Day 140, Year 10: Another Day Trip to Fort Lauderdale
Date: Friday, February 27, 2015
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, High in the 70’s F, Winds NE 15
Location: Dinner Key Marina Anchorage, Coconut Grove, FL
Before the sun rose this morning, we were on the road headed to Fort Lauderdale. Mark had to be at Holy Cross Hospital for a cancer treatment at 8 am and he didn’t want to be late. We weren’t sure what the early morning traffic would be like, but there was really no heavy traffic headed north and we reached the hospital area before 7:30 am. We took advantage of the time by driving to the Executive Airport which is close to Holy Cross. This is where Mark will fly into from Staniel Cay in the Bahamas. That is, if we ever get to the Bahamas. We are anxious to listen to the weather at 6:30 am tomorrow and see what Chris Parker has to say about opportunities for crossing next week. From the information we have gathered, the prospect doesn’t look good.
Shortly before 11 am, Mark was finished with the treatment but he needed to stay at the hospital for a 1 pm CT scan. My sister-in-law Sue and her husband Brad met us at the hospital after Mark’s treatment and took me with them to the gigantic flea market called the Swap Shop on West Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. I read on the Swap Shop website that there are “more than 80 acres of shopping, entertainment, food, and fun!” There is an inside market as well as the hundreds of vendors outdoors and under tents. You can buy everything from food to iPhones. And at night the entire area is transformed back into a drive-in movie theater. I bought a couple of pairs of polarized sun glasses that we need before heading to the Bahamas. Since much of the navigation there is done by having one person on the bow on the lookout for coral heads, polarized sun glasses are a must. And the ones I bought will fit over our regular glasses so we can actually see. What a great idea! I also bought onions and ginger and a dress. But the fact that I ran out of money and that it was time to go back to pick up Mark, ended our shopping for the day. We picked Mark up and all of us headed to the Japanese buffet, Kyojin, for a late lunch. This is the restaurant where we ate with Mark’s brother Steve two weeks ago. It was every bit as good today as it was then. After lunch, Brad and Sue took us back to the hospital to pick up our car and we parted ways. They came down from Boynton Beach today to bring us mail and packages that we had delivered there. They are so good to us—always driving to meet us to deliver things and take us places. Brad and Sue, thank you so much.
We headed to a post office as soon as we left the hospital so we could mail a CD with Mark’s scan results on it to Dr. Kwak at Mass General. On Monday we will return to Holy Cross to meet with Dr. Gomez to get the results and Dr. Kwak will also have the scan read and analyzed at Mass General. We won’t get those results until later in the week, but at least we will have some idea of how things are going on Monday. Hope with us that Mark’s cancer is still being reined in by the current treatment.
Tomorrow we have to return the rental car, but first we’ll use it to go to the laundromat. Once we return it, we will be back to taking public transportation. Having the car was great, but I always feel like a learn more about an area when riding the bus and train. It takes longer, but right now we have plenty of time while we are waiting for this elusive weather window for crossing the Gulf Stream.
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| 150227 Day 140 Florida, USA–Swap Shop, Sue and Brad |
