8/20/2018 Stop #19 Larry & Penny County Park - Miami Heights, Florida

From: casarollnotes.blogspot.com 

Tim and Linda Bunyan

Are we in Miami ???     We've arrived 270 acres of natural woodland, trails, hiking paths and a freshwater lake here at the Gateway to the Keys and Everglades National Park: a first-class camping facility: Larry and Penny Thompson Park in Miami, Florida.  

A Mango Orchard lines the entrance road at the County RV Park

Orchard of mango trees.  Able to pick a couple of avocado from the trees.

Shady RV site with full hookup, 24-hour laundry.  

"Looking Out Our Back Door" at 

Larry and Penny Thompson RV Park in Miami, Florida.  

CasaRollnotes.blogspot.com

Sherry and Mike's Montana and new bike cover.

Side by Side: CasaRoll and Mike and Sherry's Montana.  Woodstock, the kitty cat scoping out his playground.

HELLO MIAMI !!!

TIM and Linda to the Ballgame at 
MARLINS PARK with an enclosed dome and great Air Conditioning at the stadium!

Major League New York Yankees vs. Miami Marlins at Marlins Park 8/21 Tuesday 

Full House: 36,742 seating capacity.

 Phil Nevin, 3rd base coach!

 The protruding structure is in place when the stadium roof opens upon it.  Today, it remains closed with the air conditioning working wonders!

I know I am in the right place......Guinness served here at the BallPark!

Anything necessary.....they have happy welcomes~!

This is the sheer wall of windows which will completely open for an outdoor stadium, but not today.

#99 although Aaron Judge is out of this game with an injury, he is out in the crowd to sign autographs for the swarm of fans~!!  GO JUDGE!  (youngster and shows a well future).

 Honorable mention: The Boone Coaching Staff:  #57 Phil Nevin !! (Third Base Coach).

Yankees pulled out the win in the 10th Inning!

NEXT DAY:  UN DIA EN LA HABANA

Little Havana Food Tour, Miami Culinary Tours.   www.miamiculinarytours.com

Culinary Tour:  Met our Tour Guide, Maria, at:

SW 8th Street at the Agustin Gainza Arts and Tavern  www.agustingainza.com

Mr. Gainza displayed his artwork throughout this Coffeehouse/Tavern.  He and his wife are Cuban and have found their life thrives here.

 

Tabletop painted.

 His artwork is shown in San Francisco and Monterey, CA.  We purchased coasters of his art pieces.  His studio also serves wine, coffee, and has Friday afternoons filled with live music. 

 Next door, in Little Havana Culinary Tour, we had beef empanada at Cafe Cubano Colada at El Pub Restaurant 1548 SW 8th Street, Beef empanada, Cafe Cubano.
 

Cuba Tobacco Cigar Co. 

visited prestigious "Crystal Leaf Award: legendary tobacconist Pedro Bello Sr.  Cigars rolled in 4-year aged tobacco leaf. 

Tobacco is the seed of Cuba, grown in South America.  

Across the street is the nightclub: Re-emerging Ball and Chain, open all day and all night.  Cuban live band playing, 1513 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135.  Served a Mojito at the outdoor bar with pineapple, 
the welcome stage for the nightly music show.

 Tim with Mijito Magic relaxing under the fan on the Pineapple Patio.










Mike and Sherry at the Pineapple Patio with Mojito!

Iconic nightclub from the 1930s-1950s Cuban-style food and drink:  BALL AND CHAIN ....a welcoming place for guests!  Formerly a gambling den, mobster-owned and jazz venue hosting luminaries like Billie Holiday and Count Basie

 Guest.

Culinary Tour of Little Havana:
We had the classic pork, ham, cheese Cubano sandwich, topped with shoe-string potato chips at the Old Havana Restaurant, 1444 SW 8th St.  There is a phonograph to play albums.  

At the Yisell Bakery, 1356 SW 8th Street we were served a Guava pastelito and brought a couple home for the next morning with our coffee.  

At the fruit, open-air market with Food Network known Neil, using a machete to cut mango for a delicious guarapo smoothie (Guarapo guava-type fruit) at Los Pinarenos Fruteria, 1334 SW 8th Street.  Azucar Ice Cream served avocado ice cream.  Delicious at 1503 SW 8th Street.  

Sidewalk stroll, real chickens are accepted to hang around Little Havana.

 Corner Market Little Havana

Sidewalk of Stars: One example of famous: Celia Cruz, Cuban-American singer and most popular Latin artist gaining 23 gold albums during her career.

Mural of Celia Cruz in the Ice Cream store.


Muralist Artist: DidiROK Contreras, head-turning female artist, famous for mural art.  Exhibited in the art mecca of New York.  This one of many others located around Wynwood, Miami Florida.

Little Havana Museum and Event Bar.

Cubaocho Museum & Performing Arts Center.  

 

 Antonio Sanchez Araujo (1887-1946) La Rumbra, 1937 oil on Canvas. 78 x 113 ines.   A Cuban costumbrista painter, during the early years of the Cuban republic.

End the Culinary Tour of Little Havana at Domino Park: 

 




 Monument to Cuban Major General  Maximo Gomez in Cuba's war against Spain for Independence, Died 1905 in Havana, Cuba.

The Little Havana Park Plaza held a monument to brave soldiers who died fighting for their freedom.

 

EVENING SUNDOWN at Black Point Marina on the Intracoastal 
Waterway.

 Delicious with 5% Spiced and Sparkling Lime.

Intracoastal Waterway outlet

Someone getting an 'end of the day' Tow (insurance is so good!)

Evening Sunset to a very fine day with friends: Mike and Sherry !!!

NEXT DAY:  MIAMI BEACH BIKE TOUR
Get out of the way, we are biking along Ocean Drive, Miami Beach!  It is a major thoroughfare in the South Beach neighborhood.

 

Bike Tour: SouthFloridaTRIKKE.com  14th Street Miami Beach, Florida Bicycle Tours is $49.00 each.  Rode out to Ocean Drive, from 5th to 15th it is full of restaurants and bars.  Nice vibe, beautiful terraces, expensive cars.  

Art Deco Museum, the Miami Design Preservation League designed to be educational and informational while reflecting the fun of the beach and boardwalk. 



















(below) IN THE HEART OF SOUTHBEACH:  Hotel Breakwater.  Art Deco.  Originally created in 1936.

 Brown's Hotel: Miami Beach's first hotel, was built in 1915.  Boutique hotel on hip southern tip of South Beach.

 OCEAN DRIVE - 1st mile of 15 !

4 M population live in these Miami Beach Condo Highrises!

HIgh Living at Miami Beach !!!

South Miami Beach Seashore!

New Lifeguard Stations on beach sand.

Southern Point of Miami Beach pier.

Millionaire's Row     free water bottle from the TRIKKE BIKE TOUR COMPANY

Modern Art.........Lighthouse Sculpture

Thirsty stop at Raw Bar at Marina.  Ordering WATER !

Mike has known this girl a long time and remains taking good care of his wife, Sherry.

Miami Beach Marina

Nice Scenery !!!

MIAMI LIMO !  to go to STAR ISLAND by boat; we rode our bikes!

 Huge Cargo Ships arrive and depart from Miami Florida.  Miami made history 2017 the Maersk Shanghai arrived at Port Miami becoming the largest container ship to enter one of the busiest ports in the world.










Bike ride over Biscayne Bay at the PortMiami, Port Blvd.

 Millionaire Row on STAR Island, estates with their own gated driveway.  Access to the Star Island is permitted.

Espanol Village, Street Cafes.

(below) Cozy, romantic Cuban Restaurant: Havana 1957; had a fine lunch after our bike ride on authentic Cuban fare.     After bike tour,  Mike and Sherry treated to lunch at Havana 1957 Cuban Cuisine on Ocean Drive Un Dia En La Habana

Cuban eats in a buzzing backdrop with old Havana memorabilia, a rum bar & sidewalk seats. Cuban sandwich, special  romantic, cozy.

NEXT DAY
After a day at the Ballgame, Culinary Walking Tour of Little Havana, and Bicycling Tour of Miami Beach.......
.....we all took the day off for chores 'around the house'.  Tim received the repair kit for the curtain, so he re-strung it back to working perfectly.  I did a couple loads of laundry and some postings.  Mike and Sherry went to stock up at the local PUBLIX Market.

Last Morning; everyone comes for breakfast Tim is making waffles!

Last morning, Mike and Sherry come for waffles; Tim is making breakfast and his famous coffee!!!

 

 
















This raccoon must have heard about Waffles, he came for Breakfast!!!     
Now time to part.  Mike and Sherry heading WEST thru Florida (to Naples and 
St. Petersburg).  Sherry will fly out of New Orleans and Mike will RoadTrip back West.  They have a boat ride at Lake Shasta and then the Bay Cruise!  Busy Travelers; have no fear !!! 
Tim and I heading South to Key West!!!


See you later Mike and Sherry!!!    Tim and Linda heading to the Southern Most !!!

Key West: Here we come!

8/13/2018 Stop #18 Johnathon Dickinson St Prk - Jupiter,and Palm Beach, Florida

From: casarollnotes.blogspot.com 

Tim and Linda Bunyan

We have continued South along the Florida coast.  We are near Palm Beach at Johnathon Dickinson State Park for a week.  Mike and Sherry phoned ahead and got a site next to us!

Jupiter Inlet, perfect boating opportunity for all boaters!

Mike and Sherry's Montana

"Looking out our Back Door"  Tim and Linda's CasaRoll

It is Tim's BIRTHDAY!  We are celebrating and smiling and cheering Social $ !!!

FLAGLER MUSEUM, A National Historic Landmark: We visit American Industrialist Henry Flagler's Edwardian-style mansion built in Palm Beach.  Architecture firm: Carrere and Hastings.  Built Whitehall for his wife, Mary Lily Kenan at Palm Beach, Florida

Whitehall opened the Flagler Kenan Pavillion.  It is designed in the Beaux-Arts manner.  It beautifully displays Flagler's coach train.  A wonderful monument to fine accomplishments.

The Flagler Florida East Coast Railway Pavilion with Tiffany Clock features a display of Flagler's rail car which opened Miami, Florida to all.

Flagler and his wife would travel to Palm Beach as their winter residence in one of their own private railcars,

We strolled the Coconut Row within the 5-acre site.




Dined at Square Grouper Tiki Restaurant

This is the place where Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson filmed the
"5 O'Clock Somewhere" music video.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM !!!

We strolled around the Jupiter Sales and Yacht Club.

Around-town shops in FloiDAZE style!

Local Walmart even has a 'Change of Attitude' look.

..

NEXT DAY:  Bike Ride in the State Park.  Concession has Happy Hour....at the State Park!!!!

Time to Ride !

10-mile bike ride.  Good sauna exercise!

NEXT DAY: River Tour

Mike and Sherry scheduled our river boat ride on the Loxahatchee Queen III .

Stop on the Loxahatchee River at the 1930 camp of Trapper Nelson.  These buildings of a true Florida original who made his living as a trapper and fur trader.

Stop for a rest at his place where he began alligator demonstrations as more tourists arrived.

After the boat ride, we strolled over to the Atlantic to see where all the runoff from the river at the Atlantic Ocean.

Went for cocktails at the Tiki Bar 52.  It is located at the marina where mostly fishing boats are docked.

Boats being stored !

Walking the docks!

BIKE RIDE 12 miles and a
10 minute walk up the Hobe Mountain Trail to the Observation Tower at Johnathon Dickinson State Park.   

The 124' tower offers sights of the forest and sights of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.

The land was home to Camp Murphy, an army base for Signal Corps School.

11,500 acres of land and river of sand scrub and pine flatwoods to cypress swamps and red mangroves.  This biological community so rare it is designated "globally imperiled."  
 Rangers described a 'prescribed burn' to designated areas to keep the health of the trees.  The weak trees burn; the strong trees with strong bark can withstand the fire.

Our last evening here in Jupiter, Florida (about 150 miles north of Miami)  Mike scouted out the Blue Pointe Bar and Grill.    They have a golf cart shuttle service from the parking lot to the front door!  

It is unique to sit out on the point of the Intracoastal Waterway with great views of boats going by.    

Waterfront martinis!  Seemed we were on a cruise ship!





There is a pool to relax, and literally on the edge of the blue water is a hammock.

We remained poolside watching for our martini server!

oh, and live music.  Everything I love in ONE spot!..........Jupiter, Florida.  Great boating location.  INCREDIBLE !

It is time to depart our gated community, Johnathon Dickinson State Park.  It is located across the street from actor, producer, and director: Burt Reynold's residence.  He was raised here in Jupiter and has returned in his 80's to spend his remaining years.  As we gaze down his gated driveway, it ends along the Intracoastal Waterway which he must view from his own personal hammock every day.

Here is a leiocephalus carinatus, commonly known as the northern curly-tailed lizard saying farewell................Now: Mike and Sherry and Tim and Linda: On to MIAMI !!!!