Riding In With Good Wishes

Happy Thanksgiving To All

Move to Delray Beach

We recently moved south a few miles to the city of Delray Beach… known as a Village by the Sea.. We were living in downtown West Palm Beach and often rode south on A1A to Delray Beach. Delray Beach is a small town of probably a maximum of 75,000 people, but it has become a destination for South Florida tourism with its restaurants and boutiques and the many Festivals and Events planned throughout the year. The main street is Atlantic Ave and stretches from East to West, from the ocean toward I 95.

Along Atlantic Ave one can find everything to please the palette from a four star restaurant to a side walk café, a Kilwin’s ice cream and chocolate shop, and a bakery offering breads for every taste, and a Bistro called Brulee that offers healthy gourmet dishes to eat sur place or take home. This village is also a shopaholic’s dream with an array of boutiques and galleries. Here is a link to a great site with so much info about Downtown Delray Beach. http://www.downtowndelraybeach.com/

The Delray Tennis Center has been very instrumental in developing the downtown area as it offers top notch professional ATP tennis events. Coming in February is the 2010 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (ITC), an expanded 9-day tennis extravaganza at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center Feb. 20-28 that includes both an ATP World Tour and ATP Champions Tour event. Both events will be held simultaneously over the 9-day Delray Beach ITC in February. Already committed to the ATP World Tour event are 2009 defending champions Mardy Fish and the No. 1 world-ranked Bryan Brothers, while tennis icon John McEnroe highlights an ATP Champions Tour card that also includes former Grand Slam champions Mats Wilander and Pat Cash.With James Blake, Tommy Haas, and Mardy Fish, the 18th annual ATP World Tour tournament will showcase three players who have played in the last four ITC finals. Fish is 13-5 in Delray Beach, Blake is 9-4 and Haas 7-3.

Of course the beaches are spectacular and a big draw every year. It is one of the few beaches that offer comfortable accommodations like beach lounge chairs and umbrellas. That was a big plus for us as we can pay a yearly fee and not have to worry about hauling all sorts of gear to the beach. We know that we have a double chaise lounge with nice pads and a big umbrella for the sun. So we can just tool over to the beach on our Vespas with a towel and a book and we are all set.

Delray Beach is a very nice place to live and a great place to visit.

October Heat in South Florida

Wow, we are having a heat wave in October. We have resorted to reading blogs of areas that have snow in order to cool off. The heat index has been hovering around 105. We rode over to the beach and hung out for a couple of hours just soaking in the cool 78 degree Atlantic Ocean waters. Using lots of sun screen and a big ol hat. The heat off the roads is something else so riding thru a shady area is just delightful. We have been told by the almighty, often misleading, weathermen, that the temps are due to drop by the weekend. How does 85-87 sound?

Speaking of blogs showing snow, you have just got to look at this truck at a Wyoming Ranch.

http://blog.rimrockenglishshepherds.com/2009/10/11/mother-nature-saboteur-artist.aspx



After that go to her website and look at her English Shepherds. There are some videos of the 11 puppies that they had last March that are priceless . Sometimes it is just so nice to randomly follow a link on the Internet and see where it takes you. We started out at dailycoyote.net, a great site, and followed a twitter link to the icy Dodge truck. And after seeing the Dodge truck with some unusual ice designs by nature, we went to their website. http://www.rimrockenglishshepherds.com/

At the end of the long hot day we rode over to a beach near the north end of the island of Palm Beach and watched the display of sea gulls. This is one of their favorite spots as it is somewhat deserted, so they have it all to themselves. Here are some photos of them having fun.

Guess this is what you might call a meeting of the minds.

Here is guy that is more curious than fearul.

Hoping all of you are experiencing some nice Fall weather with crisp temps and colorful leaves on the trees.

The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach

We know we have been neglecting our blog. Seems like the time gets away from us and suddenly we realize how long we have been away and we drift back. Summer was full of lots of hot and we mean steamy hot rides. The temperatures were soaring this summer, but then you ride thru a shady spot of the road and it is such a welcome relief. Anyway here is our trip to the Four Arts Society in Palm Beach.

We recently visited the gardens of the Society of the Four Arts. The gardens are open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and there is no charge for admission. There is even free wi-fi! There are many areas to stroll and sit and reflect on the sculptures, the fountains and the beautiful gardens. There are beautiful seating areas and shaded gazebos among the exotic plants.

The Society of the Four Arts is a nonprofit organization founded in 1936 by a group of prominent Palm Beach residents to meet the cultural needs of the growing resort community. The four arts which constitute the Society’s mission are music, drama, literature, and art.

Every season from November through April, The Four Arts presents notable speakers, concerts, films, educational programs, and art exhibitions to the public. The Four Arts campus along the Intracoastal Waterway is home to a gallery building with a concert hall auditorium, two libraries, an administration building, and beautiful gardens.

They have a nice website http://www.fourarts.org/home.htm as well as a Facebook page and Twitter.

There are many outdoor sculptures.... One knows that these two old timers are enjoying a friendly chat on a lazy summer day.

These two fruit sculptures are in an open air room and you can see the gardens behind them.

Wish we had taken more notes on these as they are so interesting.

This is a beautiful seating area covered with bougainvilleas, it just invites one to sit and enjoy.

And a lovely oriental garden..

We thought the pictures were better than our words so we included many. Hope you enjoyed the tour. If you are ever in Palm Beach, this is a great place to visit.

New Pier Finally Opens in Lake Worth

In 2004 two hurricanes ripped apart the Lake Worth pier. It has taken almost 5 years to replace it. Finally Saturday it opened to a large number of very appreciative anglers plus those of us who just wanted to stroll the length of the pier and enjoy the view. The grand opening ceremony was at 10 on Saturday morning and all day access was granted free of charge plus free T-shirts. The normal fee is $1 for site seers and $3.00 for those who want to fish from the pier.

The new pier extends 960 feet into the ocean and the eastern part of the pier was built 5 feet higher than the original one to reduce damage that could be caused by storms. The higher elevation increased the cost of the reconstruction a cool million which delayed the finish of the project while the city and state were trying to convince FEMA to cough up more dough. The cost to rebuild the pier was $3.4 million with FEMA paying 90% and the city and state each paid 5%.

Of course not everyone was on the pier as you can see from this shot. The water was beautiful and too tempting for most.

We recently discovered the Sundy House in Delray Beach. Located in the heart of historic downtown Delray Beach, the Sundy House is a boutique inn listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was originally the home of the first Mayor of Delray Beach, John Sundy lived in it in 1902. Later it was designated an historic building. They have a wonderful website with lovely photos so you can check it out at http://www.sundyhouse.com/

This is one of the unique rustic accomodations.

The secluded retreat is nestled within an acre of stunning tropical gardens called the Taru Gardens. They have to be the most unexpected and enchanting spots in the Palm Beaches. Winding paths and waterfalls, elegant statues, and Florida’s only freshwater natural swimming pond are found in this paradise of nature. What a delight to swim among the fish in a fresh water pond.

This beautiful bird keeps everyone entertained with his antics. His cage is suspended on a long rope from a high branch in the tree and he climbs up the rope to get to the branch and overlook the scene. Then he scampers down when he has a mind to, all the while keeping up a bantering chatter. He is in and out of his cage on a whim.

The Victorian inn’s 11 luxurious guest accommodations feature sumptuous décor and modern amenities. All set in a serene setting in which art, history and culture merge.

We were fortunate enough to experience the award-winning Sundy House Restaurant one day for lunch and just the surroundings were enough to make our day. We had a table right near the water and a perfect view of the gardens.

There is an elegant Roux Bamboux Lounge that just invites friends to gather to have a drink and plan their evening or week.

The Sundy House is mere steps from shopping, dining and cultural events, and just a mile from the beach. Staying there will set you back a few bills, but you can always do as we did and have a nice lunch that won't break the bank.