More Florida Nostalgia

As I mentioned in previous posts, my sister Susan and I would often go down to visit our mother Mary in Stuart, Florida during the month of August, and a big part of going down there was dining out at various restaurants in the area, especially ones along the waterfront.  It was very enjoyable to dine while looking out at the water, and afterwards walk around the marina in front, taking in the ambiance.  Since it was August, and the days were long, you were able to do this, as opposed to during "the season," when darkness came before 5:00 P.M. One of our favorite restaurants was Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty.  In the photograph on the left, my mother and sister are posing on the pier in front of the place. Sadly, this restaurant was destroyed in 2004 when two Category 4 hurricanes hit Stuart within two weeks of each other.  The last time I was in Stuart, I drove to Rio, where this restaurant was located, and found only a vacant lot.

One favorite restaurant that is still in business is the Pirate's Loft, which has an outdoor deck overlooking Manatee Pocket, and is located in Port Salerno, a fishing village just to the south of Stuart.  In addition to the restaurant, it is also a resort and marina.  And once again, I took a photo of Susan and my mother on one of the piers there after dinner. A lot of pelicans used to hang out around the docks, hoping to catch unwanted parts discarded by the fishermen as they cleaned their fish. Susan once famously exclaimed "Look, penguins!," when she spotted those pelicans, to the great confusion of everyone around us. And still another interesting - kind of - fact. Burt Reynolds grew up in the area, had a ranch south of Stuart in Jupiter, and actually started a dinner theater in Port Salerno.  Then girlfriend Sally Field performed there once, and described on a late night talk show how freight trains would pass by during the performance, making it hard for the actors and audience to hear.  She kept referring to the place as "Port Saleerno," thus endearing her forever to local residents.  And yes, that dinner theater is long gone.