No rain today. Considerably warmer, but not hot. We paddled to Hendricks Isle and the Isle of Venice, where the SSCA members had told us we could rent a slip for considerably less. I was expecting marinas, but it turned out they were waterfront apartment buildings that rent the slips in front of their buildings. Most of them rent only by the month, and we're not planning on being here another month. One place rented by the week, at $125 week. That's not much less than we're paying now, and I like it a lot better where we are. We probably won't be here more than two more weeks, so it doesn't seem worthwhile moving.
Roy returned to the boat to work on stuff, and I paddled around. Went across Lake Sylvia and Mayan Lake. I had planned on following the Tarpon River back to the boat, but when I was about two-thirds of the way up it, I came to an impassable barrier. I would have had to crawl through a sewer pipe to go any farther, so I turned around and went back to New River and up that way. It was getting cool by then, so I took a hot shower and relaxed.
The guy on the boat next to us bought the old charts, so now we have a little more room on the boat and we're $200 richer. Of course, it will soon be spent.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 30, 1995 - Fort Lauderdale, FL
It rained today, cooling things off considerably. We went from too hot to too cool overnight.
Yesterday, our neighbors told us about a grocery store within walking distance, so I walked over there this morning, stopping at a post office on the way. To my surprise, the grocery store turned out to be the first one I had gone to when we were at the mooring! I had no idea it was so close to where we are now. It would have been really convenient when we were at slip 509, right across the river from it, but now it's a fairly long walk, their prices are high, and they don't have some of the things I want, so I'm better off taking the bus to Publix or Winn-Dixie.
I phoned some boatyards in Miami. Found one that might be a possibility. They require you to buy your bottom paint at their store, but they charge less than the other yards I've contacted and their other prices are considerably lower. We might go down to Miami on Tri-Rail in a few days and look it over.
In the afternoon, I rode a bus to Galleria Mall and saw "Nobody's Fool" with Paul Newman and Jessica Tandy. Not much of a plot, but it was entertaining and well acted.
On the way home, I stopped at the library and looked up some stuff. Fortunately, the rain had quit by the time I left, so I didn't get wet. It was pretty cold, though.
Roy put up a sign on the bulletin board for the old inverter that we no longer use. Sold it right away. He also put up a sign for our surplus charts, but no takers on those yet.
Yesterday, our neighbors told us about a grocery store within walking distance, so I walked over there this morning, stopping at a post office on the way. To my surprise, the grocery store turned out to be the first one I had gone to when we were at the mooring! I had no idea it was so close to where we are now. It would have been really convenient when we were at slip 509, right across the river from it, but now it's a fairly long walk, their prices are high, and they don't have some of the things I want, so I'm better off taking the bus to Publix or Winn-Dixie.
I phoned some boatyards in Miami. Found one that might be a possibility. They require you to buy your bottom paint at their store, but they charge less than the other yards I've contacted and their other prices are considerably lower. We might go down to Miami on Tri-Rail in a few days and look it over.
In the afternoon, I rode a bus to Galleria Mall and saw "Nobody's Fool" with Paul Newman and Jessica Tandy. Not much of a plot, but it was entertaining and well acted.
On the way home, I stopped at the library and looked up some stuff. Fortunately, the rain had quit by the time I left, so I didn't get wet. It was pretty cold, though.
Roy put up a sign on the bulletin board for the old inverter that we no longer use. Sold it right away. He also put up a sign for our surplus charts, but no takers on those yet.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 1995 - Fort Lauderdale, FL
It got really hot today. In the 80's! It's hard to believe this is January.
Roy and I went to the weekly SSCA breakfast. It's at Warner's Cafe, over near State Road 84. The breakfast is scheduled for nine o'clock every Sunday morning, but the first bus on Sunday leaves the terminal at nine. Then when we get to 84, we have to walk half a mile, so it was 9:30 by the time we got there, and a lot of people were leaving, but we got to meet and talk with several very nice people. We found out where the inexpensive marinas are, so we'll check them out tomorrow. But nobody knew of a better yard than the one we've already found -- Lauderdale Yacht Basin.
We were going to buy some groceries on the way home, but the market was farther than I thought, so we returned to the boat. Roy tested the repaired alternator, and I wrote letters. Unfortunately, the alternator got very hot as soon as a load was put on it, so he'll have to take it back to the shop tomorrow.
At three o'clock, we went to Stacey's for lupper. As usual, it was delicious. There's a Winn-Dixie in the same shopping center, so we bought a few groceries. Caught the bus back just in the nick of time. There wouldn't have been another bus for 45 minutes.
Roy and I went to the weekly SSCA breakfast. It's at Warner's Cafe, over near State Road 84. The breakfast is scheduled for nine o'clock every Sunday morning, but the first bus on Sunday leaves the terminal at nine. Then when we get to 84, we have to walk half a mile, so it was 9:30 by the time we got there, and a lot of people were leaving, but we got to meet and talk with several very nice people. We found out where the inexpensive marinas are, so we'll check them out tomorrow. But nobody knew of a better yard than the one we've already found -- Lauderdale Yacht Basin.
We were going to buy some groceries on the way home, but the market was farther than I thought, so we returned to the boat. Roy tested the repaired alternator, and I wrote letters. Unfortunately, the alternator got very hot as soon as a load was put on it, so he'll have to take it back to the shop tomorrow.
At three o'clock, we went to Stacey's for lupper. As usual, it was delicious. There's a Winn-Dixie in the same shopping center, so we bought a few groceries. Caught the bus back just in the nick of time. There wouldn't have been another bus for 45 minutes.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 1995 - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Good day. We got moved over to Cooley's Landing. What a neat place! We have all the facilities, we're close to downtown, and we get to watch all the boats going up and down the river.
I tried to phone boatyards in Miami, but didn't get an answer. Phoned the Post Office and found out both Roy and I have mail. The Post Office closes at two on Saturday, so we made a mad dash for the bus and got to the Post Office at 1:35. Returned to the boat, ate lunch, and read our mail. Too much of it was mail I had sent that was being returned, including a lot of important stuff, such as our boat registration. So now I'm back to square one.
Walked into town to get some groceries at the Winn-Dixie that I thought was on SW 2nd Street. The street names in this town are confusing. Most of them are numbered. The city is divided into four directional sections: southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest. The avenues are perpendicular to the streets, so there are a lot of very similar names. For instance, there's SW 20th Street amd SW 20th Avenue. I figured out this morning that Broward is the dividing line between north and south, and Andrews is the dividing line between east and west, but I need to carry a compass around to figure out where north is. I wandered all over town and ended up at NE 2nd Street and NE 3rd Avenue instead of SW 2nd Street and SW 2nd Avenue. When I finally got turned around and found my intended destination, guess what -- Winn-Dixie is now a parking lot. So I stopped by Uncle Colonel's and bought Kentucky Fried for supper.
I tried to phone boatyards in Miami, but didn't get an answer. Phoned the Post Office and found out both Roy and I have mail. The Post Office closes at two on Saturday, so we made a mad dash for the bus and got to the Post Office at 1:35. Returned to the boat, ate lunch, and read our mail. Too much of it was mail I had sent that was being returned, including a lot of important stuff, such as our boat registration. So now I'm back to square one.
Walked into town to get some groceries at the Winn-Dixie that I thought was on SW 2nd Street. The street names in this town are confusing. Most of them are numbered. The city is divided into four directional sections: southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest. The avenues are perpendicular to the streets, so there are a lot of very similar names. For instance, there's SW 20th Street amd SW 20th Avenue. I figured out this morning that Broward is the dividing line between north and south, and Andrews is the dividing line between east and west, but I need to carry a compass around to figure out where north is. I wandered all over town and ended up at NE 2nd Street and NE 3rd Avenue instead of SW 2nd Street and SW 2nd Avenue. When I finally got turned around and found my intended destination, guess what -- Winn-Dixie is now a parking lot. So I stopped by Uncle Colonel's and bought Kentucky Fried for supper.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Friday, January 27, 1995 - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Printed the most recent section of the log. Rode a bus to a copy place that had a special of two cents a copy and printed the ten copies for practically nothing. Unfortunately, the print quality was terrible, but I sent them out anyway. Had a typo in the next to last paragraph; "I" should have been "it".
On the way back, I stopped in the Public Library and wandered around goggle-eyed. Never in my life have I seen such a library! It's eight stories high. You can stand in the center of the ground floor and look all the way up. Everything is high tech. There are zillions of computers, there's a restaurant, a stamp machine, a gift shop, an auditorium. There are probably even books around someplace.
I went to the library to try to find out if there's going to be an AARP 55 Alive course in the area in the near future. I had a perfect opportunity to take it last fall in Fairhaven, but I didn't realize my three years were up until I got my insurance bill. If I take the course every three years, I get a 5% discount on my insurance, so now I'm kicking myself for not taking it.
The Fort Lauderdale Library told me to call the Lauderdale Lakes Library, so I did. They gave me another number to call. Found out there'll be a class in Coconut Park February 16th and 23rd. Trouble is, I doubt that we'll be here then. Still, there's a chance that we might be, and it's only $8, so I'll probably register for it.
Roy talked with the Dockmaster and found out there might be an opening at Cooley's Landing tomorrow. That will be terrific if we can get in there. We'd be right by the restrooms, showers, and laundry instead of having to walk a mile each way.
On the way back, I stopped in the Public Library and wandered around goggle-eyed. Never in my life have I seen such a library! It's eight stories high. You can stand in the center of the ground floor and look all the way up. Everything is high tech. There are zillions of computers, there's a restaurant, a stamp machine, a gift shop, an auditorium. There are probably even books around someplace.
I went to the library to try to find out if there's going to be an AARP 55 Alive course in the area in the near future. I had a perfect opportunity to take it last fall in Fairhaven, but I didn't realize my three years were up until I got my insurance bill. If I take the course every three years, I get a 5% discount on my insurance, so now I'm kicking myself for not taking it.
The Fort Lauderdale Library told me to call the Lauderdale Lakes Library, so I did. They gave me another number to call. Found out there'll be a class in Coconut Park February 16th and 23rd. Trouble is, I doubt that we'll be here then. Still, there's a chance that we might be, and it's only $8, so I'll probably register for it.
Roy talked with the Dockmaster and found out there might be an opening at Cooley's Landing tomorrow. That will be terrific if we can get in there. We'd be right by the restrooms, showers, and laundry instead of having to walk a mile each way.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 1995 - Fort Lauderdale, FL
We found the biggest and nicest Boat/U.S. store we've ever seen. It's just a few blocks from here. They have the bottom paint we use for $98.85 a gallon, so we can buy it right there.
While Roy bought out the store, I made some phone calls to try to find a boatyard that doesn't require buying all your materials at their store. Found one called Lauderdale Boat Basin. Went over there on the bus and got their rates. It's not the best-looking yard, but it's ok. I also stopped at Riverbend Boatyard, but they don't allow pressure-washing.
There's a pretty branch post office a couple of blocks from here, but they don't have General Delivery, so I rode the bus several miles to the main post office. Went through the "other" Fort Lauderdale. Not everyone in Fort Lauderdale is a millionaire. As Roy always says, the janitors and dishwashers have to have a place to live, too. We didn't have any mail, but I got the phone number, so we can call before we go out there again.
After lunch, Roy rode his bike to the alternator repair shop and brought the alternator home. He had tried out the spare alternator, and it worked fine, so now we have two good alternators again, the batteries are fully charged, and life is back to normal, whatever that is.
We rode the bus to a discount marine store we'd heard about. Had to walk a few blocks after we got off the bus. Passed another discount marine store, called Boat Owners World, so we went in there. They had a lot of stuff at good prices, so Roy bought some things. Then we went on to Sailorman, the store we'd originally set out for. It's huge! They have a lot of used things as well as new. Roy wandered around goggle-eyed but didn't buy anything. I bought a guide to the Virgin Islands at a $2 discount.
We found a closer bus to go back on than the one we had come on. In fact, it turned out we were only a block from West Marine, so that's really handy, having all those marine stores so close together.
While Roy bought out the store, I made some phone calls to try to find a boatyard that doesn't require buying all your materials at their store. Found one called Lauderdale Boat Basin. Went over there on the bus and got their rates. It's not the best-looking yard, but it's ok. I also stopped at Riverbend Boatyard, but they don't allow pressure-washing.
There's a pretty branch post office a couple of blocks from here, but they don't have General Delivery, so I rode the bus several miles to the main post office. Went through the "other" Fort Lauderdale. Not everyone in Fort Lauderdale is a millionaire. As Roy always says, the janitors and dishwashers have to have a place to live, too. We didn't have any mail, but I got the phone number, so we can call before we go out there again.
After lunch, Roy rode his bike to the alternator repair shop and brought the alternator home. He had tried out the spare alternator, and it worked fine, so now we have two good alternators again, the batteries are fully charged, and life is back to normal, whatever that is.
We rode the bus to a discount marine store we'd heard about. Had to walk a few blocks after we got off the bus. Passed another discount marine store, called Boat Owners World, so we went in there. They had a lot of stuff at good prices, so Roy bought some things. Then we went on to Sailorman, the store we'd originally set out for. It's huge! They have a lot of used things as well as new. Roy wandered around goggle-eyed but didn't buy anything. I bought a guide to the Virgin Islands at a $2 discount.
We found a closer bus to go back on than the one we had come on. In fact, it turned out we were only a block from West Marine, so that's really handy, having all those marine stores so close together.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 1995 - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Roy rode his bike to Cooley's Landing and took a good shower, while I updated the log. When he got back, I took a shower and washed my hair. What great showers! Plenty of hooks to hang your clothes on, benches to sit on, plenty of hot water, everything clean and warm and well-lighted and comfortable. What a contrast to the place in St. Augustine, where the showers were in a cold, dirty, cinderblock barn of a building!
I talked with a guy who had been here many times. He warned us not to go to the Chinnock Boatyard. He said they were a bunch of thieves. He spoke well of Summerfield and Lauderdale Boat Basin.
After lunch, we rode the bus to the hospital where the talk on knee problems was to be given. We stopped at an upholstery place to get information about having an awning made. They gave us the name and phone number of a place to check with, so we'll phone them tomorrow.
The lecture was interesting but not really helpful. Roy said he already knew everything the doctor said. The talk lasted longer than we had expected, so by the time we went to a Publix and bought a bunch of groceries, it was 6:45, and the bus was running only once an hour, so we had to sit on a bench in the cold for 45 minutes waiting for the next one. Yes, at night it feels cold even in Southern Florida. We didn't get home until eight o'clock, so by the time we ate supper and watched the taped news, it was way past my bedtime.
I talked with a guy who had been here many times. He warned us not to go to the Chinnock Boatyard. He said they were a bunch of thieves. He spoke well of Summerfield and Lauderdale Boat Basin.
After lunch, we rode the bus to the hospital where the talk on knee problems was to be given. We stopped at an upholstery place to get information about having an awning made. They gave us the name and phone number of a place to check with, so we'll phone them tomorrow.
The lecture was interesting but not really helpful. Roy said he already knew everything the doctor said. The talk lasted longer than we had expected, so by the time we went to a Publix and bought a bunch of groceries, it was 6:45, and the bus was running only once an hour, so we had to sit on a bench in the cold for 45 minutes waiting for the next one. Yes, at night it feels cold even in Southern Florida. We didn't get home until eight o'clock, so by the time we ate supper and watched the taped news, it was way past my bedtime.
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