Raining cats and dogs this morning here, and they say the rain will continue all week. I only hope that after Friday, in Florida, I won't be seeing much rain. I'm looking forward to two weeks doing and seeing lots of stuff in Fort Lauderdale, Stuart, and even all the way north in Cape Canaveral. I'll be staying at Ebb Tide Oceanfront Resort in Pompano Beach. TripAdvisor.com ranks them as #2 out of the 34 hotels in Pompano Beach and 109 out of 159 reviewers gave it an "excellent," 37 a "very good" and the rest - to me at least - just don't count!
On the agenda:
Friday, 9/7 - fly. I'll arrive in Ft. Lauderdale at 10:20am on flt# 289, Southwest, out of L.I. MacArthur airport.
Saturday, 9/8 - Trip to and tour of Hillsboro Lighthouse
Tuesday, 9/11 - My 65th Birthday. I plan to relax all day and then go out to dinner with Florida friend Jane.
Thursday, 9/13 - Road trip to Kennedy Space Center. Will roam the grounds there awhile, then at 2:40pm take a guided tour of the Launch Pad.
Friday, 9/14 - Accompany Jane to her Spanish classes. She's taking Basic Spanish in anticipation of traveling to Spain early next year along with a group of her friends. . . . I hope to be among them.
Monday, 9/17 and Tuesday, 9/18 - I will visit the Stuart area, searching-out and reconnecting with old friends and family there. I'll be seeing Margie Probst (a pen-pal of Eleanor's and whose mom was hospital roommate of my mom at time of one of her illnesses), Derna DiPamphilis (mom and dad's old Stuart neighbor. . . a very nice lady who only last week celebrated her 99th birthday. . . I will be going to the Independent Living Residence she moved to only a few months ago to visit her there and have dinner with her, and perhaps her sister Louise and niece Beth), Mary Muzina-Frank (my dad's cousin), Maureen & Winston Hamilton (I've known Mo since elementary school - and her mom was among my mom and dad's closest friends, having lived nearby them/us in both Massapequa Park and later Stuart) and maybe even my "long-lost" Uncle Pat and his son, cousin Joe (cousin Patricia did a bit of research the other day and found that it is possible Uncle Pat - who by now must be well into his 90s - and Joe - who is a few years older than I am - live in Kingswood in Stuart. I've got an apartment number from Patricia and will just go knock on their door, hoping to get a happy reaction!) I also plan to meet with a real estate agent and tour two or three properties. I'm thinking that by this time next year it'd be great to be a Floridian instead of a New Yorker.
Weds. 9/19 - I'll be back in Lauderdale/Pompano - going to an art gallery with Jane at 5:30.
Friday 9/21 - will be departing at 7:40pm flt # 1891, Southwest, for Islip-MacArthur NY again.
Scattered in between all the things listed above, for which I've got to be there at particular times, I will be going - if there's time for all of this - with Jane on a Tropical Sailing Catamaran Charter for a 2 & 1/2 hour sea cruise offshore of Lauderdale, kayaking in the area around Pompano/Lauderdale, visiting the Fort Lauderdale Historic Society's museum, visiting Flamingo Gardens and the Wray Botanical Gardens, taking an Everglades airboat ride, visiting a car museum, and visiting the Bonnet House - an estate that is now a museum and gardens. Been looking forward to this getaway trip for a very long time now and I plan to soak-in as much sightseeing and tourist-y stuff as I can, while getting the opportunity to 'shop' for a new abode and to see some folks I haven't seen in years.
In other 'news'. . . .
Pat and Ray and I took an afternoon trip to Port Jefferson yesterday afternoon. Had lunch at The Village Way there - an old restaurant that used to be called The Schooner because the outside of it looks like a schooner and the inside is like the inside of an old wooden ship as well. We just walked around town for a short while and watched one of the ferries put-in. Wanted to go to the art gallery at the Center, near the harbor - but when we got there, there was a sign "Closed for Labor Day" which came as a surprise. Took a few snapshots. . . .
Another opening, another show.
The Maw.
The Mother Ship has a "Pod" today!
Here she comes.
Must have had a great time RV'ing in New England.
RV'ing and driving the family SUV around New England, that is. (Came as a surprise when we saw the RV was trailering his own SUV as well!)
Danford's has the biggest flower baskets ever seen.
Me and "My Yot"
Given the recent soggy weather down here, I hope the bright Florida sun helps brighten things up for you, Dad - the trip sounds wonderful! We're both a bit jealous of your trip to Kennedy Space Center - I think the last time we all went as a family to there must have been while James was still in a stroller. :D
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the photos - and please take plenty of pics down there (especially the gardens, you know me...) and enjoy plenty of those Florida sunsets!
I don't think I ever remember going to Kennedy. ooh! ooh! Who saw the Endeavor fly over SF Bay last week on the back of a 747?!!
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