A new adventure In sailing
So today marks the first day of a four day trip of sailing Florida's back rivers and dreched out canals in a sailboat belonging to one of my friends. Before you all say WOW he is Sokol lucky and other comments of the same ki d let me explain in detail.
This is not your typical luxury sailing boat with crew and all the fixings of home but instead one that we must get to Miami, fix the motor, make sure it doesn't leak, and manage to get through places called mosquito lagoon which is over 40 miles during the day so that we can actually set anchor in a place that we can sleep covered in off and with the windows open for ventilation and not be forced to sleep sealed up in what will become an oven as we hide from the mosquitoes. In case you have not figured it out this little sail boat also lacks AC.
Day 1...
When we arrived at the marina port smirna beach I instantly noticed all the beautiful and large sailboats but having been warned by my friend, I already knew which boat was ours, the very last one, at the end of the last dock, which made unloading the vehicle located in the front parking lot, pleasent as I say that word with clutched teeth. It looked a little ragged and maybe used would be the word, but I have to admit the more of it Jessica Hale, avant-Garde's new secretary and captain of the ship, opened up the front section, put away materials, organized and put together the various sections of the inner cabin, the better it looked and in the end minus the AC, the fact that we have to rebuild the engines before we set sail, and the likelihood that with our sense of timing we will be stuck in mosquito lagoon tomorrow night forcing us to sleep in an oven because it will have to be sealed right now we are finished with today's chores, about to get in the nicest shower I have ever seen in any dock master area, off to a glass of wine and then laugh about everything that has happened to get us here.
For you see it's been three days we have trying to leave Miami for here and today we finally actually left the house. I think deep down we knew it would require a lot of work to get this trip started and it did, but now the adventure begins and we have 4 days of a journey through Florida's man made dug canals along the intercoastel waterways and the restored Indian River. A trek that is starting from this beautiful beach city near Datona and will end in Miami, officially taking over as guardian of our little ship and will be it's new home. We bring with us food for 20 people, engine parts, back up parts, emergency stuff in case we sink and strangely enough I find myself already attached to this little boat which now looks great but don't forget looks can sometimes be deceiving..
After my shower we will head to walmart while our batteries charge and purchase two portable fans and then we will truly be blessed and I can't help but think that the reason I am on this trip that the people who were professionals who tried last time abandoned ship as they told the owner they had lost confidence in the vessels ability to get them to Miami.
Where is their sense of adventure or challenge. I know we will get this boat to Miami because we are determined... We will make it through the mosquito lagoon before nightfall, and we will be fine in the end and laugh as we turn this little boat into a modern, contemporary sailboat filled with new windows, fittings, sails, kitchen galley, and everything in between for a little company that will one day be huge called Avant Garde Home Furnishings,LLC., Everything for your modern & Contemporary home..
If you all remember the little engine that could think about us as we will be in Miami by Wednesday night because in our hearts we really like this little boat and we love a challenge. that is something I can promise.
Check back for daily pictures and trek stories of our journey from Daytona to Miami in our own little engine that could...
We know we can....
AG HOME GOODS
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modern living rooms
About Avant-Garde
Avant-Garde is an online retailer of modern contemporary home furniture & decor items feraturing household furniture for every room in your home, outdoor patio furniture and featured product collections.
We offer home furnishings and decor for every area of your home, both inside and out, always striving to bring you the most current design elements being used by today's top designers, at a fraction of their retail cost. Whether you are completely redecorating an area of your home, looking for the perfect accent piece to finish off an existing room, shopping for a unique gift, or simply "window shopping" to get design ideas, Avant-Garde is the place to go for everything for your modern & contemporary home.
Showing posts with label tyrennds 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tyrennds 2011. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Cuba Days 6-9, tourist stuff with family and friends
Cuba Days 6-9
Tourist stuff with Family and Friends
The last few days on the Island have been mostly spent onn going around and seeing what each family household needs. In other words, a window that needs repairing oor replaced, a rooof that needs fixing, a household that is shoort on food, one that needs plaster or paint and then have been going around and trying to find these items in a country where these things do not exist or are hard nearly impossible toi find. However this year we found that everything we waanted to buy was readilly available and purchased everything we needed in about the two days we had allotted to the search. We purchased wardrobes for some family members, windows for others, as well as friends, connected flat screens that no one seems to know how to opperate, and helped spruce up homes with small items such as plates, glasses, stemware, paint, and a few other basic items such as toilet paper. Everyone here seems to need something yet their spirit and determination is completely alive and kicking. The tourist dollar only stores (correction new chavo - the term used for the converted american dollar) are rich in merchandise but at prices way out of reachj of most the Island. A shovel for example costs 20.00 and most cubans make 10.00 a month.
I also had my first experience in a Cubann Gym these last few days.. To say it was an experience is an understatement. No real equipment to speak about, or for that matter much of anything.. It was two bars, one bench, and outdated and broken stairmasters, which of course did not work.. There were two bars to be shared by everyone and thehy were full of rust and the smoothie bar was commpletely emty but yet there was still someoone working there, the massage area and steam, sauna, and bathrooms were long ago shut and the entrance fee 5.00 USD, which they think is a bargain.. I hear that most good gyms are in Havanna and I agree that Havana is perhaps the closest one gets to feeling like they are back in the states. Although sometimes when I am in the hotel in the room, with the AC full blast and the TV tuned too ESPN, I feel the same but as you open the door and feel the heat and run into the brooken elevator that forces you to walk down 9 flights of stairs annd be completely drenched I realize where I am Cuba. All of this and I would not trade this vacation for a week at the best greek villa on the islands of Mykonos.
People here are waram, friendly, and everyone survives, they know how to party, act, yet survive. The Cuban Spirit is strong determined, and willed to move ahead and make through these times so that they can live a better tomorrow. One thing is for sure the construction here is absolutely sturdy and if this place were to ever see a Lowes or Home Depot or something similar, the reaction would be a better island, one full of tourists, and one completely renovated and invigorated...
We went to a place called LA Granjita, which was Fidel Castro´s old Villa oor House here in Santa Clara to eat yesterday with our family and friends and at $12.00 all you can eat buffet style dinnner, it was a bargain to have the pleasure of seeing my family and friends enjoy such a wonderful meal and savor every moment, including thhe all you can eat Ice Cream Bar, which seems unimportant to us yet is a super luxury on the Island, and some with us had never seen one.. Its amazing just 90 miles from here is the southern coast of Florida and the city of Miami, with everything available and yet here its a differennt world where everything is a chore too find or get a hold of.
One thing I will never get use to is the lack of paper towels or napkins.. There art none anywhere, you get one for lunch, dinner, and none in the bathrooms, even in the hotels.. So trust me on this when going to the bathroom and going to do number two, do it in your room for a surprize will definitely hit you, if you do it in the public areas.. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE...
Today we are going to say goodbye to most of the people we love and care about in a big celebration outside the city at my grandparents old home, one we completely renovated by sending money from the states. One of three homes we have completely rebuilt here on the Island even added AC, noty too mention the coutless windows, paintings, concrete for other homes of our friends and family we have helped with. For you see with western monney and funds everything is available, for that RIGHT price... then is back to Santa Clara to spend the nighht and tomorrow at 2:00 PM we leave for Havana to make sure we check in by 6:00 for our 10:00 PM flight and back in Miami before 11:00. When we land we will have traveled not only 90 miles but in a time machine forward in time to 2011..
And although I will happy to be back, I will not be able too stop tyhinking about my family and close friends still here on the Island fighting everyday to survive..
AG Home Goods
Tourist stuff with Family and Friends
The last few days on the Island have been mostly spent onn going around and seeing what each family household needs. In other words, a window that needs repairing oor replaced, a rooof that needs fixing, a household that is shoort on food, one that needs plaster or paint and then have been going around and trying to find these items in a country where these things do not exist or are hard nearly impossible toi find. However this year we found that everything we waanted to buy was readilly available and purchased everything we needed in about the two days we had allotted to the search. We purchased wardrobes for some family members, windows for others, as well as friends, connected flat screens that no one seems to know how to opperate, and helped spruce up homes with small items such as plates, glasses, stemware, paint, and a few other basic items such as toilet paper. Everyone here seems to need something yet their spirit and determination is completely alive and kicking. The tourist dollar only stores (correction new chavo - the term used for the converted american dollar) are rich in merchandise but at prices way out of reachj of most the Island. A shovel for example costs 20.00 and most cubans make 10.00 a month.
I also had my first experience in a Cubann Gym these last few days.. To say it was an experience is an understatement. No real equipment to speak about, or for that matter much of anything.. It was two bars, one bench, and outdated and broken stairmasters, which of course did not work.. There were two bars to be shared by everyone and thehy were full of rust and the smoothie bar was commpletely emty but yet there was still someoone working there, the massage area and steam, sauna, and bathrooms were long ago shut and the entrance fee 5.00 USD, which they think is a bargain.. I hear that most good gyms are in Havanna and I agree that Havana is perhaps the closest one gets to feeling like they are back in the states. Although sometimes when I am in the hotel in the room, with the AC full blast and the TV tuned too ESPN, I feel the same but as you open the door and feel the heat and run into the brooken elevator that forces you to walk down 9 flights of stairs annd be completely drenched I realize where I am Cuba. All of this and I would not trade this vacation for a week at the best greek villa on the islands of Mykonos.
People here are waram, friendly, and everyone survives, they know how to party, act, yet survive. The Cuban Spirit is strong determined, and willed to move ahead and make through these times so that they can live a better tomorrow. One thing is for sure the construction here is absolutely sturdy and if this place were to ever see a Lowes or Home Depot or something similar, the reaction would be a better island, one full of tourists, and one completely renovated and invigorated...
We went to a place called LA Granjita, which was Fidel Castro´s old Villa oor House here in Santa Clara to eat yesterday with our family and friends and at $12.00 all you can eat buffet style dinnner, it was a bargain to have the pleasure of seeing my family and friends enjoy such a wonderful meal and savor every moment, including thhe all you can eat Ice Cream Bar, which seems unimportant to us yet is a super luxury on the Island, and some with us had never seen one.. Its amazing just 90 miles from here is the southern coast of Florida and the city of Miami, with everything available and yet here its a differennt world where everything is a chore too find or get a hold of.
One thing I will never get use to is the lack of paper towels or napkins.. There art none anywhere, you get one for lunch, dinner, and none in the bathrooms, even in the hotels.. So trust me on this when going to the bathroom and going to do number two, do it in your room for a surprize will definitely hit you, if you do it in the public areas.. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE...
Today we are going to say goodbye to most of the people we love and care about in a big celebration outside the city at my grandparents old home, one we completely renovated by sending money from the states. One of three homes we have completely rebuilt here on the Island even added AC, noty too mention the coutless windows, paintings, concrete for other homes of our friends and family we have helped with. For you see with western monney and funds everything is available, for that RIGHT price... then is back to Santa Clara to spend the nighht and tomorrow at 2:00 PM we leave for Havana to make sure we check in by 6:00 for our 10:00 PM flight and back in Miami before 11:00. When we land we will have traveled not only 90 miles but in a time machine forward in time to 2011..
And although I will happy to be back, I will not be able too stop tyhinking about my family and close friends still here on the Island fighting everyday to survive..
AG Home Goods
Cuba Days 6-9, tourist stuff with family and friends
Cuba Days 6-9
Tourist stuff with Family and Friends
The last few days on the Island have been mostly spent onn going around and seeing what each family household needs. In other words, a window that needs repairing oor replaced, a rooof that needs fixing, a household that is shoort on food, one that needs plaster or paint and then have been going around and trying to find these items in a country where these things do not exist or are hard nearly impossible toi find. However this year we found that everything we waanted to buy was readilly available and purchased everything we needed in about the two days we had allotted to the search. We purchased wardrobes for some family members, windows for others, as well as friends, connected flat screens that no one seems to know how to opperate, and helped spruce up homes with small items such as plates, glasses, stemware, paint, and a few other basic items such as toilet paper. Everyone here seems to need something yet their spirit and determination is completely alive and kicking. The tourist dollar only stores (correction new chavo - the term used for the converted american dollar) are rich in merchandise but at prices way out of reachj of most the Island. A shovel for example costs 20.00 and most cubans make 10.00 a month.
I also had my first experience in a Cubann Gym these last few days.. To say it was an experience is an understatement. No real equipment to speak about, or for that matter much of anything.. It was two bars, one bench, and outdated and broken stairmasters, which of course did not work.. There were two bars to be shared by everyone and thehy were full of rust and the smoothie bar was commpletely emty but yet there was still someoone working there, the massage area and steam, sauna, and bathrooms were long ago shut and the entrance fee 5.00 USD, which they think is a bargain.. I hear that most good gyms are in Havanna and I agree that Havana is perhaps the closest one gets to feeling like they are back in the states. Although sometimes when I am in the hotel in the room, with the AC full blast and the TV tuned too ESPN, I feel the same but as you open the door and feel the heat and run into the brooken elevator that forces you to walk down 9 flights of stairs annd be completely drenched I realize where I am Cuba. All of this and I would not trade this vacation for a week at the best greek villa on the islands of Mykonos.
People here are waram, friendly, and everyone survives, they know how to party, act, yet survive. The Cuban Spirit is strong determined, and willed to move ahead and make through these times so that they can live a better tomorrow. One thing is for sure the construction here is absolutely sturdy and if this place were to ever see a Lowes or Home Depot or something similar, the reaction would be a better island, one full of tourists, and one completely renovated and invigorated...
We went to a place called LA Granjita, which was Fidel Castro´s old Villa oor House here in Santa Clara to eat yesterday with our family and friends and at $12.00 all you can eat buffet style dinnner, it was a bargain to have the pleasure of seeing my family and friends enjoy such a wonderful meal and savor every moment, including thhe all you can eat Ice Cream Bar, which seems unimportant to us yet is a super luxury on the Island, and some with us had never seen one.. Its amazing just 90 miles from here is the southern coast of Florida and the city of Miami, with everything available and yet here its a differennt world where everything is a chore too find or get a hold of.
One thing I will never get use to is the lack of paper towels or napkins.. There art none anywhere, you get one for lunch, dinner, and none in the bathrooms, even in the hotels.. So trust me on this when going to the bathroom and going to do number two, do it in your room for a surprize will definitely hit you, if you do it in the public areas.. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE...
Today we are going to say goodbye to most of the people we love and care about in a big celebration outside the city at my grandparents old home, one we completely renovated by sending money from the states. One of three homes we have completely rebuilt here on the Island even added AC, noty too mention the coutless windows, paintings, concrete for other homes of our friends and family we have helped with. For you see with western monney and funds everything is available, for that RIGHT price... then is back to Santa Clara to spend the nighht and tomorrow at 2:00 PM we leave for Havana to make sure we check in by 6:00 for our 10:00 PM flight and back in Miami before 11:00. When we land we will have traveled not only 90 miles but in a time machine forward in time to 2011..
And although I will happy to be back, I will not be able too stop tyhinking about my family and close friends still here on the Island fighting everyday to survive..
AG Home Goods
Tourist stuff with Family and Friends
The last few days on the Island have been mostly spent onn going around and seeing what each family household needs. In other words, a window that needs repairing oor replaced, a rooof that needs fixing, a household that is shoort on food, one that needs plaster or paint and then have been going around and trying to find these items in a country where these things do not exist or are hard nearly impossible toi find. However this year we found that everything we waanted to buy was readilly available and purchased everything we needed in about the two days we had allotted to the search. We purchased wardrobes for some family members, windows for others, as well as friends, connected flat screens that no one seems to know how to opperate, and helped spruce up homes with small items such as plates, glasses, stemware, paint, and a few other basic items such as toilet paper. Everyone here seems to need something yet their spirit and determination is completely alive and kicking. The tourist dollar only stores (correction new chavo - the term used for the converted american dollar) are rich in merchandise but at prices way out of reachj of most the Island. A shovel for example costs 20.00 and most cubans make 10.00 a month.
I also had my first experience in a Cubann Gym these last few days.. To say it was an experience is an understatement. No real equipment to speak about, or for that matter much of anything.. It was two bars, one bench, and outdated and broken stairmasters, which of course did not work.. There were two bars to be shared by everyone and thehy were full of rust and the smoothie bar was commpletely emty but yet there was still someoone working there, the massage area and steam, sauna, and bathrooms were long ago shut and the entrance fee 5.00 USD, which they think is a bargain.. I hear that most good gyms are in Havanna and I agree that Havana is perhaps the closest one gets to feeling like they are back in the states. Although sometimes when I am in the hotel in the room, with the AC full blast and the TV tuned too ESPN, I feel the same but as you open the door and feel the heat and run into the brooken elevator that forces you to walk down 9 flights of stairs annd be completely drenched I realize where I am Cuba. All of this and I would not trade this vacation for a week at the best greek villa on the islands of Mykonos.
People here are waram, friendly, and everyone survives, they know how to party, act, yet survive. The Cuban Spirit is strong determined, and willed to move ahead and make through these times so that they can live a better tomorrow. One thing is for sure the construction here is absolutely sturdy and if this place were to ever see a Lowes or Home Depot or something similar, the reaction would be a better island, one full of tourists, and one completely renovated and invigorated...
We went to a place called LA Granjita, which was Fidel Castro´s old Villa oor House here in Santa Clara to eat yesterday with our family and friends and at $12.00 all you can eat buffet style dinnner, it was a bargain to have the pleasure of seeing my family and friends enjoy such a wonderful meal and savor every moment, including thhe all you can eat Ice Cream Bar, which seems unimportant to us yet is a super luxury on the Island, and some with us had never seen one.. Its amazing just 90 miles from here is the southern coast of Florida and the city of Miami, with everything available and yet here its a differennt world where everything is a chore too find or get a hold of.
One thing I will never get use to is the lack of paper towels or napkins.. There art none anywhere, you get one for lunch, dinner, and none in the bathrooms, even in the hotels.. So trust me on this when going to the bathroom and going to do number two, do it in your room for a surprize will definitely hit you, if you do it in the public areas.. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE...
Today we are going to say goodbye to most of the people we love and care about in a big celebration outside the city at my grandparents old home, one we completely renovated by sending money from the states. One of three homes we have completely rebuilt here on the Island even added AC, noty too mention the coutless windows, paintings, concrete for other homes of our friends and family we have helped with. For you see with western monney and funds everything is available, for that RIGHT price... then is back to Santa Clara to spend the nighht and tomorrow at 2:00 PM we leave for Havana to make sure we check in by 6:00 for our 10:00 PM flight and back in Miami before 11:00. When we land we will have traveled not only 90 miles but in a time machine forward in time to 2011..
And although I will happy to be back, I will not be able too stop tyhinking about my family and close friends still here on the Island fighting everyday to survive..
AG Home Goods
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