Southeast Florida South

Miami, FL

December 16, 2006

Giant Tortoise & us.

The first thing that we did when we got to Miami yesterday was to visit the science museum. We've been here before and this time we were disappointed. Most of the museum has been made into a special exhibit “Aliens” for which there is an extra charge for us. As we've seen similar exhibits elsewhere, we opted out of “Aliens” and just saw the rest of the museum, which was not much. Maybe that's why there were few visitors. I don't think that there were more than a dozen people in the museum when we were there. We were the only ones in the planetarium for the sky show; there was another family with us for the “Wildlife Encounter.” That was an unusual experience: We got to have out picture taken with a giant tortoise.

There is usually a second temporary exhibit, we learned, but the previous one closed last week and the new one was not opening until today. We'll have to go back. At least we're not paying the $17 per visit fee.

The following day we went to the Miami Cultural Complex and visited the Miami Art Museum, the South Florida Historical Museum, and the library. All were good visits for us.

The Miami Art Museum is small with contemporary exhibits, but not the way-out modern stuff, at least not at this time. One of the exhibits, South Florida Wildlife Rescue unit, was a recreated cube van for animal rescue. The van contained tools and paraphernalia of a field research station including about a dozen books. It was interesting to see that this was 'art' and even more interesting to see that one of the books in the exhibit, Marine Biology, was written by someone we know.

We learned a lot about Miami Beach from the South Florida Historical Museum's current exhibit: The History of Miami Beach. Originally the island of Miami was planned to be used to grow avocados, but that didn't work out. In the early 1900s, the idea of a resort area was floated and the rest, as they say, is history.

The library has wireless computer access, so I was able reach out and touch someone, actually a bunch of someones, such as you.

Although this is South Florida's 'dry season,' it has been raining since we got here and we are now in our third day of 'wet.' Although the humidity is 75%, the 'Stickiness Index' on the T.V. news is 3.5 which means “somewhat comfy,” that's not the term that I would use for what we are feeling. I guess that it's what one get used to. I don't know the range of the scale, but I think that it goes up to “shoot me now.”

We're planning to go canoeing. We currently have reservations to do so in the Everglades. Canoeing for us is much like driving: Constant arguing but with the added ability to beat each other over the head with paddles. [Sarah says that it is not arguing; it's discussions. We discuss things so well, that over the years we've been asked to leave several places.] The possibility of drowning adds to the excitement.

Allen bikes Key Largo

Key Largo, FL

December 17, 2006

We are now in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo. It stopped raining and was warm (80) and sunny today, but breezy. It is predicted to be that way for the rest of the week. We biked around the park, visited the small aquarium, and got diving information.

To get here from Miami, we had to take the bridge over Jewfish Creek. The jewfish no longer exists. Although endangered in Florida due to over-fishing and may not be caught by any means, it is not extinct. This largest of groupers has been renamed 'goliath.' It must be a public relations thing. Dolphin (the fish, not the mammal), for example, are now known a mahi-mahi so people won't be deterred from ordering it in restaurants by thinking that they will be eating Flipper.

The lavatory in the campground has the following sign:

I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time that I drank from a urinal or toilet. Sarah tells me that there is a similar sign in the ladies' lavatory, so I guess that drinking from commodes is not just a men's thing. Of course, it may just be my memory that's faulty.

December 18, 2006

Scuba diving is no longer an option for us here. There is a 15 mph east wind that is causing choppy waters and turbidity. There is no use diving if we can't see the fish. We went snorkeling instead. The water is still murky, but I didn't spend $200 and throw up a few times to not see much. The wind is predicted to last throughout the week and we're being thrown out of the state park campground on Wednesday. They say that they have reservations, but we don't know about what.

When we went to the dive place, we learned that they only had two people booked for that day and no one booked for the following day; their boat carries 36. I guess that a lot of people knew about the water conditions, too. When there are sharks in the water, I don't have to be able to out-swim the shark, I only have to be able to out-swim Sarah. Having a lot more people in the water increases my chances.

I know that you wanted to see a photo of me diving, but this is the best that I can do under the circumstances:

Allen dives in Hawai'i, 2004

Chanukah on Key Largo

This evening we biked about a mile to the local shopping center where Chabad was having a Chanukah event. They were giving out menorahs and candles, doughnuts, latkas, and chocolate money. I was pressed into service frying the potato latkas while Sarah minded the rebitzen's baby. We had a good time.

Key Largo mangrove forest. Too windy for the bugs; good for us.

Beware of hitchhikers.


Happy holiday,

A&S

We moved north to Fort Lauderdale for a few days and are now in the Palm Beach area. We'll let you know what we did in those areas in a future post.

Have a happy and safe New year!

A&S