A Visit To Singer Island

A while back I started reading a series of mystery novels by A.J. Stewart featuring a private detective named Miami Jones and his wife Danielle, a FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) agent. This is another one of those self-published novels that are sold on Amazon. These days there are only 4 major book publishers, and so many authors who used to get published have resorted to publishing on their own. This particular series caught my eye because Miami Jones and his partner Ron have an office in West Palm Beach, and Miami and Danielle live on nearby Singer Island, in a ranch house on the intercoastal waterway, near Riveria Beach Municipal Beach. And Stewart's description of Singer Island really surprised me. The last time I explored the beachfront there it was the site of a deserted mall, with nothing else around. Of course, that was over 20 years ago. In Stewart's books, he describes it as a thriving beach community. And so, this past Saturday, I drove back to see Municipal Beach, and it is indeed a thriving and attractive area, as seen in the photograph above. Amazing how things can change in a mere quarter of a century. I also looked around for a 1950s era ranch house located right on the intercoastal, and although there were plenty of ranch houses, I did not see a single one on the water - just condos and very upscale homes. I definitely think that house must be artistic license. Much better to have your hero ruminating about a case while gazing out at the water than a ranch house across the street, right? In any case, I enjoyed seeing the area very much, and even found a parking spot at the beach. A win-win situation, as they say.

A Different Vibe At Sailor's Return

My sister Susan and I stopped at Sailor's Return, a restaurant located in Stuart, Florida's Sunset Bay Marina, this past Friday evening to have a beer and admire the view of the St. Lucie River from the outdoor patio. But I should have realized that Friday night during "The Season" (January thru March) is very much different than the rest of the year. We did find a parking spot, but when we got to the patio, every vacant table had a "reserved" sign on it, and the only seat available in the whole place was at the end of the bar. Susan took that one and I discreetly took a stool from one of those reserved tables and extended seating at the bar by one. I really like this place, but we couldn't see the water from where we sat, and that is what we go there for. Plus, it soon got crowded, and the staff seemed pretty stressed trying to take care of everyone. No friendly chats with the bartender that night.

The view from the walkway was as nice as ever, of course, and we did get to see a bit of the sunset on the walk back to the car, but when we got there, we were boxed in. Evidently on busy nights like this, the valets park the cars left with them in long rows in front of the cars in the parking spaces. I had to walk back to the valet stand and ask if they would move a car so I could pull out. I understand why they have to do that, but it is a bit irritating. One of these days we will go back on a non-weekend night and see if happy hour is a little less hectic, and if you can actually sit at a table with a view. If not, there is always next summer. During the month of August, there are lots of tables available, and the bartender is always happy to chat. What's a little heat when you have such a great view, right?

It's March! The 49th Anniversary Of My Parents Move To Florida

My parents Nelson and Mary and I visited my Uncle Bill (my mother's brother) and Aunt Elsie in Stuart, Florida back in April of 1975, where they had bought a condo at the Monterey Yacht and Country Club a few years earlier. My Uncle Bill and Aunt Elsie gave us the grand tour, taking us to see the House of Refuge, an historic rescue station built in 1875, a Jai-Alai match in Fort Pierce, and a visit to Stuart Beach. And my father was able to play golf once again with my Uncle Bill, which they used to do every year for two weeks when our families went up to Ontario on vacation. We even took a cruise on the St. Lucie River, where we got stuck on a sandbar and had to wait hours for the company's other boat to rescue us. I remember they dropped the price of beer to 5 cents, and my Uncle Bill spent his time singing along to the old tunes played by the piano player. It was well past dark by the time we got back to shore. And by the way, it gets very chilly out there on the water in April.  The following year, in March of 1976, my parents moved from Chicago to the same complex, but on the river side, instead of along the golf course, where Uncle Bill and Aunt Elsie lived. The photograph on the left is of my parents posing in front of their new condo right after they moved in. 

Both my mother and father loved it there, and after my father passed away, my mother continued to live there, telling me she made more friends there than any other place she had ever lived. And so, the condo has now been in our family for 49 years. My sister Susan and I took the condo back from our renters last June, and plan to stay there half the year. And I am happy to report that the place pretty much looks the same as it did years ago. Why ruin that classic 1970s look with a remodeling? Stuart, by the way, is still a great place to live. There are a lot more people living here now, along with a lot more traffic, of course, but these days Stuart is a much more diversified and interesting place, with a beautiful historic downtown. Just watch your step if you decide to take a cruise on the river.

The Mystery Of Kayak Corner

I walked down to the St. Lucie River from our condo here in Stuart, Florida yesterday afternoon after arriving in the morning on a Red-Eye flight. I was hoping to wander around and take a few sunset photographs but found a bunch of people there sitting on benches around waiting for the big event. Evidently it is now a thing for fellow condo residents to gather together and watch the sunset every night, which kind of interfered with my plans. Back when I used to visit my parents down here, there was no one there at all around sunset. Of course, working at the University of Denver Bookstore, the best time for me to take a long vacation was in August, when nobody - except me, of course - wanted to be outside in Florida in the heat of summer. In any case, I decided to take the photograph above of what a sign calls "Kayak Corner." As you can see, there are stools and a bench provided, right next to an incline where you can launch a boat. All of this puzzles me, because I have been coming here for 50 years, and I have never once seen a kayak - or for that matter, a kayaker - around here. What are they? Night kayakers? Or perhaps it is just like our yacht club. Since the Monterey Yacht and Country Club was never allowed to dredge, there can be no boats. The yacht club is just for parties. And so, perhaps the kayakers don't kayak, just hang out in their corner. I must keep checking to get the full story, which no doubt will become a headline in the Stuart News. Fame at last.

Back In Florida At Last!

After coming back to Denver in December for eye surgery to reattach my retina, I have finally been given the okay to fly once again, and therefore my sister Susan and I took a Red-Eye Flight early this morning back to Stuart, Florida to escape the cold and snow. And head to the beach each day, not to mention an occasional visit to the outdoor bar at Sailor's Return Restaurant, located in Stuart's Sunset Bay Marina and seen in the photograph above. Last time we were there, I noticed several of the yachts tied up near the entrance were for sale, but I suspected they were a bit out of my price range. Years ago, when we were still renting out our condo, I remember calling about a used live-aboard cabin cruisier that I might have actually been able to afford and asked the guy about its seaworthiness. He told me you get what you pay for, which of course meant it would probably sink straight to the bottom the first time I stepped foot on it, and so I chose not to pursue it. These days, now that we have the condo back, I have decided not to tempt fate and just stick to gazing at those yachts from the outdoor bar. Much safer. And cheaper.

My Brother's Bar

I drove past My Brother's Bar, seen on the corner in the photograph above, a few days ago and noticed that they still have their "Celebrating 150 Years" banner up on the side of the building. The actual 150th anniversary took place 2 years ago, but I assume they are still proud to show off just how old the place is. Although it has had different names and different owners, this building has been a bar since 1873, starting out as Highland House, and is located in Denver's Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood. I read on the internet (always a reliable source of information) that the old bar in the main room is the original one, and was a hangout for beat generation alums Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Allen Ginsburg. And even I myself have visited the place a few times. I recommend stopping by if you live in or are traveling to Denver. It is definitely a trip back in time.

The View From Evergreen Colorado

I had my last (I hope) appointment with my ophthalmologist this past Thursday, a final checkup after surgery for a detached retina. He gave me the "all clear" to both travel up to the mountains and fly (in an airplane), and so I have been taking a few drives up to Evergreen, Colorado from Denver once again. Evergreen is 19 miles west of Denver, at an altitude of 7,220 feet, and is a pretty upscale suburb. Upper Bear Creek Road, to the west of Evergreen, is especially ritzy, lined with huge homes that make you wonder what the hell they do with all that space - house immigrants, take in orphans, host wild days-long parties? They must spend half their lives doing housework. I took the photograph above where Upper Bear Creek meets Golden Willow Road, showing a snow-covered Mount Blue Sky, formerly Mount Evans, sitting at an altitude of 14,130 feet. Evergreen is a short drive from downtown Denver in good weather, and a great place to live, but in the winter, if there is a significant snowstorm, Interstate 70 often closes for hours, if not the entire night. Unless you have a pied-a-terre in the city for whenever that happens, it makes for a long long day. The high cost of paradise.