Ft Lauderdale - Day 4

 All of the days here have been wonderful, but today might be the most perfect day. The only thing that might mar today is that we have discovered something that James and I do not, can not, agree upon. A point where, no matter how much we try, we cannot get in sync. Tandem kayaking. 

When we first arrived we asked everyone what their vacation goals were. We knew we didn't have much time so we wanted to make sure that everyone would have a chance to do the thing that mattered most to them. For Will, that was eating Korean hot dogs. So this morning, shortly before noon, James took everyone but me out to Lauderdale by the Sea. This boardwalk and beach had exactly what everyone wanted, a nice beach, souvenir shops, amazing smoothie stalls, and a Korean restaurant.

Lauderdale by the Sea

Cool dudes

A shop after Jon's heart

Umai - a Korean donut and hot dog shop

Christian and James greatly enjoyed the drinks at Fresh Coconut Smoothie. James found a Mango and Tajin smoothie that he hasn't had since Mexico. The seller asked if he was sure because not everyone knows what to expect with that flavor. And Christian loved the place so much he helped make a commercial. Watching this gives me so much joy. 

Camille and the boys also got to do a little shopping before they all returned with boxes of food from Umai. Mostly they brought home variations on corn dogs, but weird variations, spices, chunks of potatoes, and other unrecognizable things. Will also brought home a cheesy dish that kind of looked like mac and cheese with two over easy eggs on top. But I think the large "noodles" were really made of rice. It wasn't bad, though I found the texture a little strange.

While they were all shopping I had stayed home to read a couple more chapters of the Odyssey until I fell asleep on the couch. I thought I got enough sleep last night and we have been relaxing, but I am still tired. It is very nice to be able to rest and sleep when I'm tired though. And to be able to just sit and read.

Relaxing after a hard read

After lunch we all split up. Will went for a swim, Jon and Christian took a bike ride, Camille went to relax, and James and I went kayaking. The owner of the house has a garage with two bikes (which Christian has been using, a paddleboard, beach supplies, and a two person kayak. James has been kayaking since college and he and I enjoy going out when we can, although it has been a while. We canoe sometimes too, but we've never done a two person kayak before. 

Jon and Christian set off

Always be wheelieing

The water much lower than the yard but there is a jet ski dock that we were able to launch from. My shoulder has been hurting so I took the front. The start of our trip was a little shaky, we hadn't been in a kayak in a while and the large canal that ours fed into felt pretty big. It wasn't a very busy day on the water, but there were still some huge boats and some fast ones that left us rocking. 

Setting off

One thing we noticed as we paddled along was the landscaping of the various houses along our canal and the large waterway. Lots of these houses are expensive, all them have boats (some giant!) and many of them were highly decorated. But so few of them had any trees! Nothing to shield their backyards or living rooms from the gaze of passersby. This made me appreciate our rental even more because the owner has short palms and bushes which let us relax and swim in privacy. 

James' view

On the large canal

So many beautiful houses

At one point in our exploration we had to cross the opening to a small lake. The current and wind made the crossing very difficult and this is where we first realized our fundamental problem. We have no rhythm. Or rather, we have different rhythms. We can't paddle in sync. It doesn't matter who starts it, I can't match his pace and James can't match mine. It is similar to our different paces when walking or hiking, but there is it easier to make allowances. Here, no matter how we kept watch, our paddles always clashed. Ultimately, unless we really needed to cross a channel or avoid a boat quickly, we just had to give up and take turns paddling. 

Our kaying view

Pelican

We went up past the drawbridge to the beach we had driven over on Saturday and we were able to see it open again for a large sailboat. On the way back we saw a car racing up the water! Truly we are in the future. We were very tired by the time we made it back but the promise of a swim in our pool kept us going. 

A car boat!

Drawbridge

Jon joined us in the pool when we got back and the water was so warm! Almost a hot tub really. It was pleasant, relaxing, and we had a really good time talking and hanging out with Jon. Christian meanwhile was biking all over the neighborhood. He has really had a blast this trip.

Christian found a nice place to watch the sun set

James made grilled chicken for dinner and then he and I went out for ice cream and a walk on the beach at Lauderdale by the Sea. I'd forgotten that it is St. Patrick's Day and the boardwalk was very busy. But we found a good place for ice cream and escaped to the quiet of the beach. The sun had set so the beach was practically empty. But it is hard to walk on sand! Is NH sound more packed than it is in Florida? Despite our sandy struggles, it was really the perfect end to the perfect day. 

Tomorrow we send Will and Jon to Orlando so they can visit their Nana and biological father. And the rest of us are packing up here and flying home. It was really a wonderful trip and I very much hope we can come back to this house again. I love it and this area. And perhaps next year I'll set a goal to finish two books...