November 28, 2024: Thanksgiving in Dallas
	October 1-19, 2024: Our Fall Trip to Ecuador
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We spent just a week or so at home after returning from Ecuador before we headed out for Fort Lauderdale. We'd thought that we'd be leaving about the first of November, returning just before Thanksgiving, and then rushing to get that holiday organized. But since we returned a bit early from Ecuador, we were able to move up our trip to Florida, and return in plenty of time for Thanksgiving. So we were off to Florida on October 26th.

Getting to Fort Lauderdale

As you may already know, Fred just recently got a new car. He didn't really need to get rid of his red Elantra, but has for some time been investigating hybrid vehicles. Not long ago he pulled the trigger and got a new Sonata hybrid out at Freeman Hyundai (where I got my Elantra and have it serviced). This will be his new car's first long trip, but he's driven it enough since he got it that we aren't worried about some "new car glitch" showing up while we're away from home.

If you've been through more than a year or two of this photo album, you are undoubtedly familiar with our route to Florida. Years ago we used to fly, but that has gotten to be such a hassle (and a good deal more expensive) that now we drive. On most trips, this allows us to take all kinds of things with us- including our two youngest cats, Bob and Cole. Now that our trips to Ecuador won't be from Fort Lauderdale, we have brought them again this time.

The trip is routine; we stop at the same places to eat and to stay- almost without exception. And it's an easy route, too. Getting out of Dallas is easy if a bit congested, sometimes. We usually leave about nine-thirty, and by ten or so are on I-20 heading east towards Shreveport. We usually turn southeast on I-49 about one in the afternoon. We used to go all the way to Lafayette to pick up I-10 east, but we have had so many slowdowns on that road leading up to and over the Mississippi River bridge, that we now go a different way.

About twenty miles north of Lafayette, at Opelousas, we take US 190 east. Although there are some small towns and a few lights along this route, we can still move pretty quickly. There is never a delay crossing the Mississippi River on the US 190 bridge,and once we get across we just continue on US 190 until it meets up with I-12 east. Now I will admit that this stretch, a four-lane major urban thorofare can have some traffic, but it is no worse, and usually better, than what we used to encounter on I-10 from the Mississippi River to about ten miles east on I-12.

So we think that on days where there are no delays on I-10, this route takes about as long. But we no longer have to roll the dice on I-10, where backups can (and have) delay us for 30-45 minutes.

From where we get onto I-12, it is 90 minutes or so to Mississippi and then an hour or so across that state. In the Fall, this is usually where the sun begins to set, and in the afternoon light Fred chose to take a couple of pictures of the dashboard of his new car while I concentrated on driving:

In this picture, Fred has the infotainment system set to show a large map and in one-third of the screen the animation that shows whether the car is on battery or charging.

This is the setting I prefer- devoting the entire screen to what's playing off the USB stick. I don't need the map because I know the route so well, having driven it going on a hundred times.

Note to self:
One of these days you should go through the photo album and see just how many times you have actually driven back and forth to Fort Lauderdale!

Mississippi turns into Alabama, and it is another hour across that state, with the most interesting feature being passing under Mobile Bay in the bridge/tunnel. It is just a few minutes into Florida where we usually stop for dinner at Pensacola- usually between 7:30 and 8 pm. After dinner, we have now developed the habit of continuing on to Tallahassee, ariving there about midnight. Before we stopped for dinner, after it had gotten dark, Fred wanted to take another picture inside the cabin to show the accent lighting. The picture didn't turn out too well, but you can have a look at it here.

At the Tallahassee hotel, I went in to do the paperwork for our room, got our key, and drove over to park near the room but as far from any other car as possible. Fred wanted to get a couple of pictures of his car at night, and so took one while I was in the lobby and another after we parked by the room:

I must say that both cats seem to be good travelers. It's true that usually, maybe a few hours into the first day's driving, Bob tends to spit up, he only does it once, and only on the first day. We're prepared for it, and ready to do a "clean-up on aisle 6". Most of the time, both cats can be found sitting or sleeping in their carriers, although both of them will come out every so often, come up front to see what's going on, maybe stay for a little while, and then go right back to their cozy spaces. They hardly eat or drink at all in the car, usually waiting until we get to our motel. There, the cats get to eat and run around the room. Bob is an old hand at this, and after he spends just a bit of time stretching his legs, he tends to curl up in the cubbyhole shelf where the hotel puts the towels. This morning, Fred snapped a picture of Bob in the towel cubby.

We usually get away from the hotel in Tallahassee about nine or so for the 150-mile drive to Jacksonville, which we usually reach just before noon. Then we take I-295 around Jacksonville to the south, going through Orange Park. This 14-mile stretch is kind of neat, mostly because of the long bridge that crosses the St. Johns River as it opens out into a large lake southwest of the city. (It narrows as it approaches and flows around downtown Jacksonville to eventually empty into the Atlantic.) I-295 connects up with I-95 south of the city and we simply take that south for another boring stretch of 300 miles down to Fort Lauderdale. We usually get to the condo around 5PM, depending on traffic in Fort Lauderdale on I-95 (which can be horrendous).

We unloaded everything at the condo and the laptops all set up, and then retired to the dock for a celebratory frozen drink. Then, as is our custom, we headed down to the Floridian Restaurant for dinner. I wish we had transporter technology, but the drive is not a hard one- although sections of it can be boring.

We have been here to Florida so many times that we have pretty much photographed everything worthwhile anywhere nearby. The pictures we take now are just candid shots around the condo, at the dock or perhaps at an Art Fair or other event that occurs while we are here. So I've begun the practice of just grouping the pictures for these Florida trips by topic.

To help you orient yourself to some of the locations of the activities below, I'd like to include a map here on which I can mark where some of them occurred. First, here is a high-level map so you can see where everything is located:

A lot of our pictures were taken either at the condo or walking around downtown, and so here is an aerial view of just that section of Fort Lauderdale:

One of our outings with Jeffie during her visit was a walk over on Fort Lauderdale Beach, so here is an aerial view of that part of the barrier island between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean:

We often take a stroll along the Riverwalk, and so I wanted to include an aerial view of it here. The Riverwalk, one of Fort Lauderdale's major attractions, begins at Laura Ward Park. This small park lies between the historic Stranahan House and the multi-level garage of the Riverside Hotel. It is actually now part of the new Tunnel Top Plaza that was built on an extension of the cover over Federal Highway as it drops down into the Kinney Tunnel. The Riverwalk begins at the small park (where there is also a very busy Water Taxi stop) and heads west, passing south of Stranahan House and the Icon Las Olas on a walkway that is cantilevered out over ten feet or so of the New River.

Back on land, the broad walkway follows the north shore of the river, passing south of the many highrise buildings that line the river, and passing under first Third Avenue and then Andrews Avenue- each of which has a drawbridge. It continues until it curves around the Society Las Olas and crosses the tracks of the Florida East Coast Railway (and the Brightline commuter train). Then it winds through an area called Old Fort Lauderdale, which has a museum and some restored, turn-of-the-century buildings housing restaurants and other venues.

The Riverwalk then comes out onto the Esplanade, a park just south of the Science Museum. There is a performance stage here, and a place where fairs and other events can be held. It is just north of the southern bend in the New River, and so there are many places to sit down and watch boats make the turn and head south. The Riverwalk actually extends another few hundred feet to pass the Broward Performing Arts Center and the Symphony Condominiums. It ends just south of those highrises on West Las Olas Avenue just north of the drawbridge that takes The Avenue of the Arts over the New River.

Halloween Night on Las Olas

On Halloween night, we could have gone over to Wilton Manors for the Halloween Street Party, but we've done that before and getting around the area is extremely difficult, with lots of streets blocked off and parking- even some distance away- at a premium. So we contented ourselves with walking along Las Olas Boulevard from the Himmarshee Canal on the east to the intersection of Las Olas and Third Avenue on the west. We took a number of candid pictures during the walk.

On the east side of the Himmarshee Canal, there is a Japanese restaurant that is popular. Docked at the restaurant are a number of little electric boats that people can rent.

There were some people dressed up for Halloween that were wandering along Las Olas, although not nearly so many, or such elaborate costumes, as one would see in Wilton Manors.

Now, and also at Christmas/New Years, Las Olas is nicely decorated.

This view, like the one to the left, looks east, back towards Himmarshee Canal.

Las Olas Boulevard, between the Himmarshee Canal and the Tunnel Top Park, is like Fort Lauderdale's Fifth Avenue (New York City), Michigan Avenue (Chicago), Worth Avenue (Palm Beach), or Rodeo Drive (Beverly Hills). It is lined with upscale art galleries, restaurants, clothing stores, and other high-end shops. On any given night when we walk this avenue, we might go into one shop or gallery or another, as they are all interesting- like this store with an amazing collection of kitsch.

Tunnel Top Park at Night

Moving west, we eventually come to Tunnel Top Park. Years ago, there used to just be a schlocky area where Las Olas crossed over the Kinney Tunnel, and there was just a concrete wall beside Las Olas on its north side so you couldn't fall down onto Federal Highway as it enters the tunnel. On the south side of Las Olas, SE 4th street headed a bit south before turning east and going through the garage of the Riverside Hotel, passing the entrance to the hotel itself, and then continuing east towards Riverview Gardens. Laura Ward Park, right on the river was there, but it was also a bit neglected.

Three or four years ago, the city approved a plan to renovate the entire area and make it a focal point with a style that would match that of the rest of Las Olas Boulevard. So the entire area north of Laura Ward Park was closed and a major renovation undertaken. The area between the hotel and the new Icon Las Olas Condominium was entirely relandscaped, the SE 4th Street rerouted and updated.

But the major change was the Tunnel Top Park- a grassy area with plenty of seating, a fountain, and very nice lighting and decoration- that was built atop a new, cantilevered platform that extended north from Las Olas right atop Federal Highway and its slope down into the tunnel. The park cantilever was also sloped up so that tunnel clearance wouldn't be affected. In the end, the effort reclaimed about 150 feet of space, created the new park, and hid the tunnel entrance from pedestrians on Las Olas. When you are sitting or walking in the park, or listening to the occasional performances that are put on there, you aren't aware that there is a busy city street below you (and you really can't hear it either).

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) A Movie Showing You Around Tunnel Top Park

It is a great new area, and a place that I, particularly, like to come to and just sit and people-watch. It has also spurred new construction in the area, now that the tunnel has been basically hidden from view. The latest new condo highrise, currently the tallest building in town, is the Veneto Condominium and Apartments, which has gone up just north and west of the Tunnel Top Park. Now that there is something to see, even the lower floors have decent views, and of course the floors fifty stories up have spectacular views. The building is very tall for its footprint- so much so that I think I would have a nervous time living very high up.

Across the street from the deck park, the Icon Las Olas has commissioned and installed a new fountain that has a large crystal shell in the center. It is another nice addition to the park area. And of course, this being Halloween, there were quite a few Halloween themed decorations all around the area.

The evening was a nice one, so we walked all the way down to Huizenga Park and back along Las Olas. I took just a couple of additional pictures:

This was taken in the business district that is west of Tunnel Top Park. There are restaurants and cafes, but really no shops.

As we walked back home, we once again passed the new shell fountain beside the Icon Las Olas.

Jeffie Visits Us in Fort Lauderdale

The major event of our visit to Fort Lauderdale this time would be the visit that my niece, Jeffie Barbour, made while we were here. Months ago I'd asked her if she'd like to come see us in Fort Lauderdale, and when she said yes I planned the trip for her. This was no casual drop-by visit; Jeffie had to come all the way from her home in Prague, Czech Republic! In addition to seeing us, we also wanted to watch the returns on Election Night. Of course, we were hoping for a specific outcome, and when we didn't get it it cast something of a cloud over the last couple of days of her visit. But still, we enjoyed having her here and showing her the condo and Fort Lauderdale.

Jeffie Arrives in Fort Lauderdale

Rather than buy the airline ticket for Jeffie here, I knew she was adept at finding good fares online, but this time when I sent her the money for the fare, I told her not to do some weird routing to save money, but rather to simply get a ticket from Prague to Frankfurt to Miami- minimizing the number of stops and flying on large airlines.

She did that, and when she reached Miami, we told her how to find the Tri-Rail station at Miami International Airport. The Tri-Rail- a commuter railroad in South Florida- comes up to its station out Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, which is infinitely closer and easier to get in and out of than is the Miami Airport. (Going to Miami to pick someone up and bring them back to Fort Lauderdale takes more than 90 minutes at the best of times.)

Jeffie found the train with no problem, and thirty minutes after she left Miami she was getting off the train in Fort Lauderdale and we were there at the station to meet her. Jeffie has not changes appreciably since the last time we saw her in Prague and we look forward to having her here for a while (five days).

It was late when we got back to the condo, and Jeffie was tired, so we made up the sofabed and retired. The next morning, I fixed some breakfast while Jeffie relaxed on the couch. She'd already met Bob and Cole the night before, but they were around the visitor pretty constantly. Today was Election Day, so we didn't plan much, as I wanted to be back at the condo in plenty of time to watch the returns. We spent some time sitting under the canopy by the Water Taxi stop, went out for some lunch, and in the afternoon I made some frozen drinks and we sat down by the dock and just chatted and let Jeffie soak up the ambience of The Boating Capital of the World:

Sitting Under the Canopy

Afternoon Drinks at the Dock

We went over to the Cheesecake Factory for an early dinner, and by 7PM we were back in the condo to watch the returns come in.

This photo album is not really the place for any detailed description of that night. Suffice it to say that all three of us were surprised at how things turned out, and of course we were disappointed. We did not have to wait long to see how things were shaping up, and by nine o'clock I commented to Jeffie and Fred that it was all over- based on a comparison between the running totals from the Biden-Trump contest in 2020 to the corresponding figures from the Harris-Trump contest this evening. It was also obvious that Senate had been lost and the House seemed poised to go Republican as well. All in all, it was a very, very disappointing evening, and that outcome probably contributed to Jeffie's oncoming cold (for which we already had a supply of palliatives on hand). That cold was pretty bad the next day, but abated on Thursday. By the time that Jeffie left on Friday, she was pretty much back to normal.

(Picture at left) On Wednesday, Jeffie had a chance to meet Ron Drew, and we also went for a walk along the Riverwalk. This photo was taken on the portion of the Riverwalk at its eastern end where it is cantilevered out over the New River. The Stranahan House and Icon Las Olas are at right, and the Las Olas Grand is in the background.       (Picture at right) Beyond the Las Olas Grand and the Water Garden west of it, is this new residential tower which will eclipse the Veneto near the Kinney Tunnel as the tallest building in the city at just over 50 stories. (If announced plans hold up, this building will only hold the title for a bit over a year).

Our big outing on Thursday was to head over to Fort Lauderdale Beach so Jeffie could get her feet wet.

We might have walked the mile or so to the beach, but as you can see in the pictures of Jeffie, she is wearing a knee brace at the moment, and we didn't want to stress her out. So we took the car and drove over to the beach, putting the car in the city parking garage, which is a relatively new facility built on part of the site that used to be an open air parking lot. By putting a multi-story structure on part of the site, the city was able to allow the other part to be developed.

From the garage, we walked east along Las Olas, coming to the corner where Las Olas dead-ends into A1A- Florida's coast-hugging scenic highway. The Elbo Room, which is a famous beach bar and gathering spot, was just on our left. There is always a crowd here, and it usually spills out onto the sidewalk. The Elbo Room also has a popular webcam that can be accessed online.

We crossed A1A and this brought us to the main entry plaza for Fort Lauderdale Beach. There are other entry points north and south of here, but this is the main one, and it usually decorated for various holidays. We had an obliging passerby take a couple of pictures of us at the entry plaze:

Then it was off with our shoes (or in my case not, as I was wearing the ones I'd bought for our cruise that stopped in Belize for cave tubing) and down to the water's edge.

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) Walking Along Fort Lauderdale Beach

Fred and I have gotten jaded because we have been to Fort Lauderdale so often. We rarely go over to the beach just by ourselves, but usually wait until we have a visitor. I, myself, will bike over to the beach occasionally, just to get some air and maybe take a few pictures, but walking in the surf is a rarity for us.

That's why it was nice to have Jeffie here. She's not done this before, and as we always say, we don't mind doing something we've done before when we have somebody new to do it with. When Jeffie visited us in Ecuador, we went up to the park in Quito to walk among the llamas. We did the exact same thing again a week later when we had some new visitors- Brad and Jason- who hadn't done the walk before. We enjoyed it just as much the second time.

You can use the player at left to watch the movie I made this afternoon.

Walking along, we saw a large number of small, jellyfish-like animals that had washed up on shore. They weren't shaped like the jellyfish you might imagine, and were blue to boot. Odd animals.

In addition to the movie, we took quite a few pictures, and I have boiled them down to just a half dozen:

Jeffie's last day with us was relaxing (and not a small amount of commiseration). We had lunch with Ron Drew at a nice place on the Intracoastal, and we did a bit more walking around the neighborhood. Jeffie's flight home left Miami at about 9PM, so along about six we had taken her back to the Tri-Rail station. We were sad to see her go.

Around the Neighborhood

Other than Jeffie's visit, there weren't any major events during our stay (like an Art Fair or a parade). Even so, there were opportunities for a few photographs.

Along the Riverwalk

We walked the Riverwalk numerous times, and one afternoon had such nice weather that we were able to get some good pictures. All along the Riverwalk there are sculptures and other art installations (some, like a huge Adirondack chair, quite whimsical), murals, and monuments- not to mention the thousands of memorial bricks the form part of the Riverwalk itself. An example is at left. We walked all the way to Esplanade, where I took the picture below to show the high tide washing up onto the Esplanade itself:

Although it is a bit repetitious, I also made a panoramic picture of the area at the Esplanade here at Sailboat Bend:

One evening, we had dinner with Ron and Jay at the Cheesecake Factory. When we have dinner with them there, they park in the Riverside Hotel garage, and when we were done with supper, we accompanied the two of them up to their car. My ulterior motive was to take some pictures of the new Tunnel Top Park from a high vantage point.

Tunnel Top Park

One of the pictures I got is at left, and it is a good view of the Tunnel Top Park and also the Veneto Condominiums (currently the city's tallest building) in the background.

Tunnel Top Park

Another view of the Tunnel Top Park is at right. (In a moment we are going to go back down to street level and over to the park. One of the pictures we will take there is of a mural on the side of the yellowish building on the corner right in center of the image at right.

Back down at street level, having said goodbye to Ron and Jay, we've walked over to Tunnel Top Park for a couple of additional pictures.

This is Tunnel Top Park, obviously at night. I think the decision to create this park has had an immeasurably good impact on this whole area, making a city focal point.

Turning to the right, here is the mural on the side of the building just east of the park.

As we were walking back to the condo, I took another couple of pictures of Las Olas Boulevard at night:

At Riverview Gardens

The pictures we took around Riverview Gardens on this trip were pretty eclectic. Two of them were taken when Tom Jackson, Ron's friend and ours from Tampa who has been staying with Ron to help out after Ron's surgery (a relatively minor procedure, but one that kept him from doing much around the house or to help Jay), came over to the condo for a drink and to sit with us at the dock:

Here are two more pictures taken on different occasions when we were sitting at the dock:

The Jungle Queen passes the condo two or three times a day, taking tourists on a ride from the Intracoastal to the upper navigable limit of the New River. Today was not a particularly nice day.

Sunsets at the dock can be spectacular; this one was merely very pretty.

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) Typical Boat Traffic on the New River

Still pictures of boats going by the condo are OK, but they really don't give a sense of what it is like to sit down at the dock and watch them. That takes a movie, and one afternoon I did take such a movie, and you can use the player at left to watch it.

The final pictures that we took on this trip were actually the day before we left. The occasion was a "King Tide." A King Tide occurs when there is an abnormally high tide when the moon is at its closest to the earth at the time of a normal high tide. This occurrence accentuates the tidal effects, and in the two pictures below you can see that the park across the river and the back yard of the white house directly across from us are partially submerged:

And in the final two pictures below, you can see that our own dock is completely under water:

The Trip Home

The trip home was typical and uneventful, and Fred only took two pictures that I want to include here.

When we are driving, the cats' carriers are open, and they can wander around the cabin. Most times, when they choose to curl up in a lap, it is Fred's over in the passenger seat. But this particular afternoon, Bob chose to curl up in mine.

As I mentioned on the way down, Bob has a penchant for snoozing at night in the towel cubby at our motel. Since we stay at the same chain going and returning, the furniture in the rooms is pretty much the same, and so in the morning of the second day of our trip home, we found Bob in the same cubbyhole.

We enjoyed our trip to Fort Lauderdale (as usual) but again, as we approached Dallas, we found ourselves wishing, not for the first time, that scientists would get off their duff and invent transporter technology already.

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	November 28, 2024: Thanksgiving in Dallas
	October 1-19, 2024: Our Fall Trip to Ecuador
	Return to the Index for 2024