Spring break - North Miami Beach

Just a couple of miles from my hotel was the beautiful beach of North Miami. I would run to the beach and back. What a great workout. When I was there it was the beginning of spring break but lucky for me it was pretty mello. Too bad Utah isn't closer to an ocean like this.

Barf-a-rama

Last Sunday I took a break from a consulting project that I'm working on. I was working in North Miami Beach at Michelle's home. Her husband, Abe is quite the avid fisherman. If he could, he would fish everyday, all day. He has a nice fishing boat and they live on a harbor that connects to Biscayne Bay. Abe and I went out in the bay for a couple of hours to fish. We used live bay shrimp and had a fun time catching sea trout. There were also pin fish that loved to steal the shrimp right off the hook. Later, we ventured out into the Atlantic. We only went a few miles off shore. We could still see the Miami coastline which was good for me. The swells were probably only 4 feet or so. We used live pin fish for bait and we hoped to catch a sail fish, king fish, snapper, dolphin or something big. After an hour and a half or so, I was beginning to lose it a bit. I kept staring at the buildings trying to convince myself that I wasn't going to puke. The waves kept coming and finally I lost my lunch. Oh well. I do not do well with spinning rides or even roller coasters over and over again. Hopefully, the next time I'll be able to last a bit longer. I need "sea legs" as my son informed me. At any rate, we didn't catch anything so we'll have to go out again.

The Navigator

Okay, so Friday night I had to drive from Orlando to Miami. Just a short 3 hour drive down the Florida Turnpike. I was on 528 just leaving the airport and I was soon coming up on I-4 when my good friend Clark called. He was still at work and so I asked him to get on Google maps and help me find the Turnpike. I was heading quickly to Tampa and I didn't want the "scenic" route. I missed exit after exit that would have gotten me back on the right path. Actually, it really wasn't that big of a deal. I really didn't have to be anywhere at anytime. I finally was "navigated" off I-4 and started me exciting tour through "the sticks of Florida". I went through Lake Alfred, Haines City, Lake Hamilton, Dundee on to the happening town of Lake Wales. There I stopped at a convenience store for some snacks. From there I finally got on state road 60 which would lead me to Yeehaw Junction (FINALLY the Florida Turnpike). Basically, a 2 hour detour. Fun fun fun. I still had at least 2 more hours paying money as I went south. I am NOT a big fan of toll roads. You? Doesn't make sense. Once I got close to Miami I knew I needed to get to I-95 but I just kept on going until I was arriving at the Miami airport. Too far. Dang! I got off the freeway, drove on the main streets and quickly got to Biscayne Blvd. From there it was another 15-20 minutes up to Aventura and finally my hotel. What a night. I got a quick bite to eat before retiring around 2 in the morning. What an adventure.

National Napping Day

In case you weren't informed, today is National Napping Day. You might have thought that you got robbed yesterday of the precious hour of sleep. NOT THE CASE. You get that extra hour this afternoon. Hooray!

Black Hole

What sic puppy blogs at 2:00 in the morning? I've been meaning to write up a post for a couple of days ago. Last Sunday night I flew into MCO. I had my sunglasses with me. Then I didn't. The next morning I realized that I didn't have them. I called the front desk - no luck. I checked with the driver/van that I rode in the night before - no luck. I called the Orlando airport. They basically laughed at me. They told me to check back later that day. I also talked to the Delta baggage claim office. According to the guy that I talked to, Delta alone collects over 2000 items each month. They keep things for about 2 weeks and then everything is boxed up and sent "somewhere". I've heard that outside of Atlanta there is a place where at least some of Delta's lost and unclaimed stuff is sent. I tried to Google such a place but came up empty handed. Last Fall I lost my car keys on a trip to Europe. The SLC baggage department told me that thousands of items or lost and never reclaimed and each month they are boxed up and "destroyed" according to the guy I talked to. I'm sure that it is a MAJOR pain in the butt, however, it seems like there could be a something put in place to make a better effort. In searching for this "place" in Atlanta I read that it costs Delta over $150 for each lost piece of luggage that is found and returned to the rightful owner. Anyhow, as I said to begin with, if you happen to lose ANYTHING at an airport or on a plane, it is forever lost. Black Hole, baby!