Ft. Lauderdale, FL

My niece is currently living and working here to complete her medical residency. I was able to enjoy  some time with her and explore some on my own. There's a great water taxi ride that cruises down the intercoastal waterway and operates like a hop-on-off. I transferred to a taxi down to Hollywood Beach and walked an hour on the boardwalk  I also enjoyed visiting the Flamingo Park, and combination arboretum and wildlife sanctuary.

A very windy day on Hollywood Beach

Fort Myers, FL

I spent a wonderful week with an old friend here on the Gulf coast.  The waters here are shallow and warmer, so are conducive to many delicious fish. Also, the shell-ing is unparalleled, so one can spend hours wading in the shallow waters to discover new finds. Unfortunately, the area is getting way over developed and the change in ten years time is very dramatic.

Beautiful sunset on Sanibel Island

Banyan tree at Edison/Ford Winter Estates

Shell "graveyard"

St. Augustine, FL

This is a cute little town with lots of history, including the fact its the oldest city in the US. It was discovered by Ponce de Leon and has a distinct Spanish influence along with a Victorian influence due to the British colonization during the 1700's. The highlight was a trip to Anastasia Island and the lighthouse and Maritimes museum. There were great views from the lighthouse. The aspect I enjoyed was the talk by the director of LAMP, the Lighthouse Archeological Maritime Program.  Basically, they conduct  diving expeditions  to retrieve artifacts from ships wrecked in the shallow inlet to St. Augustine. It takes years to clean and restore some of these objects to museum quality.

View from the harbor

St. Augustine Cathedral

Lighthouse

Savannah, GA

I spent two days in this beautiful city, which really wasn't enough time. I spent most of my time in the historic district, which is quite large with lots of historic homes to visit.  The are is laid out in a grid with about twenty squares filled with live oak trees and statues or fountains commemorating some famous person or event,  The city lies on the Savannah River, with shops and restaurants in the converted cotton mills.  The one museum I visited was the Prohibition Museum, aa history of the prohibition era, complete with it's own 'speakeasy'.  I would have liked to explore the extensive intercoastal waterway and do some kayaking.  The temp's were only in the 40's while there, so very chilly on the water. 

City Market

Savannah River

Prohibition Museum 

Charleston, SC

I spent two days in this lovely southern city. It has a lot of colonial charm and many of the homes are on the historic registry.   There's a pretty vibrant downtown with lots of shops and restaurants. I took advantage of the nice weather to take a harbor cruise to Fort Sumter, although the fort itself was closed due to the shutdown. I was told there are dolphins living there year round but wasn't lucky to see them.  

Charleston's Waterfront Park

Fort Sumter National Monument

Gone to Carolina

I spent the holidays with my brother and his wife just outside Charlotte, NC. I had a very relaxing time and we just enjoyed walks together, trips to grocery shop for our favorite holiday foods.  A traditional favorite is pīrāgs, a Latvian pastry filled with ham and onions.  The yeast dough is flavored with cardamom.  They're best eaten right out of the oven.  Another traditional Christmas  dessert is trifle.  Made with pound cake, custard and served with shipped cream, raspberries and toasted almonds.  

Pirags from Latvia