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I joined an Outdoor Adventures Klub (OAK) outing, biking Sanibel Island. Sanibel is a noncommercial island between Sarasota and Naples, Florida. It's also the home of J.N. "Ding" Darling National Park -- a wildlife refuge. OAK is a social organization where people get together for adventure activities. You never know who you'll be with. We were 8 strangers sharing a day of new experiences.

Sanibel is 12 miles long with bike paths criss-crossing it. After a couple miles we stopped at a lighthouse for a photo op. The real find though came a little later when we passed a primitive, yet tropical cemetery. Seemingly for the disenfranchised, one gravestone said "Unknown Man Found Near Lighthouse." We wondered if the dead were in coffins. Sorry.

Riding down the path to our right were homes, condos and tennis courts embedded into the flora and fauna. It dawned on us that they were predominately vacation rentals. It hadn't been obvious because there
was no commerce. No hotels, no restaurants, and no outfitters lining the roads. Even the one restaurant we past and ate at was an oasis.

To our left were obscured sand dunes and wide beaches. We stopped at Tarpon Bay Beach, where everyone shell-shopped in the sunny bright white sand. I was struck by an oddly looming sky behind me, and the eeriness of the fog in the dunes. Spooky.

Collective hunger set in. We ravaged a list of restaurants. I wanted to pick one that sounded irreverent, like Island Cow, but no way -- that one meant backtracking. The most convenient was the tired sounding Doc Ford's Rum Bar and Grille ("Doc Ford" is a protagonist in Randy Wayne books).  It promised to be a sports bar with "gourmet cuisine" - an oxymoron. Apparently not, because instead of grouper on a bun, I ate panko-crusted basa fish on a role with a romoulade. Twas delicate, satisfying, and humbling.

Ding Darling (I keep wanting to say Ding Dong) was a refuge for wildlife and for us! We followed a group of people with telephoto lenses the size of telescopes. One man allowed us to put my lens to his and snap a picture of a Roseate Spoonbill bird close up -- an event for us wanna be orinthologists. At the bottom of the mangrove estuary were multiple species of crabs. Below the water were Sand Sharks, translucent Needle, and other tropical fish. Black ducks swooped below the water, while Long-feathered Craines shook their booties on land. Most were scoping prey.

After 6 hours or so, I started to put out some harmless whines about my baking skin and sore bum. I knew I would get over myself. Despite me others remained upbeat and flexible. Nothing mattered to my new travel companions. Everyone was in the moment. Thank you OAK.

Outdoor Adventures Klub www.geocities.com/outdooradventuresklub/
Sanibel Island Chamber of Commerce www.sanibel-captiva.org/
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Park www.fws.gov/dingdarling/
Sanibel Beaches www.sanibel-captiva.org/play/beaches.asp
Tarpon Bay Beach www.sanibeltrails.com/tarponbay.aspx
Doc Ford's Run Bar and Grille www.docfordssanibel.com/

My mother and I drove to West Palm Beach to see Susan -- my old professor, boss, landlord, and friend visiting from Pittsburgh. We made the trek. She made the plans. We were to visit her brother and sister in-law at their "jack and jill," vintage stores, Donovan Gray. Then lunch at a café, which Susan promised to please.

First the Jill - It was rich with elegant couture clothes and jewelry from the 19h through the twentieth centuries. The entry tickled us with its playful vintage window display, which changes periodically. Apparently Sandy, the mannequin, and her environs have a cult following.

This shop impresses the best. Michael Kors and Donna Karan have come for inspiration. My mother and I oogled over Pucci, Christian Lacroix, Bergdorf Goodman and more. When we commented how skinny the wearer and bearers needed to be, Louise, the in-law, observed that they must live on alcohol and cigarettes. That made sense.

We moved next door to the Jack.  This was Susan's brother John's domain. Susan quickly pointed to the breakfront made top-to-bottom of mercury etched glass and featured in Architectural Digest. We also talked "Nakashima." John lauded Nakashima as the hottest furniture designer out there. My mother shared that a coffee table recently sold for 43k.


A little back-story: George Nakashima was a Japanese furniture-maker based out of New Hope PA. Fifty years ago my parents went to his studio and had him custom build pieces. At the time they were the same price as  mainstream furniture. Then considered artful, now as art, some pieces are displayed at museums like the MOMA in NYC. Who knew then?

My parents bought a HiFi cabinet (now used as a buffet); a coffee table (now my sister's); and a dining room set, which is now mine. I had left my set with my sister when I moved to Manhattan in 1990 -- the home of the itty-bitty apartment. She kept it during her family-rearing years -- need I say more about the condition?


We talked about him finding a buyer. It was a potentially lucrative day for both of us.

Next, Susan led us down this unlikely long, 2.5 foot wide café entrance. I'm not sure how they painted murals on both walls! We squeezed through the alley into a hidden gem, The Little Tea House -- Shangri-La. We sat on the porch. hugged by colors, palms, and a perfect breeze. This was real Florida.

The day made me giddy. immediately knew I would be writing about these finds. Luckily Susan had a camera.



Donovan Gray 3623 Dixie Hwy, WPB,
561-838-4442, http://donovanandgray.bondandbowery.com/index.php 

The Little Tea 3627 1/2 South Dixie Hwy, WPB, 561-832-5683, www.thelittleteahouse.net

Cultural events can be quite pricey, but I've always had a bargain outlet wherever I've lived - Manhattan, Boston, and now in Ft Lauderdale. They're all are must-buy deals if you live in the local areas. To do the cities justice I'm devoting one blog to each of the three. Tip # 1 is for Boston -- simply because it is finish first!

Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). I had just moved to Boston and was starving for cultural pleasures. It's Boston -- they had to be there. But where?

I finally got my butt to the MFA. "Fashion Photography" was on special exhibit. At $25 it was a bit excessive but turned out to be worth it. The energy. The imagination. The curation.

The love fest continued after the show when I made the pilgrimage to the museum store - my temple. I was sure to spend more money than justifiable on books, jewelry, and creative gifts for people for no reason.


When I went to pay they asked me if I was a member. Apparently I would get 20% off (a special promotion that week) my pile of goods. Savings added up to about $18. So I ask the requisite question - how much?

Membership was $70. For that I would get:

• Free museum entry ($15)
• Free special exhibits for two ($25 each)
• 40% discount on music and film
• 10% off store and restaurant
• VIP lounge with wireless (possibly the most valuable benefit)

Hmmm...I had already spent $43 of it. One more special exhibition will more than pay for membership. Then a light bulb went off -- there may be another perk. Maaaaaybe my guest at special exhibits would buy me a meal or drink at the restaurant. Tacky, entitled, and wishful thinking - I know. But the food was delectable, the menu was innovative, and the execution artistic. (By the way, I have very generous friends). It was a treat -- dutch  or not.

Membership? It was a no-brainer.

Forgetting museum admission, membership paid off. I was a regular at the film fests and alternative music concerts, which were usually intellectually accessible to us common folk. The films were true independents - you know, the kind that cost 5k, which took the director a year to raise.


Here's an example: I saw a film about an African young man who, after his father's death, finds out that he has 49 brothers and sisters. Well, he sets out to meet them all. It wasn't clear whether he did, but cultural disparity between how he was received by the siblings and their mothers there verses how he might have been here was riveting.

Now let's get real. When you see these things your ego inflates. Wow, aren't I cool? But it was an authentic glimpse into a world that, sadly few would see -- I am truly privileged.

This membership was a meaningful gift to me from me.

I've always heard about high tea but never attended one. It sounded part hokey, part lovely. Now that I've been to one I can tell you that it is both. It was at Carriage Light Tea Parlor & Gifts in Parkland, FL.
 We were seated at a table with fabulous authentic hats on the seats - each different (that's the hokey part). But I gotta say it was really fun searching for THE ONE. Some of us looked for the least embarrassing while others embodied the glamour. I was a convert who started as the former but then moved sheepishly to the ladder.

We ordered 2 kinds of tea for the 7 of us. Going with the flow I accepted the 2 desserty types - caramel crème brulee and mocha kiss - not exactly my cup of tea. Later someone ordered a South African one with depth - kind of musky, kind of spicy. I preferred it. My friend Mary thought it tasted like medicine though. Each to her own.

Carriage Light Tea Parlor & Gifts www.thecarriagelight.com

I never understand when people, like my sister, could care less about their birthday. A birthday is a once-a-year celebration for just being.


Plans for a Saturday birthday gained momentum when my friend Kerry from Boston, decided to visit. Of course like all great birthdays they start before the date and if you're really lucky end about a week later. Thursday was a massage, then Friday was kayaking on the Gulf of Mexico.We rented our kayaks from Salt Water Sports on the Isle of Capri near Naples, FL. They had a few obscurely nudged up against a tiki restaurant, The Capri Fish House.
 

Unfortunately that day did not have the dreamy blue waters ideal for small-island-hopping. So after fighting an unrelenting tide we relented and made way to the local mangroves, passing a few dolphins along the way. (The mangroves were so trippy that I'll have to save them for another time). Afterward we lucked out with a $12 early bird special at the tiki restaurant on the water. The flounder and grouper were yum yum.

Saturday was the Delray Beach Garlic Festival. It was more like your everyday street festival with tasty, yet uninnovative food and a $10 cover charge. I expected something like garlic balls in a garlic sauce with a side of garlic salad washed down with garlic soda. It sounds icky, but I would have been impressed. I did glean a gem though: There is always a Starbucks around when you gotta pee, which beats the unsavory porta-potty experience. For the first time I was happy for a Starbucks on every corner.
 
Nighttime. I picked a little-known 18-person restaurant outside of Wilton Manors (a neighborhood in Ft. Lauderdale), called Café Sharaku. It's French-Asian fusion with a small and delectable menu.

Café Sharakaru was beer and wine only, so I looked for a happy hour close by that stocked the real stuff. All I could find was Red's Bar and Package Store where the review said something about "free jello shots for the ladies". Am I crazy to suspect it was a dive fraternity bar? UGH.
 

Don't get me wrong -- there is nothing better than a good dive, but truth be told I was a little nervous as to what I was getting my well-dressed birthday clan in to. In fact it was a real bar's bar -big u-shaped and wooden without any small tables or restaurant in sight. By the way, I highly recommend their jello shots.




The Capri Fish House www.caprifishhouse.com
Garlic Festival www.dbgarlicfest.com
Café Shakaru, Ft Lauderdale FL www.cafesharaku.com
Red's Bar and Packaging Store: Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954-564-0233  http://www.yelp.com/biz/reds-bar-and-package-store-wilton-manors#hrid:fSkzOkaI_ZYASnBBb_Ui-Q/query:red's