No Longer in South Florida

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

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

Happy Thanksgiving To All

Move to Delray Beach

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

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

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

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

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

October Heat in South Florida

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

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

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



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

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

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

Here is guy that is more curious than fearul.

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

The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And a lovely oriental garden..

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