Ft. Lauderdale Get Away - Day Two and Day Three

A portion of Mix - great and unusual men's clothing

Our second full day in Ft. Lauderdale began with rain and then shifted to cloudy, with the sun finally coming out in the late afternoon.   As a result, our day consisted of hanging out at the Windamar and then taking a long walk down A1A to Las Olas Boulevard and then up Las Olas a good way before turning back and stopping for lunch at the Casablanca Cafe for lunch and very, very good margaritas.  The afternoon finished with us by the pool and then dinner at the Cuban/Spanish themed Mario's Catalina on Federal Boulevard.   After two carafes of sangria and great food(one on the house by the owner who knows us from visits with friends who are regulars) we headed back to Mix on Wilton Drive for a little more shopping.  We finished the evening at Boardwalk Bar not too far away. where I was unfortunately "over served" a bit  

Our third day found me dealing with a mild case of the "alcohol flu" and some client issues that arose both in the morning and then again in late the afternoon.  The rest of the day we hung bu the pool and got to know other guests who come from a variety of states. Like it seems most of the guest houses in this part of Ft. Lauderdale, the patrons are more mature guys, many couples, who like the husband and I have sought an escape to warmer weather.  We finished the day with dinner at the Lauderdale Yacht Club.  As is always the case, we received a temporary membership card for the balance of our stay in town and dinner was great.   After suffer from the "flu" I used discretion and we headed home to the Windamar for a laid back and early bedtime.

Today saw us at Sebastian Beach again .  Now we are getting ready for drinks and dinner with friends and, hopefully, some dancing at Hunters in Wilton Manor later tonight.   

Ft. Lauderdale Get Away - Day One

We arrived on schedule on Monday afternoon (Christmas Day) and had good luck with our first attempt at using Turo - sort of an air bnb for cars - with no delays in having the car dropped off to us.  The guest house we are staying at - the Windamar - exceeded our expectations as well (booking online one never knows what the reality will be versus the website) and is located two blocks in from the beach about five blocks north of Sebastian Beach pictured above.  

Monday evening after dinner, we went and saw the movie "Call Me By Your Name" which was excellent, although I liked the book even better.  I can see why there is buzz about both Armie Hammer - who is very "hot" - and ‎Timothée Chalamet doing well during awards season.  Sadly, the movie has not yet played in perennially backwards Hampton Roads.  If it does come to the area after we return, I will likely see it again. 

Yesterday, we went by the home of some friends and picked up beach chairs and an umbrella before heading to Sebastian Beach for several hours.  Later we went shopping in Wilton Manor and bought tuxedo jackets to wear to the Inaugural Ball on January 13th at Mix, a men's clothing store that we always visit when in Ft. Lauderdale.  We followed that outing with dinner at Ethos, a wonderful Greek restaurant on Wilton Drive.    After that, we went back to the guest house and crashed.

Not sure what we will do today as yet. Thursday evening, we will dine at the Lauderdale Yacht Club, pictured below.

Click image to enlarge

Holiday Get Away - Ft. Lauderdale

This morning the husband and I are headed to Ft. Lauderdale for a week (instead of giving each other Christmas and birthday presents, etc., we go on trips)!  We are looking forward to warm weather and seeing many friends who either live in the area or who, like us, like to vacation there. We will be staying at a gay guest house and using it as our base of operations. We will have Christmas dinner with friends from Newport News who have a gorgeous home in Ft. Lauderdale.  We have at least two dining events planned for the Lauderdale Yacht Club with clients of mine and the husband (our Hampton Yacht Club membership provides nice reciprocal benefits!).  We also hope to do some shopping and find some special tuxedo jackets to wear to the Inaugural Ball in Richmond on January 13th in Richmond (we will be going up to Richmond on the 6th to give the governor elect a haircut).  

On the home front, a friend will be staying at our home and house sitting and dog sitting for us. It works best all around.  On the blogging front, I will be posting to the extent our social engagements and relaxing by the pool/on the beach permits.

Ft. Lauderdale - Day Four and Five

Our trip to Ft. Lauderdale continues to be most enjoyable.  We have met some great guys at the Coral Reef Guesthouse and what has been interesting is that of the older guests, many were married to women in the past and, like me, have children and grandchildren.  In every instance, the biggest issue for all of us was admitting to ourselves that we were gay.  Getting to the point of looking at yourself in the mirror and saying, I'm gay, and that's OK" is the big first step.   

New Year's Day, we pretty much stayed around the guesthouse after staying up until well after 2:00AM.  Yesterday, we spent much of the day at Sebastian Beach before going to have drinks with friends at their home in Wilton Manor and then heading to the Lauderdale Yacht Club for another great dinner.  I could easily move here but for not wanting to be so distant from my children and grandchildren - after July, we will have 5 of them.  Time will tell, I guess.

Today we are meeting my nephew from Miami and his girlfriend for lunch and then will see what we are in the mood to do.  Weather wise, it has been perfect: Lower 80's every day and sunny!

The husband being distracted by the "scenery"

Ft. Lauderdale - Day Two and Three

Between work matters - I have spent a number of hours each day dealing with office e-mails and client matters - and seeing friends and trying to enjoy the trip, I simply never got around to blogging yesterday.  Overall, the trip has been great and we are very happy with the Coral Reef Guesthouse where we are staying.  We have met a number of really nice couples and guys from various parts of the country and the facility is immaculately kept and the staff very friendly and helpful.  We will definitely stay here again.

Wednesday, we spent time by the pool, met friends from Virginia Beach/Norfolk for lunch and then we went to the home of friends and clients of the husband's salon where he did their hair as I sat by the pool at their gorgeous home in Lighthouse Point, just north of Ft. Lauderdale. That evening we went to the Lauderdale Yacht Club (see the image above of the pool complex) for dinner.  We ended the night hitting clubs in Wilton Manor, finishing the night at Hunters where there was great dance music.  

Yesterday, after dealing with office issues until nearly noon, we hit Sebastian Beach at the ocean front for several hours.  We attended a New Year's Eve party in Wilton Manor at the home of a friend from Virginia Beach and saw many friends down from Virginia and finished the night/early hours of the morning at the guesthouse having cocktails with other guests at the pool and hot tub.  As I have been blogging, the husband in fact has been sleeping in. :)

Ft. Lauderdale - Day One

It has been a super long day today.  The husband and I were up at 2:30AM to get ready for our 5:15AM flight to Ft. Lauderdale Florida, via Charlotte on American Airlines.  As seems to be the norm, American Airlines was a disappointment, but we eventually got here albeit late.  We are staying at the Coral Reef Guesthouse (the pool is shown above) and will be seeing numerous friends who have second homes down here.  The husband's brother is staying at the house and watching the dogs.  We lazed by the pool when I wasn't dealing with client phone calls and e-mails - I NEVER really escape - and plan on a low key dinner before visiting some clubs in Wilton Manor later this evening.  Normal posting will resume tomorrow.  Dinner tomorrow evening at the Lauderdale Yacht Club compliments of our reciprocal privileges through the Hampton Yacht Club.

Climate Change Is Real: 14 U.S. Cities That Could Disappear

New Orleans

A new report at Bloomberg focuses on the reality that people do not fear climate change as they should, thanks in large part to disinformation campaigns - can we call it what it is, lies - funded by the fossil fuel industry.  In addition, the problem is not being addressed as it should because of other factors too: inability of international governments to cooperate, the tendencies of humans to ignore what they don't want to hear, and reluctance of countries to act unilaterally, and the belief that the problem is "in the future" and not a current concern.   Another piece from Huffington Post looks at some of the U.S. cities that may perish if sea levels rises as some have predicted.   Among those largely lost are Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Virginia Beach (and Norfolk) and large parts of New York City.  First, highlights from Bloomberg:

With respect to the science of climate change, many experts regard the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as the world’s authoritative institution. A draft summary of its forthcoming report was leaked last week. It describes the panel’s growing confidence that climate change is real, that it is a result of human action, and that if the world continues on its current course, it will face exceedingly serious losses and threats (including a significant rise in sea levels by century’s end). 

While the draft report states these conclusions with unprecedented conviction, they are broadly consistent with the panel’s judgments from the past two decades, which raises an obvious question: Why have so many nations (including China and the U.S., the world’s leading greenhouse-gas emitters) not done more in response?

There are many answers. Skeptics say that the IPCC is biased and wrong. Companies whose economic interests are at stake continue to fight against regulatory controls. The leaders of some nations think that if they acted unilaterally to reduce their emissions, they would impose significant costs on their citizens without doing much to reduce climate change. 

[W]e should not disregard purely psychological factors. An understanding of what human beings fear -- and what they do not -- helps to explain why nations haven’t insisted on more significant emissions reductions. The first obstacle is that people tend to evaluate risks by way of “the availability heuristic,” which leads them to assess the probability of harm by asking whether a readily available example comes to mind.

[C]limate change is difficult to associate with any particular tragedy or disaster. To be sure, many scientists think that climate change makes extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Sandy, substantially more likely. But it is hard to prove that climate change “caused” any particular event, and as a result, the association tends to be at best speculative in many people’s minds. Second, people tend to be especially focused on risks or hazards that have an identifiable perpetrator, and for that reason produce outrage. Warmer temperatures are a product not of any particular human being or group, but the interaction between nature and countless decisions by countless people. There are no obvious devils or demons  . . .

In a political context, citizens might demand protection against a risk that threatens them today, tomorrow or next month. But if they perceive climate change as mostly a threat to future generations -- if significant sea-level rises seem to be decades away -- they are unlikely to have a sense of urgency. 

Climate change lacks other characteristics that spur public concern about risks. It is gradual rather than sudden.

Despite all these reasons for doing nothing, the fact is that the consequences will be severe down the road.   Huffington Post looks at 14 U.S. cities at real risk in the long run.  Here are highlights:

There is really no way around it: Thanks to climate change, sea levels are rising. A huge question on the minds of many is, what does this mean for America? Will sea walls and city planning protect major metropolises, or are we bound to lose some national gems? Unfortunately, the latter is a significant possibility. Read on for 14 U.S. cities that could be devastated over the next century due to rising tides.

1. Miami, Florida.

2. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. . . . . Climate Central researcher Benjamin Strauss adds that "even if we could just stop global emissions tomorrow on a dime, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Gardens, Hoboken, New Jersey will be under sea level."

3. Boston, Mass.   If Hurricane Sandy struck Boston during high tide, 6.6 percent of the city would have been flooded. Water would have reached the steps of City Hall, according to a piece in The Atlantic. Within 100 years, that could become the new normal, twice a day.

7. New Orleans, La.   According to The Lens, a Louisiana non-profit news site, Louisiana might be facing the highest sea level rise worldwide. This does not bode well for the low-lying Big Easy, which could be immersed with 4.3 feet of water by the end of the century. Mardi Gras, the French Quarter and NOLA’s jazz scene may all be a thing of the past.

12. Virginia Beach, Va.  
Virginia Beach’s pristine coast could be obliterated in the next 50 years. In fact, NOAA says that it's the most threatened area for sea level rise of its size after New Orleans. According to Virginia Beach environmental administrator Clay Bernick, there are too many warning signs to ignore the science. "I wouldn’t put it in the category of fear," he told The Washington Post, but stressed, “You’ve got multiple factors with flashing lights saying, ‘Okay, guys, what are you going to do?'”

A word to the wise: If you haven’t made your way down to the Hampton Roads area, you might want to make the trip before it is too late.

Read the whole piece and see what other cities are at extreme risk.

Virginia Beach Oceanfront

Ft. Lauderdale - July 2013 - A Sad Departure

We've had a wonderful time  here in the Ft. Lauderdale area over the last week and I for one am feeling less than thrilled to be headed back to Hampton Roads and anti-gay Virginia.  Admittedly, Florida is not a gay friendly state, but in this area one would never know it.  Virginia has nowhere comparable where gays seemingly are accepted by almost everyone and where business that cater to the LGBT market are so plentiful. During our stay we have been places ranging from the beautiful Lauderdale Yacht Club, to cruising down the Intercoastal Waterway to hitting the gay clubs in Wilton Manors taking an air boat ride across the Everglades at Cooperville.  

For those who have never visited the area, I recommend Ft. Lauderdale highly.  Below are some photos from over the last week.

Lauderdale Yacht Club

Intercoastal cruising

Everglades tour

Making it all the more fun were our hosts and their amazing home and our friends we shared time with, both the locals and the ones visiting from Virginia.

A little too close for comfort!!

Sebastian Beach

Our friends' home

Thankfully, we have been invited to visit again "any time."

Ft. Lauderdale - July 2013 - Day Six

Yesterday was pretty much non-stop from the time we headed out in the morning for our tour of a portion of Everglades National Park.  The photo above shows the sign for the tour company we used.  To say it was rustic is an understatement, although the air boat tour was enjoyable and informative   albeit unnerving when I had a 10 foot alligator about 4 feet away as I was seated near the side of the air boat.  Our boat captain was a hoot even though at first glance he was major league Bubba type.  Our band of adventurers included a number of friends also down visiting from Virginia (shown below in a somewhat cheesy photo that was included in the ticket price). I will post an alligator photo tomorrow.

After the Everglades expedition, we had drinks at the gorgeous home of friends in Wilton Manors followed by dinner at a great Thai restaurant in the same complex as the Alibi and Boom (gay clubs).  After dinner, we visited both clubs and also the Village Pub across Wilton Drive.

While Florida hardly ranks as a gay friendly state, the Ft. Lauderdale area is very gay friendly and I am not looking forward to returning to Virginia tomorrow evening.

Ft. Lauderdale July 2013 - Day Four - - My Grandson is Born!!

Today has been a lazy laid back day for the most part with overcast skies.  Luckily, it gave us a day to recover from all the sun at Sebastian Beach yesterday.  It also gave the boyfriend a chance to hit the store in preparation for tomorrow evening's "Mo Down" as our hostess calls the gay parties we throw at their home every time we visit.   Tomorrow's plans include another excursion on the boat - pictured above flying a rainbow ensign the husband of one of the boyfriend's country club clients bought us and the Hampton Yacht Club flag - swimming in the pool and a barbecue.

The most exciting news is that my grandson, Benjamin was born this afternoon around 3:00PM Eastern time.  Mother and son are doing well at last report.  I am waiting to see some photos which I will share once I get them.  I treasure my granddaughter who is now 6 months old and will do the same with Ben.  

As far as the rest of the day goes, we had such a good time at The Alibi last night that we will probably venture back to Wilton Manors from Lighthouse Point and perhaps stop by the Gay Mart so that the boyfriend can buy a new swimsuit. 

Ft. Lauderdale July 2013 - Day Three

Our third day in the Ft. Lauderdale area was truly a busy one.  We spent a good part of the day enjoying near perfect weather at Sebastian Beach - the so-called gay beach - along with throngs of others.  Thanks to a steady wind, the temperatures were comfortable.   Besides the gather in of gays, what struck me as I walked along the water's edge was the racial and ethnic diversity of the crowd: black, white, Hispanic, and a mix of others with several languages being heard among the crowd.  It represents the future diversity of America even in states like Virginia.  It also represents what frightens the Hell out of Christian conservatives who see their strangle hold on society slowly and deservedly dying.

We had dinner at a French restaurant named Sage Cafe with our hosts and other friends visiting the area from Hampton Roads.  After dinner, we made our way over to Wilton Manors and did some clothes shopping since there are so many options for shopping for items one never sees in our backwater area.  We ended the evening by having a good time at The Alibi which was packed and playing great dance music.  

Ft. Lauderdale July 2013 - Day Two

Today was a great day even though it started out with me dealing with office e-mail and drafting documents for a couple of hours.  Kudos to my youngest daughter for holding down the fort at the law firm while we are out of town.   After lunch, we went out on our hosts' beautiful Intrepid 40' boat from which we flew the Hampton Yacht Club red and blue pennant (shown in the photo above).  Cruising around Lighthouse Point and parts of Pompano Beach, I was struck by (i) the wealth in this area and (ii) how much of a backwater Hampton Roads is in comparison.  The image below is looking down the creek from out hosts' dock, followed by a shot of one of the  boats we saw on our cruise. 

To thank our hosts for their hospitality, the boyfriend and I took them (and a friend who they are also hosting) to dinner at the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Ft. Lauderdale proper.  Through our Hampton Yacht Club membership, we have reciprocal benefits with yacht clubs around the country (and other parts of the world).   The dinner and the club facility were both amazing.  Thankfully, our guest membership is good through the day we head back to Virginia. :)  A photo of the club's pool and pavilion complex is set out below.

Tomorrow's plans include a visit to Sebastian Beach - the "gay beach" in Ft. Lauderdaler - followed by a get together with friends in Wilton Manor for drinks and dinner.  On Saturday, we will be throwing our traditional gay house dinner/party at our hosts' home.

Again, I hope local readers will drop me an email at michaelinnorfolk@gmail.com in the hope that we can perhaps meet for a drink or something.

Ft. Lauderdale July 2013 - Day One

The boyfriend and I arrived at our friends' home (pictured above) in Lighthouse Point, Florida, just north of Ft. Lauderdale this afternoon and have so far had a relaxing afternoon and evening: drinks near the pool and a great dinner.  The flight out of Richmond on Jet Blue was smooth and seamless. Tomorrow we going out on our friends' boat;

For dinner tomorrow, we are taking our hosts to dinner at the Lauderdale Yacht Club (pictured below) via out membership in the Hampton Yacht Club.  I am looking forward to some down time, but will - as is the norm - being working on documents and communication with clients via e-mail.

Click image to enlarge

We plan a number of outings to the beach and visits to gay venues in the area, including Wilton Manor, while in town over the 4th of July and the coming week.

Our Ft. Lauderdale Vacation Starts Tomorrow

In the morning the boyfriend and I are headed to Ft. Lauderdale to stay with friends that hosted us back in February (where we are staying is shown in the images above and below).  Posting tomorrow will be limited since we will be in travel mode.  Our two dogs will be sojourning at the boyfriend's father's home while we are away and the Terry McAuliffe staffer that we are hosting through November will be holding down things at the house with the help of a friend here in the neighborhood who will tend the boyfriends numerous potted plants.  Interestingly enough, we are driving to Richmond to catch a direct flight on Jet Blue that was extremely reasonable and which avoids the pitfalls of connections.

While in the Ft. Lauderdale area, we will definitely make use of our reciprocal membership benefits through HYC.

I would ask any readers in the Ft. Lauderdale area to e-mail me if they'd like to get together.  We will be getting together with friend from the area and also seeing Virginia friends who have second homes in the area, but meeting new friends is always something we enjoy.  I am 100% serious in extending this invitation.

Ft. Lauderdale - Day 3

We had a great day yesterday and are truly enjoying our visit at our friends' home (pictured above).  Dinner the night before at the Lighthouse Point Yacht Club was very nice and I enjoyed getting a chance to lie in the sun reading a book.  Last night we had 12 friends over for a dinner party: appetizers, shrimp and grits with sausage and lobster, and a wonderful coconut custard that the boyfriend whipped up.  The signature drink was madras punch.  The sunset was beautiful - especially knowing that it was snowing in Hampton Roads.

Today the plan calls for more enjoying the sun and a cruise on our hosts' beautiful boat.  The photo below shows more of the party guests sitting on the back patio overlooking the pool and waterfront.

Ft. Lauderdale - Day Two

We had a wonderful day staying with our friends in Lighthouse Point, Florida, despite the rainy weather which should be gone tomorrow.  We had lunch and dimmer at the beautiful Lighthouse Point Yacht Club (pictured above) which has reciprocal privileges with the Hampton Yacht Club where the boyfriend and I are now members.  Tomorrow we are hosting a dinner party - the "Mo down" as our hosts call it with a group that has now grown to 16 people.

Ft. Lauderdale - Day One

Pool and covered terrace

The boyfriend and I had uneventful flights down to Ft. Lauderdale this morning after leaving the house at 6:00 AM.  We rendezvoused with one of our hosts at the airport and traveled to Lighthouse Point where their beautiful home is located.  As seems to be true to form for me, while checking my office e-mail, I discovered a mini-crisis had developed and I had to spend time on work matters this afternoon - as fortunately did one of our hosts who had to do an hour conference call with her office making my absence less obnoxious.  Now it's time to relax and get in the pool which is 88 degrees and have a cocktail!!  The photos are scenes in this post are of the back yard at our hosts' home..

View out our bedroom patio door

Tomorrow it's the beach and lunch with friends followed by taking our hosts to dinner at the Lighthouse Point Yacht Club - the boyfriend and I are now members of the Hampton Yacht Club and through it have reciprocal privileges at a number of other yacht clubs around the country.  Saturday night the boyfriend and I are hosting a dinner party for our hosts and eleven friends. It has become a tradition when we visit.

And yes, we will be checking out some of the gay night spots while we are in town.  It should be a nice long weekend.

Limited Posting Today

The boyfriend and I are flying to Florida on a crack of dawn flight this morning to visit friends who own a spectacular home north of Ft. Lauderdale.  The bags are packed, the house sitter/dog sitter arrangements have been made and we will be up well before dawn.  As a result, postings will be reduced.  I will post photos and blog entries as our travel schedule permits.

Weekend Travel Reflections

UPDATED: We went by the house and it is GORGEOUS!! We will definitely be back to visit later in the year once our friends have moved in!
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So far we are having a great trip and arrived in Ft. Lauderdale uneventfully. We had a great dinner with our hosts celebrating their anniversary last night and the weather today looks like it will be absolutely beautiful. One of today's outings will be checking out the new house that our friends are in the process of buy (see photo above). Also, today is the birthday of one of our hosts and "Martha Stewart" will be preparing a birthday feast here at the house. Tomorrow we are having a bunch of gay friends over for a get together. It's a nice break to have some warm weather - it's only in the low 40's in Hampton Roads!

Travel Weekend and Likely Reduced Posts

The boyfriend and I are headed to Pompano Beach to help friends celebrate their anniversary and a birthday. The photo above is the back yard of our friends' home. The Chihuahua is at the boyfriend's parents place and a house sitter will be tending the house. I will try to put up posts as travel and socializing allow. We're likely going to be at George's Alibi in Wilton manor either tomorrow or Sunday night. Drop me an e-mail if anyone would like to perhaps get together.