Another South Florida scorcher today. Saturday was molten too, so we decided to get wet and play in the kayak rather than on the bikes. We waved to workers on a cruise ship and fellow sailors on yachts, cigarette boats, a freighter, a tug, a very large sailboat, and a couple of other brave kayakers. It’s amazing how small you become next to a freighter. After about 2 miles of paddling, we rounded the jetty and were out on the ocean. We paddled toward shore and beached the kayak while we enjoyed a snack and swim in the clear surf. Kayak in surf is a lot more fun than kayak in boat wakes. We got home in plenty of time to get some household chores done, but that afternoon nap was oh so glorious 
.
Got to love South Florida – 6 am and it’s already 85 degrees. In a vain attempt to get ahead of the heat, we fired up the bikes for an 8 am start. A quick stop for gas and Hubs, Darling Daughter and I were on the road to Homestead and our favorite place for late breakfast, the Farmer’s Market Restaurant. 
Early morning rides are like cops hiding with pointed radar guns – it’s all good until the sirens wail. Oblivious to the goings-on outside, we ate contentedly inside the air conditioning while the day’s heat made camp for the day. I always forget how hot black leather seats get on a summer day!
Once past the “oh my God it’s hot” butt sizzle, we rode west about 15 minutes and pulled in to Robert is Here market. Since 1960, this little market has been a Florida icon. I snapped these pictures back in March so the produce is a bit different now. Mangoes and lychies have upstaged citrus and heirloom tomatoes. No matter when you visit (they close in August – smart, really smart), there’s always fresh fruit to try, tourists to smile at and antique tractors and cars to ooh and ahh over. Did you catch the walker? An antique dozing in an antique. Yeah – I could spend retirement like that.
Between the heat and the wind whisking away all our sweat, it’s really easy to get dehydrated when riding in hot weather. Of course, that also gives us a good reason to stop at all the biker hang-outs and socialize. We stopped at the gas station at Krome Avenue and 41. Truck and biker stop, there’s always someone to talk to. I even had someone ask if I would sell Pearl today. Never! Pearl is my baby – I will keep her forever. And I agree, she is a beauty.
One more stop on the way home. Everglades Holiday Park is another one of those biker hang-outs. We like to stop there for ice cream bars. This is one of those old Florida parks with loads of tourist charm. You can camp, launch your boat, take an airboat ride, see an alligator show, eat ice cream or alligator bites, and just have a good time. There was talk a few months ago about the county turning this into one of their upscale parks. The community had their say about it and this park is still pure old Florida. It would be a shame to change it.
What a great weekend. Play is good – make more time for it. Life’s too short to work all the time. How did you play this weekend?
what a fantastic weekend you had!! i did the commute on the bike all week (woohoo!!) so i decided to hang around the house and get caught up on things that had been waiting far too long. and you know, it was fantastic, restful, and relaxing. i was able to have my coffee sitting on the patio under my huge oak tree and not worry about places to go or things to do. it was a great weekend!!