The sponge monster of Key West! Yikes! He has me in his clutches!
What kind of shop is a Pelican Poop shoppe? Perhaps we will never know.....it was closed...
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sponge Monster!
FOR THE KIDS:
The sponge monster of Key West! Yikes! He has me in his clutches!
What kind of shop is a Pelican Poop shoppe? Perhaps we will never know.....it was closed...
The sponge monster of Key West! Yikes! He has me in his clutches!
What kind of shop is a Pelican Poop shoppe? Perhaps we will never know.....it was closed...
Florida Keys
We arrived to the Keys yesterday under cloudy skies and lots of wind. Aside from the fact that Larry loves the Keys and I had never been here, our friend Wally Henry who is a pro sailor is sailing in Key West Race Week. It has been great. Good walks with Rocky along the water, food and entertainment along Duval Street and meeting Wally and seeing his professional playground (TP 52 called Vesper) has been a treat.
All along the keys you can stop and walk either along the coast or on the old railway trestle built by Henry Flagler in the early 1900's. This was the first "land" connection of all the keys through to Key West. See the old trestle to the right of the highway below.
See the mangroves below in a photo I took from the highway. It is amazing how these plants live in salt water and protect the low lying islands from being washed away and create an ecosystem for other critters.
One of many beautiful homes....I love the architecture you find in Key West!
Now, last but not least....RACE BOATS and our friend Wally (and Rocky, of course)!
I like BIG BOATS and I cannot lie!
We arrived to the Keys yesterday under cloudy skies and lots of wind. Aside from the fact that Larry loves the Keys and I had never been here, our friend Wally Henry who is a pro sailor is sailing in Key West Race Week. It has been great. Good walks with Rocky along the water, food and entertainment along Duval Street and meeting Wally and seeing his professional playground (TP 52 called Vesper) has been a treat.
Now, last but not least....RACE BOATS and our friend Wally (and Rocky, of course)!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Largest Tree
I wanted to show the nieces and nephews the largest tree in Broward County. It is a fig tree over 100 feet across and is located in Hugh Taylor Birch State Park in the heart of Ft. Lauderdale. Yes, that is Uncle Larry and Rocky under the tree. Larry is six feet tall. How tall do you think the tree could be?
This tree grows roots down to the ground to support its long limbs---and just keeps growing.
I wanted to show the nieces and nephews the largest tree in Broward County. It is a fig tree over 100 feet across and is located in Hugh Taylor Birch State Park in the heart of Ft. Lauderdale. Yes, that is Uncle Larry and Rocky under the tree. Larry is six feet tall. How tall do you think the tree could be?
Larry has spotted many manatees. We first saw this one at Hobe Sound on the east coast of Florida. Manatees live in slow moving warm waters, eat eel grass and other vegetation and can live over 60 years. They have no natural predators. They do get hit by boats, tangled in fishing lines etc. There are many laws and signs posted urging their protection.
Last week, right here in Ft. Pierce we saw five sleeping at the end of a canal. I will add a close up of a mommy and baby.
First Boat Preview
One of the goals of our time here is to look at boats, catamarans specifically. Turns out that most buyers are in our price range so things sell well if priced right and in good condition. I would say that what we have seen so far are priced higher than market. Our broker has also shown us many boats that are not currently available but it is allowing us to assess what type of boat we like and dislike so that we can narrow our search. It helps to see a Lavezzi 40, for instance, in Florida, as opposed to traveling to the Carribean, only to find out you don't like the layout or that it is too small.
Our first boat was in Jacksonville. Radio Flyer is a Catana 401 with a number of owner upgrades. There are a few quirky things about the model and the 401 did not sell well for Catana....a drawback for resale. The boat however has all we need to cruise. The one owner cruised her throughout the Carribean. It is overpriced however as we have seen comps selling much lower.
The salon is a bit smaller on this boat. Nice wide walking area on sides. Lots of sun shades come with her.
The cockpit has an expanding table and two goofy reclining seats. The pillow portion moves forward to create a backrest if you just want to sit up. I would say this is one of the quirky things about this boat.
What I like about the Catana is the walk way from the transom into the cockpit. You don't have to climb up, then down, with your groceries etc. Catana's signature seems to be the steering stations located outside of the cockpit and out on the back of the hulls.
Catana catamarans have these dagger boards (see to the right). They give you better performance in that you can sail closer to the wind and make better progress. I like the idea that if we want to sail out of an area quickly, we can. These are performance oriented catamarans. I feel that better performance may translate to shorter passages and perhaps a better motion --at least more options. Catana has both speed and comfort.
One of the goals of our time here is to look at boats, catamarans specifically. Turns out that most buyers are in our price range so things sell well if priced right and in good condition. I would say that what we have seen so far are priced higher than market. Our broker has also shown us many boats that are not currently available but it is allowing us to assess what type of boat we like and dislike so that we can narrow our search. It helps to see a Lavezzi 40, for instance, in Florida, as opposed to traveling to the Carribean, only to find out you don't like the layout or that it is too small.
Our first boat was in Jacksonville. Radio Flyer is a Catana 401 with a number of owner upgrades. There are a few quirky things about the model and the 401 did not sell well for Catana....a drawback for resale. The boat however has all we need to cruise. The one owner cruised her throughout the Carribean. It is overpriced however as we have seen comps selling much lower.
Catana catamarans have these dagger boards (see to the right). They give you better performance in that you can sail closer to the wind and make better progress. I like the idea that if we want to sail out of an area quickly, we can. These are performance oriented catamarans. I feel that better performance may translate to shorter passages and perhaps a better motion --at least more options. Catana has both speed and comfort.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
St. Augustine, Florida
The trip across country was made more interesting with stops in Yuma to see the Browers (thanks for the cookies!) and Green Valley, AZ to see Uncle Mac and Aunt Sally. Green Valley is a beautiful little spot south of Tucson. Mac and Sal have a gorgeous view of the mountains from their living room.
Our first official stay in Florida was in the St. Augustine area. I had no idea that the town is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the country (since the 1500's). Below is a photo of Castillo de San Marcos built in 1672. No tractors, no cranes, just brute force and probably some leveraging of the physical sort! Those walls you see are made of coquina, soft shell rock and walls are 12 feet wide at base and 8 feet wide at the top. It even has a moat!
The town is very walkable and loaded with history. It has been held by the Spanish, the English, the US and the Confederacy. My favorite is the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the United States.
The high point of the day was Larry being invited to join the Pirate and Treasure Museum.
The trip across country was made more interesting with stops in Yuma to see the Browers (thanks for the cookies!) and Green Valley, AZ to see Uncle Mac and Aunt Sally. Green Valley is a beautiful little spot south of Tucson. Mac and Sal have a gorgeous view of the mountains from their living room.
Our first official stay in Florida was in the St. Augustine area. I had no idea that the town is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the country (since the 1500's). Below is a photo of Castillo de San Marcos built in 1672. No tractors, no cranes, just brute force and probably some leveraging of the physical sort! Those walls you see are made of coquina, soft shell rock and walls are 12 feet wide at base and 8 feet wide at the top. It even has a moat!The town is very walkable and loaded with history. It has been held by the Spanish, the English, the US and the Confederacy. My favorite is the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the United States.
The high point of the day was Larry being invited to join the Pirate and Treasure Museum.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Rocky's ocean adventure began far from the ocean in Borrego Springs, California. December 2011 we prepared to leave California for Florida and staged ourselves at the Cunningham Desert Resort. Rocky was a bit confused and was sure to place himself in the appropriate location so as not to be missed.
Before leaving Borrego, we wanted to see the latest installment to the valley's art collection. This is by far the most intricate sculpture yet and just a bike ride from Mom and Dad's.
Before leaving Borrego, we wanted to see the latest installment to the valley's art collection. This is by far the most intricate sculpture yet and just a bike ride from Mom and Dad's.
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