Heinz & Frenchie

No Longer in South Florida

2011-10-02T22:17:00.000-04:00

Better Late than Never! We had become lazy and were not updating our blog. Guess it happens to everyone at some time. Life seemed to move so fast........and although we had good intentions, we didn't follow thru.

We left South Florida on August 5th and are now in Sedona, Arizona. There are new roads to discover and new friends to make here in beautiful Sedona. We have exchanged the ocean views for the red rocks. Waiting to see if we miss the rides along the Atlantic. So far we are so amazed at the beauty of nature here. In Florida all the roads were flat while here they are winding and hilly. Quite a challenge for us at the beginning, but we are getting the hang of it.

We made the dreaded trip to the DMV and got new tags for the scooters and new registrations. It was a pleasant surprise as there were so few people there that we were in and out in half an hour. We were used to long lines in South Florida where if you did not make an appointment, you could spend the day there. We actually had to go to Cottonwood which is 15 miles away as there is not a DMV in Sedona. We are learning that there are a lot of things that are not in Sedona, but so far it has not been an issue.

We parked the scooters below and were way up on a hill to take this picture. Heinz and Frenchie and the cars all look like toys. The views are wonderful and the scenery breath taking. Hope our pictures do it justice.

We're Having a Real Winter

2010-01-13T16:48:00.010-05:00

Things are really bad here in South Florida. The temperatures have been in the 30's and 40's for more than a week and we are all frozen down here. This cold spell has been the longest in 54 years. I can just feel your sympathy.......its heartwarming. I would have written earlier but my fingers are just now thawing out.

The only good thing about the freezing weather is that the pesky Iguanas are dying. Seems they cannot survive in extremely cold weather. Their blood gets cold and they pass out and never gain consciousness. One lady said there is a giant orange one roaming in her butterfly habitat and he has a smaller green girlfriend. She is hoping that they don't make it. Iguanas eat the vegetation and tend to destroy the lovely gardens.

There is a neighborhood called Coral Springs that has been without power, so one guy reported that he slept in his clothes with 3 blankets on the bed and and his two dogs. Even the dogs are bundling up. Hey its a dogs life here now and he moved to South Florida to escape the cold.

Many homes and condos in South Florida have no heating equipment at all in the homes. We can remember our first home that we purchased in Fort Lauderdale had AC but no heat. We had a pool but no heat, Italian tile floors but no heat.

One lady was shown on TV as living in a condo on the water, (pricey real estate). She said the boiler was broken last year and they never got it fixed, so none of the people have any heat. She was wearing all her clothes and had the oven going in her kitchen for warmth. I bet you could not find an electric blanket in our town. Most stores are advertising that they have no heaters in stock. Maybe these snowbirds should go back home where they have heaters.

We have also had the usual accidents and fires with space heaters. But fortunately no one has yet burned down the whole house or building.

Riding In With Good Wishes

2009-12-11T17:37:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving To All

2009-11-25T19:54:00.002-05:00

Move to Delray Beach

2009-11-17T17:53:00.006-05:00

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

2009-10-13T17:03:00.012-04:00

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

2009-09-18T22:42:00.015-04:00

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

2009-05-10T23:10:00.005-04:00

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.

2009-04-22T19:57:00.009-04:00

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.

WPB 24th Annual Boat Show

2009-03-29T22:47:00.008-04:00

Talk about a show of opulence, the West Palm Beach Boat Show features an estimated 500 boats collectively worth around $350 million. The show began on Thursday and ended today, Sunday. We took some of the photos at the end of the day so unfortunately there are some shadows.

Organizers of the 24th annual show do not expect the sour economy to dampen the event. Their statement was that everyone still wants the dream of owning a boat one day.

The boats are displayed in a temporary 500,000-square-foot marina on the Intracoastal that crews began building almost two weeks ago. This meant that the boats could all be displayed in one location, downtown West Palm Beach, instead of being dispersed throughout the city.

Hosted by the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, the event typically draws about 40,000 visitors and generates an estimated $15 million. But for all the vendors camped out at the boat show along Flagler Drive, it's just a game of waiting and seeing whether the local boating community is willing to spend money for their boats.

Tents will cover 100,000 square feet to house everything from boat accessories to cars, clothing, jewelry, home goods and fishing equipment. Exhibitors are expected from all over the world, including China and Europe. The middle yacht below is called "Never Enough".

There's a waiting list for exhibitors, some of which have been hoping for years to get into the show, said Emily Schaper of Haber & Quinn Inc., a public relations firm in Fort Lauderdale.

The showcase vessel will be the Casino Royale, a $38.5 million yacht designed with James Bond in mind. It includes frosted-glass panels etched with the silhouettes of Bond girls lighted by LEDs on the central staircase, a handcrafted marble roulette wheel in the deck of the main salon and a figure of Vesper Lynd, the fictional heroine from the 2006 Casino Royale movie.

It's a buyer's market for boats right now, and the dealers at the Palm Beach International Boat Show know it. "Pricing's going to be aggressive at this show," said Mike Brown, a yacht broker with Dania Beach-based HMY Yacht Sales Inc. "There are some substantial deals. If you come here to buy a boat, I don't think the dealers will let you get away."

The Last Ride

2009-03-20T15:17:00.005-04:00

These two stories from our local papers about the 84 year old cancer patient is about as good as it gets. Maybe the articles made it to your area, but if they didn't here they are.

Economic cycle helps woman get ride of life

Sometimes a heartwarming story develops from an economic recession.
Ron Borowski, 45, of Loxahatchee has become the most famous Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner in America this week because of a not-so-small act of kindness he did for an 84-year-old woman he didn't know.

June Pearce, 84, rides on the back of Ron Borowski's motorcycle in Okeechobee, Fla., March 6, 2009. Ron gave June a ride on his bike as a surprise birthday present.

And it happened, in part, because of the lousy economy.

"We're lucky if we get two, three days of work a week now," said Borowski, who owns Complete Drywall Service.

So he scours the Craigslist Internet site, hoping to pick up some jobs to fill his too-empty work week. That's how he found an item that said, "Come Give Granny A Ride On Your Hog."
The granny in question is June Pearce, who has inoperable lung cancer and a vivid 70-year-old memory.

"Every time I see her, she mentions the motorcycle ride she took with a boy when she was 14," said Pearce's daughter, Carol Brown, 54. "And when you're 84 and you say to your daughter, boy, I'd really like to have a ride on a motorcycle again, then you feel like you have to do something."

A long ride away

The logistical problem for Brown is that she lives in Bunnell, a small town in North Florida that's a three-hour drive from her mother's trailer park. So she knew she'd have a hard time persuading a motorcyclist in Bunnell to travel all that way to give her mother a ride.
So she tried Craigslist, wondering if there might be a taker closer to Okeechobee.

This wasn't the job Borowski was looking for. But the contractor, who had lost his own mother to cancer recently, answered the ad.

"I thought, if what that lady needed was a ride on a bike to make her life complete, then who am I to stand in her way?" Borowski said.

So on Friday, with no work to do, he called up another bike-riding buddy, and they rode the 65 miles to Pearce's home.

"It was the most beautiful bike I've ever seen," Pearce said about Borowski's Harley, which is blue with ghost flames, and has a kickstand in the form of a skeleton foot.

It also was loud and intimidating, nothing like the little motorcycle in that long-ago ride. The old woman said she didn't think she could get herself on the bike.

Brown who had come from North Florida to be there, didn't envision this sort of ending to her mother's wish.

"I said, 'Mom, these people drove from a long way to give you a ride. You're getting your ass on it."

And so she did, then hung on as Borowski drove two laps around the trailer park with her, leaving her husband of 65 years, Fred, crying in their wake.

"I was crying too," the old woman said. "I figured it was the last big thing I'm going to have."

Karma may kick-start contractor

The story of Pearce's ride was chronicled by Tamara Lush of The Associated Press over the weekend, and it has since been spread worldwide in words and photos.

Pearce doesn't seem to care at all about her celebrity. She just wants to talk about the nice man who gave her that last wish.

"I'm done," she said. "I'm just going to sit around and wait to die."

Borowski's wife said he was working Tuesday. And there certainly was a lot of noise in the background when I reached him by cellphone. It sounded like quite a busy job site.
But it turned out to be just boat noises.

"We're off the Boynton Inlet," he said. "I'm fishing today."

Still no work.

Carol Brown isn't worried about the stranger who gave her mother that wonderful gift.

Woman, 84, gets the ride of her life for birthday

BUCKHEAD RIDGE, Fla. — What do you get an 84-year-old lady for her birthday? That's what Carol Brown was thinking a few weeks ago. Her mother, June Pearce, was turning 84. The idea of buying and giving more stuff just didn't appeal to Brown.

"When you're 84, what is there?" she thought.

Pearce lives in a slow-paced retirement area near Lake Okeechobee in rural Florida. She's been married to the same man, Fred, for 64 years. Pearce is a wife and a mother. She's had a few strokes, which have robbed her mind of short-term memories. Lung cancer has claimed much of her strength.

But one memory has stuck with her: riding on the back of a boy's motorcycle in the 1930s.
"I wasn't scared at all," Pearce remembers.

It was exciting, possibly one of the most thrilling moments of her life. Pearce remembered sliding off the bike and the pain of scraping her leg, but loving it just the same. She told this story so many times that Brown can recite it by heart.

"It was during the depression," Brown said. "Not a lot of excitement happened then."
Brown thought of that story as she racked her brain, wondering what to do about the birthday. Then she had an idea.

"Come Give Granny A Ride On Your Hog," she typed into an ad on Craigslist.

In the Internet posting, Brown asked if anyone would be willing to ride out and give Pearce a ride for her 84th birthday. She got one response, from a man named Ron Borowski. He said he'd ride his Harley-Davidson Low Rider — electric blue, with dark blue flames and a chrome kickstand shaped like a skeleton's foot — from his house in Palm Beach County to June and Fred Pearce's home, some 65 miles away.

"My mom passed away from cancer, so the ad touched me," said Borowski, 45. "I just figured it would be an adventure."

Brown wasn't sure how her mom would react if a strange person showed up in the driveway with a Harley. So Brown told her mom the day before, and June Pearce spent the day calling everyone she knew to tell them about it. Brown's two grown daughters also showed up to celebrate. After all, it might be June Pearce's last birthday, since a doctor told her in September there was nothing more they could do for her cancer.

On Friday, Pearce spent most of the afternoon walking up and down the driveway, waiting for Borowski. Just about 5 feet tall, Pearce's white hair matched her white cardigan, which was embroidered with butterflies. She wore pink glasses, which matched her pink frosted nails.
Just before 4 p.m., Borowski thundered into the driveway, followed by a buddy riding a big, silver Honda.

"I'm your chauffeur today," Borowski said, grinning and taking off his helmet. He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a leather vest.

Pearce's eyes widened. She made her way slowly toward the bike and touched the seat. Everyone made small talk for a while and Fred Pearce showed a sepia-tinged photo of the family's upstate New York home he and his wife built with their hands many decades ago.
Then Borowski asked June Pearce if she wanted to take a ride. Pearce shook her head — how on earth would she ever get on the bike? "No way," she said firmly.

Pearce is a feisty woman, prone to swearing and stubbornness. Brown, Borowski and the granddaughters looked at each other. Had Borowski driven all this way for nothing? Maybe, thought Brown, her mother was just embarrassed that she wasn't able to straddle the bike on her own.

Borowski, Brown and the granddaughters said they'd help her on. Pearce ran her hands on the black leather and, with a bit more coaxing, sat on the bike near the tank. She allowed her leg to be swung over the seat and then Borowski gently lifted her onto the back.

"I wish I was a lot younger," Pearce said, adjusting her helmet. Borowski climbed on.
"Hold on tight," he said, and started the motor. The bike was so loud the grass near the driveway vibrated. Brown felt her heart thumping loudly out of excitement — and a bit of fear that Pearce would fall off.

Pearce's husband watched from a few feet away. "I've got all of my fingers crossed for her," he said. There were tears in his eyes; for the last three years, he's been caring for her through her chemotherapy and radiation.

"I've been lucky to keep her alive," he said softly. "I hope this gives her another six months."

June Pearce wrapped her arms around Borowski's chest and he took off, slowly. They went around the block twice, past the retirees watering their lawns, past the pastel colored mobile homes — and Pearce wore a tiny smile as they rumbled into the driveway.

"What we're giving today is a memory," said Brown. "She's not going to get rid of it in a garage sale, break it or throw it away. Memories are the best gifts, I think

These beautiful dogs all found a good home

2009-03-10T18:18:00.003-04:00

Special heart felt thanks to all the wonderful people who responded and gave these lovely Samoyeds a good home. Our prayers and thoughts go out for Cathy.

This is not our usual happy blog, but we received this information below via email and wanted to share it with as many people as possible.

Would you please forward this message (below) & photo to your mailing list and ask others to do the same? In this way it might reach someone who can help Cathy, whose time is limited. This would greatly ease her mind. Thank you. Anyone wanting info can contact:maya@bbinc.org. Carla J. Savage North Florida Evaluation & Treatment Center It is with great sadness to pass along that my dog breeder, Cathy Pendleton, whom I love and treasure is losing her battle with breast cancer. She can no longer care for her dogs. She is in hospice after being in the hospital for a week. We are in the process of placing her Samoyeds. If you know of anyone who would like a sweet natured, playful, pet, please let me know. She has all girls who range from 1.5 years old to more senior dogs. All are healthy and have been very well taken care of. New homes need to have space for an active dog and a fenced in back yard. We may do a home visit to ensure that these precious dogs and their new family are the right fit. There is no cost, but the new family will need to spay the dog if it is less than 7 years old. They can move out of state. The new family needs to be willing to stay in touch with the "Sammy family." We will want to know how they are doing and if it is working out, etc Let me know if you have any leads. Thanks for your help Melonie Gibson

This ones for Sarch

2009-02-17T19:45:00.008-05:00

Every time we see a GoldWing, we think of Sarch, http://sarchsblog.blogspot.com/ , so we just knew he would enjoy these pictures.

We often visit Delray Beach. It is not only quaint and inviting but it is especially motorcycle and scooter friendly. They created a cycle only parking area right in the middle of everything. And if you look closely, way down at the end on the right you will see our little red and yellow tails sticking out of the row of monster machines. This weekend we were lucky to find two empty spots to park. We just love to stroll and look at each handsome cycle.

Every weekend one can find a long city block full of great looking motorcycles. South Florida is a rider’s heaven and Delray Beach seems to be a very desired destination. There are eateries to please every taste and budget, boutiques and shops, plus a nice walkway along the Intracoastal and the beach.

So many fun places to visit in this one small beach haven.

More Than A Hiccup in Paradise

2009-01-31T18:59:00.013-05:00

Last post we talked about the sea pests, jellyfish and man-of-wars. Well would you believe now we have the shark brigade.

From Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County down to Delray Beach lifeguard stands were flying double Red Flags on the 22nd of January warning swimmers to stay out of the Atlantic Ocean while sharks do their annual feeding.

According to beach attendants, sharks were jumping completely out of the water with mouths open and eyes closed. There were hundreds of them and some were only about 10 feet from the shore. Nurse, Black Tip, Spinner, and the dangerous Bull Sharks were sighted as they chase the winter migration of small fish.

Shallow sandbars create warm water where the sharks hang out while waiting for a school of fish which attracts them toward shore or sometimes a boat comes by and scares them toward the beach. The sharks are more visable this time of year as the ocean is clear and calm.

Sharks and tourists all seem to come together here and that makes for a dangerous liaison. Visitors think if they stay in shallow water they are safe but sharks can grab you even in very shallow water. Not worth the risk.

Beach Attendants and Lifeguards are keeping the people out of the water until it is safe again. They are still setting up blue cushions on the beach lounge chairs for people to enjoy the beach, just cannot go in the water.

Here is a link to a very interesting article and video of Matt Lauer of the Today Show interviewing a couple of officials down here in South Florida about the shark situation. Be sure to launch the video. It is awsome. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7335074

A Hiccup in Paradise

2009-01-28T21:04:00.010-05:00

Last post we played show and tell with our photos and stories of great beach and scooter weather on the last day of 2008. So we thought we should let you in on one of the little drawbacks, Sea Pests.

We are right in the middle of Man-of-War and Jellyfish season and recently more than 100 swimmers became acquainted with these oceanic agents of sting and pain last weekend at beaches in our area. Nobody was seriously injured, but lifeguards were treating people with vinegar and meat tenderizer. The stings of jellyfish and bright blue man-of-wars cause itching and/or red welts.

Experts say they will come back out every time we get some east winds. As winter progresses the man-of-wars become larger, their tentacles longer and their sting more potent. Man-of-war are not jellyfish but an animal made of different organisms working together. In rare cases a man-of-war sting can be fatal.

After a flurry of sea pest activity the populations can subside with the winds but most area beaches were still flying the purple flags from the lifeguard stands warning beach goers that dangerous marine life might be lurking.

Most of us natives know what to do when stung and how to avoid the pests, but the man-of-war season coincides with tourist season and the visitors are unaware and usually are the targets.

Funny, some of the tourists don’t go in the water, but even if the things are washed up on the shore, you can get stung by touching them. And so many tourists are curious about them as they may have never seen one so they are tempted to touch it.

If you want to see the damage that one of these creatures can do, then check out this link about a guy who was just swimming along the shore in Key West when he had an encounter of the worst kind. http://members.iconn.net/~marlae/manofwar/encounters_keng1.htm

The Man-of-war season usually ends in March but the pesky little jellyfish stick around all year. Once we were snorkeling in September off the coast of Key West when we spotted a huge mass of jellyfish not far from us. Needless to say we got back to boat with great speed.

Nothing like a good book and a beach chair during these times. The beaches and the water are still beautiful and can be enjoyed with caution.

Last Day of 2008 in Paradise

2009-01-08T17:18:00.014-05:00

Don’t know where the time goes. Seems to fly by when we are not looking. We thought we would share with all of you what it was like on the last day of 2008 here in South Florida. Not trying to rub it in.

It was perfect scooter weather so we took a ride down A1A. From West Palm Beach going south the ocean road is two lane and scenic. The ocean stretches for miles on our left and on the right are palatial properties overlooking the ocean. Some have the ocean for their front view and the Intracoastal for their back yard. Further along, the road curves slightly west so that some homes are right on the ocean. These properties have impressive iron gates and walls facing the road. When you can see thru the iron gates there is usually a long winding landscaped drive leading up to their homes, which are rarely viewed from the road. We remember when some of the promiscuous Kennedy clan was in the news there would be aerial shots of their Palm Beach property. That is probably the only way it could be seen. Wonder if one could now google it and get a satellite view? Not much privacy these days.

Would you believe it? Above is a shot of Don King's property that was in our local paper just this morning. Seems he has it up for sale, $27.5 million. It is on 3 acres and stretches from ocean to intracoastal, has 32,000 square feet in a main house and guest house, and not to be outdone there is a statue of liberty facing the ocean and lit at night. If you want all the juicy details, here is the link http://www.page2live.com/2009/01/08/boxing-big-don-king-unloads-manalapan-digs/ It is an interesting read.

We stopped at Lake Worth Beach and took a few shots of all the people on the beach. There is a board where they post the temperatures and ocean conditions. The air temp was 79 and the water temp was 74. For us the water is cold but for many people it is fine. We have been in Florida too long.

We continued down A1A to Delray Beach. Below is a photo of the Colony Hotel located in the middle of trendy downtown Delray Beach. It dates back to 1926 and offers the historic appeal of a romantic "Old Florida" setting and with all the modern amenities for a perfect vacation.

The hotel also offers a private beach club for it's guests called the Cabanna Club, 250' of private sandy beach with complimentary beach cabañas, chaises and beach umbrellas right on the beach. There is scheduled Colony van transportation between Hotel and Club, a Saltwater pool, heated by environmentally sensitive Geo-thermal, and Hammock Garden, Serenity Circles and Shuffleboard courts.

We found this Santa on a motorcycle at Conner’s Pub.

The perfect place to have a drink and bid farewell to 2008.

Safe Riding in 2009

2008-12-30T12:05:00.001-05:00

To All Our Two Wheel Friends

2008-12-18T22:01:00.004-05:00

Beaches of Palm Beach

2008-12-04T16:06:00.009-05:00

We are finally getting some cool weather, early mornings are 60’s and in the afternoons sunny and 75. We could actually put on a windbreaker for the ride.

These are some photos of the public beach here in the city of Palm Beach. Most of the beach area in Palm Beach is pretty private. But this area is the public beach, and while it is not the most welcoming of beaches, it is beautiful.

There is not a lot of parking, guess they don’t want too many people coming to their beaches. They don’t exactly roll out the welcome carpet. On a few of the side streets they allow one hour parking. Here is a picture of the sign. Now what can one do at the beach with only one hour…not much…get your feet wet? Start your tan? Build a sand castle? The other option is a limited number of parking meters that will set you back $2.00 an hour.

Parking aside, the worst inconvenience is NO BATHROOMS and one lone shower that barely works. Are they trying to tell us something? Without showers you are not able to rinse off the salt water from your skin and if there are sea lice in the ocean waters, you will have a nice red itchy rash the next day. Showering right after bathing in the ocean is certainly advisable, but standing in line to get under a slow uneven stream of water is not our idea of showering.

There are no shops or restaurants or bars. Wait! There is one expensive restaurant called Charley’s Crab, not a place you would go with your swimming attire. More like a place you would go after church.

Since it was a bit chilly today, there were not a lot of people in the water, but this lone surfer was braving the cold for his art. The tide was strong and going South so he would ride the waves for awhile and then when he found he had drifted way down South, he would walk back and start over. We enjoyed following him with our camera and thinking that he was doing a lot of work for a little joy.

Not exactly what they would call "Surfs Up" on the West Coast, but that is what you get in Florida.

To All Our Friends

2008-11-27T17:14:00.001-05:00

20 Miles To Our Favorite Bistro

2008-11-16T22:29:00.009-05:00

Today was an unbelievable 88 degrees in the middle of November. Some clouds but mostly sunny and nothing threatening our good ride. We went 20 miles south to Delray Beach along the ocean road called A1A. An absolutely gorgeous scenic ride.

Delray Beach is a seaside village located in South Palm Beach County right on the Atlantic Ocean and boasts 2 miles of beautiful beaches. It is known as a first class resort city, offering a friendly pedestrian atmosphere. But since we showed you so much beach last post, we decided to tell you about a favorite area that we like in Delray called Pineapple Grove.

Special to us in the area called Pineapple Grove Arts District is a Bistro called Brule. It is a combination gourmet market and bistro. Check out their website http://www.brulebistro.com/. We always enjoy stopping by for lunch as the selection is superb. And one has to finish off with an espresso fudge cookie.

Pineapple Grove has a special Mediterranean flavor with outdoor cafes and colorful buildings. As you can see the Vespas fit right in and always find like company. Today it was a soft blue beauty. It belongs to one of the owners of an Art Gallery and we had a nice chat about Vespas and Art. They really do go together.

In recent years Delray Beach has become the entertainment hub of South Palm Beach County with the proliferation of upscale restaurants nightclubs and art galleries and a distinct pedestrian friendly environment. The sidewalks along the busy Atlantic Ave are lined with shops, galleries and restaurants and lead east to the beaches. We’ll be talking about other eateries that we frequent here, but today was Brule Bistro.

Well we had to put one beach photo in, or you wouldn't believe that we were at the beach. Delray beach offers facilities for the whole family and the only thing lacking is ample parking. We could not pass up the chance to take a photo of this gas guzzling Hummer that was parked just in front of us at the beach. If you are a resident of Delray Beach you can purchase a yearly pass for parking. Another plus for beach goers is the availability of passes for beach lounge chairs, you can not only pay daily, weekly, or monthly, but you can get a pass for the whole year. That means you don’t have to haul your chair and umbrella to the beach so you can just jump into your bathing suit and onto your scooter and go. That appeals to us.

Beautiful Juno Beach

2008-11-01T21:05:00.012-04:00

We went North this morning up to the town of Juno Beach, which is about 15 miles from our starting point of West Palm Beach. The weather was great, sunny and warm, like what’s new in South Florida?

Juno Beach has over 2 miles of beaches and wonderful facilities all along the way. A1A runs parallel to the beaches so we could ride right along the coast. We aren’t the only ones who love these beaches. The town’s coastline is one of the highest density nesting areas for sea turtles in the world with more than 1,000 nestings per mile. We were privileged once to actually watch one of the sea turtles make her nest and bury her eggs. It was very special. But it was one of the times we did not have a camera with us. They come ashore in the evening dig a hole and lay their eggs and then return to the ocean. Then very early in the morning there are patrols that find the mounds and rescue the eggs to a hatchery where they are safe until they hatch, then they are also returned to the sea. We are very protective of our wildlife and even street lights are dimmed or turned off so as not to confuse the turtles. Guess that is good fodder for another post.

We took a break for breakfast/lunch and hit one of the hot spots of the town, Juno Beach Café. When we got there the place was full, but by the time we left most had filled their bellies and went their way. We were a little late so we missed the live music, just watched the guy load all of his instruments into his car. Guess we will have to get there earlier next time.

Juno Beach boasts a really nice 990 Foot Fishing Pier. We didn’t fish but we walked the Pier and what a great view of the coastline from the end of the pier. The water was so clear that near the beach it was transparent and turquoise blue. It turns to a darker green as it gets deeper.

Across A1A there was ample parking and very nice facilities for the beach goers. We will definitely be back this way again.

Green Market in Downtown WPB

2008-10-19T18:52:00.013-04:00

Today was the first Saturday of the Green Market, an outdoor market located in downtown West Palm Beach and held once a week. We know what you are thinking, outdoor fresh markets are usually over by now. But we are just beginning. Take those apples.

We could not miss going and taking some photos. There was a great crowd, whole families with several generations, the kids and the dogs. What a great place to watch people and smell good food. The weather was great, as it tends to be here at this time of year, so everyone was out enjoying it. There was fresh fruits and vegetables, cooked food, cheeses, breads, pastas, coffees, a fantastic array of all thing edible. Plus the flowers were exceptional, orchids like we have never seen.

Musicians entertained the people as they shopped and ate.

The colorful vegetables and fruits were a big hit as nothing tastes quite as good as veggies and friuts picked fresh from the fields.

The cheese stand, one could smell from yards away. And the selection was sublime. For cheese lovers, this was heaven. He even had some sausage links hanging in the back to go with the cheese.

And you can't have cheese withoug bread... Hom-Lyke, original yea?

And all kinds of pastas. We love pasta!

We have never had Cider Doughnuts. Have you? We didn't get a chance to try them this time but next week, watch out calories! We will be making a bee line for this stand. That is unless some of you tell us they are not good.

We do love crepes and Gracie's was selling cuban coffee to go with them. Yum!

There was a long line for the homemade Mexican Food.

The Pet Adoption Organization was there with some adorable guys that needed a good home. Here are a couple of takers making their bid for this cute black dog.

These were two canine look-a-likes that met up at the Green Market.

This guy is waiting on his Mistress to finish her smoothie so he can get along home or at least hike a leg at that flower pot.

Look at the tongue on this one and the irrestible beggard look on his face. How can anyone say no?

The flowers were outstanding and a beautiful addition to the market. Don't know anyone who does not enjoy strolling through the plants. And the orchids were something else. Never seen some of the varieties.

When we got tired of shopping and eating we could flake out in the park adjacent to the Market.

We did see one scooter...

And the desperate Auto Dealership who goes to any lengths to sell cars.

Well if we did not spark your appetite, you must have already eaten.

Need Some Advice

2008-10-07T13:02:00.005-04:00

Hello Fellow Scooter Bloggers,

We have a small problem. Our condo garage has issued decals for all vehicles in our garage. The decals are made to stick on the inside of an auto window so that they are viewed properly from the outside. We do not have windshields on our scooters so we are wondering where we attach such decals. We have looked online for something that might be especially designed for scooters, like badge holders that stick on, but did not find anything. It has to be something with a transparent window so that the decal will show thru. We would appreciate all your suggestions.

Oh and by the way. We changed our email address for our account at Modern Vespa Message Board and got locked out. We have emailed them several times and no response so we cannot even post this request on the message board for assistance. Anybody got an "in" with Modern Vespa Message Board?

Thanks already! HeinznFrenchie

Latest News on Lake Worth Beach

2008-09-19T16:08:00.004-04:00

Would you believe it? Our daily paper this morning had this headline and article:
The last days for a historic hangout*

There are a couple a neat historic photos, enlarge them and take a trip back in history. And a report on the renovation of the Casino Building on Lake Worth Beach. We just discovered the area and now they are going to tear it down in March to build a new modern one. Of course if things go as things go in Florida, it may take a few years instead of a few months.

Lake Worth Beach

2008-09-17T14:37:00.012-04:00

We spent several hours today on the beach of Lake Worth.

The City of Lake Worth is located in central Palm Beach County on the eastern coast of Florida. It is due south of Palm Beach and considered part of the South Florida Metropolitan area. It gets it’s name from a historical General, William J. Worth. Actually we found out that there are several cities names for this general and he has a very interesting history. If you are keen on knowing more about him then click on his name above.

There is even a paperback book, (used) at Amazon called “Lake Worth(Images of America: Florida. Better hurry as there were only 4 available costing from $99 to $158. It has 128 pages and was published in 1999. That is a pricey paperback affair. But the cover is a really neat photo. Check it out. http://www.amazon.com/Lake-Worth-Images-America-Florida/dp/0738500550/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product

Lake Worth Beach has 1,300 feet of guarded beaches. Most of the life guard huts are set among the vegetation bordering the beach. Today they had yellow flags flying which means medium hazard and some sea pests.

The amenities are very nice and include showers, and picnic facilities. A nice park borders the beach area and many people bring their chairs and books and enjoy the ocean view while resting in the shade of the many trees.

There are 6 retail stores in the Casino building and 2 sit-down restaurants. There is a full service restaurant and bar on the pier, called Bennie’s on the Beach. You can see it in the distance in the 2 photos below. It sits right at the beginning of the pier and there are always thirsty, hungry folks there.

The pier is being repaired and these two photos below show the damage from two different storms. Here is a link to the story on the pier. http://www.lakeworth.org/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC=%7b4DB44AD3-FD61-4080-8550-64738F9159F8%7d&DE=%7b0FA70E7F-8E92-4029-B491-ED566C632BB0%7d It was damaged quite a lot during Hurricane Frances in 2004. The project is supposed to take 18 months but Benny’s on the Beach is open.

We had noticed that a little south of this beach area was a hot spot for surfers and while looking around the Internet we fell on this site with photos of kids surfing on Lake Worth Beach so thought I would include it here http://www.geofffox.com/gallery/Surfing-off-Lake-Worth-Pier-Florida/IMG_3071 Some nice photography there.

In the photo below you can barely see two sailboats way out in the ocean. We are sure there are other areas of Lake Worth just waiting for us to explore another time. Hope you enjoyed this visit.

Movin’ On Up

2008-09-07T23:58:00.006-04:00

Yes we have moved up the road a piece. We have left Fort Lauderdale for West Palm Beach. For those of you who don’t know the area, it is about 45 miles north of Fort Lauderdale and still on the Atlantic Coast. The photo above shows the Intracoastal Waterway and across is Palm Beach and then the ocean.

Because of the move and all the things that one has to do when one moves, we have not posted to our blog in almost two months. Can’t believe how time has gone by.

We have been riding some and have taken a few photos. It is quite beautiful here too. Downtown West Palm Beach is very scooter friendly and we see lots of other people scootering around the city. The town really has a big city flavor with all the tall buildings. Many are new and many are restored. A great mixture of architecture and sitting right on the Intracoastal Waterway, which by the way is much wider here than in Fort Lauderdale. We love walking and riding along it.

There is a nice area on a street called Clematis where they have a park and a slew of water jets for kids to play in. There are usually at least a dozen little ones running and jumping and playing in the water. We took this picture early on a Sunday morning before the crowd arrived. It is a great way to cool off on a hot summer Florida day. And then stop by Sloans for an ice cream.

The roads along the ocean in Palm Beach are spectacular for riding. On One side of the two lane road there is the ocean, a huge turquoise blue spreading out for miles and on the other side of the road sits mansion after mansion in park like settings. A truly spectacular ride.

We are excited to have lots of new places to discover. Now that we are back in the swing of things, we should be posting pretty regularly. We have also missed out on reading a lot of our favorite scooter blogs. We're back!

Key Largo and Islamorada

2008-07-13T18:02:00.006-04:00

We went down to Key Largo to do some snorkeling and thought to share some of our photos with you. Of course Heinz and Frenchie were not along for the trip. We talked about that in our last post. They were parked in the garage that weekend. We missed them but we had a great time anyway.

We went out on a catamaran named Quicksilver. The boat takes a group out to two different coral reefs and you have about an hour or more in each spot. The waters in the keys are so blue and so warm. It is such a pleasure to be out in the ocean swimming with exotic fish. Wish we had an underwater camera along with us, but we didn’t think of that. I think they sell cheap ones to the tourists for just such an occasion.

We stayed at the Ramada, right at the little cove where all the fishing and diving and snorkeling boats are moored. Here is a photo of the hotel and the small harbor.

One cannot go to Key Largo without taking a photo of the African Queen from the Bogart movie. So here it is.

We toured the Key Largo Grande Resort and Beach Club and had dinner there. This is a view from the balcony at the restaurant. Spectacular place and they preserved so much of the natural vegetation. Here is a link if you want to see it. http://www.keylargoresort.com/?src=sl_keywestcom_mainlink It is truly a beautiful place and the website is great! You will need some big bucks if you want to stay there. In our next life!

We continued down South to Islamorada. A truly beautiful area. Here is a link for more info. http://fla-keys.com/islamorada/ where we visited the World Wide Sportsman store. It is like visiting a museum of everything fishing related. We could spend hours just looking at all the equipment. They also have a fascinating aquarium. "World Wide Sportsman was designated as a Certified Audubon International Signature Sanctuary on September 22, 1998 and celebrates over ten years of environmental stewardship and protection." For more information, go to: http://www.auduboninternational.org/

The wild birds are really beautiful and we were fascinated with this lovely white thief. I think it is a white heron. He had a brush of teal blue around the eyes that looked like he applied make up especially for this photo session. And he was quite tall when he decided to give it a stretch. He was hanging out in the bait room hoping to steal a little from an unsuspecting customer.

Could not resist taking this photo of a tired old pelican, hope he is retired, and a proud little sea gull. Since our knowledge of birds is limited, if we didn't call these guys right, feel free to let us know.

Hope you enjoyed this and that it gave you some inspiration to visit the Florida Keys.

Roaming The Canals

2008-06-28T22:59:00.006-04:00

One of things we enjoy doing on the weekends is just taking off and roaming around the canals of our area. One can ride over a small bridge and voila there is a gorgeous big boat just sitting there.

There are many beautiful yachts like these.

And usually where you find boats one finds pelicans. These guys were just hanging around hoping someone would drop some fish on them. And someone usually does.

We were riding in an area called Harbor Beach, very upscale, when a guy steps out into the street and flags us down. We thought, oh no, he is probably going to give us some grief for riding on his street. But he wanted to let us know about a Vespa group here in South Florida called the Southeast Florida Scooters. He gave us their card and told us how to contact them. We talked a while and then he got back to his business of installing a window in a house and we got back to our scenic ride.

This is how strange life is. The next week we get an email from a lady who found our blog and wanted to invite us to the same Vespa group here in South Florida. She had actually seen us riding in Victoria Park, a lovely residential area of East Fort Lauderdale. Seems the club is really very organized and they do lots of social events. In case anyone local wants to get in touch with them here is the link to their Yahoo group.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/SouthEastFloridaScooters/

They go on fairly long trips, in fact they were planning a trip to Key West. So we will check it out, but getting on any major highway on our scooters is not a choice we would make at this time. We just started riding in October of last year so we are pretty cautious. Don’t know how many of you have visited Florida, but voting is not the only thing we screw up. We have some of the worst drivers in the country.

The group meets frequently at a place called The Cove Restaurant and Marina in Deerfield Beach. It is a nice place, here is a link to the website. http://www.thecoverestaurant.com/

We ride up to Deerfield occasionally and in the past we have posted some nice beach shots from Deerfield Beach on our blog. So we plan to ride up there some weekend and see The Cove.

Peacocks Again

2008-06-14T21:46:00.010-04:00

Last November we wrote about discovering some peacocks living right near downtown. We thought they were awesome. Then we found these beauties walking around in another neighborhood several miles north of downtown.

We were riding in an area called Wilton Manors when what do we see but peacocks. These guys were just amazing. They were right at home in this neighborhood. We laughed as they were strolling around visiting their neighbors, checking out the carport, looking in the glass doors, and parading on the patio among the plants. Nothing seemed to faze them. They ignored us, acted like we were not even there. These guys were used to being kings and queens of the hill.

South Fork Middle River runs along this particular neighborhood. In fact Wilton Manors is often called the Island City because it is surrounded and bordered by the North and South Forks of the Middle River. The landscaping here is quite beautiful and shows how the residents take pride in their homes.

The view up the river was so pretty as you can see in these photos. We parked at the end of one of the small streets which dead end at the river.

It was a great ending to a day of riding, very peaceful surroundings. We almost did not want to leave and go home. But the peacocks had already staked out their territory and we were only allowed to visit and look and take a few photos.

Our Friend and His Co Pilot

2008-06-10T17:40:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago we talked about our friend, Luciano, and his new scooter purchase. He bought a Roketa Maui 50GL. We were trying to help him out with the color, but as it turned out, the dealer only had blue so that solved that problem quickly. It is beautiful in blue!

How cute is his Co-Pilot, Isabella??

Luciano loves the new scooter and sent us these photos to share with everyone. He wrote that he was already thinking about upgrading to more power. We know how that is, because we spent a lot of time before making our decision. And even though we don't put the metal to the pedal, it is good to be able to keep up with the traffic and we like to have that extra pick up for taking off at an intersection.

Thanks Luciano for sending us the great pics. Anyone else out there is welcome to send some too. We enjoy hearing from fellow two wheelers.

15th Street Fisheries

2008-05-24T19:17:00.012-04:00

Today we rode south just a bit and had lunch at the 15th Street Fisheries at Lauderdale Marina. It is an old established eatery located right on the Intracoastal Waterway. They have a website with their menus, check it out. http://www.15streetfisheries.com/index.html

People arrive by boat, personal water craft, and water taxi as well as cars and two wheels. We took a picture of someone’s Kymco scooter, brand new, nice silver one, with a case on the back that had a sticker saying Tow Away US so we think it probably belonged to one of the guys that worked for one of the many towing companies that park at the marina. We saw about a half dozen tow boats hanging around, guess they are waiting for someone to need their services.

Along with great food you can watch the boat traffic on the waterway, admire the mansions and the happenings at the marina.

The restaurant is quite large and has several unique areas. We ate at one of the outdoor patios. It has glass squares in the flooring so one can watch the fish swim under your feet. Pretty neat! And a wide open view of the Intracoastal waterway and the 17th Street Causeway bridge.

There are upstairs dining rooms that are more formal with great views of the Intracoastal. And a downstairs dining room as well as another outside patio dining area on the other side of the restaurant.

We started with an order of oysters on the half shell and have to say that they were some of the best we have had this season. Then we had grilled shrimp and lobster kabobs with small whole mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and pineapple pieces served over rice. Very tasty. Then we could not resist a chocolate torte for dessert. We are sure that we left there several pounds heavier, fortunately our Vespa 150’s had no trouble hauling us home.

Just outside the front entrance is a small fish pond with beautiful Japanese Koi fish. Some of them are quite large and so very colorful. We took a few photos of them.

This weekend we have a nice long 3 days so hopefully we can get some riding in. The weather is not too great in the afternoons so we try to ride in the mornings. Today we were lucky in that we got home right before 4PM and the bottom dropped out with thunder and lightening at 4. Talk about good timing.

First Dip of the Year

2008-05-10T21:07:00.005-04:00

Wednesday of this past week we took off work early and went to the beach. It was our first dip of the season. We are wimps and wait for the water to warm up. It is rare that we make it into the ocean before May so we are pretty much on schedule. Also the summer months are wonderful at the beach as the snow birds are gone and there is plenty of sun, sand and surf for us regulars. It was absolutely perfect Wednesday. The tide was out so that meant that along the shore the shallow water was quite warm. One could walk way out into the ocean and still not have the water over your head. And the sun was nice and warm without being brutal. One of those days when we say to ourselves, “This is why we live in Florida”.

One of the fun things Wednesday was to watch the large pelican birds dive for fish. They are so beautiful and look like bomber planes zeroing in on a target. There must have been a lot of little fish swimming around as we did not see any larger ones, but the pelicans were all around and diving frequently. We kept hoping they would not mistake us for a big fish.

A friend of our just bought a new scooter, (Roketa Maui 50GL), and has already emailed us that he has put 70 miles in 4 days just running around in his neighborhood. I bet he thinks up errands to run so he can ride it. We were emailing back and forth for a week or more as he was trying to decide what to buy and then what color to get. It was funny because he wrote us to ask our opinion of the color. The choices were Red, Yellow, or Blue. Afraid our answer just made it more difficult. We told him that the blue one was very pretty, the red one was more orange, the yellow was nice and bright and the advantage of the red and yellow is that you would be more easily seen on the road. Poor Guy! Well it got settled by the dealer, as they only had blue in stock, so blue it was. The blue one was really the nicest of the colors so he lucked out.

For the past week or so when we finish tennis, there has been a silver Kymco People scooter parked next to us. We park near the bike racks so the poor bicycle riders are being crowded a bit. But we always park far enough away from the racks so we do leave them open for the cyclists. We usually play early at 7:45AM but today were playing at 9AM so up rides the Kymco at about the same time as us. We were happy to meet and exchange stories about our scooters. He had bought his scooter second hand from a lady that hardly rode it and had just had it serviced. It is a 2 stoke so he was telling us that it goes up to 42 miles per hour instead of the 30 plus with the 4 stroke machines. He said that comes in handy when he has to take a short strip of a busy road on the way to the tennis club.

Our scooters have attracted quite a bit of attention and the first question everyone asks is, “how many miles to the gallon?” When we tell them, we can see them calculating how much money they would save if they bought a scooter. We expect to see more scooters at the tennis club soon.

Demise of the Small Family Budget Hotels on Fort Lauderdale Beach

2008-05-02T16:17:00.017-04:00

Beach front accommodations on Fort Lauderdale Beach are fast becoming Out-of-Price for the average family on vacation in our area.

For the past few years small economical family style lodging have been bulldozed in favor of luxury high rise hotels with nightly room rates in the thousand dollar bracket. And now two more small, moderate hotels, the Avalon and the Tropic Cay are going to bite the dust in the coming year. I guess the city approval has already been granted.

The Avalon is advertised as one of the Waterfront Inns and is situated right on A1A facing the Atlantic Ocean with a standard room going for $99. You can get a bigger room or a one bedroom suite for a little more, but you had better hurry as their appointment with the Wrecking Ball is eminent. This small hotel offers 70 uniquely decorated rooms in 4 different low rise buildings featuring relaxed antebellum décor.

The second upcoming fatality is the Tropic Cay, which sits right next door to the Avalon and offers a standard room for only $89. Guess they had the misfortune to be in the line of fire by being next to the Avalon, or maybe visa versa. There are a total of only 43 guest rooms in the two story hotel, so it would be hard to get lost there.

In place of the above two small hotels will be an ultra modern resort, 22 stories high and 30 stories long called the Ocean Wave. Here is an artist rendering of the proposed hotel.

On one side of the new resort is the 25 story Q Club Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort that just opened one year ago.

On the other side is the new 24-story Trump Tower, under construction and scheduled to open later this year or early next year.

Just down the beach about a block further is the new St Regis Resort. Any of these hotels will set you back a few k's in a short visit.

The biggest fiasco was the destruction of a historical hotel called the Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel to build a new luxury condo. It was Fort Lauderdale's first art deco hotel dating back to 1936 and was designed by Roy F. France, architect of over 40 Miami Beach art deco and postmodern hotels. A dozen of France's hotels have been demolished, but 20 still remain.

Thru herculean efforts by the historical society, the developer agreed to preserve the front façade of the hotel. The results is shown below and certainly does not resemble the historic little art hotel it once was.

And opening in October 2008 is the luxury W Hotel and Residences.

There are still a few, like maybe 4 small hotels left on the beach, otherwise you have to go back a few blocks to find something decent for a moderate price.

One of the survivors is the Sea Club Hotel on the Fort Lauderdale Beach. It has a cute, open 2nd floor deck facing the ocean, where one can have a drink or eat a bite and watch the beach happenings.

There are others that will have to wait for another day and another post.

The Biker, unknown author

2008-04-23T21:45:00.003-04:00

We found this while browsing Craig's List and wanted to share it with you. None of the words are ours. And we do not know who wrote this, but it has an impact and if it makes just one person think twice about a biker then it has served it's purpose.

THE BIKER

I saw you, hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line. But, you didn't see me, put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you, pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk. But, you didn't see me, playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you, change your mind about going into the restaurant. But, you didn't see me, attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you, roll up your window and shake your head when I rode by. But, you didn't see me, riding behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you, frown at me when I smiled at your children. But, you didn't see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you, stare at my long hair. But, you didn't see me, and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you, roll your eyes at our leather jackets and gloves. But, you didn't see me, and my brothers donate our old ones to those that had none.

I saw you, look in fright at my tattoos. But, you didn't see me, cry as my children were born and have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you, change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere. But, you didn't see me, going home to be with my family.

I saw you, complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be. But, you didn't see me, when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you, yelling at your kids in the car. But, you didn't see me, pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you, reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road. But, you didn't see me, squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you, race down the road in the rain. But, you didn't see me, get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you, run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time. But, you didn't see me, trying to turn right.

I saw you, cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But, you didn't see me, leave the road.

I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass. But, you didn't see me. I wasn't there.

I saw you, go home to your family. But, you didn't see me. Because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker. A person with friends and a family. But, you didn't see me.

Re-send this around in hopes that people will understand the biker community.

EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE US, RESPECT OUR RIGHTS TO RIDE WHAT WE CHOOSE AND TAKE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS TO BE SURE WE'RE NOT IN 'YOUR' WAY - LIVE TO RIDE . . . RIDE TO LIVE

Police Motorcycle Rodeo

2008-04-12T21:16:00.028-04:00

We got a real treat today as we attended the Southeast Police Motorcycle Rodeo. It was free and open to the public and was held in Pompano Beach in a large parking area of a shopping center.

The course looked tough and so many traffic cones were set up that we wondered how they did not get lost in the maze.

According to some of the riders, the course was very challenging. They were identical to those used for training police officers.

There were some 100 plus motorcycle officers participating in the event. Many came from quite far away, like the Carolinas, New Jersey and even Canada. Most were men but we did see one female competing. There may have been more but we did not stay all day.

They rode and competed for 8 hours, a long day in the hot Florida sun.

The rules were pretty tough, like you can't touch a cone or put their foot down. The riders were commenting how tight some of the exercises were.

According to one rider "You can turn the bike in a 360-degree circle. Harley Davidson designed it to do that within 18 feet. If a circle is designated at 19 feet, you don't have much room for error.

Members of The Wings of Gold Motorcycle Club served as volunteer judges for the event. They were on top of it, watching each rider and making hand signals as to the success or failure of the riders. We got this photo of the back of their vest.

There was also this huge Harley trailer truck that was almost a block long and sitting in front of it was a 2008 Harley Davidson XLH Sportster 883 that will be raffled at the end of the event. The badge painted on the side was pretty impressive too.

One officer from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina, was impressed with the setup. He said one of the courses was called the “Fun Run” and it was quite challenging and very tricky. He mentioned that the cone patterns were so tight and hard to turn and that he laid his bike down, but was not hurt, just his ego suffered a slight scrape.

We could hear the metal scraping the cement parking lot on the turns and it was amazing to see them handle those big machines. The way they moved their bodies to manipulate thru the tight swerves was almost like a dance. It was really something to see.

Most deputies and sheriffs are riding Harley Davidsons which weigh 750 to 800 pounds so it is extremely difficult to turn them in an 18-19 foot radius. All the exercises were a testament of their skills with the heavy motorcycles.

Our Vespas weigh about 250 pounds so it is amazing to think of them handling 3 times that weight. It was thrilling to watch.

As we were leaving we saw a mounted police on a horse. Quite the contrast. Talk about horse power!

Lookin For Love in all the Wrong Places

2008-04-02T19:57:00.008-04:00

Well our area has made national headlines this week. It seems that it is Mating Season for Alligators and they are making their way onto local roads and college campuses lookin fer luv.

Here is a link to the story as well as some related links on gators. A fun read.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbgator0402sbapr02,0,3827798.story

There is even a map to show where one of the big guys was sunning along side of State Rd 441. He caused a traffic jam as people were slowing down to see him.

Rainy Easter Weekend and Pompano Beach Pier Renovation drags on and on and on

2008-03-28T12:12:00.012-04:00

Wow how time gets away from us. We were gone only 4 days and and now we feel like we are two weeks behind. Easter came and went, and we left South Florida for Louisiana where we had absolutely fabulous weather for the long Easter Holiday, sunny, in the 70's and no humidity, while our fellow Floridians unfortunately were soaking it up, but not in the sun. It rained and blew for the whole Easter weekend here in South Florida. We always feel badly for the tourists that are spending their hard earned dollars for some sun and sand and instead are getting rain and wind. But that is Florida for you, it is a real crap shoot. And we can certainly help with that too. We have the casinos here, so one can gamble what there is left of their bank account. The Seminoles and Broward County are more than happy to accommodate them.

Not too long ago we wrote about some of the nice fishing piers here in South Florida. Well, the one in Pompano Beach is having its share of political fallout and fall in the ocean. Seems that the pier is under renovation and was supposed to be finished in December, but the last news has not been good. The Pompano Beach pier that closed sometime last Fall did not reopen at year's end as scheduled.

Commissioners postponed renewing Dania Pier Management's contract in early January to temporarily manage the parking lot and the still-to-be-rebuilt bait shop and snack bar. Dania Pier Management paid the city $36,000 for rights to those concessions for a year, ending in December 2007, when those buildings and a separate shuttered restaurant were demolished.
At the meeting it was decided that the city manager would review the procurement process for the concessions. If the commission requests another round of bids, it could be months before baited lines are dropped into the sea. Word is there is no deadline, but the city is supposed to be moving quickly. Ever heard of a government body moving quickly? More like Quick Sand!

Finally on March 20th the pier was partially opened for fishing and strolling. The bait shop and the restaurant are still in the planning stages, but the restroom will be open and free parking temporarily while the construction continues. Thoughts are that the work on the pier alone will be in progress thru August. So a restaurant and bait shop will certainly be a long time coming. City officials are still negotiating with representatives of MCK Restaurants Inc., which is affiliated with Bonefish Mac's grill of Lighthouse Point regarding a restaurant. Who knows about the bait shop? For the time being, bring your own.

Here is a quote from a grieving local,
"Was Fisherman's Wharf run down? Yes. Was the clientele a problem? Maybe for some. Was the restaurant/menu good? Not really. Was the music good? You bet. Were the patrons friendly? Yes. Was the staff friendly? Yes. Was it a great place to meet up with friends? Absolutely. Did the pier attract customers from all walks of life? Definitely. Was the pier a busy place most every day of the week? For sure. For me Fisherman's Wharf was a great local place, and I'll miss the diversity of the people that visited there."

This is what the pier is supposed to look like when it is finally finished.

C'est La Vie in South Florida

Birch State Park

2008-03-16T22:56:00.014-04:00

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is located just between the ocean and the Intracoastal right on one of the most popular beaches in Fort Lauderdale.

The land was given to the city by Hugh Taylor Birch to preserve the natural environment for the future. He has quite a story. He was a lawyer in Chicago and came to Fort Lauderdale in 1893 looking for a secluded place to build his retirement home. He bought ocean front property for a dollar an acre and ended up owning 3 ½ miles of ocean front land. By the time he built his home in Fort Lauderdale, he was 90 years old. The house that he built is a simple two story sort of Art Deco style. I don’t believe that he actually ever got to live in it. Now it is a small museum called the Terramar Visitor Center.

There is a pedestrian tunnel running under A1A that goes from the park on the West side of the road to the beach on the East, or you can risk your life crossing A1A by foot. A1A is a 4 lane street with parking and sidewalks on both sides so there is a lot of traffic both on wheels and foot.

Until recently parking was free on this strip of the beach. Can you imagine, free beach parking?? But alas greed won out and the city installed “Smart Park” meters where you purchase a ticket and place it on your dashboard. The price, a hefty $1.75 an hour! To appease the local peons, (we were in an uproar over the meters) the city offered parking passes if you lived in the city limits for $5.00 a year. Guess they don’t feel guilty about sticking it to the tourists or the western suburbanites. In order to get one of these prized passes, one has to bring proof of residency, a Florida drivers license and take a blood test, no just kidding about the blood test. But they are rigid about the proof of residency.

Funny Beach Pass story; a friend of ours got his beach parking pass and went to the beach to walk with us one morning. First he had trouble using the machine, lucky that we were there to give him a crash course in parking meter manipulation. When we returned from our walk, he discovered that he had a parking ticket. What the hell? Guess what. He put the ticket on his dash like you are supposed to do, but with the time stamp facing down. Guess this system is just too complicated for us. He had to go to the parking ticket office with his proof of purchase and they finally let him off the hook. I wonder how many of these incidences they face each day?

Oh well back to the park. There is a 2-mile paved loop that is perfect for walking, jogging, skating, or riding a bike or our scooters. Also several hiking trails run through various native habitats. There are 3 different pavilions for picnics and the part of the park that runs along the Intracoastal is great for watching boats and cooking out. There are picnic tables scattered all around. And dogs are allowed so people have their hounds and their kids; it is a great family place.

The West side of the park borders the Intracoastal and lots of people picnic there and watch the boats. One sees everything from big sail boats to yachts to fishing boats to the functional water taxi. Somedays it can seem like a traffic jam on the water. But the boats are not allowed to stop at the park. Guess they don't have anyone to take their money, so no docks on the Intracoastal side of the park.

There is a PDF brochure at this link http://www.floridastateparks.org/hughtaylorbirch/docs/brochure.pdf

One of the neat things that we discovered on the Florida Park’s website was that they have a photography contest every year and show some of the winners. You will appreciate the beauty of some of these images. They are quite spectacular. Check it out. http://www.floridastateparks.org/PhotoContest/default.cfm

You can rent a canoe and paddle along a mile long fresh water lagoon. The coastal hammock trail provides an up close look at many exotic plants and an occasional wild inhabitant. We have been living here for many years and never realized all the different activities that go on in this park. They just opened a concession at the main beachside entrance that rents Segways, and gives a Segway tour, been wanting to try one of those. They also rent bicycles and tandem bikes.

Camp Live Oak is an educational environmental day camp for children ages 5 to 13. The next camp event is called “Leave No Trace” spring program that will run from March 31st – April 4th. The kids get to experience hands-on environmental science projects while canoeing, fishing, hiking, swimming and having fun at the park. They have their own website: http://www.campliveoakfl.com/

So if you find yourself with nothing to do one weekend, a trip to the Birch State Park is a great bang for your buck. In fact Florida has a State Park’s Pass that allows you free admission to any Florida State park and costs only $40 a year for an individual and $80 a year for a family. There are 160 parks in our state covering 700,000 acres and 100 miles of white sandy beach.

Since July the state has made available a Florida State Park Passport. Each of Florida’s 160 award-winning state parks is represented on a page of the passport and visitors document their state park visits with a stamp. They are hoping that once you get one stamp you will be motivated to visit many other state parks and fill up your passport.

Josh Rogers, of Scoot Magazine injured....

2008-03-08T19:38:00.007-05:00

On March 2nd Josh Rogers, publisher of Scoot Magazine. was injured in a collision with a Lexus during the Vespa Club Los Gatos' (Calif) monthly ride. He was airlifted to a local hospital and is being treated for multiple serious injuries. They say he is looking at about a 9 month recovery period. Scooter-Relief.org , a wonderful organization, has created a Josh Rogers Accident Fund to which you can donate, and made code available to embed on your web site or MySpace page. You can also get updates on his condition there on Gregory's blog. Amy the Hearse Queen has posted pictures of the accident aftermath on her MySpace blog. All help is appreciated. I got this information thanks to Orin O'Neill of the Scootin Old School blog. You can get updates on his condition at the Scoot Magazine blog. NEW..Silent Auction to benefit Josh Rogers..Check it out..there are some neat things being offered and you may have something to offer yourself. Let's all lend a helping hand.

Tennis Anyone?

2008-03-03T21:57:00.011-05:00

We have a famous, world renown, public tennis center right near downtown Fort Lauderdale inside Holiday Park. The Jimmy Evert Tennis Center (JETC) is located just minutes from the world famous Fort Lauderdale Beach in the lush tropical setting of Holiday Park.

The Jimmy Evert Tennis Center was managed for 49 years by none other than Jimmy Evert, the father of former # 1, Chris Evert. We have to say that he is one great gentleman and is loved by all who come in contact with him. His love of tennis and this facility made for a very special place for all of us to enjoy the sport. We can remember when he would walk the courts with towels in hand after a rain delay to soak up puddles so that players could get back on the courts as soon as possible. No job was beneath him. When he retired in 1997, the City of Fort Lauderdale honored its “Patriarch of Tennis” by renaming the former Holiday Park Tennis Center to its present name, the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center. Since his retirement there has not been one person who could come close to his dedication to the center, the sport and it’s membership.

Since the JETC is a public facility, membership fees are kept low due to the fact that property taxes contribute to the maintenance of the center. Since the majority of the courts are clay, there is a hefty maintenance bill. If you live in the city limits of Fort Lauderdale an adult membership is only $212.00 per year for all the tennis you can physically play. And if you are a Senior then it is only $185.50. Couples are only $365.70 and Families are 418.70 for the year. And added to that benefit is the fact that you can also play at George English Tennis Center with your membership. Tennis is really a bargain in our area and we take advantage of it, playing several times a week. Imagine playing on clay courts all year at that rate, it is amazing when you think about it.

The Jimmy Evert Tennis Center has 18 lighted clay courts and 3 hard courts, while George English, which is within a mile east, has 7 lighted hard courts. Both of these centers are close to the beaches. The Center hosts several tournaments each year, like the USTA National Open Clay Court Championships coming up in May of this year. Both the Boy’s 14 and Girl’s 12 clay court championships are hosted here. The Girl's 12 was just held last weekend. And these tiny tots taking lessons are the future of tennis in our area.

There is such a warm atmosphere here at the JETC. Some people have been coming here for many years and even when they no longer play the game, they come and visit with everyone and watch the tennis. This is one of the few tennis facilities where you can walk up with your racket in hand and pick up a cordial game of tennis in a matter of minutes. Many times there are players looking for a 4th for their doubles game and will welcome you in. Tennis is such a great social sport and the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center is a prime example of how wonderful it can be to play the game of tennis.

The club house was built new around 1996 and is still a rather simple homey building. Inside the club house you can browse the photos of all the famous tennis players who have graced the halls here. You hope that just a tad of that skill will rub off on you as you pass. JETC is called the “Home of Champions”.

Gone to The Dogs Today

2008-02-24T22:37:00.018-05:00

With the temperature hitting the mid 80's today, yes it is Florida winter, it was definitely a dog's day so we had to get back to Snyder Bark Park and get a few more candid shots. Is there any other kind with dogs? We thought we would share them with you. This smart hound decided it was too hot to jump thru, better to walk around it.

Baby, Mommy, and dog all out for a warm Florida day.

Baby sitting is a hot job and one has to take a break and cool off. Instead of taking a drink he decided to be the drink. Thirsty anyone?

A warning that the obstacle course and agility equipment is for the dogs ONLY. Never ceases to amaze us what we humans have to be told.

A day at the Bark Park would not be complete without visiting the lake and watching the dogs swim and play in the water. They were having a great time today. The gang was all there.

Catch me if you can.

Frisbee anyone?

We actually ran into a friend and her dog from our tennis club, which is another post coming soon. Her dog was so funny, she would swim out and get the ball and then swim back to the shore and dig a hole in the bank and try to hide the ball from the other dogs. Here she is looking for a hiding place and then hard at work digging out a little cave for the ball. She wanted the ball to be there when she came back.

At the end of the play date, they get a good bath and we think they probably really need it.

These beauties were politely waiting their turn to romp in the lake.

As we said, this was a dog's day.

Snyder Park

2008-02-17T23:43:00.016-05:00

Today we decided to take a run (a whole 10 minutes) south to Snyder Park. A 93-acre oasis near downtown and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It was a beautiful day for riding and the park was sublime.

Nice small rustic pavilions like this one hanging out over one of the many lakes, are perfect for that intimate picnic.

This is one of the larger pavilions, some can accommodate up to 6,000 people, including a 400-square-foot dance floor. Every month they offer nature programs and you can schedule guided educational tours through the park.

One of the really entertaining things to do is watch the dogs swim. They have their own private dog lake and beach. This is probably one of the only parks that have such sophisticated facilites for dogs. We were watching these 3 hounds race for a ball. Notice that the blonde dog is behind as they are swimming out to get a ball and yet he ended up with the ball. That's a happy puppy.

We have to go back again as Snyder Park includes a 2 acre Bark Park with separate facilities for small and large dogs to run leash-free. And we didn’t get a chance to take photos there. They have drinking fountains at dog and human levels, picnic tables, agility equipment, leash stations, two hose stations where one can wash off the dogs before returning home. It’s really a dog’s life here.

But they don't forget the humans, there is a freshwater beach that is open in the summers. Since we are in February, no bathers. If the water is not 70+ degrees we Floridians don't find it fit for swimming. If you are brave enough you can have your own private beach.

Two spring-fed lakes offer Bass fishing, but we just enjoyed the view.

There are beautiful nature trails throughout the park, just not made for two wheelers. So the two footers got to go exploring the wild vegetation and Heinz and Frenchie played the waiting game.

A fun day was enjoyed by all and plans to return in the near future are already in the works. Hope you enjoyed it too.

Scooter Article from our Sunday paper

2008-02-10T17:08:00.000-05:00

This article was in our Sunday morning Business section. It is quite interesting. One shop claims to be selling 100 Chinese scooters a week. We find that a bit hard to believe. But we do know that the price of Vespas keeps many away.

Here is the link: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzscooterboxa0210sbfeb10,0,3555372.story

Dania Beach

2008-02-10T16:31:00.000-05:00

Dania Beach is a small seaside community that was originally a settlement called Modello inhabited mostly by Danish people. Then in 1904 the town was incorporated and since the 35 families living there were Danes, they renamed their village Dania. Unfortunately disaster stuck the area in the form of fires, embezzlers and a devastating hurricane in 1926.

For years between the 1020’s and 1940 Dania was known as the “tomato capital of the world”. But that too faded and slowly the area has become known for its antiques. The town has a wealth of historic architecture and a variety of architectural styles. People come from all over to shop the antiques.

In 1998 the city commission changed the name to Dania Beach to capitalize on its miles of natural beaches. There is a very nice slide presentation showcasing Dania Beach at this link: http://www.ci.dania-beach.fl.us/index.asp?nid=108

The marine industry is booming in Dania Beach and we stopped by one of the marinas to look at this racing boat. Nice to look at but a bit too pricey for our wallet and too fast for our taste. Right now 40 mph on the Vespas seems to be our limit.

The beaches are beautiful and the most natural of the area as the over development of high rises has not yet invaded these beaches. Hopefully they can retain the quaint natural quality of their beaches.

On the beach side is the fishing pier with a bait shop and a brand new restaurant with 2 bars. Here is a nice photo that I got from the Dania Beach website. The restaurant, called Beach Watch has their own website at this link, http://beach-watch.com/ We have not tried it yet but it is on our list of things to do in Dania Beach. This photo does not show the dining area over the water so visit their website to see it. They are promoting a Valentine's Day dinner and the menu is making our mouths water as we write. Read it and you will want to hop on down.

Along the Intracoastal they have a nice long boardwalk and parks for families to enjoy. They come with their kids to fish from the walkways or watch the boats go by or someone water skiing. It is such an non-commercialized area, no one is trying to sell you something, everyone is just there for the peaceful atmosphere. There are picnic tables and bar-b-ques so families can bring their picnics and cook out.

Dania Beach also has a famous State Park, which is another post. Hope you enjoyed this one. Happy and Safe Riding.

Riding in Rio Visa and eating Oysters on the half

2008-02-04T15:40:00.000-05:00

Rio Vista is one of the oldest communities in Fort Lauderdale. The neighborhood has over 1,000 homes and is situated next to downtown Ft. Lauderdale. With the tree-lined streets, side walks and unique architecture, you soon realize the beauty and history of Rio Vista. We found this small serene street facing a canal and decided it would be a great place to stop and take some photos.

We especially liked this tree.

At one end of the canal there is a fountain in the middle, don't know if it shows up very well in this photo.

We continued on over to Cordova Street to the Southport Raw Bar, which is a neighborhood favorite with a lot of history of it's own. A place with lots of character, not to be missed. Check out their website, http://southportrawbar.com/

There is a deck out back for casual dining and watching the boats come in and out of the canal. This is our view from the deck.

We had the best oysters on the half shell for only $9.95 a dozen, that is a bargain here in this closely guarded secret spot. Guess it is no longer much of a secret. Right next door is a marina so there is always lots of boat traffic here. The canal goes out to the Intracoastal so the boats can take that out to sea.

A fun place to watch people and have great fresh seafood at the same time.

Historic Swing Bridge in Sailboat Bend

2008-01-27T22:37:00.000-05:00

We went back to visit historical Sailboat Bend as we wanted to witness the opening and closing of a swing bridge over the New River that is 83 years old.

Built in 1925 the Snow-Reed Bridge is the oldest operating metal pony truss swing bridge in the state of Florida. A real piece of history just blocks from where we live. The bridge was named after two Fort Lauderdale mayors that served during the construction.

When the bridge was originally built there were deer grazing and Indians hunting along the banks of the New River. Now you can see that there are houses with their boats parked behind them on the river. How life changes.

Today, the bridge is a part of the 400 block of Southwest 11th Avenue, which connects historic neighborhoods of Sailboat Bend and Riverside Park. The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society has designated the bridge as historic property #19.

We wanted to post a few photos of the bridge actually closing to help you get a feel for how it works. It was amazing to stand there just a few feet from the edge and watch the bridge slide into place at the end of the road.

The bridge tender has a tiny little house photographed here. That little spot that you see on the side of the house is the plaque, pictured above, from the historical society

When a boat approaches, the bridge operator, a woman today, leaves the operator's house at the north end and walks to the center of the bridge. From there, the operator lowers the barricades and swings the bridge open and shut. During a power outage, the bridge can be swung open by hand.

A few months ago there was a scandal relating to the bridge tender and this swing bridge. A local reporter enamored with the bridge decided to do a small story on the bridge. He went to talk to the bridge tender and when he did his story, she got fired for talking to him. That created a bigger story and led to an investigation that discovered that the city was outsourcing the job of tending the bridge to the tune of almost $140k a year. The company was paying the bridge tender $9 an hour. Do the math.

If you are interested to know the fate of the poor lady who got fired you can follow some of these links. It is a good human interest story.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-ralphbridgetender,0,6984193.column

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-0729curtiss,0,2065368,full.column

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/features/columnists/papi/blog/2007/08/your_thoughts_on_jeanie_the_br.html

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2007/07/

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

2008-01-20T11:57:00.000-05:00

Just a few minutes ride north up A1A is Lauderdale-by-the Sea, a charming seaside village located on a barrier island just north of Fort Lauderdale Beach. Until the Real Estate boom, this was a quiet charming old Florida destination where gentle breezes tossed your hair (if you still have some) and pelicans fly overhead.

The most popular spot is where Commercial Blvd. dead ends into the Ocean. The beach is nice and wide and hosts restaurants, shops and a fishing pier.

Famous Anglin's Pier, one of just four piers in Broward County, (another story) is also a popular spot with anglers and tourists. The pier has a quaint coffee shop at the beginning and then extends way out into the ocean.

This is an article that appeared in the New York Post back in March.
ANGLERS COME UP BIG PIER FISHING IN FLORIDA

March 2, 2007 -- YOU DON'T have to spend a fortune to enjoy exciting fishing. In fact, it could happen just by sitting at the end of a pier.
Anglers who make their way south in the winter can tell you that pier fishing along the Florida coast can offer the unexpected. Last month, Jeffrey Dillon caught a goliath grouper estimated at more than 300 pounds while fishing off the Anglin's Fishing Pier at Lauderdale by the Sea. It took almost an hour to realize what he had on the end of his line.
"Somebody yelled, 'Get the net! We're gonna need a bigger net!' " Dillion said.
He eventually got the fish to land, where pictures were taken and the fish was released.
Pier fishing is a way of life for many. Anglin's Pier is located at the end of Commercial Boulevard in Lauderdale by the Sea. It opened in November 1963, and has been, and still is today, an important part of the city. The pier is close to the water, so if you like to use artificials, they can be worked pretty well from the height and angle from which you are fishing.
Anglin's Fishing Pier offers two types of fishing: sand and reef, and rock. From the bait house to the middle house is sand, and from the middle house out to the T is reef.
I've been there many times, and it's an inexpensive and fun place to fish.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is also listed as one of 8 great snorkeling spots in South Florida.

Commercial Boulevard and A1A, Lauderdale By The Sea
Something a little less formal then a park, one can just take a little walk either north or south of Anglin's Pier and swim out a couple hundred yards, where many kinds of fish, including nurse sharks, have been spotted. The prime spots for snorkeling here is a significant distance from the shore so snorkelers should be strong swimmers and bring a dive flag.

This was on one of the message boards:

There are three reef systems off Lauderdale-by=the-sea, depending how far out you wanna go. Don`t forget to bring dive flag even if snorkeling and watch out for fishing lines off Anglins pier. We`ve seen really thick schools of fish, huge Tarpon and huge Nurse sharks in 2 feet of water. Many, many rays, even close to the beaches. You can snorkel from dawn to dusk there without ever coming out of the water. Some of the reef is high enough to float over and look into. Great town for snorkeling. You know there`s Hammerheads there too, right??

Right on the sand across from Anglin’s Pier is the Aruba Café where you can just walk out of the water and stroll up and have a great meal. Fun and casual with great summer drinks and good food.

Beach Warning Flags

2008-01-12T22:50:00.000-05:00

Fort Lauderdale beach has some very nice looking lifeguard stands. They have a sort of futuristic look. The office chair pulled out on the front deck is a weird addition to the decor. It is the first time that we have seen that. Guess they wanted to try and relate to the tourists and see what it feels like to sit in an office, but can't imagine that many tourists have the ocean as their desk. Today was a beautiful day with a high of 82 degrees and a wonderful ocean breeze.

The flags flying are indicators of the swimming conditions. The yellow flag means that there are moderate surf conditions. Not too rough but not smooth either. But the purple flag is ominous and means that there are sea pests present in the water, it can mean jellyfish, sea lice or the dreaded man-of-war. So we did not test the waters. There are several colored flags that they can fly to inform us of the conditions. Here is a link to our Ocean Rescue website that gives current updates on the conditions. There is a neat color image for the different flags. One can log on before heading to the beach and find out if it is a good swimming day at the beach, or just a good day to be on the beach. http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/oceanrescue/index.asp

In the first photo you can see how close the water is to the road. We have had a lot of beach erosion so the beaches have really lost a lot of depth.

A Trip Around the World on a Scooter, the book, " In The Long Run A Hopeful World Odyssey" is Free Online

2008-01-08T19:51:00.000-05:00

We just discovered this and hope you find it as interesting and intriguing as we do.

Writer and photographer Thomas Martin Smith made a solo trip around the world on a scooter in 1983. It has taken him 12 years to write about it. We can now go on this adventure with him, for "free". Tom is publishing his entire 597-page, 450,000-word book about his adventure IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey for a limited time online, for free, for all of us to read.

The entire story... IN THE LONG RUN A Hopeful World Odyssey is NOW being published online exclusively on http://melawend.com FREE for the reading! Three chapters per week January 7 through April 21, 2008

Tell all your friends about it. Enjoy

Hollywood Beach

2008-01-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

Today we rode south to Hollywood, Florida, can you believe it? Most people in the world think that Hollywood is in California. Man are they misinformed.

Hollywood Beach has over two miles of a boardwalk that is free of motorized vehicles. So of course Heinz and Frenchie had to watch from the side. Bicyclists, runners, walkers, rollerbladers, and cute pedal type surrey buggies and bikes are available for rent and fun for the whole family. They have some fun pedal bikes where you are almost lying down and you have to pedal and steer with your feet, there are no handlebars. Kids love them and get the hang of it so quickly. Wish we had taken a picture of them. Maybe next time. This path is bordered by boutique hotels, charming shops, cafés and places to eat, all facing the ocean. Hollywood Beach is also a Wi-Fi Hotspot. There is a neat website http://www.visithollywood.org/ In fact we have it running in the background while we are writing this post. it has the sound of sea gulls and waves breaking on the beach. Nice….

At Christmas they have all kinds of celebrations, parades, music and entertainment. Here is an example of their décor. These Light Posts decorated with garlands and ribbons were all that were left today.

We had lunch at the beachside Marriot and enjoyed watching the people go by. It is a real show. You can see every size and shape and every age from infant to seniors, something for everyone.

Hollywood Beach is a great venue for families as the kids love it. When they are not in the ocean, or building castles in the sand, or pedaling the funny bikes, or playing miniature golf, they can have an ice cream or other treat. There are many many restaurants along the boardwalk, all facing the ocean and catering to every taste bud and most nationalities.

The weather today was great, sunny and somewhere in the 70’s. A perfect day for the beach. We sometimes feel guilty when we see the weather in the rest of the country. And we read all the blogs of riders braving the cold and the ice and the snow. Our beach hats off to you!

Sunny Holidays

2008-01-03T21:28:00.001-05:00

The holidays here in South Florida were warm and sunny and the beaches were a statement to that fact, wall to wall bodies soaking up the rays. We rode almost every day and put some miles on our scooters. We had our 625 mile revision just before the holidays and are happy to say that both Vespas are running great. No more squeaking!

We visited a park where the mangroves were so thick one could hardly see thru them. There was a wooden walkway just above the water so we walked along and took some interesting pics.

Of course scooters were not allowed on the boardwalks, but dogs were and we snapped one of this beauty.

There was a section of the park especially for dogs. In fact one guy was riding his bicycle on the boardwalk pulling his pooch in one of those covered wheeled carriers. It was funny to see. The dog was sitting up looking like a princess being carried on her portable throne. Too bad we did not get a photo of that, we were too busy laughing. Guess we have to go there again as I am sure pooch and courier are regulars.

There are docks everywhere in our area and these pictures remind me of the song “Sitin on the Dock of a Bay” by Otis Redding.

Well all good holidays come to an end and Wednesday was "Back To Reality" Day. Hope you all had a nice holiday.

Happy New Year to All

2007-12-31T17:59:00.001-05:00

Have a Merry Vespa Christmas

2007-12-21T22:22:00.001-05:00

To all of our two wheel friends from HeinznFrenchie.

Frenchie is Now Purring like a Cat Instead of Squeaking Like a Mouse

2007-12-14T18:24:00.000-05:00

After more than two months of dealing with this awful squeaking, we finally found a solution. We went on the Internet to research the problem and discovered a wonderful message board for Vespa owners, http://modernvespa.com/ . We also found out that there are lots of squeaking LX 150 Vespas out there and lots of people looking for solutions. So we posted to the message board and got an email from a Vespa dealer in San Jose, CA that told us how he fixed the problem. He did not want to put the instructions on the message board because the fix that he created was not sanctioned by Vespa.

Our Vespa dealer went directly to the USA tech representative out in California and discussed the problem with them. Replacing the swing arm will resolve the problem if you get a swing arm that was manufactured recently. If you are receiving swing arms that were manufactured prior to them discovering the problem, then you are replacing a bad swing arm with another bad swing arm. That is what was happening with us. However there is a way to fix the old swing arms without having to replace them. That is what the dealer in San Jose did, “some creative mechanics”. Let us know if you need some help with that. Joe, our service rep will be happy to help you too.

We are looking forward to hitting the road this weekend and enjoying a smoother quieter ride.

For fun here is a photo of an iguana sunning by the canal. He is really not too big; there are some big mamas here in SoFla. And they are soooooooo fast.

More than 30,000 Santas on bikes take part in annual Christmas Toys in the Sun Run

2007-12-11T17:03:00.000-05:00

This is the 20th annual Motorcycle Ride for Toys here in Fort Lauderdale. I 95 is closed to auto traffic for several miles on a Sunday in December. This article appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel and was written by Sallie James.

NO SLEIGHS, BUT MANY BIKES AT THIS TOY RUN

When Mark Hull rumbled down Interstate 595 on his Harley- Davidson during Sunday's Christmas Toys in the Sun Run, it wasn't his bike that drew stares. It was his goofy black-and-white cow suit, complete with a rubber udder, combined with bright red Christmas stockings pulled over his biker boots. "I did it for the kids," said Hull, a plumber from Coconut Creek. "I'm a Christmas cow."

More than 30,000 toy-bearing motorcyclists riding on everything from wildly stretched choppers to traditional touring bikes took to the road, where they were greeted by waving spectators who had pulled up lawn chairs to watch the parade. The traffic-stopping procession from Pompano Harness Track to Markham Park started shortly after 10 a.m. and lasted about three hours.

The toys are distributed to needy families across Broward County. Most of the money raised through the run benefits Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, a Hollywood facility known for successfully treating pediatric cancer patients.

Hailey Plunkett, 3, of Hollywood, is one of the bikers' inspirations. Diagnosed with leukemia in October 2006, Hailey is enduring chemotherapy through February 2009. She is thriving, and her hair recently grew back. "It's extremely scary, and it's very difficult," said her father, Brian Plunkett, 47. "We worry all the time." Plunkett was immensely impressed with Sunday's gigantic fundraiser. "It's unbelievable. I can't say enough about the bikers," Plunkett said as he cuddled his sandy-haired daughter.

Since its inception 20 years ago, the run has collected more than 20 million toys and $6 million in donations. The event draws riders from as far away as New York, Detroit and California.

Paul Azore, 40, of Davie, said money raised from the run has meant life for his son Randy, 4, who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in November 2006. Randy, whose hair fell out twice, just completed a year's chemotherapy. His future is filled with hope, his father said.
"How can you explain a child's suffering?" Paul Azore said, surrounded by bikers in black leather as he stood behind the main concert stage at Markham Park. "This is awesome. I want to take my son around to meet the bikers so they can see why they are doing this."

Organized by the South Florida President's Council, an umbrella organization for motorcycle clubs and associations, the event attracted about 60,000 people, including celebrities such as singer Vince Neil of Motley Crue.

Neil's daughter died of cancer when she was 4, so the fundraiser spoke to his heart.
"Anytime I can do something for the charities, I do it," said Neil, who rode in the motorcycle procession on a tricked-out, custom chopper. The "Girls, Girls, Girls" bike, as he calls it, will eventually be displayed in his new Dr. Feelgood's Rock Bar in West Palm Beach.

"It all comes down to one thing, the children," said Dave Amchir, director of the South Florida President's Council and one of the event's coordinators.

Amchir's father, Robert, was the driving force behind the toy run until he died unexpectedly only days before last year's event. He was 67.

At Pompano Harness Track, Lynette Marconi, 50, of Hollywood, a member of the Alternative Motorcycle Club, passed out "In memory of Bob Amchir" stickers that bikers affixed to their headlights.

"I think people want to keep his memory alive because he was such a huge part of this," Marconi said. "This event is just going to keep getting bigger and bigger each year."

Frenchie is Still a Chirping Yellow Vespa

2007-12-07T21:55:00.000-05:00

We just picked up Frenchie from Varsity Cycles for the weekend, he's been there all week and they changed out parts and tested him and after 5 days and 40+ miles of road test, he still chirps and squeaks. We live just a few miles from the Vespa shop and by the time we got home he was chirping loudly again.

Frenchie has had a new swing arm, a new motor mount, & a variety of replaced pieces. Can this yellow Vespa be a "lemon"? The motor runs good and the ride is good, just very noisy with a high pitched squeak.

Does anyone out there have any idea what is going on with the new yellow LX150 Vespas? Heinz, our red LX150, runs like a Swiss clock and almost as quiet. But you hear Frenchie coming down the road before he arrives. He is beautiful but Bad!

Lauderdale Yacht Club

2007-12-02T21:14:00.000-05:00

The Lauderdale Yacht Club dates as far back at 1938 and is on the Intracoastal in Rio Vista, another beautiful neighborhood in our city. They were having the 2007 First Annual LYC Murcury Invitational Regatta and we watched the younger sailors from banks of the Intracoastal.

You can see how small the sailboats are and also how small the kids are. You can also see the 17th Street Causeway bridge open for boats. A lovely sunny afternoon with just enough of a breeze to make sailing enjoyable.

If you are into bridges that open, check out the website about the building of the 17th St Causeway Bridge. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/structures/botm/17thstreet/17thstreet.htm They have some nice photos there as well as stats about the bridge. It is the newest and largest bridge that we have in Fort Lauderdale.

This week both Heinz and Frenchie were in the shop. The piece that we have been waiting for, (a swing arm) came in for Frenchie, and Heinz had to have the starter replaced. One day Heinz was running great and the next he would not start, so Varsity Cycle had to come and get him. They called back a little later and told us he needed a new starter. Now they are both home and looking forward to some fun on the roads again.

We have to say that the service department at Varsity Cycles is really top notch! They are so nice and accommodating. We are also lucky in that we have a 3 year warranty.

Intracoastal Waterway at Idyllwild

2007-11-25T21:51:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving weekend was great weather so we decided to ride close to home again as there are so many beautiful areas. Idyllwild is just one of those special elite neighborhoods of Fort Lauderdale that borders the Intracoastal Waterway just off Las Olas Blvd. The million dollar homes face the waterway and have their own private docks just across a small street from their homes.

We could not resist taking photos along some of their unique docks. The private docks are beautifully landscaped and decorated so we thought it would be a great place to showcase our Vespas. And the lovely pavers on this one along with the planters of bougainvilleas and the benches created just the right atmosphere.

Of course the yachts in the background didn't hurt the scenery either.

We especially liked this white gate with lavender flowers growing across the top. I don't think they plan to open these gates.

Since our city is known as the "Venice of America", we still have plenty of waterways to visit. We hope you enjoy our rides as we sure do enjoy sharing them with all of you.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T22:08:00.001-05:00

Image created by Graphic Designer David Hopengarten

This is a Must See, Charlie the Coyote

2007-11-21T12:22:00.000-05:00

Shreve Stockton of the blog Vespa-Vagabond has the most wonderful heart warming story about a coyote named Charlie that she adopted at 10 days old. This is a must read, few things have touched us like this story. We had to share this with you.

http://dailycoyote.blogspot.com/

Her other blog is also a great adventure of her ride from San Franciso to New York and how she ended up in Wyoming.

http://vespa-vagabond.blogspot.com/

Aren't blogs wonderful?

Despite life-altering crashes, motorcyclists won't give up

2007-11-21T07:58:00.000-05:00

This is a copy of an article that appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel Nov. 21, 2007. I had a link here but it expired so I purchased a copy of the article.

BORN TO ALWAYS RIDE MOTORCYCLISTS CARRY ON DESPITE LIFE-CHANGING ACCIDENTS

James Wolosz nearly died in an October 1994 motorcycle crash that fractured his skull and back, collapsed both lungs, ruptured his bladder and nearly severed his right leg.
It wasn't enough to keep him off his bike.

More than 30 surgeries later, Wolosz, 54, owns and rides a 1996 Harley Davidson Road King and a 1987 Harley Davidson Low Rider, each with more than 100,000 miles on the odometer.
For riders like Wolosz, biking is such a passion that near-death experiences aren't enough to persuade them to give it up.

"Every time I heard the sound, I would get goosebumps," said Wolosz, a firefighter/paramedic for the city of Miami. "I knew I had to get back on. It's like my firefighting job: If your buddy got killed in a fire, and the next day you had another bad fire, you would go right in. Anybody who is passionate about it, they are going to keep doing it, no matter what."

Motorcycle accidents claimed the lives of 76 bikers in the past two years in Broward County, according to the medical examiner's office. Statewide, injuries jumped from 5,101 in 2001 to 7,934 in 2006.

Those numbers are daunting, but severe injuries don't always stop dedicated riders.
Scott "Tank" Rohrbach, had to re-learn how to walk, eat and function independently after he flew over the handlebars of his 1988 Harley Davidson FXR in May 1999. His speech is permanently impaired and he has difficulty with numbers and reading, said his wife Theresa, 47. Rohrbach, 39, of Sunrise, can't work a regular job and relies heavily on family to assist him with communication.

He speaks haltingly, but his message about riding is clear:
"I have to. That's me," Rohrbach said, grinning shyly.
And ride he does. Every week. With his wife's blessing.

His motorcycle is the equalizer that helps him revisit the whole person he once was.
"It's his only connection to his past life, before this accident," said Theresa Rohrbach. "That's why he can't stop riding that bike. He feels that's the only normal thing he has left. Everything else normal was basically taken away."

On his bike, she said, his disabilities disappear.

"It doesn't scare me. I actually do believe now it doesn't matter if you are on a bike or in a car. I figure, whatever is going to happen is going to happen," she said.

Gina Currid, of Cooper City, is another wife who wasn't afraid to let her husband back behind the handlebars. Her husband, Brian, was left with a prosthetic leg after a 2004 crash. Nine months later, he was back on the road on a custom-made trike she built for him when he got into another accident. This time it was fatal.

Currid, a motorcycle mechanic, kept her own 1996 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail parked for two months after the tragedy. Then she hopped on and took a 19-day, 3,800-mile road trip.
She never second-guessed her husband's decision to keep riding.

"It was really a passion for him. To take something like that away, you may as well have stuck him behind prison bars," said Currid, 46, who will mark the third anniversary of her husband's death on Nov. 28.

Such devotion is about personal identity, not thrill-seeking, said Julio Licinio, chairman of the psychiatry department at the University of Miami's School of Medicine. It's about people who love what they do so much they define themselves by it.

"They have to go back. If they don't, they are not Joe Smith anymore, they are not a person," Licinio said. "I think in this case, the hobby is not so much a hobby - it's the core of who they are as people."

The president of the southeast chapter of the motorcycle rights group ABATE sees it all the time.

"It's because they do what they love to do," said James Lesniak, a rider for more than 20 years. "People who get hurt doing something and continue to do it, it's their passion in life. There's something about it, they would risk life and limb to do it."

Lake Worth resident John Wright, 48, wasn't expected to live after he was ejected through the windshield and 50 feet over the handlebars of his 1991 FXRT Harley Davidson Superglide in July 2001, but he did. Wright awoke after a 38-day coma, unable to read, write or walk. Rehabilitation was arduous.

"I pushed him and pushed him and pushed him," said his wife, Heidi, who spent 30 days with Wright in an intensive care unit. "That's why he's a walking miracle today."

Today, the father of three grown sons still rides, but only if he has someone else with him. He takes anti-seizure medication twice a day, experiences memory loss and tires easily. His wife, Heidi, who also rides, has become his caretaker. She doesn't let him go if he shows any signs of fatigue.

Wright, known by his fellow bikers as "Thirsty," knows he got lucky. He also knows he can't give up riding, even if it kills him.

"My mother asked me, soon after I got out of the hospital, 'Are you going to quit riding?'" said Wright, who is president of a motorcycle club.

His answer was a firm "no." "I'm not a biker up here,'" Wright said, as he touched his head. Then he laid his hand on his heart. "I'm a biker here," he said.
"It's his only connection to his past life, before this accident," said Theresa Rohrbach. "That's why he can't stop riding that bike. He feels that's the only normal thing he has left. Everything else normal was basically taken away."

Cooley's Landing

2007-11-18T23:32:00.000-05:00

We decided to ride close to home and enjoy some of our neighborhoods. Sailboat Bend is the only neighborhood designated as a historic district in Fort Lauderdale. It has charming old homes that have been restored and a lovely little port called Cooley’s Landing. We'll write and show more of Sailboat Bend in another post.

Part of Ft. Lauderdale city marinas, Cooley's Landing is a Historic site named for one of Fort Lauderdale's founding fathers and located on the New River with boat ramps and docks. It’s beautiful lush park-like setting attracts people who want to enjoy being outdoors and benefit from a beautiful day as well as the live-aboard boat community and visiting boaters. Many of the boat owners were just lounging on their boats with a book or the paper enjoying the sun.

There is a Memorial in remembrance of Cooley’s Massacre. This monument marks the site of the William Cooley plantation. Cooley arrived here in 1824 and soon became the leader of the small settlement that grew along the New River.

On January 6, 1836, local Indians attacked Cooley’s homestead, killing his family and children’s tutor. This marked the beginning of the Second Seminole War in South Florida and led to the founding of the military post, Fort Lauderdale, in 1838.

Here are some interesting links.
The architect of Cooley’s Landing has a page here, (didn’t know it was a million dollar project) http://cpzarchitects.com/gv_Project-04.php
The boat Calypso docks in Cooley’s Landing and writes about it: http://www.sailcalypso.com/ftlauderdale.html
A boating couple write in their blog: http://favorsgreatlooptrip.blogspot.com/2006/02/fort-lauderdale-216-2006.html

Near the picnic pavilion is a palm tree with the largest trunk that we have seen anywhere. This tree has to be many years old. It would take two people to reach around it. We thought about asking a couple of people to do it, but we didn't want to take them away from their peaceful time.

Peacock Sighting

2007-11-11T22:07:00.001-05:00

Today we discovered a lovely quaint area, just a few blocks in size and in shouting distance of downtown Fort Lauderdale. This must be what Fort Lauderdale was like years ago, before the development craze hit. There is a family of Peacocks living wild there, 30 or so we were told, so we decided to see if we could get close enough to take a few photos. They were not really in the mood to pose but seemed to tolerate our presence as long as we did not disturb their tranquility. We had hoped to see them spread their tail feathers, but guess the warm afternoon sun left them rather blasé. Couldn’t resist taking a shot of the wild flowers either.

Just so you can understand the oddity of the Peacock’s environment, look at what is just a few blocks away. The New River runs right thru downtown Fort Lauderdale and is surrounded by luxury high rise condos.

We had lunch at a local favorite restaurant right on the river called “The Downtowner”. The tables are right there at the river so one can watch everything from the smallest little inflatable, to yachts to big Cats. The Water Bus, also called the Water Taxi, is a popular mode of transportation here with both tourists and locals. I think they will take your bicycle on board but not your scooter. So Heinz and Frenchie were landlocked.

We made a stop at Borders Books and found a magazine called Scoot Magazine. If you don’t know about it, they have a website: http://www.scootmagazine.com/index.php This is their 10th anniversary, guess we are a little late finding it. There was a brief review of a book that sounded like it would be fun to read, “How to Live Well Without Owning a Car”. Not sure we could do it, but it might be a fantastic challenge to try.

Hope you all had a safe and fun weekend and spent some time on 2 wheels.

Home for the Weekend

2007-11-09T17:32:00.000-05:00

Well Frenchie is home for the weekend so we can ride, but still not repaired.

We are waiting for parts. Joe at Varsity Cycle said they need to replace the clutch drum and also the motor mount. And now the dash has to be replaced as one of the repairmen sent a screw almost thru it. So Frenchie has a little bump on his face. Not too noticeable, but he is getting a new dash plate. It's on order too!

Evidently there is a message board on the Piaggio dealer's site where they can communicate between Piaggio and other dealers. There is something on the message boards regarding the chirping sounds and the vibration. We thought it was only on the new yellow and green Vespas, but they took a motor mount off of a blue one and tried it and it had the same problems.

A friend of mine was joking and said the chirping sounds were just that Frenchie was happy to be taken out. We are sure happy to take him out this weekend. The weather is supposed to be superb, sunny and between 62 and 79. Can't wait for tomorrow!

Poor Frenchie, He is back at Varsity Cycle

2007-11-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

For the 2nd time, we had to take Frenchie back to the shop. There is still a lot of vibration in idle and also on low speeds under 30 mph. At 20 mph, and along with the vibration, is a chirping sound that comes from the front. Someone mentioned that on the Internet or on the Piaggio website there was something about the vibration and the squeaking. Has anyone seen that anywhere? Would love to read up on it but have not found out where it was. Also heard the issues were only on the new yellow and green colored Vespas. Now that sounds strange to me.

Found this while searching for info on Frenchie’s problems. It’s a good idea!

Help us get parking for everyone by signing the Vespatition to help convert some automobile spaces to two-wheel scooter parking spaces! By signing the Vespatition, you are helping to promote the conversion of some automobile parking spaces to two-wheel spaces. The results will be publicized and sent to your local mayor. The space of parking for compact automobiles and the handicapped parking the stables have increased to the efficiency and the convenience in the city and suburban Communities, officially indicated facility of parking of the two-small wheel can make the same one.

Please click the link below to sign the Vespatition now!!
http://www.vespausa.com/vespatition/

Modern Vespa Scooter Blog just wrote about an attempt to steal his LX150 from a parking garage in Sunnyvale, very interesting and also he added some tips for all of us. Check it out

We want to thank all of the 2 wheel blogging community for their warm and wonderful welcome messages.

Up the Coast on A1A

2007-11-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

Well Hurricane Noel has finally crawled up the coast and the high winds and rain are gone to New England today. Unfortunately lots of our beaches went with it. Erosion is pretty bad here. But today was sunny, dry and 80 degrees. It was a tough call, hit the beach or hit the road. We sort of did both. We started up A1A and our first beach stop was Lauderdale By The Sea. The water was a beautiful turquoise blue 79 degrees against the white surf.

Continuing North along A1A we cruised thru Pompano Beach to the Hillsboro Inlet and the Hillsboro Lighthouse. The Inlet is where boats access the Atlantic Ocean from the Intracoastal Waterway. The Lighthouse has quite a history and a Preservation Society. Here are a couple of nice sites if you are interested. http://www.hillsborolighthouse.org/ and http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=361

Decided to take a lunch break in Deerfield Beach. Had a really good Lobster Salad at a place on the water called Oceans 234. Lots of beach activity, as you can see, people enjoying volleyball and surfers trying to catch a wave. There a nice path along the beach that is free and a long pier that you can walk to the end for $1. A great place to people watch and bike watch. We saw so many different kinds of cycles and scooters. Wish we had taken some pictures of them. But next time. We almost got a parking ticket, but got there just as the attendant was about to write it. He was nice and let us off the hook.

Breathing a sigh of relief we took off again going North on A1A to Boca Raton. We know a good French Bakery near Mizner Park and decided on dessert there. While we are munching on our pastries we notice a guy standing behind our scooters with his cell phone open taking the phone number of Varsity Cycles. He hung around until we came out and asked us about the Vespas. We found out that he too was from France so we had a fun chat.

Leaving Boca we took some parting shots of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Then I had to get a shot of the beach erosion in Lauderdale By The Sea on the way back. Notice how the water is coming up over the beach toward the building.

Well all good things come to an end and so did our journey. We were two tired and happy riders when we finally reached home.

Introduction to Heinz & Frenchie

2007-10-31T23:14:00.000-04:00

We are newbies in the scooter world and just bought two Vespa LX150, a red one and a yellow one. Larry, the sales guy at Varsity Cycles was joking and said they were like Catsup and Mustard, Heinz & Frenchie. That stuck, hence Heinz and Frenchie were christened in South Florida.

Before we made the big purchase, we enrolled and attended Scooter School, a must if you want to ride safely. Go to MTII. http://www.mtii.com/ The Scooter School is only 4 hours on a Saturday afternoon and you learn on a Vespa LX150, how cool is that? You are actually riding for most of the 4 hours. Here in South Florida, if you are buying anything more than a 50cc, you need a motorcycle endorsement on your driver’s license. You have the option to take a written test right after the riding course. We highly recommend that, as the teacher is there to help, and your score is entered into the DMV database, making it a cinch to get your Motorcycle Endorsement. The next week after our Scooter course we made an appointment online at this link http://oasis.hsmv.state.fl.us/ and were in the DMV all of about 15 minutes from start to finish. It was a breeze.

You should study for the written test. You can find the online manual here http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/motorcycle-handbook.pdf It is a PDF so you need Acrobat Reader to download and read it. But that is free. Get it here if you don’t already have it. http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html We printed the handbook and studied it. There is also a cool site that coaches you for the test. It is not free, but cheap and so much fun. They make learning a blast. http://www.testquestionsandanswers.com/

This is my first attempt at a blog, been on the Internet for years but never felt like creating a blog. We hope to help other people, new to scooters, get started the right way. Let us know if we helped you.