6/8/11

FORT LAUDERDALE - JUNE 7-8, 2011

This turned out to be a surprise. Tammy knew from her mom that I had always wanted to see the Atlantic ocean and even a sunrise over the Atlantic. This was Tammy's early and extra special Father's Day gift for me. They finally told me what the agenda was, which they had been keeping as a mystery the past few days. Needless to say, I was more than just a little pleased, excited, ecstatic, ... you get the idea.

I was ready to go early in the morning. Women fiddle around much too long getting ready - heheheh. They reasoned that since check-in was 3:00PM there was no need to rush. I pointed out that the ocean might change, due to global warming etc. We finally headed out, making our way east on the "Alligator Alley" ... highway. After getting checked in we headed out for a leisurely meal ... while the ocean waited.

We finally made it back in time to enjoy the ocean. The water was surprisingly warmer than I expected. The waves were not large at Ft. Lauderdale which made it more fun for Brian, in particular. He spent a lot of time where the waves crested the most. Tammy had fun jumping with her back side against incoming waves. For some unknown reason I felt like laughing. We found a few collectables on the beach and called it a day when, coincidentally, it started getting dark. A little later we were out again for a little time in the pool. It was even warmer than the ocean. They had a hot tub jacuzzi too. People were using it. Go figure. After careful scientific observation, I surmissed that Brian might have a little duck DNA ... (cough) like people from the Pacific Northwest (cough). We finally went in for showers and a little TV before bed. I planned to be up early for the sunrise. I was threatened to NOT include others in my pre-dawn morning excitement.

The next morning I stealthily got ready in dark. That means crashing around while stumbling into things with the expected grunts and exclamations about sharp pains in my shins, etc. Soon I was outside, taking in the changes of the sunrise. The hotel guests were relieved and the switchboard probably became normal again. I took a few snapshots while I watched in awe as the Atlantic came to life in the morning light. The sunrise was nice, but the experience was, quite literally, awesome. I even imagined that the eastern Atlantic continents were just over the horizon. Check-out time was drawing nearer so I relaxed as fast as I could ...errr, soaked it all in.

For those who are familiar with the Atlantic, this may all seem like a lot of dribble but, ... well, maybe it is. Nevertheless, it was something that I thought I would never get to see. A dream became reality. Oh! By the way, everyone else had a nice time too - heheheh.

P.S. Thanks Tammy!