to see and do especially by taking a water taxi excursion. Charlie and Jeannette from “Highlander” joined us and we all agreed that on this very windy day, it was great to sit back and let someone else drive the boat.

We were also doing some serious boat shopping—how about this $100,000,000+ boat with heliocopter owned by monster.com. If they help me get a job, can I get something like this? Or how about a home owned by an embezzler who now has his own gated room in the BIG house (prison). Have you bought $250 dollar sunglasses recently from Sunglass Hut? If so, you are helping to finance this 25,000 sq foot home complete with 3 huge boats which are so huge that the 3rd one can not fit at this dock.

We found our niche at the Las Olas Riverfront area which was featuring rumba jazz by David Fernando combined with an antique car show and fabulous food. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Check out the “Highlander” dance moves.