Miami Nice....Miami Beach...Nicer

Part I - The Blog Portion

It's 6 a.m, and still very dark outside, on this our last day in Miami Beach. Looking out over the North Bay from our 8^th floor apartment, the weather is providing quite a show. 

Bolts of lightning bring the city into day only to have it disappear instantly ...a simply awesome display. Sipping my first morning coffee, I realize how much I'll certainly miss this island....and this life. Tomorrow, it's back to snowy Canada.

View from our apartment

For the past 8 days, we've been living a new situation. Not as racy as it might sound at first, we have, simply put, been sharing a big, beautiful accommodation with the condo owner, Fabrice and his girlfriend, Anastasia. In effect, it's like a B and B...in the sky. It really has been marvelous.




Thanks to 22 islands, both natural and man-made, there is a barrier reef which protects the city from the Atlantic. The biggest of these islands, the only natural one, and a preeminent beach resort is Miami Beach, population 87,779.

I feel far more at home in Miami Beach than in Miami proper and it's not just the beaches, as beautiful as they are. Culturally, like its big sister across the bay, the city is starkly influenced by it's Spanish heritage (let's not forget that the U.S. purchased Florida from Spain). 

In fact, first-language speakers of Spanish account for 55% of its residents, while at-home English speakers make up just 33% of the city's 90 thousand residents. And economically, you see everything on the island... from the very, very rich to the very poor (22% live below the poverty line). And yet, somehow it all works.

Reading, just waiting for a small storm to pass.

Although our apartment is on a point overlooking North Bay, we've only to step into the street to feel like part of the community...no ZIP Code Envy here. However, it always feels safe and already neighbours greet us each morning as we head out for the day.




Now I've got the itch. It's time to stretch. My “Speedy Gonzales” Spanish from my Bugs Bunny days just isn't enough. You know: “Ondalay, Ondalay! and Arriba! Arriba!”. It's cute once but it doesn't cut it with the locals. So what to do? I've been told by some great Hispanics that Miami is the perfect place to learn Spanish.

From our apartment we also have a wonderful view of of that other Miami, a city we've also come to know quite well. With its population of over 5.5 million, metropolitan Miami may well be the largest city in the South-East, the richest in the U.S., the “Cruise-Capital of the World”, "America's Cleanest City" (air quality, green spaces, clean drinking water and streets), 

and even home to the Miami Heat,...

BUT... all that fails in comparison to the fact that Miami is the ONLY CITY in the continental U.S. never to have reported snow in its weather history. NEVER!!!! Enough said!!!!

Month	J	F	M	A
Average high °F (°C)	74 (23)	75 (24)	77 (25)	79 (26)
Average low °F (°C)	62 (17)	64 (18)	66 (19)	70 (21)
Precipitation in. (mm)	2.1 (53)	2.2 (56)	2.8 (71)	3 (80)

O.K.! In a word, it ain't paradise but mmmm, close. Why? 

Well, the down side, of course, is the hurricane question and hurricanes can happen. The upside is that they rarely do. To be honest, that doesn't mean that Hurricane Andrew (1992) didn't hit the area, just not directly.

In 24 hours, we'll be on a plane for Ottawa, where the last reported snowfall occurred 6 days ago. Needless to say South Florida, this is most definitely just an “aurevoir”.

Part II - Some Pics we loved:

 Kids and their imagination.

 Flowers are everywhere here.

 Pure Zen at Miami Beach. 

 I loved her eyes and the light coming through the edges of  her wings.

Read the little sign at the bottom left!

This ain't Zen.  It just is...on the beaches of Miami       Beach.

 On Biscayne Boulevard in Miami.

  One of the entry points to the beach.





The Freedom Tower in Miami.  One of Linda's favorites.  Originally completed in 1925, the Freedom Tower is an example of a Mediterranean Revival styled structure. As refugees from Cuba fleeing Fidel Castro's communist regime arrived in Miami during the 1960s, the federal government used the facility to process, document and provide medical and dental services for the newcomers.

Shakira's house in Miami.  This Colombian-born international pop star has a net worth of $220 million dollars so we were told she could definitely afford this house.

Dredging the port is very important work.

The Port of Miami, Cruise Ship Capital of the World, and major port for the South-East.

Miami Beach City View from out apartment.



Linda's favourite building in South Beach on the other end of the island from us.  It sits right next to a port entry where an incredible renewal is occurring.  

In fact, renewal is occurring all over the island especially in the area of hotels and condominium projects.  It is really quite breath taking.  To watch this happen, one must think that the economy is rebounding.

Everywhere, there are bicycles for hire.

                                     







This couple forgot that the sun doesn't necessarily set over the ocean.  They were quite disappointed.

This is no gas station but rather a City Bank drive-up ATM. 

The Miami Beach Boardwalk, which runs parallel to the beach, makes for a full afternoon's walk if you do the return trip. It is highly interesting and provides for lots of interesting views.

This is the building we lived in.  A fantastic place.   Thanks for the hospitality, Fabrice and Anastasia.

And finally, one last memory from the beach.

Naples Blog (Part II)

Our “Three-Hour” Adventure Tour:

Spell-bounding is the only way to describe our “Birding, Wildlife, and Photography Tour”.

Why just driving to Everglade City (more like Everglade Village), alligators lined the waterways bordering Tamiami Trail (Highway 41).



Jeff, our tour guide from “Everglades Area Tours”, was simply a fountain of knowledge about the flora and fauna of this 1.5 million acre park, called Everglades National Park. He had a sixth sense for finding all the best spots and a deep understanding of how to approach each of the animal groups we were going to see.



And the park itself is really unlike most national parks in that the area was put aside not

for its particular and unique geological features but rather for its rich biological and ecological diversity.

Although the brochure says there are 10,000 islands here, it is really endowed with between 12,000 and 14,000 islands, all depending on how high the tide is that day. 

Whatever the size, it is home to over 300 species of birds and the dolphins and manatee come along for the ride.  And what a ride it was.


This was no “canned” thing. During the whole fantastic tour of discovery, we sometimes darted, pulled 180 degree turns, or lied in wait. And whatever the case, the photography always ended up being simply thrilling, especially when Jeff found his way into pods of playful dolphins.    What a day!

Meanwhile, back at our Beach!


With a glass of wine and a camera, sunsets on Barefoot Beach can be spectacular! Barefoot Beach is a county beach park near Bonita Beach just a short drive from here. It had been threatening to cloud over all afternoon but just as the sun was setting, we caught a break.

A visit to Fort Myers Beach:

Our last full day with Dave and Louise saw us heading over to Fort Myers Beach to see Mike and Louise's place. They have a beautiful place right on the beach where morning walks by the water, afternoon tennis, and all-day-long viewing of the Gulf are the order of the day. 

Linda loved the shelling!

By the way, it was here that we learned that pelicans perched in trees and that the sand from the beaches was crushed oyster shell.


We capped our evening off with a great meal at the nearby Fish House and a walk on the beach to enjoy the sunset. 

Oh, O'Sullivans! Tomorrow is Saint Patty's Day. May you both live to be 100 years, with one extra to repent. 
Thanks for the hospitality, Mike and Louise.


Saturday was our last day to share the house with Louise and Dave. What a great 2 weeks and what marvelous discoveries! Over these past 2 years, it's together that we've gotten to know this part of Florida, a place that will certainly be in our plans in the future. Thanks, guys.

Off to visit Dwight and Barb:
b
It was a visit to Dwight and Barb's place in Naples last winter that opened our eyes to Naples and its fantastic possibilities. Thanks to their hospitality and thorough knowledge of Naples, we got to see the town and many of its beautiful sites in the short afternoon we spent together.



This year, they are back in Naples and our visit with them had them showing us more new places.


Their new digs on a lake are simply awesome. Every morning they wake up to this view. And the room and light in the house are exquisite.







Two new places:

Clam Pass Beach: This place is like two adventures in one. The walk or free shuttle over the three-quarter-mile long Mangrove-fringed boardwalk is a real treat and the beach

itself is a hidden jewel that few outside of Naples know of. Besides its tidal flow, mangrove lagoon, and over-all beauty, its all sand, sun, and surf.

Lunch at the Waldorf restaurant, situated on that fringe where mangroves morph into beach was delicious, affordable, and a real treat.





The Village on Venetian Bay: With its myriad upscale shops, this upscale, waterside open-air shopping district in Naples was a real glimpse into the world of the wealthy.

What I most enjoyed though was its striking location right on the Gulf and its hats. I couldn't resist and now Linda can't resist me. (As if she ever could!)



Our little Ninja Turtle

Heading out in the car one morning, Dwight noticed a fast-paced turtle crossing the road. It just happened to be the exclusive but gentle “softshell turtle”, one you find pretty well only in Florida.

Our little fellow was quite shy but I babbled to him softly and soon an elongated head with a long snorkel-like nose popped out of the carapace. Female Shoftshells can be 30 inches long and weigh 44 pounds when fully grown, the biggest in North America. However, Males seem content with on average of 14 inches.

Leo on the move again.

We called our little fella Leo. That comes from years of watching years of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with our kids.

Because he was so brave crossing the road separating his two favourite lakes, we surmised that he had to be the tactician and courageous leader of his group, just like Leonardo in TMNT, and not just a dummy crossing a road.
You go, Leo!!!!

Sylvie, our Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris):

Out for a walk, just on the edge of the Glades, we met Silvia, who was altogether too busy snacking to pay any attention to us. Sylvie did look familiar and yet her little ears and smaller dimensions left us wondering. Was she a pica or a rabbit?

In fact, she's a small cottontail you find in marshes and swamps here. Being a strong swimmer, she prefers to be close to water, and around the Everglades, that's not a problem.

Thank you!
c
And now, a huge word of thanks to Barb and Dwight for their wonderful hospitality. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and hope you did as well. Thanks for introducing us to this marvelous little piece of paradise too. I'm sure you'll have more to show us next time.


Now we're Miami-bound:

Until next time.