Fort Lauderdale

I spent three days in Florida with Harley and Nancy, whom I met in Cuba last year, before departing on a Caribbean cruise.

: Sandmen instead of snowmen

: Beautiful turquoise water

: Colorful chairs

: Lots of balconies in this warm climate

: I’m glad they care about the turtles.

: Harley and Nancy

: The red (hazardous conditions) and purple (marine pests) flags were flying every day, so we didn’t go in the water.

: The drawbridges go up every half hour, so pedestrians and drivers need to schedule their Intracoastal waterway crossings around them.

: A sprawling waterside hamburger joint in Hollywood.

: Interesting planter

: Lizards with curly tails are invasive

: Not something I’d see in the Bay Area

: Lauderdale by the Sea

: Lauderdale by the Sea

: Decorative utility box on Las Olas Boulevard

: Massive Strangler Fig trees, ready for the holidays

: Bonnet House, once the winter home of artist Frederic Bartlett and his wife

: Greenhouse at Bonnet House, known for it’s orchids

: Lots of yellow grillwork

: Inner courtyard

: The paths are paved with coral

: An iguana strolled across our path

: Nice spot near waterway

: Slough in front of main house

: Bonnet House is named for the type of waterlilies growing in the pond.

: Above doorway at Bonnet House

: Just before sunrise

: I watched the sunrise every day from the condo window.

Nov 22 – Flight to Florida

I enjoyed seeing the diversity of the geography across our country on a non-stop flight to Fort Lauderdale. Harley and Nancy picked me up and took me to Mai Kai, a historic bar-restaurant filled with Polynesian themed artifacts; it felt a bit like the Tiki Room at Disneyland and I kept expecting the totem poles to break out in song.

Nov 23-25 – Thanksgiving in Florida

Each day we toured part of Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding the area, including Hollywood, named after the city in California where a few of the old seaside bungalows still remain, though high-rises are rapidly approaching, and the gardens of the Bonnet House, it’s remaining 35 acres now surrounded by Fort Lauderdale; we glimpsed one of the small moneys that live in the trees.

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Lauderdale by the Sea, a town of human-scaled buildings with a darling beachfront. I joined a large gathering of Nancy and Harley’s friends in a backyard under a sprawling mango tree, my first Thanksgiving in shorts and sandals. In addition to turkey with all the fixings, there were plenty of side dishes and, for me, unusual desserts, such pumpkin bread pudding with rum sauce and mango key lime pie.