Life in the Fast Lane...or is that the slow lane?

Driving in Southeast Florida is always a "treat." And by treat I mean something unexpected and fun, right? OK, maybe it is not always a treat. But after living here for nearly 2 years there are some traffic norms I have come to expect, even if I don't love them.

{source}

Slow Lane/Fast Lane
On most Highways, the slower traffic keeps right while speedier drivers enjoy a little freedom with the left hand lanes. Not so in South Florida. There seems to be some code, although I have not quite cracked it yet but everyone knows the fast lane is on the right. Maybe not the far right because that could end up being an exit lane but the next lane is it. So if you want to move it down the highway, don't bother with the far left lane. You'll get stuck behind some grandpa going 55 in the 65 in which most want to go 75...Did I say that out loud?

Pick a Lane
When turning at an intersection on Palm Beach, turning into any lane is quite acceptable. For example, I'm on a four lane road, let's say South Ocean, going south. I'm in the right lane turning right onto Royal Palm Way. It's clear. I turn into the center lane instead of turning into the right lane. What if someone coming north was trying to turn into that lane??? Well, turns out they wait 'cause they know I'm going to just pick any lane I want. CRAZY!!

U-turns are Not a Federal Offense
Florida is a great place for U-turns. Unlike Colorado where U-turns can get you into big trouble. Here, you can make them almost anywhere. I guess if we gave tickets to all the lost folks, we might not have such a great image with the tourists and retired individuals gawking at the ocean and scantily clad beach goers. So while the police ignore it, you MUST watch out while others do it.

Life is distracting to drivers here, I understand.

So, while you are out there on the road, be careful and learn from this Colorado turned Florida girl, u-turns are your friend.

Palm Beach Cheese Puffs

One of the most delicous and delightful tastes I've discovered living in Palm Beach for the past year and a half: The appetizer affectionately known as Palm Beach Cheese Puffs!

Seriously! These little dollar coin-sized toasts topped with a magical mixture of cheese and who knows what else is one of the most delicious things I have ever "appetized." Is that a word? Probably not.

The taste is strong yet smooth, toasty and warm, savory and rich! and as far as I know, you can only get them in the Palm Beaches...so come on down and we'll get some!

Before

After (After that is a plate with crumbs)

Leave it to the Leaves for Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea

It's a vine. It's a climber. It's evergreen in wet climates. It's beautiful but it's barely a flower!

What?

Seriously, one of the most beautiful flora around these parts is all about the leaves or "bracts." Jeepers, who knew?! So what is a Bract?

According to Britannica online a bract is a "small, leaflike structure often positioned beneath a flower or inflorescence. What are often taken to be the petals of flowers are sometimes bracts." The article points to the colorful poinsettia and dogwood as popular culprits.

Here in Florida, it's most notably the Bougainvillea!

The actual flower has a diameter smaller than a dime.

Those of us who grew up elsewhere just thought that the magnificent magenta set against the deep evergreen of the vine was a beautiful flower. Not so! It is simply a cluster of leaves.

So, let's hear it for the leaf. Enjoy!

Goodbye, old friend

There is an over one hundred year old Coral tree that stands between the Rectory and The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach. It is a stunning old anchor that separates the two places and marks the entrance to the lovely Cluett Memorial Gardens just north of the Rectory. We are saying good-bye to it over the next three days.

as viewed from my craft room, through the screen

 It's hard to express my feelings about this loss. It is a necessity at this point as the tree is diseased and damaged and could come down in any kind of storm. But it seems such a sheltering presence that even though we've only been under its branches since June, it is affecting my profoundly. So I wanted to share a few images of it with you and share some of its delight and astounding stature. Enjoy!

 

 

Good night, dear friend!

To read more about this remarkable tree, click here!

Palm Beach Bucket List

 Here are a few things that I have done here, that I would not do in Colorado

Played in the surf, had dinner outside in January, not "scraped a car" all winter, watched flowers bloom all year, ate lunch at the Breakers, dined on the beach as the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean, worshiped at one of the most beautiful Gothic churches on the East Coast: Bethesda-by-the-Sea, witnessed shaped topiaries outside of Disney or Vegas, gone to charity balls, met celebrities, ate an entirely shelled lobster that rested on an ice block sculpture, fed coy fish in the church garden, walked on the beach any time many times, purchased great stuff at the best consignment store in the world the Church Mouse, visited the Norton Museum of Art, valeted at the grocery store {ok, I never really did that, but I could if I wanted to...} 

My Palm Beach Bucket List

Visit Flagler museum, eat a mango fresh from the tree, dance under the stars at the Everglades Club, wear a Lilly, make an astonishing key lime pie, meet more celebrities, find the best burger around, go to Zumba, walk over the middle bridge, take photos at the Four Arts sculpture garden, ride the Diva Duck, take an art class at the Armory, witness nesting mama turtles and hatching babies, write an article for The Palm Beacher or other regional publication, get a good picture in the Shiny Sheet and I'm sure there are more...

 

But more than anything I always want to be real and be thankful!! 

See you soon, Eli

On Transitions

{source}

Transitions! 

I'm not talking those cool eyeglasses

that turn darker to meet the

sunshine-in-your-eyes needs...

Nope, I'm talking moving, 

making new friends, 

worshiping in a new church,

starting at a new school,

finding a job, 

buying a car,

getting the dog settled...

...are you tired yet? I am. 

Sure we are doing it in 

paradise but it is still exhausting.

Moving from Colorado was only cross-country but sometimes it feels like a foreign country. Let me show you what I mean:

·         People dress differently. "Palm Beach Casual" is not like any casual I've ever experienced but I'm figuring it out.

Cropped pants and tunics.  Perfect. 
Add some pink and green and you are really on it.
Check out that cutie on the right.

·         It's expensive to eat, shop and entertain, yourself or others. 

{source}

·     You can walk almost anywhere. (Not that people actually do it here, but you can.)

·         The language is a bit different. Raise your hand if you know what these are: Jack Rogers, feeder bands, clutch, spaghetti model.
Raise the other one if you know the difference between Sequin and Sprinkles.

I borrowed a little quote from a blogger (found here) who recently moved from the US to the UK. Do you think these phases are accurate?

Honeymoon Phase – “Everything is new and interesting.”

Rejection Phase – “Everything is new and sucks.”

Regression Phase – “Everything back home was wonderful & much better than this.”

Recovery Phase - “Everything is going to be okay and I am content.”

{It sounds very similar to stages of grief...}

I don't think I could say I'm in one specific phase but each day brings adventures and a variety of feelings. Most days I lounge around in "Recovery" but occasionally I need to visit one of the previous phases.

Isn't that just the way life is...

See you soon, Eli

Palm Beach Island Thoughts

It is an Island

When we first announced to friends from Denver that we were moving to Palm Beach, they would often respond, "Oh, I know West Palm Beach." They didn't know there about the actual island. I'd say, "Actually, it's just Palm Beach. It's an Island." To which I received a puzzled stare.

But it's no wonder that people wouldn't know about it since there are no signs (ANYWHERE) announcing its presence. Plenty of signage for West Palm Beach, Downtown and a few for the scenic A1A. I've even seen a sign for "the beaches"... but no mention of Palm Beach {If you live here, did you ever notice?}
Check out a bit of the A1A in Palm Beach:


 {source}

Geography

Palm Beach Islanders have a variety of sayings. My favorite has to deal with geography: things are either "on island" or "off island". Let me share some examples of how this might be used:

• Nearly all summer, grocery shoppers use any number of Publix grocery stores "off island," but now, we have a bright, shiny new one "on island" to replace an older one. (I love it!)
• There is one Starbucks "on island" {It took me 2 months to find because it is hidden} and probably billions "off island."
• HB goes "on island" to Palm Beach Day Academy. {Called the Day School, if you're old school.}
• There are only a few people who grew up "on island" and still live here. Somehow I've met them all.

 

Build a Bridge and...

December 5, 2011, 10:30am, begins the reconstruction of the Flagler Memorial Bridge, affectionately called as the North Bridge.

It is one of three bridge that link Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, over the Intercoastal Water Way.

From December 5 through 16, the bridge will have one lane closed from 10:30am to 3:30pm. You'll want to plan extra time to cross and remember to factor in extra time for draw bridge openings which can happen any hour, at quarter past and quarter til.

I thought I'd share some photos of the North Bridge's current beauty. What will happen to these lovely accessories once the new bridge is built?

One interesting bit is that the old bridge, after being completely removed, will be recycled as "a structure within an existing artificial reef site in the ocean just to the southeast of Lake Worth Inlet." (source)

So enjoy; tomorrow they may be gone...

 

Can you see a small, yellow "heart"?

 Thanks for joining me today. Until next time, Eli

Happy Halloween, Snow or Shine

Happy Halloween to my new island friends
and my old mountain friends!

We are super excited to be here on the Island of Palm Beach this year for Halloween because for the first time in a long time, we expect not to have snow. (Apparently, it's not that common here.) Denver, on the other hand, plays host to many bundled-up super heroes, princesses and the like as nearly every year, it snows! Want to check out the forecast for Denver? Palm Beach?

In 1993, HB, as Pink Tinkerbell, looked darling at the charming school parade. Later it seemed that Tink was having a little problem with steroids. (but at least she was warm)

This year, HB is the mad hatter and can't wait to Trick-or-Treat on Palm Beach's "Sea" streets... Seaview, Seaspray and Seabreeze.

Apparently, these neighbors hoard candy for months to try to have enough candy to make it through a few hours of passing out "sugar comas."

I was unable to find any confirmation of this online, so I guess it's not an official island event but many locals assured me this was the place to be for costumed, candy-collecting youngsters. As in most cities, going early will help stave off a late, hyper-inducing sugar buzz and might help with avoiding older kids...who should be at home passing out candy.

Anyway...

Here's my treat to you. Some town images I  photographed and "doctored up" a bit...

BOO!

 

{All pics by me}

One last little treat, a favorite hymn: I sing a song of the Saints of God...

Again, Happy Halloween and All Saint's Day.

Until next time, Eli

Interpreting the Signs

Not being a girl who grew up near the water, I find it disconcerting when trouping off to the beach and I see a flag or two flapping in the breeze. A feeling creaps over me, similar to the moment the eerie music comes on  and you think, "Don't open that door." Cause you know it can't be good.

So what do those flags mean? And what do I do about the meaning? Are they as predictable as a low-budget horror flick, traveling from beach to beach, seeing the same thing?

Well, grab another helping of  popcorn 'cause as it turns out, it is not complicated.

The Florida Coastal Management Program along with several other government organizations (Florida Beach Patrol Chiefs Association, the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), and the International Life Saving Federation) has created a "uniform waving flag program for use by Florida’s beachfront communities." 

Thank goodness for that!

Seriously, imagine grabbing your board and showing up at one beach with red flags while your bud 10 minutes away flies orange flags...and the same conditionse? Hey, Don't open THAT door...confusing to say the least.

This beauty needs no warning system

According to FCMP, beaches now have "flags in four colors accompanied by interpretive signs along the beach to explain the meaning of each color."

Using the small key below, see if you can interpret the signs.

• Red flags with a no swimming symbol indicate that the water is closed to the public.
• Red flags without a symbol indicate a high hazard from surf and/or currents.
• Yellow flags indicate a medium hazard from moderate surf and/or currents.
• Green flags indicate a low hazard with calm conditions. Beachgoers should still exercise caution.
• Purple flags indicate a hazard from dangerous marine life. These flags are used in conjunction with another colored flag indicating the current surf/current conditions.

The flag pic above coordintates with this interpretive sign. So the purple sign for "dangerous marine life" warns of Jelly Fish. The green flag heralds a "low hazard." Look beyond the guard post or the sign and see the sea is pretty much flat. Now check out this one:

Not only are the waves much bigger but you can see that the flags are straight out due to plenty of wind. In this case, an inexperienced beach goer, like me, might want to stick to the sand and stay out of the water.

My final thought, imagine a stop light: green is go, yellow is caution, red is stop. That is pretty good advice for the beach...purple, you say? Check the interpretive signs to see what it refers to before splashing about. Above

Finally, always be alert, never go alone and just plain be smart when taking to the beach. Mother Nature can always throw a curve ball.

Until next time, Eli

No Yawning Awnings

The sun is strong here. Everyone tells me so.

The latitude, being on the near side of the equator, actually makes it so. Check out my blog post on the Sun's rays at sea-level beach vs. high altitude mountains.

Any way you slice it, clipping around town for some jaunty fun is a bummer when you stop at a cafe or diner and have to wait outside in the sun for a table or for your valeted car.

Chic stores in Palm Beach use awnings. These aren't your run-of-the-mill, boring awnings. But just like the fashion of hip Palm Beachers, they wear the latest styles with graphic patterns, bright colors and fun shapes.

Graceful shape and dynamic colors

 Let's take a little tour around Palm Beach Island and view some of what the best looking doors wear.

Bold Stripes and scallops

Triplets and Twins

Classic white with scallops

Elegant cloth and metal

Form and color

Here's an activity for you, as you drive or walk around town, see if you spy any of these, or maybe some that I missed. Just enjoy the hunt!

Until next time, Eli