Apparently it is much harder to maintain the blog habit once on land. On the water, I love settling down with my after-sail drink( whether it is 5 o’clock or not) and writing up the days events and thoughts. If, I don’t get a chance to write then, I curl up in my front cabin and write before bed. Bedtime on the boat is never before 8pm. We have to set that rule because we have had evenings where we declare it must be time for bed and then see that it is only 6:45! Life on the water must be tiring. Or perhaps the body gets used to waking with the light and sleeping as soon as it gets dark. Either way- we are getting to bed later now we are on land. Sometimes, we have even been in bed after 10!
You may remember that we had just arrived in Fort Lauderdale at Jack and Ellie’s aunt and uncle’s house. There is nothing better than seeing a city with locals. I am sure my perception of Fort Lauderdale would have been completely different if we had only seen it from the marina. After all, Fort Lauderdale is a busy port with tankers and massive cruise ships, so that was our first impression. Our marina was small and central so whilst we loved the gardens around the Hilton, as soon as we went on a quest for hostess gifts, we were crossing roads with six lanes surrounded by grey concrete and traffic noise. It’s a big city. However, from Caran and Erle’s we walk through beautiful, shady residential streets to get to the downtown area. The Main Street consists of mainly low buildings with restaurants and unique shops. Around it, there are sleek high rises with a variety of designs. In fact, the residential areas with their intriguing banyan trees, palms and exotic flowering bushes showcase a variety of influences: Mexican, Spanish, European, English, Mediterranean styles sit happily next to each other. The downtown area also has a theater, art galleries and hotels. Oh - and if you walk a mile in the other direction, you get to the beach. We have been too busy to get there yet. John has played pickle ball while I had a long yoga session. We have kayaked, rowed, and taken Caran, Erle, Laura and Shaw for a sail on Solitude. We have also been busy sitting in their backyard watching the boats go by. Oh how the tables have turned. We are now at Shaw and Laura’s beautiful home in Boca Raton and about to head out for an airboat tour of the Everglades. Somehow, despite being on land, I can’t seem to have a day without boats.