Zoo Miami and 2024 Wrapped

Fort Lauderdale – 8 kilometres walked, 160 kilometres driven

Ana and I were up early and to the laundromat carrying what seemed like every soft-sided piece of material we had on the boat, but made much easier with access to a car instead of hauling on our backs like laundry sherpas as we’d become accustomed to.

 

I buried myself in the laptop to do some writing while Ana made friends with a local chap who was poor, broke, perhaps a little handicapped, but incredibly kind and a non-stop talker. Ana is so patient and kind, she spent an hour and a half chatting with him, bounding from topic to topic - his legal troubles which had gone all the way to the Supreme Court, his support of Trump, fishing, our boat, Canada, his family, our family, his mean neighbours, and the power of Jesus. Before we left he gave her his phone number, asked her to call him anytime, and was looking forward to a ride in our boat. The nicest people, you will meet at the laundromat.

 

The kids were nearly ready when we returned, and after a rapid laundry deployment, packing of cooler, and gathering of gear, we were back in the car and headed for the Miami Zoo, officially called "Zoo Miami", I suspect in the Spanish language spirit of putting the adjective after the noun, but that’s just my guess best.

 

We loved the zoo. It had been a long time since we’d visited one, and Ana and I were originally going to find something else to do while the kids were there, but fortunately we decided to join them. It was a beautiful warm day and the animals were incredibly active. We saw many animals we have never seen before – pygmy hippos, anaconda, red-eyed tree frogs, dozens of unique lizards, sloth bears, a Florida panther, Galapagos tortoises, a harpy eagle, giant river otters, a tapir, and two gorillas. The experience of seeing gorillas was worth the cost of admission itself. But the tapir stole the show with its incredible extendable fifth leg that raised and lowered like a flesh elevator as he proudly stood munching on a pail of grass, taking quick glances here and there in the hopes a willing female was watching the performance. I'm going to try that move later back at the boat.

 

Ana took a smashing photo of a pair of flamingos on the way out, three hours later, then we piled back into the car and set a course for the Olive Garden, the kids’ choice for the last dinner of Magnus’s visit. The Olive Garden is our go-to location for dining out in the US and it did not disappoint. There used to be quite a number of Olive Gardens in Ontario, but the company policy of spreading thick layers of parmesan cheese on everything (much to the delight of the Quebec dairy farmers lobby) eventually bankrupted them.

 

There was one more stop for the day – the Pegasus and Dragon statue at Gulfstream Park – a horse racing, casino, shopping destination, owned by our local boy Frank Stronach. It is a supremely naff, over the top, gaudy, hideous, and misplaced spectacle of a sculpture, but I love it, and have since the first time we were surprised by this monstrosity eight years ago as we were driving down US highway 1. I’m not sure what the kids thought of it, but at least there was a free bathroom there.

As is customary for our family on New Year’s Day, we sat down and reviewed 2024 together, the only difference being this year it was on SeaLight with ocean breezes blowing in through the open hatches and not huddled around our living room in Paris, Ontario avoiding the cold blowing winds outside. We have maintained this tradition for many years and we cover all aspects of the year – safety, reviewing personal goals we’d set, our charitable giving, greenhouse gas emissions, investment performance, income and expenses, and family travel goals. 2024 was an exceptionally good year for all of us, with the exception of climate impact, with the many flights we collectively took this year leaving a black smear across the earth. Everything else was tickety-boo and we are grateful for it.

Here's wishing all happiness, health, peace, and success in 2025!