Another Sign Of Aging?

This past summer when my sister Susan and I were down at our condo in Stuart, Florida (love that summer humidity!), I read in the Stuart News that the most popular waterfront bar on the Treasure Coast (made up of Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin Counties) was Square Grouper Tiki Bar in Fort Pierce. Just for fun, I decided to check the place out, and even though I found it on a map, I could not locate it while driving through Fort Pierce until the day before I left. It turns out it is actually located in Jetty Park, and you have to drive into the park to find it. It took me 7 weeks to figure that out. I still haven't gone into the place, although I did take the photograph on the left of the entrance to it a few days ago.

Another place I could not find at all last summer was Villa Del Sol, a condominium complex along the ocean in Jensen Beach - just to the north of Stuart - that was in the news a lot back then. There is a new law in Florida that requires all buildings over 30 years old and 3 stories or higher to be inspected for structural defects, and have those problems resolved in a timely manner. This was adopted after the collapse of a high-rise condo building in Sunset, Florida, which killed close to 100 people. After an inspection at Villa Del Sol, three of the complex's building were deemed unsafe due to cracks in the foundation and disintegrating rebar, and the tenants were forced to evacuate. The cost to repair the problem is around 6 million, spread among 73 residences, or about $83,000 per unit. I wanted to look at the complex to figure out exactly where it was, but could never find it, even though I drove past the location dozens of times. When we got back to Stuart this month, the first time I drove past Villa Del Sol I saw the sign and the driveway and took the photograph on the right. What is the deal with that? Is it old age finally setting in, early Alzheimer's (although not really that early), or just plain stupidity. In any case, if I was an owner there, I would be pretty damn mad. For me, it would mean having to take out a mortgage and start making monthly payments, which I assume most of those owners will have to do, which is not good if you are on a fixed income. And I would definitely hate to be a member of that condo complex's HOA. Talk about stressful meetings.

Lunch At Shucker's

My sister Susan, seen in the photograph above, and I had lunch at Shucker's on the Beach, my favorite restaurant along the ocean here in the Stuart, Florida area. I have been coming to this restaurant for many years. It is in a beautiful location, right on the beach, has a great outdoor patio, good food, and is very reasonably priced. A hamburger with fries or chicken sandwich is $12.95, compared to an average price of $17 back in Denver. And even then, in Denver, the only view you usually get is of a street like East Evans Avenue, which is not quite as wonderful as a view of the beach and the ocean (sorry Denver). In any case, back in 2004 there were two Category 3 hurricanes, the eyes of which both passed directly over Stuart. There was a lot of damage, especially along the ocean, and Shucker's was severely damaged. It took several years for it to reopen, but reopen it did, and today it is better than ever. I definitely recommend it the next time you are in Stuart, or even relatively close (less than 2,000 miles). Just do it, as the Nike commercials always say.

One Hell Of A Deal. I Think

I noticed when my sister Susan and I came down to Stuart, Florida this past summer after renting our condo out for 15 years that groceries were more expensive here. The go-to grocery store in Stuart has always been Publix, and that's where we did our shopping. Back in Denver, it is King Soopers, which is part of Kroger, a national chain. Publix, on the other hand, is more of a regional operation. Which means more buying power and a lot more store brands for Kroger, which probably explains the higher prices. But I am having to revise my opinion after buying a 11.6-pound Thanksgiving turkey yesterday from Publix for $5.68.  Yes! That is not a typo. It cost $5.68. I have never in my life paid that little for a turkey. I am not sure how to explain it. Of course, it is frozen and still wrapped in plastic, waiting to be defrosted before the holiday, and so I suppose it could turn out to be a roadkill, still covered in feathers. That would be sad, since I would have to make Susan pull out all those feathers, which would make her very surly, but that would still not change the fact that it is a tremendous bargain. Good going Publix!

Even if Publix is more expensive than Kroger, I still have a warm feeling for the store. Every time I would come down to Stuart to visit my mother Mary, we would head to Publix every day for one thing or another. Mostly it would be to the downtown Publix, located just a mile away, where I took the photograph on the right of my mother back in 2007. We would run into her neighbors there, and she would talk with employees who had been working there for years. And at Christmas, Publix would have, and probably still has, heartwarming ads wishing everyone Happy Holidays, such as the one with the doves, which you can see by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1foZ_szc3hI. After watching that commercial, how can you not love Publix, even if it is owned by a big Trump supporter and donor.

Dodging A Bullet. For Now...

Three days ago, Tropical Storm Sara was expected to become a major hurricane, and after brushing past Honduras, Belize, and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, turn to the northeast and cross Central Florida, duplicating the path of Hurricane Wilma back in 2005. That hurricane caused massive damage in Florida, including some damage to my mother Mary's condo, which my sister Susan and I inherited and are currently living in part of the year. However, thankfully, instead of skirting the coast, Sara came much closer to the shore and made landfall yesterday along the Honduras/Costa Rican border, and after crossing the Yucatan Peninsula, is expected to dissipate. The remnants will still hit Central Florida, but it will only be thunderstorms by then, which is great news for Florida, although sadly, Honduras is currently experiencing catastrophic flooding. And that is the problem with Florida and so many other places in similar circumstances - during hurricane season, from June 1st through November 30th, the threat of a major hurricane is always there, and due to climate change, they are getting stronger every year. That has convinced me we need to get hurricane shutters for the condo this coming spring. It is expensive, but even a dedicated cheapskate like me knows it is well past time. I took the photograph above, by the way, yesterday afternoon along the beach in Jupiter, Florida, which is located to the south of Stuart. As you can see, the surf is pretty strong, and there are warnings about dangerous rip currents, but as long as you stay out of the water, you are okay. Not that there aren't a lot of people who will ignore those warnings, of course. After all, over half the country voted for Trump. What does that tell you?

Meanwhile, Up In Ocala...

On the drive down to Stuart, Florida from Denver, my sister Susan and I had dinner with our friends Ana Silvia and Joe at Southern Pig and Cattle in Ocala, Florida, where they moved to from Denver in 2016.  Ana Silvia and Joe owned two condos in Denver, living in one and renting out the other, but wanted to buy a house, which in Denver they could not afford. Ana Silvia had a friend in Ocala, and eventually they decided to buy a home there. I last visited them there back in 2016 when I was down in Stuart working on our condo, which was the year Trump was first elected president, and now, 8 years later, on my next visit, Trump has been elected again. I really can't blame them for this political disaster, of course, but it does seem like quite a coincidence. In any case, the photograph above shows Ana Silvia and Joe on the left and Susan on the right at Southern Pig and Cattle, which has locations only in Ocala and Stuart, Florida. Still another coincidence. Hmm.

Biking In Stuart Florida Once Again!

I went biking along the St. Lucie River here in Stuart, Florida yesterday afternoon for the first time in over 20 years, and it was just wonderful. When my mother Mary lived in Stuart, I bought a bike from Walmart, kept it out on her porch, and would ride it around town whenever I visited. When she came to live with me up in Denver and we decided to rent the condo out for the season each year, I had to get rid of it (people who rent for the season and pay a premium for it are notoriously picky). And so, it was a special treat to be able to bring my bicycle down from Denver and be able to once again enjoy riding along the water in such pleasant weather. I took the self-portrait on the left at the Colorado Avenue Mini-Park, one of my favorite spots right in the heart of downtown Stuart.

I biked from our condo to downtown Stuart and then past the homes (many of them mansions) along the water, and then pedaled up to the top of the first of two bridges leading to Stuart Beach (one across the St. Lucie and the other across the Indian River). And then, running out of time, I biked back downtown and then home along river on the west side of town, past homes from the early 20th Century, many of them very modest cottages, no doubt selling for very immodest prices. And I could not resist biking past the Sunset Bay Marina, seen in the photograph on the right, along the way. I have always been fascinated by the many yachts docked there.

While we were renting out our condo for the past 15 years before taking it back, I fantasized about buying a used cabin cruiser, docking it at a marina just across the street from that condo, and living aboard, embracing the Travis McGee lifestyle (and if you don't know who Travis McGee is, author John D. McDonald's tarnished knight in shining armor who lived on his houseboat at slip F-18, Bahia Mar Marina, Fort Lauderdale, and pursued a life of adventure, definitely google him). In any case, I even when so far as to call about a used cabin cruiser for sale at a very good price and asked if it was seaworthy. The guy on the phone told me that you get what you pay for. In other words, it would probably sink within months, or a hurricane would come along and blow it to pieces. So much for that idea. The dock space at the time would have been about $600 a month, which I could have afforded if I rented out the condo. But evidently, a lot of boat owners moor their boats out on the river, at a much cheaper cost, and shuttle out there on a motorized rubber raft, as seen in the photo on the left, or even just row themselves out there. No doubt a popular choice for cheapskate millionaires.

Happy Hour At The Jolly Sailor Pub

My sister Susan, seen in the photograph above, and I stopped by the Jolly Sailor Pub (aka Sailors Return) yesterday afternoon at Stuart Florida's Sunset Bay Marina for happy hour. Walking along the pier to that outdoor bar, I noticed that many of the larger yachts were still flying their Trump flags, no doubt still celebrating his victory and looking forward to all those tax cuts Trump has promised them. Perhaps they will be able to afford a second yacht and keep it on the French Riviera. One can always hope. In any case, it was a very pleasant afternoon to sit and look out at the boats and the St. Lucie River and have a Jai Alai IPA. That beer, by the way, is made by Cigar City Brewing in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa. The Jolly Sailor Pub was actually a restaurant located in downtown Stuart years ago. The owners decided to close the place and retire before coming out of retirement to open the Sailors Return Restaurant. And they hung the old Jolly Sailor Pub sign next to the bar, which is why I will always call it that. It fits. So there.