What a game!!

Yes, I was a little torn. The country of my birth, in which I'm currently enjoying a wonderful holiday, against my adopted country, where I live. I had to go with Canada. Sorry to my American followers! It was great though, a nice clean game, real hockey. We watched here in Miami, something to remember and tell the grandkids.
So tomorrow morning, off to find a place to park and board the Norwegian Sky. Hard to believe, time is going by so fast. Today we mostly spent driving here to Miami, and re-packing suitcases and re-arranging the car.
Miami is huge. I've always been scared of Miami, hearing about crime statistics and people always seem to say "stay away from Miami" but so far, it doesn't look any worse than any other big city. Nice areas, bad areas. The trick is to stay away from the bad ones, haha.
I am anticipating not having internet access (because I can't see paying for internet access) so I will save my blog entries and post them all on Friday when we get back. And some new pictures!
Have a great week everyone!

Musings and 2 more sleeps...

Yes, only two more sleeps until the cruise! Tomorrow we head to Miami to be closer to the docks for Monday.
Yesterday, we spent some more time on the island and also had more dolphin sightings. We watched a dolphin and pelicans playing a game around a couple of guys fishing in a quiet cove on the intercoastal. The guys fishing didn't like the dolphin hanging around, and when it surfaced close to their boat, they yelled at it to scare it away. I thought it was mean, until Thor pointed out that it was probably competing for the fish they were hoping to catch. I guess that made sense. The pelicans had the same idea, the pair of them followed that dolphin around. It was pretty funny, everytime the dolphin surfaced somewhere, they'd fly over to where it was. It was like a game of chase, but I suppose they were hoping it would lead them to fish as well.
It was sunny again yesterday, but still cool. Sunny enough that we got some sun time on the beach, then came back to the hotel for a nice warm swim. The air still had a cool bite to it on wet skin, but it only lasted a minute!
We also checked out Jai Alai. Nobody was actually playing at the site yesterday, but people were inside watching other matches, also dog races and horse races. I guess it's a place to go to bet on things, and get beer out of vending machines. Well, you could also buy beer at the bar, but if you wanted a can you could get it from a machine. There was also a poker room there, but we didn't go in. There weren't many people there, and it seemed pretty boring so we didn't stay long. If games had been in progress, I think it would have been interesting
Today it rained, and we went to the planetarium at Indian River State College which is just down the street from here. They were showing a program called "Music of the Spheres". It was basically an astronomy lecture to a show on the planetarium dome and music played on a synthesizer and a device called an "ether stick" It is an electronic device that made tones going higher or lower depending on where someone touched it, and the tones bending depending on the movement. The other hand controlled the volume by going nearer (quieter) and farther away (louder).
Thor said he almost fell asleep, but I thought it was an interesting way to hear a condensed version of the history of the planets and constellations.
The day stayed somewhat cool, but the rain dried up by suppertime. No swim today!

Air temp: COLD

Haha, this was the info at the lifeguard station at Round Island Beach today. Along with the condition of the ocean, tide info, and water temp (68 degrees) the air temp was listed as COLD. Those lifeguards think they are funny.
It was 52 degrees when I went swimming this morning. The water felt like about 90, and if it hadn't been so darn windy it would have been great. However, my head was getting really cold by the time I got out. And the wind had blown my towel right off the chair to the fence, and my room key card went THROUGH the fence, but luckily was stopped by a shrub, so I could reach it through the fence. I think the maid that saw me come in afterwards thought I was out of my mind, but really, I LIVE IN CANADA! If there's 90 degree water, I'm in it!
This afternoon we went back to the island, and stopped at a couple of the parks on the intercoastal. Saw more dolphins, and I got a poor quality picture. It's just impossible to predict where and when they are going to surface. I also got a video showing a couple of pelicans doing their dive bomb feeding routine. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to upload a video to this site. As we were walking back to our car from the trail we were on, we came face to face with a startled looking otter. Poor thing wasn't quite sure what to make of us, and of COURSE the camera was in the case and off. By the time I got it out and on, the creature was deep in the brush.
Well, time to settle in with a book and watch the Olympics in the background. Women's freestyle tonight. Supposed to warm up a little anyway tomorrow. 4 more sleeps until cruise time!

A DAY without sunshine

To my critic who will not name his/her self (my guess is a former co-worker who doesn't like bananas)...thanks for the advice, I'll take it under advisement.  Thunderstorms are the word of the DAY toDAY. It was acually not too bad early on, and we drove over to our old haunt, north Hutchinson Island. We stopped on the causeway to get some pictures of the drawbridge, and while we were there were treated to some dolphins gracefully gliding by. Of course by the time I got my camera out, they had moved on out of range. We could see them way in the distance frolicking, yes, actually playing (we think, anyway!) There was lots of splashing and jumping around but just too far away to get anything on camera. I guess they like the intercoastal waterway. As we were standing on the docks we could see tons of tiny fish just teeming below us, and the occasional bigger fish jumping in there for lunch.
Yesterday we sunbathed at Round Island park on North Huchinson Island as well. We just have not found a nicer beach area than North Hutchinson Island. The south island beach is coarser, darker sand and just not as nice. And of course the fact that there is so much beach (something like 15 miles or more) means it's never crowded in any one area. And the fact that all these parks where you can park, enjoy the facilities (meaning washrooms, picnic tables, bbq's, even showers and the beach is guarded) are free is the best. We haven't seen anything comparable in our travels. And our travels encompass the whole Atlantic coast right down to Key West and some of the lower gulf areas. Some of the gulf beaches we've seen are whiter and softer sands, but we haven't found facilities and privacy like on this side.
Well, the pool has been heated up finally and if it stops thunderstorming, I think I'll try it out! Tomorrow is supposed to be bright sunshine but also cooler.

Monday, Monday...

Ba dah, ba dah dah dahhhhhhhh. Things are warming up again on the Treasure Coast. We managed to hit 77 degrees today, a nice change from the last couple of weeks. We went down to Stuart for some shopping, lunch and a peek at the beach. Hard rainstorm down there, but when we got back to Ft. Pierce, it didn't look like it had rained at all, however the clouds stuck around the rest of the day. We should have another couple of warm days, then a cool front moving in again. We keep hearing this has been the coolest winter in a long time. It figures, when we're here. I am not complaining though, no freezing rain, no snow, no shovelling. Our hotel here is quite nice, even though the supposedly heated pool doesn't feel too darn warm to me. Tomorrow we are packing up and going for a day on the beach. Today when we stopped in at the Stuart beach, the guard house was flying the purple flag. Some places translate that as "dangerous marine life" in the area. This was explained in Stuart as "sea pests". Sea pests?? Thor mused that sharks might be seen as somewhat more serious than a pest. I concurred. Stuart is actually the area where the fatal shark attack was last month. It doesn't keep people out of the water. All the experts seem to agree that when a shark attacks, it can be put down to mistaken identity as sharks do not have humans in their diet plan. Apparently a human swimming can be mistaken for bait fish. Hey, I don't make the news, I just report it :)
There is a Jai Alai stadium (court?) not really sure what term you use to describe where jai alai is played is called. We've seen the term in crossword puzzles often enough, but never knew what it was. I guess people bet on it, like horse races. I looked up the rules, and it sounds complicated, something like a cross between squash and racquet ball maybe. I guess it's the "fastest game on earth". We might have to try and take in some games and see what it's all about. There is also a poker room on the premesis, but not a casino. All sounds very mysterious. Will report my findings.

S-A-TUR-DAY NIGHT!

To the tune made famous by the Bay City Rollers....Yes, it's Saturday night and our last night in our little beach bungalow at the ocean. Tomorrow we're going out to a Comfort Suites hotel just on the outskirts of Fort Pierce proper, off the highways. There was an ad in the local free paper advertising one week for $350. All suites, heated pool, breakfast, internet included, rooms have fridges and microwaves. Not on the ocean, but I have to admit it will be nice to have daily housekeeping service again for a while :)
We walked down on the beach today, low tide. I actually made it out to the sandbar (see pic at bottom of the page), again it was a calm day. Also saw someone "fly" by on a motorized kite? Sorry, didn't get a picture, but it was like a giant kite with a seat with a motor behind it. Slowly flew up the shore and back again over the water. We also saw a couple of guys that looked like they were standing up on surf boards and paddling with a long oar. Never saw that before. I would think one could only do that when the water was very calm.
So we have the laundry all done and almost everything all packed up, just need to get it all back in the car tomorrow. We went in to Vero Beach to TGI Fridays for their 3-course $12.99 special. Way too much food I tell you. Enough for lunch tomorrow, with dessert even! Ok, I'll tell you. I had french fried green beans with a white dip (had a bite to it, like horseradish) for an appetizer, parmesan-crusted chicken breasts on mozzarella cheese with bruschetta (diced and spiced tomatoes) with angel hair pasta with more bruschetta. Dessert was vanilla bean cheesecake topped with white chocolate mousse artfully served on a large, rectangular plate drizzled with hot fudge sauce and garnished with a large strawberry. Sounds too good to be true, right? Thor had a cheesey spinach dip with red and yellow tortilla chips, a petite sirloin (6 oz, looked more like a filet mignon) with a butter sauce, mashed potatoes, and baked beans. For dessert he had the brownie obsession, which was an extremely decadent warm, moist brownie with Ghiradelli chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream and pecans served in a bowl drizzled with caramel sauce. Yep, tomorrow, no food. Ha ha, it always seems you are still hungry the next day anyway!

Still cool on Thursday...

Darn, it's just taking forever to warm up again here. However, it did get above 60 and we got an hour of sunning in and a nice long walk on the beach. The tide was as low as we've ever seen it, very interesting. The water was as calm as we've seen it at the shore. There were still white caps breaking, but they were out as far as the sand bar and by the time the water reached the shore, it was barely lapping. It's a strange feeling to be walking over the area that in 12 hours would be deep under the water.
Today we're still working on where we're going on Saturday after we leave here, and also have booked a cruise to the Bahamas leaving Miami on March 1 for 4 days. I'm pretty excited about that and counting down the days!
It's been pretty quiet around here, most guests have moved on and there's only a few units occupied. Even though it's been cool, it's been sunny and nice enough to soak up some sun on the front deck or on the lawn.
I've read about 10 books since leaving Canada. I keep finding cheap books that I can't pass up so now have to decide what I'm going to do with them as I finish them. I don't really want the ballast!
I forgot to mention that when Leroy and Wilma were here and we were doing some sight-seeing, we stopped in to see the Energy Encounter at the Port St. Lucie nuclear power plant. It's a program for kids really, but it was interesting and "dumbed down" nuclear energy so that even us old folks could understand it. The lady working there was quite nice and we asked about all the dead fish we had seen across the street while walking to the beach. She said that the cold snap from the beginning of January was just too much for some of the tropical fish species and they just washed up. There were so many, the birds and scavengers got tired of them. She also mentioned that at the same time the sea turtles were starting to just "shut down" and float as if dead. There was a huge rescue operation and turtles were taken to "turtle hospitals" around, but there was not enough room. She said the power plant had about 250 that they took care of, some of them in people's offices! It was interesting and informative, and free to boot. Anyone in the area, check it out.

The Tuesday after....

Well we have to acknowledge 3 different holiday Monday celebrations on Feb. 15. Happy President's Day if you're in the U.S., Happy Family Day if you are in Ontario, and Happy Louis Riehl Day if you are in Manitoba. Of course from here, every day seems like a holiday :)
We've been laying kind of low, the weather has been cool and windy, but mostly sunny. Still getting to sun a bit, (it's very therapeutic) and still trying to get some walking on the beach in, but I'm afraid we're growing a bit lazy! Well, we will be moving out of here on Saturday so we're now in the process if deciding where to go next. I think we'll be following the warm weather! I know, I shouldn't be complaining, we don't have any snow. But it is supposed to be going down close to the freezing point tonight and there is no heat in our little bungalow! Time for a hot breakfast (think turn the oven on) tomorrow morning. It's time to start packing up the big suitcase and pare down to the little one for travel again.
The Seahorse has sort of cleared out; I think there are only 5 units occupied right at the moment (out of 12). I didn't have to fight over the washers and dryers today, anyway.
As of yesterday, we have been away for 6 weeks! I can hardly believe it, time has flown. I feel so lucky to be away from the harsh winter and to be a stone's throw away from the beautiful ocean and beach.

Holy smokes --- I missed a few days...

It happened, I got lazy! Well we spent the week checking out the "Treasure Coast". That is the coast between Vero Beach at the north and Stuart at the south. We saw a pair of dolphins arching gracefully together while at the water's edge of the Intercoastal waterway enjoying a jazz concert. We took in a nice dinner at Applebee's for my birthday. Spent some time on beaches at Vero, Jensen Beach and of course our own here. And we played games in the evenings. Cards and dice. All in all, a very nice visit and now the "old folks" have gone back home to the cold. Speaking of cold....it's VERY cold here today! It's almost 1 pm and only 49 degrees. And windy. However the sun is shining and we will get out for that beach walk yet. I want to go down at low tide, which is around 3 pm today. I've found that's the best time to get good shells!

Just another manic Monday

Nice day for a Monday. It got pretty cool around here last night, 39 degrees at 7 am, brrr! It did get up to 66 and sunny, so a nice day all in all. We went over to the historic downtown Ft. Pierce today. It was nice, we walked around, listened to live jazz in the park, saw a couple of dolphins and some interesting birds. The dolphins surfaced near the breakwall we were sitting on and a young guy jumped right up, he thought it was a shark and that he was in danger! We all got a laugh out of that. We also went to the fishing pier on the south island to watch the pelicans and the fishers. The pelicans hang out near the cleaning tables, and as soon as the fishers bring their catch in to clean them, the pelicans line up to fight over the leavings.
The shuttle did launch at 4:30 this morning, but we were sound asleep and missed the whole thing.
Ft. Pierce has music in the park from 11 am - 2 pm every day this week, so we'll probably take in a concert with a picnic lunch tomorrow, weather permitting.

What a Super day...

In Miami...if you like football. It's cold, but they had a nice day for it. We (all four of us) did some scoping out of the area today. We stopped in at an open house for an ocean-front brand new condo complex. We thought we'd see how the "other half" lives. Hahaha. Wow, this 7th floor 2600 sq ft condo had 3 bedrooms, (the master bedroom overlooked the ocean with a sliding glass door out to the balcony). The master bedroom ensuite had a separate water closet room, a jacuzzi tub, and walk-in glass corner shower, double vanity in granite, tile floors. The other two bedrooms shared a bathroom, and there was another half bath. There was also a room they called the study, which could also be a den or another bedroom, and another small room that again could be called a den or study. The kitchen was top of the line, granite countertops, all stainless steel appliances, double oven. This was going for the low low price of just until a half a million. However, if you wanted to go for less of a "vista" on the 4th floor, you could get in for about 20 thousand less. It was fun to check it out. It's nice to have some company, we had dinner together, went for a little drive and played games for a bit. Now we're all beat and will probably head to bed early.
There was a scheduled launch for the space shuttle this morning at 4:30 a.m., but it was delayed because of cloud cover. They are going to try for tomorrow morning around 4 am. Apparently we can see it from the beach here (launch site is about 90 miles or so north of here) but I don't think I'll be getting up at 4 on the chance there may be a launch.
And the underdogs took the prize...yay for New Orleans!

on to the weekend...

Wow, all over the news for the shark attack. Apparently the beach was never closed afterwards. They just give swimmers advice: there are sharks in the area, swim at your own risk. Don't go in alone. Keep an eye on your surroundings. If you see sharks, get out. Hmm. On the news last night they were talking to more kite-surfers that were not afraid to go in, and they say that the thrill (as conditions were great) was worth any risk there might be. They all feel that it was an anomaly, there wouldn't be another attack. I just don't get it, especially when they show the aerial shots and you can see the sharks milling around. And there is a great debate over what type of shark it was that bit the guy. Nobody actually saw it, so all they have is conjecture as yet.
Other than that...today promises to be warm, but overcast and supposed to rain this evening. Sunday should be great for Super Bowl. And there is a shuttle launch scheduled for 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Apparently it can be seen from here on the beach.
Today we are going over to Lehigh Acres to meet up with our dear friends from Exeter, Leroy and Wilma. They are coming back with us tomorrow to spend the rest of the week here on the beach. Hope for good weather for them next week!

Seafoam and shark attacks...

First of all, it seems the maker of Crayola crayons and some paint companies would lead you to believe that seafoam is a green colour. Not so, at least ocean foam isn't! When it's very wavy, there is foam left behind on the shore when the waves roll out, and it's not any sort of green colour, unless I'm colour-blind. There might be just a tinge to it, but it looks white to me. I don't really like when there is foam, since I like to wade through the waves when I walk, and the foam may obscure any jellyfish that are rolling in. I'm a little paranoid about stepping on one, since I read about their nasty stings.
Speaking of nasty, yes, there was a fatal shark attack in Florida yesterday. And yes, it was just off Hutchinson Island. Yes, that is where we are staying. However, we are on the north island, (north of the Ft. Pierce Inlet, if you are looking at a map) and this attack took place off the south island so we were unaware of it until watching the news last night. The man was kite-boarding about a 1/4 mile offshore and was repeatedly bitten by a shark. He was pulled out alive, but died later in hospital. It's a sobering thought. I believe I heard that it's the first fatal attack since 2005 here. We don't do any more than wade in the ocean, since the waves are usually so big it would scare me to actually get in there and swim.
Today promises to be sunny and warm, so time to soak it up!

Tides and jellyfish

Interesting about the tides...I still have no idea of the pattern, but today was definitely really high and really low. This morning on our 2 mile walk it was particularly high, and the beach was littered with washed up jellyfish. We looked them up, and they are Portuguese Man O' War. Their sting can be very nasty, and even fatal! And they can still sting after they are dead. You had to keep your eyes open, I tell you. Some of them were very tiny, and the biggest of the washed up ones was about 6-8 inches long. They are a bright purple-blue colour. In fact, we had no idea what these things were when we first saw them. The vibrant colour looked like something man-made. Of course I didn't have the camera this morning, and when we went down again at low tide with the camera, most of them were washed away or buried. I did manage to get a couple of pictures, but it's no comparison to the sheer numbers of them that were still glistening from being washed up this morning. Saw some movement too, so I imagine some of them were still alive.
The pictures can't really impart the size of the beach at low tide either. Low tide is easier walking, as the sand is packed down however, I'm sure it's a better workout on the loose sand!
We had some sun today, but was also overcast in the afternoon/early evening. Tomorrow should be a nice sunny day again.

It's a rainy day in south Florida....

feels like it's raining all over the world....
Seriously, it rained ALL DAY. After doing a bit of laundry and some housecleaning, we decided to go to Vero Beach to see Avatar 3D. Well worth the price of admission, great flick.
The temperature has actually been going up slowly today, it's 69 degrees now at 7:30. Yesterday, the temp barely reached 60. It's supposed to rain again tomorrow, then hopefully it will dry up again.
This area of Florida is referred to as the Treasure Coast. Apparently there have been shipwrecks years ago that led to many "treasure hunts" in this area. We haven't found any doubloons or jewels yet, however :)