This past week has given us its fair share of rainy days, some even with nickel-sized hail spotted and winds up to 60MPH. We spent a good part of the week quietly working on our computers. Allan's been writing articles and book reviews and Becky's been creating art and working on her novel.

Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to in the last week or two.

Stuart, Florida - Marlin Capitol of the World



Becky learned about an arts and crafts fair in Stuart, Florida so last Saturday we drove about 20 miles up the coast to check it out. As we walked from our parking spot we passed the city hall with two huge marlins mounted on the roof and a sign proclaiming that Stuart is the marlin capital of the world.  Imagine that.

Marlin capitol of the world??

We discovered that Stuart has a very walkable downtown filled with shops and restaurants of every description.

The main street in Stuart is lined with shops and restaurants
that make a great shopping district. For the craft fair they
closed the road to traffic. Vendors of every imaginable craft
line the street under white umbrellas. Nice!  We had fun.

The city of Stuart is right on the water. We found a small amphitheater with a huge multi-colored fabric roof that fronts on the bay. It's a gorgeous view looking out into the Atlantic.

Ahhh, fresh sea breeze and sunshine. What a feeling!

City Place in Downtown West Palm Beach


We've discovered that West Palm Beach, WPB as the locals refer to it, is where it's all happenin'.  It's quite an upscale community that is surrounded by all kinds of cities with very similar names: Palm Beach Gardens, Royal Palm Beach, Royal Palm Estates -- you get the idea.  Lots of BMW's and Mercedes there. If you travel across the A1A Flagler Memorial Bridge heading East, you'll find the island known as Palm Beach. It is a very wealthy place to live. According to Wikipedia...


"The Intracoastal Waterway separates Palm Beach Island from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth. As of 2000, Palm Beach had a year-round population of 10,468, with an estimated seasonal population of 30,000.


"Many of Palm Beach's residents are affluent, with a median household income of $124,562 and a median family income of $137,867. The town's affluence and its "abundance of pleasures" and "strong community-oriented sensibility" were cited when it was selected in June 2003 as America's "Best Place to Live" by Robb Report magazine."



We have not been to Palm Beach island, but on Sunday we drove to WPB to visit City Place. It's a 72-acre shopping, entertainment and restaurant area laid out much like an old time European village with a central plaza that spins off into over 100 shops and businesses. It even has some very upscale condos which would allow one to live without ever needing a car. It has a Publix grocery, Macy's, a 20-screen theater with IMAX, in Improv Comedy Club and lots more.

Checking out the goods at Anthropolgie

Yep, they still have happy hour here in FL. At some places happy hour runs all day long!
Atlanta killed happy hour decades ago because people were driving drunk after downing
a few too many after-work cocktails. No such problem here in Florida apparently. BB King's
blues club and many others all do the two-for-one. We stopped for lunch at
Brewzzi for a sample of their microbrew and some great eats.

The plaza at City Place

Vegetation and beautiful landscaping is the order of the day in Florida,
including this avenue running through City Place.

Taking a minute out from shopping to rest on the ceramic stairs.

Jupiter Beach

On Friday (5/18) we hit the beach after spending the last few days indoors while the rain continued to fall. The day dawned sunny and bright so around noon we headed out to the sand.  The water was warm, the waves were small, the sun was bright and it all felt just soooo good to be alive. 

Jupiter Beach at low tide. This could be paradise.

Nothing like a good book to pass the time while cool breezes keep you comfortable.

Taking a break from swimming

This poor fellow landed on the beach with monofilament fishing line tangled around his leg and a fishing hook
caught in his shoulder. He just stood there, a foot or two away from bystanders until someone found a pocket
knife and cut the fishing line free and removed the hook. This magnificent bird spent quite a while grooming himself
before eventually flying off. He didn't seem to mind at all that Becky stood just a step away from him in taking this picture.

We had a great time on the beach, worked on our suntans and -- on the way home -- stopped at Rosetta's Produce store to pick up some bright red tomatoes and veggies for dinner. We're loving Florida so much that we applied for another house sit in WPB for November and December. We'll see what happens...if we are chosen...