Back In Denver! For Better Or Worse...

My sister Susan and I have arrived back in Denver, where it is cool and rainy, as opposed to hot and sunny back in Stuart, Florida. And we did this why? But on the bright side, this weekend is Cinco de Mayo in Denver's Civic Center Park, produced by NEWSED Community Development Corporation, the geniuses who sold the city's long-running People's Fair to a for-profit company to obtain money to buy a mansion on Cheesman Park for their headquarters. That company held the festival at Civic Center Park for, I think, just one year before canceling it forever due to not making enough money. This used to be the festival that marked the start of summer here in Denver. And thanks to the City of Denver, the Taste of Colorado, which took place over Labor Day weekend and was an end of summer celebration, disappeared after the city turned it into 4 mini-festivals throughout the summer, which was a total flop. But enough complaining. While we were away in Florida, the University of Denver Pioneers won the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey National Championship, the program's 11th national title. I know all about it because I got a text message on my phone from the Denver Police telling me to avoid the corner of Evans Avenue and University Boulevard due to a "traffic incident" right after win. No doubt the "traffic incident" was the student body rushing into the intersection to celebrate the victory. I got an all-clear after 2 hours, which was good to know, even if I was 2,000 miles away. Hopefully the entire student body wasn't arrested. DU desperately needs their tuition dollars.

It Is Finally Time To Leave The Storm-Tossed Seas Of Florida, And The Heat, Behind!

It has been a pleasant late winter and early spring here in Stuart, Florida, and my sister Susan and I have enjoyed our time here, but it is finally time to head back to Denver. Places to be, appointments to keep, festivals to attend, the list goes on. It is starting to get hot down here in South Florida, which is not necessarily a bad thing, and we hope to come back down here in mid-summer, when we will at last be able to finally find a parking space and a table on the patio at the Sailors Return Restaurant at Stuart's Sunset Bay Marina. No problem about the heat and humidity on that patio. They have fans. The snowbirds will be only a distant memory. And by the way, I took the photograph above up in Vero Beach, Florida, on a particularly windy day. And I must say, virtually the entire time we were down here, rain or shine, the winds along the ocean have been very strong. The red flags at the lifeguard stations seemed to be up most of the time, and many of beaches have been dealing with serious erosion. If that keeps up and those beaches are not restored, that could play havoc with the tourist season. But on the other hand, that would finally take care of that damn snowbird problem. Just sayin'.

Visiting The Jones' Pier Conservation Area

There was a story on one of the television news programs here in South Florida about the dedication of the Jones' Pier Conservation Area along the Indian River, a 16.5-acre site on Orchid Island. This park is part of the original 160-acre tract settled by the Jones family back in 1889 and located just north of Vero Beach, Florida. The family farmed citrus, and in 1907 built Jones Pier, which was one of the first maritime commerce businesses in the county, and seen in the photograph on the left. At that time, there were no bridges to the mainland, and this bridge was vital to the farmers on the island who needed to get their product to market.

This is a pleasant park, and consists of the pier, a fruit stand, seen in the photograph on the right, and a bungalow, built in the late 1920s and the original residence of the Jones family. The bungalow is now a museum, but is only open certain days and hours, and was closed when I was there. I got information about the place from a plaque attached to a post on the pier. What I want to know, and would have asked if the museum had been open, is if the family homesteaded there in 1889, and the bungalow, built in the late 1920s, was their original residence, where did they live between 1889 and the late 20s? In a tent? In a boat tied up along the pier? The local Motel 6? Questions, questions, but no answers. At least until my next visit. 

Cruising Las Olas Boulevard

After taking a stroll along the Riverwalk in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this past Saturday afternoon, my sister Susan and I decided to cruise down Las Olas Boulevard, that city's main drag, on the way home. It starts out as a high-end shopping district, with many restaurants, bars, and shops, as seen in the photograph on the left. And I must say, the trees in the median lend a nice touch to the atmosphere. It was just after 5:00, and so a lot of people were heading into that district for a bit of Saturday night fun. We were headed east toward the ocean, and the traffic coming towards us from that direction was bumper to bumper. I was very glad I was going the other way and resolved find a different way back to the freeway when we headed home to Stuart. Once you leave the business district, you cross a series of yacht-filled canals, along which are condos, apartments, and very large homes. Eventually you cross the Intercoastal Waterway, and Las Olas ends at Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, which parallels - wait for it - Fort Lauderdale Beach.

On the northwest corner of this intersection stands the Elbo Room, a legendary bar and local landmark, and seen in the photograph on the right. Fort Lauderdale was the birthplace of spring break, beginning back in the mid-1930s. It all began with college swim teams looking for a warm place to train and evolved into the spring break tradition we know today. Fort Lauderdale became the epicenter of this college gathering, and the crowds only increased after the release of the 1960 film, Where the Boys Are. The Elbo Room, which was established in 1938, was featured in this film, and instantly became ground zero for partying students. The peak of spring break in Fort Lauderdale came in 1985, when 350,000 college students showed up. After that, city fathers decided enough was enough, instituted stricter laws, including banning alcohol on the beach, and made it very clear that students were no longer welcome. But as you can see from the photo, the Elbo Room is still very popular and was the site of the Florida Panthers' celebration the night of their 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup championships.

This is one busy intersection. There is always a long line to turn in either direction on Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, and once you turn you can see the crowds walking past the shops and bars, not to mention the throngs across the street on the beach. I wouldn't even attempt to find a parking spot around here, especially on a Saturday night. I simply kept driving north, leaving the crowds and traffic behind until I saw a sign pointing the way to I-95, and headed that way. And so, in case you were worried that the end of spring break in Fort Lauderdale led to its demise, relax. Thanks to the pandemic, huge numbers of people moved to Florida to avoid strict Covid regulations and to work from home in a much more pleasant environment, now making Florida the 3rd largest state in the union. And they all seem to descend on the intersection of Las Olas and Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard every Saturday night.

A Saturday Afternoon On The Riverwalk

Yesterday afternoon my sister Susan and I drove down to Fort Lauderdale and took a walk along the Riverwalk, which runs along the New River in the heart of the city and seen in the photograph on the left. This is a really beautiful place, although a lot of the trees and landscaping seem to have been removed, which I later learned was done to improve pedestrian flow and make more room for outdoor dining. However, you can still look at all the yachts, both docked and cruising down the river, and do a lot of peoplewatching, too. This area is filled with high-rise condo buildings, apartments, and upscale restaurants and shops, but there are still many historic buildings along the pathway, too. A while back, Susan and I stopped at a restaurant called Salt, which had an outdoor bar and patio right off the Riverwalk. They had great happy hour prices, and you could sit on a sofa or at a table and watch the people and boats as they passed you by. It was later closed down and evicted from its space for not paying its employees, which explains how the happy hour prices were so good. The space was still vacant when we passed by on Saturday. 

Years ago, there was an outdoor shopping mall called Los Olas Riverfront on the Riverwalk, which was very popular. It had a lot of upscale shops and restaurants, including Cafe Tu Tu Tango, where Susan, my mother Mary, and I once had lunch. I remember Susan liked the restaurant's napkins so much she swiped a couple of packages of them on the way out. My mother and I kept a bit of distance as we left, in case Susan was arrested, which would allow us to deny knowing her, but nobody chased after us and we continued our stroll along the river. When the big recession hit in 2007, many of the shops and restaurants closed and the mall was taken over by the homeless for a while. 

Las Olas Riverfront was eventually torn down and replaced with a couple of high-rise apartments buildings, as well as a The Wharf Fort Lauderdale, which according to its website has "foodie-friendly popups" from "Fort Lauderdale's most sought-after chefs" and an "open-air setting designed for socializing, music, and entertainment." They also boast about their "stunning riverfront views." Susan and I stopped in there a year or so ago, and the music was deafening. Also, the place is surrounded by a fence with plants along the top which blocks any view of the river whatsoever. So much for the stunning view. Best to stick to a brisk walk along the river and if you want to stop somewhere for a drink, make sure it is a place where you can see the damn river, such as Pirate Republic, seen in the photograph on the left. It is across the river and would involve figuring out how the hell to get there, but it looks very nice.

Holy Cow! The White Sox Are On A Roll!

I watched my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, play the Washington Nationals last night, and it is beginning to look like the Sox are turning into a pretty good baseball team. Although they do have some budding stars on the team, such as shortstop Colson Montgomery, first baseman Munetaka Murakami ("the Japanese Babe Ruth"), and closer Seranthony Dominguez, most of their players are pretty young. But you can tell that the team wants to win, and hustles on every play. After a slow start, they are beginning to win games. Last night, after to returning Rate Field after a 4 and 2 road trip, they came from behind twice to beat the Nationals 5-4. And it was a very exciting game. For the first time in a long time watching the White Sox play, I was on the edge of my seat over the final 3 innings.

White Sox television announcers Steve Stone, on the left in the photograph on the right, and John Schriffen, on the right, were very enthusiastic about the way the team has been playing. In the photograph, Schriffen had just put on a pullover shirt that will be given out at today's game, and it was just after that the Sox rallied twice to win the game. Which means that now he can't take it off during the entire home stand to avoid jinxing the team. And if they keep playing well, perhaps the entire season. A small sacrifice to see the White Sox in the playoffs again. Meanwhile, their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, are currently tied for 1st place with the Cincinnati Reds, although I am still convinced they will choke by the end of the season. As for my adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they are only one game worse than the White Sox, and both clubs are 5 and 5 over the last 10 games. Most surprisingly of all, there are currently 6 teams with worse records than either the White Sox or the Rockies. The world turned upside down.

Round Island Park: A Pretty Spot With A Lot Of History

I recently read an online article about Round Island Park, located on North Hutchinson Island about 8 miles south of downtown Vero Beach, Florida, and decided to check it out in person. This park has two parts, Round Island Riverside Park, which borders the Indian River and is where the actual island is located, as seen in the photograph on the left, and Round Island Oceanside Park, which is directly across the street along the Atlantic. What made me want to visit was that the article mentioned the river side of the park was teeming with manatees and dolphins. I think they mentioned unicorns, too, but I could be mistaken about that. In any case, the area is very pretty, with a number of people out on kayaks or on the boardwalk fishing, but the only wildlife I saw was a single crab attached to one of the boardwalks pilings. No surprise there.

I headed over to the ocean side next, and it is indeed a very nice and uncrowded beach, as seen in the photograph on the right. But what really got my attention was a sign about its history during World War II. This beach was the site of amphibious training connected to the former Fort Pierce Amphibious Training Base. Just to the south, closer to Fort Pierce, is the National Navy SEAL Museum, located on the former training grounds of the original Navy combat divers, the Frogmen. What was especially poignant was the plaque that said a U.S. tanker, the Java Arrow, was torpedoed 8 miles off the coast from this park by a German submarine, the U-333 back on May 5th, 1942. Two sailors were killed and the rest were rescued by 3 Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers in a 30-foot fishing boat. The survivors were taken to the Fort Pierce Coast Guard Station. That same night the U-333 sunk 2 more ships, the Amazone and the Halsey, off the coast of Fort Pierce. I have never given much thought before to how close that war came to the shores of our country. Very scary times indeed. Definitely makes you stop and think.

A Murky Mystery In The Closing Of The Jensen Beach Mulligan's

Mulligan's Beach House Bar and Grill in Jensen Beach closed on April 5th after 23 years in business. The restaurant, at the corner of Jensen Beach Boulevard and Indian River Drive, directly across from the Indian River, always seemed to be the center of the action in downtown Jensen Beach, and it is sad to see it go. The owner, George Hart, said that business was great, but the high cost of rent drove him out. Hart's landlord has pointed out that Hart originally owned that building in Jensen Beach where Mulligan's was located, and when he sold it, he wrote the 10-year lease for $40,000 per month himself. When asked about this, Hart said he didn't want to talk about it anymore. There were originally eight Mulligan's throughout the area, but only two now remain open, in Sebastian and Vero Beach. The Vero Beach location is where I took the above photograph. That particular Mulligan's is right on the ocean, with an outdoor patio with wonderful views of the sea. I sure hope they don't close that one down. In any case, there has been speculation that Hart is downsizing in preparation for retirement, which might explain closing the Jensen Beach location due to the high rent that he himself wrote into the lease. And by the way, the Mulligan's in Jensen Beach was a key organizer of the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in that city. Hopefully, another restaurant will take the space over and carry on that tradition. Otherwise, next St. Patrick's Day, instead of a parade and street party, we might be seeing Irishmen sitting despondently along the curbs crying into their beer. Talk about depressing.

Beach Erosion - A South Florida Bugaboo

There has been a lot of erosion along the beaches here in South Florida this past winter and spring. And this when the area is still experiencing drought conditions. Beach restoration began this month from the St. Lucie County line to Stuart Beach, and up in Fort Pierce, the area around Jetty Park is in the middle of a $430,000 sand operation. Just last week, two of the three public beach entrances in Palm Beach were closed due to the disappearance of the sand, with a drop-off where the stairway once led to the beach. The reasons for this have been harsh winters, strong winds, and persistent wave action. I myself can attest to the strong winds and persistent wave action. Virtually every time I have gone to the beach this spring, the wind and waves have been relentless, and red and yellow warning flags have been the norm. I took the photograph above at the Juno Beach pier just a few weeks ago and there were only a few brave souls along the shore. A major complication to the restoration project between Jensen and Stuart Beaches is that it is turtle nesting season, and there is danger that the sea turtle eggs will be crushed by construction equipment or buried too deep for the hatchlings to survive. Just yesterday there was an article on the website of WPEC 12News in West Palm Beach that volunteers have relocated more than 4,100 sea turtle eggs from 45 nests along the Treasure Coast over the past few weeks. These volunteers patrol the beach every night looking for new nests and have 24 hours to relocate the eggs from the construction area before they can no longer be safely moved. Each egg has to be dug up and moved by hand to a safe location. Remember, we are talking about 4,100 sea turtle eggs! Talk about dedication. Who says there are not many good people out there these days?

A Blue Anchor Update

The Blue Anchor British Pub in Delray Beach, Florida has had a rough time of it lately. I did a post about the place back in December, after it had been closed down due to "extensive rodent infestation and serious sanitation failures." And so, when I went down to Delray Beach a few weeks ago for "The Delray Affair" (an arts and crafts festival), I checked the place out and was surprised to find it was open. When I got home, I looked The Blue Anchor up on the internet and found an article in the Palm Beach Post detailing a pretty turbulent past few months. Health code violations triggered six temporary closures in December 2025 and another five in February. A March 2nd state inspection resulted in still another temporary closure, but it was cleared to reopen the same day. Regular blog readers will recall that The Blue Anchor was originally built in London in the 1840s. Legend has it that a woman named Bertha Starkey, who lived above the pub, was caught with her lover by her husband, who murdered them both. When the pub was torn down to make way for an office building, its Tudor-style facade and wood interior were removed and shipped to New York. They stayed there until 1996 when the pieces were shipped to Delray, and the Blue Anchor was resurrected on Atlantic Avenue right next to the Intercoastal Waterway. And yes - Bertha Starkey also made the trip across the Atlantic and still haunts the place.

Sadly, the health department closures are not the pub's only problem. Landlord Delray Beach Associates has filed a lawsuit alleging unpaid rent of almost $70,000. Restaurant broker Tom Prakas negotiated the deal to bring The Blue Anchor to Delray Beach, and in a recent interview said that landlord Burt Handelsman paid to have the pub pieces brought to the site, which is part of the Handelsman family's real estate holdings in Delray Beach. His adult children still own the property through Delray Beach Associates. In any case, the pub, a favorite of local soccer fans, especially those following the English Premier League, was indeed still open for business when I stuck my head through the front door and snapped the photograph on the right. Nobody knows what The Blue Anchor's fate will be, but 70K in back rent seems like a pretty steep tab to pay off. Restaurant broker Prakas hopes that if the landlord does take it back, The Blue Anchor will remain the way it is. All of the other restaurants on Atlantic Avenue are expensive modern hotspots, without the charm of an old English pub. The Blue Anchor, after all, is a local landmark. And besides, where would all those soccer fans go otherwise?

Sunday Afternoon Baseball At Roger Dean Stadium

My sister Susan and I went to Roger Dean Stadium in the Abacoa neighborhood of Jupiter, Florida yesterday afternoon to watch the Jupiter Hammerheads play the Palm Beach Cardinals in a Florida State League contest. As I have mentioned before, this is a really nice ballpark in a really nice community, one which has lots of things happening all of the time. The last baseball game we attended at this stadium was on "Opening Night," when the Palm Beach Cardinals played the St. Lucie Mets. In that game, Palm Beach got only two hits and lost to St. Lucie 1-0. And it wasn't nearly as exciting as that score indicates, either. Since then, both teams have improved tremendously. The Palm Beach Cardinals are currently leading the Florida State League East Division with an 11-4 record, and the St. Lucie Mets have an 8-7 record and are in second place. And happily, yesterday afternoon's game was quite good.

Our seats were quite good, too. We sat in the first row right behind home plate and had a great view of the action, as seen in the photograph on the right. The cost for these seats: $12 each including internet fees. To sit in the same location and day at Denver's Coors Field: $400 plus internet fees. I was going to mention that the Colorado Rockies are, of course, a Major League Baseball team, and Palm Beach and Jupiter just Single A teams and much less skilled. But then again, do the Rockies really play that much better baseball than a minor league team these days, having lost 100 games three years in a row? But I digress. The Palm Beach Cardinals beat the Jupiter Hammerheads 7-6 in what turned out to be quite an exciting contest. Definitely worth the $12. I wonder if Colorado Rockies fans can say the same about plunking down $400 for a ticket.

Biking Along The St. Lucie In Stuart, Florida

I finally was able to get out on my bike yesterday afternoon and pedal along the St. Lucie River here in Stuart, Florida. Stuart is surrounded on three sides by the St. Lucie, and biking along it is sheer pleasure. About a mile from my sister Susan and my condo, you can turn into one of Stuart's older neighborhoods and bike along the river, with mostly newer McMansions along the river and older homes, mostly from the 1920s, throughout the rest of the neighborhood. Stuart, I'll have you know, was named Best Small Coastal Town in America by USA Today in 2024. That was the year Susan and I took back our Stuart condo after renting it out for 15 years. The following year, Stuart dropped to 7th place in that top 10 list. I had no idea our return would drop the quality of life here so drastically, but this year, happily, Stuart rebounded back to number 2 on the list. We definitely have been trying to keep a lower profile. And it helped. Only Pismo Beach, California beat Stuart out for number 1. And yes, that is me posing at a park in a very upscale riverside neighborhood just to the east of downtown Stuart.

Once you bike through that older neighborhood along the St. Lucie that I mentioned, you reach Shepard Park, where I took the photograph on the right. Shepard Park is where Stuart's Riverwalk begins. It curves out into the St. Lucie, going from one side of the park to the other, leading to a still older neighborhood, with homes from the late 19th and early 20th Century. Once you hit the Sunset Bay Marina, the Riverwalk goes past piers where almost 70 boats are docked, and then past the Sailor's Return Restaurant, the location of my favorite outdoor patio, which has a great view of both the river and those yachts. Once past the Sailors' Return, you cross Dixie Highway (Dixie is not politically incorrect here in Florida) and then bike uninterrupted along the Riverwalk past Hudson's on the River, next to which is Harlow's Hideout, an outdoor Tiki Bar where this past November a 4-foot-long juvenile alligator entered the bar around happy hour and hung out under a chair. Sadly, it was removed by the police even though it was not causing any trouble at all. Cruel. Next, you pass Flagler Park and then reach downtown Stuart.

The boardwalk ends at Colorado Avenue Park, just to the east of downtown, and seen in the photograph on the left. But you can still bike through the neighborhoods along the river all the way to the bridge leading from Stuart to Sewall's Point, an upscale community bordered on the west by the St. Lucie River and on the east by the Indian River. From there another bridge leads to Hutchinson Island and Stuart Beach, where you can get breakfast, lunch, and even a beer at the Seaside Cafe and relax while you gaze at the ocean. Who needs Pismo Beach, anyway, right?

Fort Pierce, Florida - Superyacht Service Center To The World?

Fort Pierce, Florida was first settled in the 1860s and has a cute downtown with historic buildings from the late 19th and early 20th Century. It also has the Port of Fort Pierce, which handles an average of 350,000 tons of commerce annually, mainly through the export of citrus and the import of cement and aragonite. The port is a bit of a scruffy area, truth be told, which makes it all the more unusual that it is now the home of Derecktor Ft. Pierce, the first shipyard specifically designed for superyachts, and equipped with the world's largest mobile boat hoist, allowing for the lifting of large yachts needing service or refit. Fort Pierce, to be honest, is not my idea of a superyacht town. I was thinking about this as I was crossing the bridge over the Indian River from Hutchinson Island yesterday afternoon and caught a glimpse of the yacht seen in the photograph above. This superyacht is no doubt worth many millions of dollars and must cost a fortune to operate. I can just imagine it cruising in off the Atlantic and pulling into the Port of Fort Pierce for servicing, perhaps an oil change and a new filter. Do the owner and his guests just hop off the boat, hand the keys to the dockmaster, and then head to the nearest watering hole for a libation while waiting for the work to be done? The two nearest bars happen to be the Tipsy Tiki and the Funky Cuda Bar and Grill, which I suspect are just as colorful as the names imply. There is always the Bottoms Up Public House or the Pickled Restaurant and Bourbon Bar, if you want to get a bit more upscale, but they are both downtown and probably too far a walk for the one percent crowd. Hopefully the service people won't find anything else that needs to be done, like they always do with my Hyundai Accent, or the yachters might have to stay over at the Fort Pierce Motel 6. But no problem - crossing the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and the South of France can wait. This will be a true adventure. 

A Baseball Update: Reality Is A Bummer

Granted, it has only been three weeks since the Major League Baseball season has begun, but my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, currently have a record of 6 wins and 13 losses The Sox have lost 8 of their last 10 games and have been swept by both the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. Of course, Tampa Bay has a pretty good team. Baltimore not so much. Needless to say, the White Sox have the worst record in baseball so far this season. After three weeks, is it too soon to panic? Yes! But I am panicking. The White Sox television announcers, Steve Stone and John Schriffen, still seem optimistic - they feel it is just a matter of getting the bats to come around. But to me, this season looks pretty much just like last season, when the Sox lost 102 games, which was much better than 2024, when they lost 121 games and set a record for the worst team in the history of Major League baseball. I am beginning to think I should never have bet my retirement savings on the Sox to win it all. Live and learn, I guess.

In any case, yesterday the weather in Chicago was pretty nice, and the boys in the Sox dugout looked pretty laid back and happy, as seen in the photograph on the right that I took from the Sox broadcast on MLB.com. But in the end, the Sox lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3. On the other hand, the White Sox's North Side Rival, the Chicago Cubs, have 9 wins and 9 losses, a .500 record, although they are still in last place in the National League Central (although a mere 1.5 games out of first). Early days for them. As for my adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they have a record of 7-12, tied for last place with the San Francisco Giants in the National League West. But surprisingly, they actually beat the Houston Astros yesterday by a score of 3-2. Over the last 10 games the Rockies are 4 and 6, which is not good but better than the Sox. My main takeaway is that all 3 of these teams are currently in last place in their respective divisions. Will things turn around for these ballclubs? The Cubs will certainly be contenders. As for the White Sox and Rockies, I hate to say wait until next year, and so I will just think it.

Portrait Of A Pelican

I recently took the photograph on the left of a pelican sitting on the post of a pier underneath the bridge leading to Hutchinson Island, just to the east of Stuart, Florida. Years ago, I would take photographs of what seemed like dozens of pelicans crowding around fish cleaning stations, where fishermen would cut up their catch and toss the leftovers into the water. The pelicans would then quickly scramble after those yummy treats. These days, at the marinas, bridges, and boat launching spots along the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers that I have visited, I have not run into any fishermen cutting up their catch like I used to. I have no idea why. Perhaps I am just looking in the wrong places or at the wrong times. However, I have to wonder if this might be due to water quality issues reducing the number of fish in the area. Lake Okeechobee is highly polluted by agricultural runoff from sugar plantations, and when the lake level gets too high, that polluted water is released into the St. Lucie River and down to the Indian River Lagoon, which can cause fish kills and algae blooms, reducing the fish population. Fewer fish for the fishermen, forcing those pelicans to give up trying to get fish the easy way and instead cruise the shorelines looking for fish. And why doesn't the state stop the pollution of Lake Okeechobee? Because, of course, the plantation owners donate big money to the state's politicians, who have no intention of giving up the gravy train by doing the right thing. The same old story.

The 114th Anniversary Of The Sinking Of The Titanic

Exactly 114 years ago today the RMS Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg, resulting in the death of 1,514 people. The photograph above is the last know photograph of the ship, taken by an Irish Jesuit priest named Francis Browne as it was leaving Queenstown, Ireland, its final stop before crossing the Atlantic. Browne sailed on the Titanic for the first leg of its journey, from Southhampton to Cobh, then known as Queenstown. A wealthy couple he befriended offered to pay his fare to New York, but after requesting time off, he received a telegram from his superior telling him to return to Dublin immediately. Most of the photographs in existence showing life aboard the Titanic were taken by this priest. Many factors led to this disaster - excessive speed despite warnings of icebergs in the area, an untrained crew, not enough lifeboats, the lack of 24-hour radio watch on distress frequencies, etc. But in the article that accompanied the photograph, I learned two very interesting facts. One was that the fourth funnel on the ship was just for show. The designers felt the ship would look more impressive with four. Those same designers also made a fatal error. The ship had 15 watertight bulkheads and could remain floating if all four forward compartments were flooded. However, although the watertight bulkheads went above the waterline, they did not go all the way to the top, and once the 5th compartment was flooded, the water would spill into all the others, kind of like an ice cube tray. After the Titanic disaster, many reforms were introduced to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, but not before those 1,514 lives were lost.

Just Another Sunday In Palm Beach

I took a drive through Palm Beach, Florida this past Sunday. And why not, since it was a pleasant, sunny afternoon after almost a week of rain. I took the photograph above at the corner of South Ocean Boulevard and Worth Avenue, showing tourists posing for photographs in front of the Palm Beach Clock Tower, a local landmark constructed in 2010 to mark the start of the Worth Avenue Shopping District and to commemorate the former site of the Palm Beach Pier, which was torn down in the 1960s after a series of hurricanes damaged it. This photo also shows a convertible flying both a blue "Trump 2028" and a red "Trump Was Right About Everything" flag. I watched as people passing by on the sidewalk would get into the car to be photographed by the proud owner. This on the day that peace talks between the U.S. and Iran to stop the war Trump started fell apart. The mind boggles. The beach itself, by the way, is mostly gone due to the severe erosion caused by last week's storms. Perhaps Donald Trump will donate the money to restore it. Trump is, after all, a proud resident of Palm Beach and obviously still Palm Beach's favorite son, despite everything. Go figure.

Perusing The Downtown Palm Beach Gardens Fine Art Festival

I stopped by the Downtown Palm Beach Gardens Fine Art Festival to look around a bit yesterday afternoon. This festival originally took place in West Palm Beach at CityPlace, along Rosemary Avenue, but due to the construction of two high-rise office towers, the festival moved to "downtown" Palm Beach Gardens, Florida last year. There was a lot of nice art on display at this year's festival, including watercolors, oil and pastel paintings, sculptures, and photography, and I thought the photographs at the booth in the photograph on the left were especially good. 

Although the art was very nice, the festival is now much smaller than it was at CityPlace, where it was a major annual event. Downtown Palm Beach Gardens is actually a suburban outdoor shopping center, and there were few trees and little tropical landscaping where the event took place, unlike at CityPlace, where the lush grounds and Mediterranean and Venetian style architecture create a really special ambiance. And I have to say, there were not that many people there yesterday, which must have been disappointing for the artists. Hopefully the festival can move back to CityPlace after those office towers are finished. I checked online and it says those two buildings will be completed in 2027. However, that is just next year, and so far, I have not seen any kind of structures rising from the construction site. I suppose it is possible to construct two high-rise office buildings (one 22 stories and one 24) in a year and a half, but I am not holding my breath. I say move the festival back to CityPlace next year and to hell with the construction. Just give art goers hardhats when they walk down that particular block.

The Cajun Crawfish And Music Festival

The 8th Annual Cajun Crawfish and Music Festival is taking place this weekend in the Abacoa neighborhood of Jupiter, Florida. Just for fun, my sister Susan and I decided to attend this festival, despite the $5 entrance fee. Since this event supports two charities, Maddie's Fight Foundation, which provides financial assistance to families with children battling cancer, and Little Smiles, which works with care providers to bring joy and comfort to children in difficult situations, I guess you really can't complain. At least not much. In any case, unlike the other festivals we have attended lately, this festival was all about Louisiana style food, drink, and music. And as you can see from the photograph on the left, it was very well attended yesterday afternoon.

The Master of Ceremonies for the festival is Virginia Sinicki, who appears on a local radio program called the KVJ Show and who is a New Orleans native. As you can see from the photograph on the right, there is a Bourbon Street Bar at the festival which serves classic cocktails such as Hurricanes, Grenades, and Virginia's Champaign Hurricane specialty drink, no doubt served to you by Master of Ceremonies Virginia Sinicki herself. I decided to skip trying these cocktails. The names sound a little violent to me, and as they say, where there's smoke, there's fire. I'll just stick to beer, thank you very much.

As for that classic Louisiana style food, some of it sounds pretty good - how can you go wrong with crab cakes, fried shrimp and chicken, or ribs and chicken? But the big item at the festival is, of course, crawfish. On offer are crawfish po' boys, crawfish bites and crawfish etouffee'. They even had a crawfish eating contest up on the main stage after a performance by Amanda Shaw, a well-known singer and fiddle player who grew up in New Orleans. And in the photograph on the left, you can plainly see that oysters are a pretty big item at the festival, too. I decided to take a pass on both the crawfish and the oysters, too. Just fair warning - not a hamburger in sight. All in all, it was a nice afternoon, and a great place for peoplewatching. The Cajun Crawfish and Music Festival continues today from 10:00am until 8:00pm. And if you do decide to go, they give you a wristband so you can leave for a bit to get a quick hamburger at Das Beer Garden and then be admitted back before the next music act. Enjoy!

The Delray Affair

And no - this is not a personal confession about something that happened in Delray Beach, Florida, nor a post about the biggest scandal in South Florida since the Roxanne and Peter Pulitzer divorce trial. The Delray Affair is actually the premier arts and craft festival in the Southeast United States. In its 64th year, this festival stretches for 7 blocks along Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, Florida, with artists participating from across the country and featuring paintings, sculptures, crafts, and photography, as well as a number of booths with items described by festival organizers as "funky." I was especially impressed with the photography on display. Oceans and Africa, a booth featuring the photography of Craig Dietrich, was packed with absolutely wonderful photos of African wildlife, which you can also see at https://oceansandafrica.com/index.php?cPath=32.

Other photographers with booths at the festival include Ben Hicks, where I saw a wonderful photo of a turtle with just its head above the water, looking directly at the camera; Camilo Photography, featuring some great photographs of Cuba; and Chris Doherty, who specializes in underwater photos. Many of the paintings on display were also quite good, although also quite pricey. And the setting on palm tree lined Atlantic Avenue really added a lot to the festival. This street is a very popular shopping and entertainment district, with many restaurants, shops, and galleries to peruse in addition to looking at the art at the festival. The Delray Affair began yesterday and continues today from 10:00 until 6:00 and Sunday from 10:00 to 5:00. It is definitely worth checking out.

Rubber Duckies On The Dash - What Gives?

A while back, I noticed a jeep in a parking lot here in Stuart, Florida with a large number of rubber ducks on the dashboard. My first thought was "Here is a true eccentric." But then I noticed another jeep with ducks on the dash, too. The more I looked, the more jeeps with rubber duckies I saw. Was this just a Florida thing? Of course, I did research on the internet, which these days has an accuracy rate of 99.9%, and found that this phenomenon is known as "ducking." It started in July 2020 when a jeep owner named Allison Parliament, trying to spread a little happiness during the COVID pandemic, left a rubber duck on a stranger's jeep with a note that said "Nice Jeep." From this came a popular tradition called "ducking." Many jeep owners keep a supply of rubber ducks in their car so they can leave them on other jeep owner's cars, the purpose of which is to foster "camaraderie within the jeep community" and spread kindness and a sense of belonging among jeep owners. Many of these owners collect rubber ducks and put them on their dashboards, which they call "duck ponds," as seen in the photograph above. Evidently, this has now become a global movement. I don't remember seeing duckies on the dash in Denver, but will definitely check it out when I get back there. It does sound a bit like a cult to me, but what do I know?

The Proving Ground

I just finished reading Michael Connelly's lasted novel, The Proving Ground, the 8th book in the Lincoln Lawyer series. Mickey Haller, a criminal lawyer famous for working out a Lincoln Continental instead of an office, has decided to give up criminal law to handle civil cases. He now works out of the garage where he once housed his Lincolns and takes the case of a woman suing an artificial intelligence company whose chatbot told a sixteen-year-old boy it was okay to kill his ex-girlfriend, the woman's daughter. The company in question hopes to be bought by a major player in social media, which means billions are on the line, and it will do anything to make the case go away. This is a pretty good story which keeps your attention and is worth reading, although I wish Connelly would turn out another Renee Ballard/Harry Bosch open unsolved crime novel one of these days. The Harry Bosch series is what made him famous, and I have heard rumors that Connelly is considering killing Harry off, since he is now in his 70s, which Connelly seems to think is too old for a detective. Connelly, by the way, will be turning 70 himself this July 21st. Just sayin'.

The April Mutts Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the April Mutts of the Month a while back at the Under the Oaks Fine Arts and Crafts Festival up in Vero Beach, Florida. I am not sure why these dogs needed to be pushed in a baby carriage, but you see a lot of people doing this here in Florida, especially at festivals. Perhaps it is easier for older people to take their pets out and about this way instead of using leashes. Maybe the dogs are too old to walk long distances or are unable to walk in such hot and humid conditions. Regardless, these two dogs seemed to be enjoying the ride, doing some peoplewatching and looking at the art. Not long after I took this photograph, I saw them gulping down some bowls of beer at the concession stand. Can't blame them. It was a hot day, after all.

Saturday Night In Abacoa!

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, my sister Susan and I went to see the Palm Beach Cardinals play the St. Lucie Mets at Roger Dean Stadium this past Saturday night. Before we went to the game, we had dinner across the street in the Town Center of Abacoa, a mixed-use community with 17 neighborhoods in the southwest part of Jupiter, Florida, and seen in the photograph on the left. The Town Center has many shops and restaurants, a town square with a stage for concerts, a branch of Florida Atlantic University, and is the location for a number of events and festivals throughout the year. During spring training, the ballpark across the street is home to the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins, and during the summer the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals, two Florida State League teams. It is always a fun place to visit.

Whenever we go to a baseball game at Roger Dean, we have dinner and a beer first at Das Beer Garden, a neighborhood hangout and taproom, where I took the photograph of Susan seen on the right. This place is always packed on the weekends, with a very diverse demographic - young, old, families, you name it. You place your order at the bar, take your beers and a table marker back to your table, and your order is brought out to you when it is ready. I really like this place, but this past Saturday they had a couple playing music on their stage. Although I was sitting directly in front of Susan, the music was so loud I had to get up and go around the table each time she said anything. Which was often. It was good exercise, but I wish the speakers had been turned down to the point where you could actually have a conversation. I know that makes me sound like an old fuddy-duddy, but what the heck - I am one, so why not?

Opening Night For The Palm Beach Cardinals At Roger Dean Stadium

This past Saturday night my sister Susan and I attended opening night at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida to watch the Palm Beach Cardinals play the St. Lucie Mets. On Saturdays, however, the Cardinals evidently call themselves the Frozen Iguanas, complete with Frozen Iguanas uniforms, which I really don't get at all. The other thing I don't get is that the Cardinals played games at Roger Dean Stadium both Thursday and Friday nights, and so why was Saturday declared opening night instead? Of course, this is Florida, and that explains a lot. In any case, when we arrived at the stadium, we discovered there was a game delay until 6:35, although the sun was shining, and there was a rainbow right over the ballpark, as seen in the photograph on the left. No doubt a sign that good things were about to happen. 

But no - it was, in fact, a pretty boring game. I did not have a pen, and therefore did not keep score, but as I recall, it wasn't until the 6th inning or so that the Frozen Iguanas (i.e. The Palm Beach Cardinals) got a hit, and they only had 2 hits the entire game. The St. Lucie Mets had only 5 hits themselves, but 4 stolen bases, and won the game 1-0. Susan and I decided to leave after a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" after the first half of the 7th inning, but when we got home, I checked online and saw that the final score was the same as it was when we had left, and so we did not miss much of the action over the final 2 1/2 innings, since there was no action to speak of. A pleasant night, and great seats, but not a game for the record books.

Happy Easter!

My collection of Easter photographs is fairly limited, and so I wind up posting the same ones over and over again, but I haven't used the photograph above in 4 years, and so it is definitely time to use it again. It was taken in the dining room of the house where I grew up in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago back in 1957, where my parent's, Nelson and Mary, were hosting Easter dinner for both sides of the family. From left to right are Aunt Kitty, my maternal grandfather's sister, my mother Mary, Grandmother Spillard, my mother's mother, my Grandmother Hoyt, my father's mother, and me, four years old and at my most charming best. Things didn't start to go downhill until I reached five. And in the background is Petie, our pet parakeet. It was a time when the whole family was still around, all living in the same area, and we would get together quite often. Something I miss very much. And so, I wish everyone a happy Easter and hope you are able to get together and cherish holidays like this with family and friends. Enjoy!

The Easter Manatee Is Coming To Town!

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and here in South Florida, that means that tonight the Easter Manatee will be coming around leaving colored Easter eggs for children who have been good this past year. I know that around the rest of the country, it is the Easter Bunny who does this, but Florida, as we all know, is different (i.e. strange), and prefers to have its own traditions. And the photograph on the left shows the Easter Manatee in all its glory, complete with a basket loaded with colored eggs. The manatee, the average weight of which is 1,200 pounds, is also known as a sea cow, but the Easter Sea Cow just doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Be sure to have your kids leave some seagrass for it tonight!

Today Is The Home Opener For Both The Colorado Rockies And The Chicago White Sox

Today is the home opener for both the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago White Sox, although the White Sox were scheduled to play yesterday, but were rained out. My adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, will have no such issues today - one of the positive aspects of being in a severe drought. In any case, the Rockies have won 2 and lost 4 games so far this season, but now that they are at home, I am sure they will turn things around quickly. I myself have not attended an opening day game since 2017. Once "dynamic pricing" was introduced, the cost to attend opening day skyrocketed. An upper deck infield seat to today's game at Coors Field in Denver costs $111, plus internet fees, as opposed to $30 for most other games. And so, in April of 2017, thinking I could put the money to better use buying a subscription to MLB.com, I took the light rail train to the ballpark just to take photographs of the opening day activities outside the stadium, and then headed back to the light rail station. Then I happened to look down and found a ticket to the game. I went back to the ballpark, got through the gate, and decided to stand behind the seats in the infield and watch the game from there, in case the owner of that ticket showed up and had me arrested. It turns out that was the day Kyle Freeland, the future star pitcher for the Rockies, made his major league debut. He is a Denver native, and I was standing right behind his entire family, who were going crazy as he pitched a convincing win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. A very fun experience. And by the way, I took the photograph on the left at Coors Field on opening day back in 2003, when it was still legal to release balloons in the air on such occasions.

My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, have not been nearly as successful as the Colorado Rockies so far this season, sporting a 1 and 5 record. For this I gave up an opening day ticket in order to buy a subscription to MLB.com? Granted, it is only game behind the Rockies' record, but it somehow sounds worse. Especially since I was hoping they would finally be turning things around this season and start playing good baseball, especially with potential superstar first baseman Munetaka Murakami now on the roster. But no problem. Now that they are home at Rate Field, I am sure they will come alive and go from worst to first this season. And today, by the way, an upper deck infield seat at Rate Field, back in my old hometown, would set me back $37 plus internet fees. It would cost $94 to get an infield seat on the first level, cheaper than that upper deck seat at Coors Field. What's the deal with that? And just to be clear - the Rockies were far worse than the White Sox last season. Life is so unfair.

Taking A Walk Through CityPlace

I was in West Palm Beach, Florida last week and took a walk through CityPlace, described as "an upscale lifestyle center" near downtown with over 60 stores and restaurants, as well as apartments, condos, and offices. It first opened in October 2000 and is credited for the "urban renaissance" of West Palm Beach. Back in the 1980s and 90s, West Palm Beach was, according to Wikipedia, "plagued by crime, poverty, and vacant and dilapidated homes and businesses." I remember that back then there was an exodus of residents to the north, to places like Jupiter, Hobe Sound, and Stuart. CityPlace helped to turn things around. And the city began to attract many new projects that turned it into a very desirable place to live. I visited CityPlace when it first opened, and there were a Barnes and Noble Bookstore, a Macy's, and two movie theaters, all of which are sadly now gone. In their place, there are restaurants, shops, and apartments for the affluent. Which is probably why I have never dined or purchased anything there. In the photograph on the left is the center's main square, with a fountain for the kids and a stage for free concerts on the weekends.

The latest big name to open at CityPlace is Eataly, which is about all things Italian, and seen in the photograph on the right. It combines retail, dining, and education and occupies what used to be the Harriet Himmel Theater. The building was originally a Methodist Church built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. When the theater closed, the owners of CityPlace said they were going to spend 20 million dollars to restore it to its original condition, only later revealing that after that renovation it would become an Eataly. But no matter. Most people seem happy with the tradeoff.

What really makes CityPlace special is the lush landscaping and Mediterranean and Venetian architecture. It is like walking through a tropical paradise. And happily, the developers left a number of old, historic homes standing, which blend in well with the rest of the development. They even incorporated the Hotel Evernia, built in 1925, into the complex, and it remains a family run hotel. Clematis Street is the heart of downtown West Palm Beach, with many dining and entertainment options, and since CityPlace was built, the western part of that street has undergone a revival, and the two districts are now connected, making for a pleasant walk from Lake Worth all the way to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, located at the southern edge of Cityplace. And these days there are high rises going up both within CityPlace and along its borders, which will make the area even more vibrant. It is a very fun place to explore. If you ever happen to be in the West Palm Beach area, you should definitely check it out.