A Tribute to Packards at the Fort Lauderdale Car Museum

The oldest Packard in the collection: A1909 roadster with "monocle" windshield

We went to the Fort Lauderdale Car Museum filled with Packards. WOW! We love classic cars. The collection includes 39 cars, including one used by Pres. Coolidge, Dr. Albert Einstein, *and* Charles A. Lindbergh. The owner of these fantastic cars was Arthur O. Stone, a successful florist as an adult, who fell in love with Packards as a child. He swore that he would own one when he grew up, and he did! 

Unique examples include a Paddy Wagon with Fort Lauderdale Police Dept. graphics, a troop carrier from World War 1 that became a commercial delivery truck after the war, a convertible with two windshields, and a1909 roadster with "Monocle" windshield (driver only, please!) (last photo). When you go, don't forget to see the large collection of TOY VEHICLES and custom-made glass shift knobs (see photo). Truly a treat for the car lover!


               

Art You Can Use: Glass Shift Knobs

Packard Fire Truck used on the Packard Proving Grounds!

St. Augustine is Beautiful

We fell in love with St. Augustine. On the way back from Jacksonville we decided to stop and take a day off to explore this beautiful city. We toured the Old Jail -- very ominous, very scary. The warden and his family lived in a wing attached to the jail!

 Leeson and Dad home schooling! (Why, you...!)

What I want to do when they don't get along!

Leeson with the sheriff. (Kids, this only works in "Loony Tunes" cartoons.)

We toured the Pirate Museum which we highly recommend; check out the scavenger hunt for kids.

 

We then toured the old fort, the Castillo de San Marcos, learning about its history from one of the costumed volunteers.

(We assigned Leeson a 2-page essay about St. Augustine's history which he did a great job on. See his essay, elsewhere in this blog) 

The town has charming (NARROW) streets that remind one of European streets, since it was established and built by 16th Century Spaniards, after all... Very pretty! 

Photo borrowed from Miami411.com

Thanks for visiting -- keep coming back. If you have any questions, please comment below.

The Search Continues... Base of Operation Established

We went to Jacksonville to see a boat. It was a long way from our home base in Pompano Beach, about a six-hour dive. We have a home base because many places won't take our cat, Ying Yang.

The boat search has taken longer than we thought. Partly because the east coast of Florida is more expensive than the west coast. We were originally planning on camping but (a) ran into stowage issues (too little room for tent, sleeping bags, etc.) and (b) didn't feel we could leave our cat at the campground unattended while we looked at boats. Same with our son(!). We stayed in two places in the Ft. Lauderdale area which gave me headaches from mold. Ugh! So, in three weeks, we lived three different places. Now 2 and 1/2 months living as gypsies. We all want to settle on a boat and I am sure it would be easier if we were loaded with dough...

Top: A Beach in South Florida
Above: Our slightly sunburned son

We have met some interesting people in our search. Boat brokers, yachties, landlords, etc. 

BTW, do you know the written works of "Cap'n Fatty"? He's a funny and wise guy -- sailing the briny depths for 40 years. 

Buy this book from Amazon and we'll make a few bucks -- could help us go one or two miles farther!!