"Liberation Day"...

Yesterday was what Donald Trump calls "Liberation Day," the day he imposed tariffs on every other country in the world, ranging from 10 to 49 percent, claiming he is only imposing reciprocal tariffs that are half of what those countries charge us, and that it will bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. Paul Krugman, a Nobel-prize winning economist turned political commentator, has said that Trump has "gone full-on crazy," and that his graph of countries' tariff rates are complete fabrications. Is Trump lying or is he really that stupid? Krugman says that Trump's economic policies will do swift and severe damage to the economy, and that is already happening with the stock market. I have to wonder if all those Trump supporters who voted for him, believing he would lower prices, will still support him as their 401 (k)s tank and prices go up, not down? When I was down here in Stuart, Florida this past summer, most of the voters, including the yachting crowd at the Sunset Bay Marina, where I took the photograph above, were all gung-ho for Trump and his policies. But tanking a strong economy with low inflation makes no sense whatsoever. Can destroying the country to make it "Great Again" actually be popular with the MAGA crowd? Talk about scary.

A Return Visit To CityPlace

I visited CityPlace down in West Palm Beach the other day and must say it is as vibrant and beautiful as ever. However, it is a much different place than when I first visited when it opened in the fall of 2000. It was getting a lot of hype in the local newspapers back then. It was a mixed-use development just south of the downtown area, with the goal of reviving the area, which was in a bit of a decline back then. The emphasis was on traditional retail, and it was anchored by Macy's, a Barnes and Noble Bookstore, and an AMC 20 screen theater. As now, there were fountains, beautiful landscaping, and a very upscale vibe. All three of those anchors are gone now. In place of the Macy's is a cultural arts center, the AMC theaters have been replaced by two high-rise office towers, and there are a lot more upscale condos and apartments to go with the pricey restaurants and shops. But it is still a very nice place to hang out.

A number of historic buildings were incorporated into CityPlace and restored, including the Grant Van Valkenburg House, built in 1918 and seen in the photograph on the right. But upscale apartments and condos, along with more and more high-rise office towers, one of which is right across from the Valkenburg House, predominate. On the plus side, it definitely results in a lot more foot traffic for those restaurants and shops.

One of those historic buildings in the neighborhood is the Hotel Evernia, seen in the photograph on the left and located on - wait for it - Evernia Street. It was built in 1925, during the Florida land boom of the 1920s, and started life as the Hotel Enoree. It was restored back in 1979, became the Hotel Evernia, and is the oldest running hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida. Just for fun, I checked the rates and found that a room with a private bathroom goes for $170, depending on time of year, of course, while a room with a shared bathroom goes for $148. I don't know about you, but if am paying almost $150 for a room (which I never try to do) I would definitely want a private bathroom, but that's just me.

The best thing about CityPlace is that it is just south of Clematis Street and downtown West Palm Beach, which is a pretty lively spot, with restaurants, pubs, tiki bars, and a large park space that borders Lake Worth. That park hosts a number of events, including Clematis by Night, which features live music and other events every Thursday night. Since everything is in walking distance, you only have to park once, which is a real plus in that now very busy area. And if you happen to own a super yacht, you are in luck! There are marinas all along the shores of Lake Worth that can accommodate you. It is a real temptation for me to bring my superyacht down here from Colorado. I'll just have to figure out the logistics. Very carefully.

Bye Bye Snowbirds, Bye Bye!

I am no one to complain about snowbirds, since my sister Susan and I are only part time residents here in Stuart, Florida, but being here during the season (traditionally January through March) can be a major pain, with Exhibit A being Stuart Beach. Susan and I like to stop at Wendy's each afternoon and head to Stuart Beach for lunch. This beach used to contain a number of covered shelters where you could sit and watch the ocean, but a few years ago they put in the Seaside Cafe and eliminated all but two of those shelters to put in tables for the customers. But you can still see the ocean from the tables in those two shelters - except during the season, when the place is so crowded, even on weekdays (as seen in the photo), that if you do find a table, it is at the very back, with no view at all.

And so, when we went back to Stuart Beach yesterday afternoon, I was surprised to find that our favorite tables with the best view of the ocean were all open, and although there were people at the cafe and on the beach, it was not overwhelming. And then it occurred to me that yesterday was the last day of March, the day all those snowbirds check out of their seasonal rentals and who were probably on the road back north. What a difference. I can now understand why locals often complain about those snowbirds, although I am sure all the hotel owners, shopkeepers, and everyone else who benefits from the tourist dollars are more than happy to take their money. In any case, I am now wondering if the outdoor patio at Sailor's Return Restaurant in the Sunset Bay Marina, with the killer views of the St. Lucie River and the boats in the marina, will now actually have tables available, not to mention parking spaces, and if the valets will no longer be parking rows of cars right behind those spaces, requiring a trip to the valet stand to ask them to move the car. But miracles do happen. And no, we are NOT snowbirds. We come here three times a year, including during the heat of summer. Although locals might call us demented snowbirds.

Stormy Weather

The Treasure Coast of Florida (which consists of Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin Counties) has been experiencing drought conditions since the beginning of November, but this past weekend the weather turned a little stormy, with rough surf and possible rip currents. I took the photograph on the left yesterday afternoon between downpours and just made it back to the car before the rain began again. In the background is the House of Refuge, which was built in 1875 on Hutchinson Island, just east of present-day Stuart, as a lifesaving station.  If ships foundered on the offshore reef called Gilbert's Bar, sailors would be rescued and given a place to sleep by what were called "keepers" until a ship came and picked them up. The House of Refuge is now a museum operated by the Historical Society of Martin County. Back when it was a lifesaving station, this area was all wilderness. These days it is all traffic.

Meanwhile, in Jupiter, the surf was also pretty rough, as seen in the photograph on the right. Jupiter has about three and a half miles of beach, which runs from the Juno Beach Pier up to and beyond Carlin Park. Whenever I pass the sign for this park, I think about Elliot Carlin, the long-time patient of Dr. Bob Hartley on the old Bob Newhart Show. Mr. Carlin would always greet people he didn't know by asking the person next to him "Who's this Bozo?", among other endearing traits. I have to assume the park was not named after him, although I recently found out that Google Maps shows the condo on Sheridan Road in Chicago where Bob and Emily Hartley were supposed to live in that series, and so you never know.

I have never had much luck when I visit Blowing Rocks Preserve, run by the Nature Conservancy and located on Jupiter Island, which is situated between Jupiter and Stuart. The blurb on the internet for this preserve states that "Blowing Rocks is a unique limestone outcrop in Florida where breaking waves spray plumes of water up to 50 feet in height through erosional holes, creating a distinctive and memorable spectacle." The first time I visited was last summer, and a sign said that the rocks were currently covered by sand and to visit another time. I thought that given the rough surf this past weekend, this would be the time to check the place out. But alas, no. I have to assume that the "distinctive and memorable spectacle" must only occur at high tide, which would have been around 11:30 P.M., and I did not feel like hanging out there for another 8 1/2 hours. Which is why I am featuring the photograph on the left, which shows un-blowing rocks, but pretty big waves, nonetheless.

A Tattered Cover Bookstore Update

And no - Denver's Tattered Cover Bookstore is not returning as an independent 4-store chain. It is still owned by Barnes and Noble, and the back-office staff have not been offered their jobs back. However, Kwame Spearman, the Ex-Tattered Cover CEO, has purchased a building with partner Rich Garvin that will become the location of a new 3,500 square foot bookstore and 2,000 square foot eatery called Denver Book Society. This building was the location of Humboldt Kitchen and Bar at 17th and Humboldt for 10 years and before that Strings, a very upscale and iconic Denver restaurant. As Denverites may remember, Spearman and partner David Back led an investor group that bought the Tattered Cover to "save it" back in December 2020, but which ultimately led the store to Chapter 11 bankruptcy and a sale to Barnes and Noble last summer. Spearman says he learned valuable lessons from his experience as a first-time bookstore owner and now believes he has a formula for success. He plans to be open by the spring of 2026. We will see how that works out. And yes - that is indeed a photograph of the main floor of the Tattered Cover Bookstore in LoDo (Lower Downtown Denver) that I took when I worked at that chain as the bookkeeper. And to be honest, I don't think anyone will be able to recreate that atmosphere again.

Leaving, Or In This Case, Arriving On A Jet Plane. A Private Jet Plane

Here in Stuart, Florida there is a small airport called Witham Field located right in the middle of town. There is no commercial traffic, but it has been in the news lately due to a large increase in private jet traffic there. This is the result of restrictions placed on airspace around Palm Beach, Florida, due to our beloved and revered President Donald J. Trump's weekend trips to his club at Mar-a-Lago, where he winds down after a long week of Making America Great Again, although unfortunately, not making anyone's 401K great again. The story was mainly about neighbors near the airport having to deal with all the noise from those jets taking off and landing right over their houses. I myself am amazed at how many private jets go in and out of that airport.  I am even more amazed at the size of those planes, such as the one in the photograph above. Are there many passengers aboard? Or is it just a flying mansion for the very rich? There are, after all, a lot of wealthy people in this area, especially on nearby Jupiter Island. In the story on the local news, one of the jets seen at Witham Field was Holtec One, owned by Holtec International, which specializes in building parts for nuclear reactors, as well as transport and storage casks used for spent nuclear fuel. If that jet on the news was Holtec One, is there a Holtec Two, Three, Four, or even Five? And if so, do all the top executives get a private jet, kind of like some companies provide company cars? Nice work if you can get it, but can you really get it if you try?

The Chicago White Sox Home Opener: Sox Win! Sox Win! Sox Win! Sox Win!

It was all smiles on the South Side of Chicago yesterday as the Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels by a score of 8-1. It was a very impressive start for the White Sox, with good pitching (especially by starting pitcher Sean Burke, who pitched 6 scoreless innings), good fielding, and good hitting. The Sox were leading by a score of 3-0 in the bottom of the 8th when they added 5 insurance runs to seal the win. This is something they did not do last year, when they had a nasty habit of giving up the lead late in the game on their way to losing a major league record 121 games. The name of the stadium, by the way, has been changed from Guaranteed Rate Field to Rate Field, no doubt because nothing can be guaranteed now that Donald Trump is president again. Makes sense to me.

One positive aspect of losing a record number of games last year was that management knew they were not going to go anywhere in 2024, and brought up a lot of young players to see what they could do, including this year's starting pitcher, Sean Burke. The White Sox have a lot of new young players this season. In fact, I only recognized three position players from last year: Luis Roberts Jr., Andrew Vaughn, and Andrew Benintendi, who hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 8th inning. This is basically a whole new team with a new manager, Will Venable, and they look really good. And I am happy to report the fans turned out in droves Opening Day. One bad season is not going to keep dedicated White Sox fans from showing up, proof of which is the crowd seen on the concourse in the photograph on the right.

As you can imagine, White Sox announcers Steve Stone, seen in the photograph on the left, and John Schriffen, on the right, were beside themselves with joy with the result, and are predicting great things for the team this year. And happily, Stone has signed a multi-year contract that guarantees he will be the White Sox for years to come, although working a more limited game schedule, I assume because he is now 77 years old, although a youngish 77. I am definitely looking forward to watching more White Sox games on MLB.com this year, especially since it is now costing a fortune to subscribe, but what is money when you can watch your South Side heroes all season long? But check with me later in season regarding that opinion. For now, let's play two!

The 2025 Major League Baseball Season Begins Today!

At least in this hemisphere. The official opening day of the MLB season began on March 18th, the start of a two-game series in Tokyo between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers, both of which the Cubs lost, making them 0-2 in the standings as the rest of the teams start play. The Cubs will resume play today against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, while my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, start their season at home against the Los Angeles Angels. My adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, begin play tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Rays at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, due to hurricane damage to the Ray's home park. The game is a sellout, although since that minor league stadium holds only10,200 fans, that's not saying very much. In any case, except for the Cubs, of course, today all teams are undefeated, and anything is possible, even for the White Sox, who lost a record 121 games last year. But as we used to say on the South Side, you can't win them all. Do they still say that back there? In any case, I took the photograph above at Chicago's Wrigley Field on Opening Day back in 2010. The Cubs actually won that game, and their fans celebrated that victory all the way down Clark Street. And I am sure Chicago White Sox fans will be celebrating this afternoon, too, after their first victory of the season. Let's play ball!

A Reunion 50 Years In The Making

Last night my sister Susan and I got together with our first cousins and their spouses for a reunion at Conchy Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Bar in Jensen Beach, Florida. We had gotten together with Linda and her husband Rodger this past spring in Colorado Springs after 30 years or so, and then again here in Stuart a few weeks ago, but have not seen Judy and her husband Cal in at least 50 years. Linda and Judy's parents, Elsie and Bill (my mother Mary's brother) lived in Cleveland, and each summer our families would vacation together up in Canada, where Uncle Bill and my father Nelson would play golf for two weeks and the rest of us would do whatever. Eventually, Uncle Bill and Aunt Elsie retired to Stuart, Florida back in 1972, and my parents followed them down there from Chicago several years later. Linda and Rodger and Judy and Cal would vacation there with their kids for several weeks each summer, and now Linda and Rodger spend February and March at the same place, while Judy and Cal spend January through April in Bonita Springs, on the West Coast of Florida. Now that Susan and I have taken back the Stuart condo we inherited from our renters, we were all finally able to get together again. And as far as I can tell, nobody has changed much at all. And nobody even paid me to say that. In the photograph above are, from left to right, Linda, Susan, Judy, Cal, and Rodger. Great to see you all again, guys!

Visiting The Captain Henry Sewall House At Indian Riverside Park

I took the photograph on the left the other day of the Captain Henry E. Sewall House, currently located in Jensen Beach, Florida's Indian Riverside Park. The house was built by Sewall back in 1889 at the tip of Sewall's Point, which is now a very upscale town located on a peninsula between Stuart, Florida and Hutchinson Island. It was all wilderness when Sewall built this home, located next to a freight dock and which also served as a post office. In 1910 Sewall and his wife Abby moved to a larger house higher up on the property, which people in Sewall's Point have been doing ever since. And then in 1913 Sewall's nephew moved the house across the St. Lucie River to a waterfront lot in Port Sewall, a town also founded by you know who. But what I like about this house is what happened after it was moved to its new location.

While the house was situated on that waterfront lot in Port Sewall, the cupola seen in the previous photo was added to the roof, and during Prohibition, green or red lanterns were hung in that cupola to let bootleggers know whether it was safe or not to offload their cargos of alcohol. And so at least the house was put to good use. The architectural style of the house, by the way, is "Florida Cracker Vernacular." God knows a place like that would never be allowed in Sewall's Point today. In any case, the house was moved to Indian Riverside Park in 2007, and docent tours of the building are held on the first and third Wednesday of the month from November 1st through May 15th. I wonder if those docents know whether or not it was that nephew of Captain Sewall who was behind the bootlegging operation? And if so, did the old boy cut him out of the will? Or was he in on it? Questions, questions. So many questions.

Vero Beach, Florida - Not Just For Millionaires Any More!

I drove around Vero Beach, Florida yesterday afternoon and was really quite impressed with the place, especially the homes along the ocean. Most of these places were absolutely huge, no doubt because the owners have a lot of kids or take care of many foster children. Vero Beach is home to such famous personalities as mystery writer and former Miami Herald newspaper columnist Carl Hiaasen, Cuban American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan, a lot of other singers I have never heard of, and a surprising number of former and current baseball players, including Sandy Colfax. There also seem to be a lot of very successful businesspeople who live there, too. Surprise! But don't despair - you don't have to be a millionaire to live there. I have seen 2 bedroom, 2 bath condos for sale there on the internet for $425,000, $575,000, $615,000, and so on, although I notice the HOA fees range from $1,000 to $1,600 or more, and so you better have a good income or large 401K to consider buying. Way out of my league, but since my sister Susan and I already have our Florida condo, we are not in the market, and so yesterday, for the most part, we stuck to the commercial parts of town, including the oceanside patio at Mulligan's, located off Beachland Boulevard, and seen in the photograph on the left.

Beachland Boulevard seems to be at the center of the action along the beachfront, which is located on North Hutchinson Island. I like that neighborhood very much, but the last time I was here I decided to head to the mainland to check out the downtown part of Vero Beach. And discovered there is no downtown. I believe they are working on building one on a site called "Three Corners," but have yet to choose a developer. The town has been around since 1919, and so I would not hold your breath until the ribbon cutting takes place. Instead, I would head back to North Hutchinson Island and head a few blocks north of Beachland to the Vero Beach Boardwalk, the town's most popular beach area, located along Ocean Drive and seen in the photograph on the right. There was a wind blowing off the water (FYI: there is always a wind off the water), and the temperature was 76, considered cool for Florida, and so there were no swimmers in the water, only people sitting on the beach in the folding lawn chairs they had brought. 

On the way out of town, I noticed they were having an art show in Humiston Beach Park, where I snapped the photograph on the left. This event, called Art in the Park, is sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club and takes place on various Sundays. It was not a very big event, and took just a short time to see, but made for a pleasant walk in the park. And no, I did not run into Carl Hiaasen, Gloria Estefan, or for that matter Sandy Colfax, the latter two I would not have recognized even if they fell on me. When it comes to celebrities, I tend to wait until people start pointing and shouting their name. And sadly, no one did. Maybe next time.

The 28th Annual Downtown Stuart Art And Craft Festival

Yesterday afternoon I attended the 28th Annual Downtown Stuart Art and Craft Festival on Osceola Street here in downtown Stuart, Florida. And I must say, I was impressed at how large the festival actually was. In addition to original artwork and crafts, there were also booths exhibiting photography, too. I took the photograph on the left of the Lady Abundance Fountain, located at the midpoint of the festival. This is the same fountain that my sister Susan climbed and posed for a photograph at with her arm around Lady Abundance herself. And she did not even get arrested. I have that photograph somewhere at my condo in Denver but keep forgetting to look for it until I see the actual statue down here in Stuart. Definitely a conundrum.

The festival takes place in the heart of downtown Stuart, which is a really great people space, with good restaurants, interesting shops, and even a stage along the St. Lucie River that hosts Rock'n Riverwalk, a concert series that takes place every Sunday afternoon, winter and summer. This was also the location of Dancing in the Streets, which used to take place every August and was extremely popular. It was the talk of the town during the summer ("I'm going, are you?"). Amazingly enough, it was discontinued a number of years ago, and I have no idea why. That and the 4th of July fireworks were the only events that took place here in the summer. It's nickname among locals was "Drinking in the Streets," and so perhaps that was the reason it was canceled. Spoilsports.

This festival was packed with people yesterday afternoon. I was afraid I would not find a parking spot, but amazingly enough, a car pulled out right where the festival began. Still another parking miracle. I have not been in Stuart during the month of March for years, since my sister Susan and I have been renting our condo out for the past 15 years before taking it back last June. March, of course, means baseball spring training, and I was planning to attend a game or two before I found out how expensive it can be ($42 per ticket for all but the bleacher seats (located in the next county) and $15 to park. That is more than I pay for a regular season Colorado Rockies baseball game at Coors Field. Meanwhile, the Downtown Stuart Art and Craft Festival is free. Ah ha! Perhaps that is why it is so crowded here.

There were a number of photography booths at the festival, most of them selling landscape photographs featuring scenes from South Florida. There were also several booths displaying photographs of marine life, taken with special cameras that can be used underwater. I myself have never taken photographs like that, believing there might be a good chance I might get wet while taking them. In any case, attending the art and craft festival here in Stuart was a lot of fun, and if you happen to be in the area, I recommend heading to Stuart and taking it in. It will be taking place again today from 10:00 until 5:00. Be there or be square, as we hipsters say.

An Important Insight - Thirty Years Makes A Difference

I took the photograph above of my sister Susan and mother Mary at Stuart Beach, located on Hutchinson Island here in Florida, back in August of 1995, almost 30 years ago. Things definitely change over 30 years. After my mother passed away in 2009, we rented her condo out until just last year, when we took it back from our renters, and now spend part of the year here. The photograph shows Susan after a refreshing dip in the ocean on her boogie board, which I threw away when we started renting the place. She keeps bringing that up, and I have, of course, offered to take her to Walmart and buy her another one. Not only that, but I also told her I would be sure to personally launch her out to sea, and that boogie boarding is now very popular with octogenarians, but she keeps putting me off. I wonder why?

Saving The St. Lucie River And The Indian River Lagoon

I recently took the photograph above of sunset on the St. Lucie River, just a short walk from my sister Susan and my condo in Stuart, Florida. Back in 2016, this river was plagued by algae blooms caused by discharges from Lake Okeechobee, whose waters are polluted by phosphorous and other nutrients that run off from sugar cane farms in the area. The algae blooms got so bad in Stuart that it made the national news, and politicians (who get a lot of campaign donations from the owners of those sugar cane farms) finally had to address the issue. The ultimate goal, led by the Rivers Coalition of Stuart, Florida, is to stop those discharges, which in addition to the algae blooms, send billions of gallons of fresh water down the river, causing harm to plant and animal species living in a seawater environment. It has proven to be a challenging issue, since the water level of Lake Okeechobee needs to stay at a certain level to prevent flooding and preserve plant life. This past December, the Army Corp of Engineers started these discharges once again, but said they should end soon and may not resume, which is good news for all. Let's hope that is what happens.

The First Day Of Spring!

Today is the first day of spring, and while back in Denver this day could be sunny and in the 70s or below freezing and covered in snow, here in Stuart, Florida it is usually always pretty nice. Up north the leaves on the trees start to appear and flowers begin to bloom, but here in Stuart, the spring brings "the vibrant golden yellow blooms of the Tabebuia trees," one of which can be seen at the entrance to Stuart's Memorial Park in the photograph on the left. These trees are all over town. My sister wanted to know what kind of tree they were, and to my surprise, there was an article on the internet about them.

Evidently a man named Edwin A. Menninger came to Stuart in 1923 to start the Stuart News (which still exists, by the way) and felt there should be more flowering trees in the area. Palm trees and Australian pines just didn't cut it for him. And so, he contacted people from all over the world and asked them to send seeds from their flowering trees, which they did. He in turn distributed them to people all over the area. His favorite was the Tabebuia tree, and through his efforts, they now bud and bloom here every spring, including the ones in the photo on the right taken along the banks of the Indian River at Riverside Park in Jensen Beach. And so now Susan - and you, too - know their origin. No thanks necessary.

Visiting Chastain Beach

Chastain Beach is located on Hutchinson Island, south of Martin County Florida's House of Refuge Museum, built in 1876 and the last of 10 life-saving stations located along the east coast of Florida. I have passed this beach in my car many times, and the unpaved parking lot is almost always full, as opposed to Bathtub Beach, located a few blocks to the south with a large parking lot that is never full and lifeguards on duty. I have always wondered what the attraction was at Chastain, and a few days ago, not too long before sunset, I noticed a vacant parking spot and decided to check the place out.

This beach is, in fact, very beautiful, as seen in the photograph on the right, but I did not see many people around at that time of day. Once I got home, I decided to check the place out on the internet, which I have always found is very accurate, and read a number of reviews about it, two of which said it was a "surfers paradise" and "quiet and remote." I suspected its popularity might have had something to do with surfing based on the age of the crowd I have seen there, sometimes with surfboards on their car. I did note that one commentator said that there are sometimes Portuguese-Man-of-War (known for their powerful sting) in the water, especially during the winter, and also that there are often sharks at this beach from January through March when they are migrating north and looking for food. A very pretty place, but that food could be you or me. Scary.

The March Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I just finished perusing the March issue of Chicago Magazine, whose cover story this month is "The Next Big Thing." These big things include a 16-year-old rapper, an avant-garde artist, an arts booster, a vintage menswear dealer, a rising Second City star, a pastry prodigy, and a new pro wrestling villain. I'm afraid I will not be following any of these rising Chicago stars, either online or in person, but that's just me. I am not influenced by influencers. I much preferred the article on how Chicago thin-crust pizza came to be (taverns served it to help sell more beers and cut the pizza into little squares that fit on napkins, since they did not have silverware and plates). I also enjoyed the article titled "The Cubs Fan's Guide to Toyko," which included a tip on where you can find craft beer and "shikago" style pizza (a chain called DevilCraft's). And that Cubs-Dodgers series in Toyko, which opens the 2025 baseball season, starts today!  Scary to think of all those North Side Cubs fans running around loose in Japan. A shame it couldn't have been the much more sophisticated and urbane South Side White Sox fans (those are my people). Remember Disco Demolition Night? Now those guys knew how to behave.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today is St. Patrick's Day, but down here on Florida's Treasure Coast, all the celebrating took place this past Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was the St. Patrick's on 2nd Street Block Party, held in Fort Pierce, while yesterday was the Jensen Beach St. Patrick's Day Festivities and Parade. And believe me, the parade was the main event. I arrived in Jensen Beach about 15 minutes before it started, and there was not a parking space to be found. And after accepting the fact that I would miss the parade, I decided to drive around a bit and come back later to catch the "festivities" part of the afternoon. However, driving out of town was an adventure in itself. Traffic was backed up for blocks. Stuck in traffic, I was able to take the photograph on the left of a million or so St. Patrick's Day themed golf carts that were heading to the starting point of the parade. Personally, one or two golf carts in a parade is enough for me, but I digress.

After the parade was over, still stuck in traffic, I took the photograph on the right of a group of parade participants leaving the event. At least I assume they were parade participants, and not just a group of like-dressed friends who all had green hair. Not that I have anything against green hair. It has become quite popular these days, especially in the River North (RiNo) and Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhoods of Denver. But in any case, I was able to get that photo of someone taking a photo of them, strengthening my opinion that they were indeed part of the event.

After an hour of driving around, I returned to downtown Jensen Beach and was pleased to find that there were a number of parking spaces right on Jensen Beach Boulevard, where the "festivities" part of the event was taking place. This St. Patrick's Day celebration was sponsored by Mulligans Beach and Sports Bar and AC Doctors, and it will come as no surprise to anyone that Mulligans was the center of the action. Mulligans is right on the corner of Jensen Beach Boulevard and Indian River Drive, and so easy to spot. I have no idea where AC Doctors is located, but I suspect it was not nearly as lively. In any case, I took the photograph on the left of the guy in the green hat and yellow tutu entering Mulligans. And no, I have no idea how the yellow tutu relates to St. Patrick's Day.

Virtually everyone around me were wearing green T-shirts that said "Lucky" on them, including the guy sitting at the outside table at Mulligans in the photograph on the right. I did not see anyone selling them at the festival, nor did I read anything in the newspaper about special shirts to be worn at the event. I am obviously not tuned in to what the in-crowd is up to here on the Treasure Coast. I will have to start talking to the bartenders and wait staff around town so I can become more clued in, hopefully before the big Easter parties that I am sure will be held all over the area.

Not only did I miss out on those T-shirts, but I also failed to find and purchase a hat like the one the fellow in the photo on the left is wearing. I assume it has something to do with Irish heritage and tradition, but to me it just looks like a cat-in-the-hat accessory. But what do I know? Next year I will be sure to look on Amazon for one so I can fit in better with the locals. Walking up and down the street, it looked like everyone was having quite a good time. People were dancing to the song YMCA in one bar, and a guy on an outdoor patio was hoisting a female companion up and down between sips of beer. But sadly, it was time to head back to Stuart, where the celebrating was much more subdued (i.e. non-existent). Perhaps they will be holding a celebration today, on St. Patrick's Day itself, even if it is a Monday. Mondays can be lots of fun, right? Right?

St. Patrick's Day Weekend

They start celebrating St. Patrick's Day early here in Florida. Yesterday, Sailfish Brewing Company and 2nd Street Bistro sponsored the St. Patrick's on 2nd Street Block Party in downtown Fort Pierce, and the place was packed with people. There was live music, vendors selling merchandise, and, of course, stands selling Sailfish beer. There was even a bounce house castle for the kids, although they had to leave their beers outside. Lots of people were wearing St. Patrick's Day T-shirts, but unlike in Denver, nobody was dressed like a leprechaun - probably too warm here for an outfit like that. 

Meanwhile, down at Cobb's Landing, there were lots of people at the outside tiki bar also wearing those St. Patrick's Day T-shirts, no doubt sitting at the bar insisting that the Irish invented tiki bars. And the revelry continues today in Jensen Beach, where Mulligan's Beach and Sports Bar and AC Doctors are sponsoring the Jensen Beach St. Patrick's Day Festivities and Parade. Once again, they will be having food, vendors, music and a parade that begins at 2:00 P.M. All great fun, although I do have to say that since it was a hot and sunny day yesterday, and the same weather is predicted for today, and this being Florida, the largest crowds yesterday were at the beach, and that will probably be the case today, too. No doubt the beach crowd are just not the religious types.

Beware The Ides Of March!

Today is March 15th, the Ides of March, the day Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators back in 44 BC during a Senate session at the Curia of Pompey, located in Rome's Theater of Pompey. The remains of the Curia are located in Rome's Lago Argentina, and are highlighted in the photograph on the left. Caesar was warned to "Beware the Ides of March," but did not take the threat seriously. His death marked the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire, kind of like where we are now here in the US, possibly coming to the end of the American Republic and the beginning of the American Empire, led by our great and powerful wannabe new Emperor, Donald J. Trump.

The Theater of Pompey, by the way, was a huge building that occupied the area between the present-day Campo de Fiori and Lago Argentina. It can be found on the left side of the circa 60 AD tourist map seen on the right. This is where the Hotel Smeraldo, a hotel I stayed at the last time I visited Rome, is located. It is a fun area of the city, especially Campo de Fiori, and I can definitely recommend staying around that neighborhood if you happen to be visiting Rome. Plus, the historic ruins at Lago Argentina were opened to the public last year after being closed off to tourists for the past 2000 years. Feel free to use the map when you go. Just be sure to watch out for "Great Caesar's Ghost."

A Fort Pierce Mystery

I drove up to Fort Pierce, Florida yesterday afternoon and took a few photographs around the City Marina and Marina Square. Fort Pierce has done a good job of reviving its downtown, with thriving restaurants, a large marina, and a really nice park right along the Indian River Lagoon. Unfortunately, the city has always had a reputation for having some high crime neighborhoods but has been working to tackle those problems over the past few years. In any case, I decided to take the photograph on the left of a pelican sitting on a post next to some boats in the marina. I was pretty far away, and I did not get the result that I wanted. But still, it was a pleasant, laid-back kind of image.

Just for fun, I decided to crop the photo even further, even though I knew it would be pretty blurry. And when I finished cropping it on the computer, I noticed that there was a human skeleton hanging from the back of a boat just behind that pelican, as seen in the photo on the right. It reminds me of the plot of the movie Blowup, which I have never seen but involves a photographer who thinks he has captured a murder on film. I'm not saying that the skeleton is a murder victim, although if it is a Halloween decoration, they are either extremely early putting it up or very late in taking it down. Perhaps Fort Pierce still is a little rough around the edges. And if you do happen to walk past that boat, try not to get on the wrong side of its owner, just in case.

Driving Past Mar-a-Lago On A Tuesday Afternoon

My sister Susan and I drove down to Palm Beach this past Tuesday afternoon to see what it is like during "The Season," and while we were there, drove past Mar-a-Lago, home of none other than Donald Trump. If Trump is in residence, the road in front of the estate is closed to the public, but since Trump was in Washington, busy Making America Great Again, I was able to drive past and take the photograph above. Unfortunately, Making America Great Again seems to involve destroying everyone's 401K, not to mention annoying the hell out of our neighbors to the north. I am not sure why Trump's own party does not step in and stop him from carrying out what everyone knows are crazy and destructive policies, but perhaps most of them are crazy, too. And I hate to say it, but since more than half of all voters voted for Trump, that means they are probably crazy, too. I personally believe the only hope we have is that the reality of a Trump presidency and its consequences for the country will finally wake these people up and force them to stop the madness before it is too late. Trump needs to be back home permanently at Mar-a-Lago, lording over his estate, not the country, hopefully under the care of a team of psychiatrists. I can dream, can't I?

My Father's Birthday...

Today is my father Nelson's birthday. If he were alive today, he would be 116 years old, making him one of the oldest - if not the oldest - person in the country. Sadly, he passed away back in 1983 at the age of 74, but was still able to have 7 years of retirement with my mother Mary down in Stuart, Florida. I took the photograph on the left of him making breakfast during one of my sister Susan and my visits to Stuart sometime in the late 1970s or early 80s. Dad hated being a dentist, but was finally able to retire to Stuart in 1976 and play golf every day, including with my Uncle Bill (my mother's brother), just like they did for 2 weeks each year when the families would vacation up in Canada. My Uncle Bill and Aunt Elsie moved to Stuart in 1972, and after visiting them a few years later, my parents decided to move to Stuart, too. A wise move indeed. And happily, Susan and I still have the condo, and lots of happy memories.

Sunset Bay Marina: Living The Good Life On The Water

Whenever my sister Susan and I go to the Sailor's Return's outdoor patio for a beer, located in the Sunset Bay Marina, I always admire the many yachts that are berthed there. Many of them appear to be live-aboard vessels. People can be seen walking their dogs, bringing back groceries from Publix or just hanging out on their boat decks. The marina is just a few blocks away from downtown Stuart, Florida, and so is a perfect location to live. This lifestyle does not come cheap, of course. However, if you want to save money, you can always moor your boat out on the river and take a dinghy back and forth when you need to be on the mainland.

Two very nice-looking cabin cruisers (or yachts - I can't actually tell) are tied up right in front of the Sailor's Return's patio, both of which are for sale. The Nautical Yacht Group is the listed agent, and I tried to find those boats on their website, without success. Not that I am in any position to buy one - I'm just curious about what they are selling for. One is the Avanti out of Boston, and the other is called the Scampo Al Mare out of Newport, Rhode Island, as seen in the photograph on the right. I even put those names and locations into that group's search engine, with no results. What I did get is a list of yachts for sale at prices that blew my mind. A number of them are located here in Stuart and priced in the millions of dollars. Others are actually priced from 80 to 100 million dollars, although you might have to fly over to Italy to pick them up. Hard to believe there so many people in the world who can afford prices like that. We are definitely living in a new gilded age, with the rich becoming super-rich, and more and more people just hanging on by their fingertips. And will Donald Trump, the great populist president and hero to the working class, fix this imbalance? Yeah, right. I am sure he will fix everything but good. And has already started.

Close, But No Cigar

I thought I would take in the 35th annual ArtFest by the Sea in Juno Beach, Florida yesterday afternoon. This show takes place on an oceanfront road and features 300 artists and craft artisans from 30 different states. It received a lot of press from the local television newscasts and looked like it would be fun to attend, even though I already attended the Under the Oaks Art Festival up in Vero Beach the previous day. I drove along Juno Beach's waterfront and parked in the beach parking lot as I approached the "road closed sign," which I assumed was where the festival started. However, when I got back to the road, I saw that the festival was actually blocks away. I have been battling what I think might be sciatica lately, and during this current episode, it hurts like hell to walk more than a short distance. And so, I decided to turn back once I reached the Juno Beach Pier, as seen in the photograph on the left.

In any case, since I already posted photographs of the Under the Oaks Art Festival on yesterday's blog, I reasoned the Juno Beach Pier would certainly be an acceptable substitute for today's blog post. I did not walk out onto the pier itself, however, not only because of my difficulty with walking, but also because they actually charge money to go out there. Talk about painful things. Therefore, I took a few photos of it from the entrance and hobbled back to the car, none the worse for wear. There is always next year for ArtFest, after all.