South Beach November 2011

Here I am again sitting out at the Pool of the Sagamore Hotel in South Beach, Florida. I think this might be my tenth year. Same hotel, same room, doing the same thing. Rest and relaxation by the pool. Rather then repeat myself feel free to see pictures and highlights from past trips to South Beach.

South Beach 2008 visit to the Everglades

South Beach 2009 Big Bill Ludwick's daughter Alli joins us

South Beach 2010 nothing exciting except dinner with Alli Ludwick

One thing different this year is I better be doing a little more running and a little less eating and drinking. I have a race in February that takes place in St Johns U.S.V.I. It is called The 8 Tuff Miles, 8 miles of the steepest hills you have ever seen, we will be racing from one end of the island to the other going right over the top. After my performance in the Philly Half Marathon or should I say lack of performance I better step up the training and slow down the eating.

I did a quick 4 mile run before dinner just as a start. We had a lite dinner at a nice Italian Restaurant we like on Lincoln Avenue.

In the morning, continuing with my training I did 10 miles in an hour an twenty six minutes, not bad for a fat, old guy. The rest of the day I spent laying at the pool reading Steve Job's biography. Well, worth the read, it will give you a keen insight as to why Apple products do what you expect. Dinner was at a great Topas Restaurant on Espanola Way.

Another run, 6 miles, that is 20 miles in 3 days, back to the pool and more reading. What a tough life this is. Maragrite does not like the sun while I worship it. The Sagamore is somewhat up scale and have folks ready to handle any need you might have. How can two people lay out by the pool when one loves the sun and the other rather be in the shade. That is simple, the cabana boy sets up an umbrella that shields Margarite from the sun while I fry from the sun. Every 15 to 20 minutes the cabana boy adjusts the umbrella to insure Margarite is shaded and I am burning.

This went on from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm with just a short break for lunch next door at the Ritz Carlton. We like the Ritz for lunch as it has a great view of the beach for some awesome people watching.

The Ritz is just south of the Sagamore, for dinner we went north to the Restaurant in the National Hotel, we had a great view of the pool and were the only dinner guest, what a lovely night.

Today is the big day we get to see the only daughter of Big Bill Ludwick, Alli Ludwick. I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but Alli is planning to go to the London Summer Olympics in 2013, knowing this, motivated me to run 10 miles in just over 1 hour and 28 minutes, not quite Olympic potential like Alli, but not bad for an old man.

Back to the pool, Alli showed up around 3:30 we hung out at the pool and t caught up on Big Bill Ludwick, it appears BIg Bill is as much a stress monster as he has ever been. We had dinner reservations at 7:00. We were trying a new Restaurant in the Mondrian Hotel called Asia De Cuba The hotel was situated on the bay side of Miami Beach with great views of the Miami sky line. Dinner was great the Sagamore consereiger who had made our reservation had ordered us some complimentary tangerine tequila shots, which Alli and Margarite quickly shot, "Down the Hatch". Clearly, Alli was learning something in college.

It was a lovely night so we walked the mile and a half back to the hotel.

Today is our last full day in south beach, we had a big errand to run, a few weeks back I did an adventure race. This race required that I carry a small hunting knife. I had forgotten this knife was still in my day pack. I have always had great respect for the TSA, they have a thankless job. When I arrived in Miami I was looking through my day pack for my sunglasses and what did I find, my hunting knife, not something I would want an evil doer carrying on a plane, like I did.

This now created a problem I was heading up to D.C. to go to a Redskins Jets game with The Rock. I did not want to check my bag or risk TSA finding my knife and keeping it.

We woke up, did a fast 6 mile run with the last 2 miles at 7:19 and 7:12 respectively. Then it was off to the post office to mail the knife back to Botswana, I hope it makes it.

Back to the pool I should be finishing up Steve Jobs biography today, what a tyrant, but he pushed people to do things they did not think they could do.

Big news tonight, we met NOBODY. It was very funny Margarite, not very culturally experienced had never met a street artist. I introduced her to NOBODY and she must of asked 3 times, "What is your name?" and the response she got over and over again was "NOBODY".

Today is our last day in South Beach, I did a 4 mile run to give me a total of 40 miles during the last 6 days, not bad for an old guy. Heading up to D.C. to meet The Rock for a Redskins Jets Game.

Cheers,

DUG

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