After a pretty hot week in Florida, along the east coast between Miami and Lake Worth, we are back into what they are already describing as the "deep freeze of the century" as a cold air mass has settled over North America. We are hovering around the freezing mark here but out west and further south into the States they are already getting our Jan and Feb temperatures! So the break was nice but short and we are now ready to tackle our next project: putting down the floor in the master bedroom. We were delighted Lyn was able to drop over for a few days while we were in Richard's place on the Atlantic and we spent two busy days together, going to the beach and pier at Lake Worth and driving down for the day to south beach in Miami. That's one crazy city and I can't imagine what it will be like at March break. The beach there was ok, the water too warm to enjoy and full of seaweed and jellyfish. I do much more prefer the Atlantic beaches and the breezes that can make for some nice waves. We had one windy day where it was great to bodysurf, the water temperatures warmer than the air. This time down we flew El Cheapo Air (Spirit). For your bucks you get to fly in the middle of the night with seats that don't recline and surly stewardesses. The Airbus was new though and clean, and the flight less than 3 hours. We arrived around 7 in the morning, took the shuttle to the Tri-Rail and caught the train from Ft Lauderdale to Lake Worth, again using their shuttle to the corner of 10th and Congress and walking the rest of the way to the condo. As we were starving we stopped at Presidente's, the Cuban supermarket, for breakfast and a much needed coffee, before getting to the Richard's place. We relaxed at the pool for the rest of the day, planning our week in the sun. The next day we walked and bussed to the beach. It had started out nice but by early afternoon the wind had picked up and by the time we left we were the only ones there. The next day was better though, the sun hot and the water lovely. Lyn arrived on Friday after a four hour drive from Brooksville. Again we went to the beach The next day was when we all decided to drive down to Miami and south beach, one place I had never been in all my travels to Florida!
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| Tri-Rail Ft Lauderdale |
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| First coffee of the day! |
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| Cuban egg sandwich and plantain for breakfast |
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| Lake Clarke Estates |
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| Swimming pool, Lake Clarke Estates |
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| Sunset, LCE and lake with fountains |
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| Richards bldg. #8 |
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| Walking to the beach, Lake Worth |
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| Only one at the beach! |
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| Great waves for surfing |
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| Air temp 81, water temp 80 |
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| Miss Lake Worth 2014 |
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| Mr Lake Worth 2014 |
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| Pier at Lake Worth, Florida |
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| Lyn and Marie, beach, Lake Worth, Florida |
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| Marie and Lyn, Benny's On the Beach |
Miami is about an hour from Lake Worth, south on I95. We ended up in the Art Deco District and not far from the beach. Afterwards we walked along the waterfront where all the restaurants are, spent another few hours relaxing in the sun, and then headed back north. That night we went out to a Peruvian restaurant Richard had recommended in Lantana. Small and noisy, the food was excellent, the service wonderful and the beer, Cusquena from Peru, was tasty and cold. Marie cooked up a big dinner the next day for Lyn as she was returning home Sunday morning. It was good to see her again and talk about the last year since we had been together. Before we left Florida Marie and I went out to see "Interstellar", a new movie that was playing in Boynton Beach. Our last day we hung around the pool in the morning, then packed, cleaned the condo (maybe for the last time as Richard is trying to sell it), then headed out to catch the shuttle back to the Tri-Rail for the hour long train ride back Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport. We were early but people-watched until our flight was called. Plattsburgh was cool when we landed but there was no snow so the drive to Montreal was uneventful, arriving at Phil's just before 3am. Yikes I was tired. I'm getting too old for this!
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| south beach, Miami Beach |
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Marie and Lyn's leg, Mimi Beach
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| Cruise ships, Miami |
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| Victoria's Peruvian Restaurant |
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| Waiting for the train, Lake Worth station |
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| Spirit over Fort Lauderdale |
A quick visit with the kids the next day (we took Amy to her dance class and were amazed at how talented she has become) before driving home in the dark. Now its back to work on the house. Next post will show me laying the bedroom floor. Cold weathers a-coming and it looks like were in for a long winter. Now where did I put my snowshoes? gws
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| Amy at the Tyler Anne School of Dance, Montreal |
"Travel far enough, you meet yourself.”
David Mitchell
