Home About Favorite Posts Search Photobucket

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Stiltsville will have to wait till another day....

Today was going to be an extra special day....my husband and I had made plans to spend the day boating around Stiltsville which is located in Biscayne National Park - about a 30 minute boat ride from our house.  When we were first married - we used to have a little 19' Mako and we'd take it to Stiltsville, dock at one of the empty houses...and swim and relax and make the day of it out in the water.
This was our my favorite one - I loved it because it was a pretty pink and yellow.. (I was looking forward to seeing if it had survived after all these years)...


Back then, I worried that we would get in trouble... docking up to a house that did not belong to us -  but my husband assured me that it was okay - that everyone did it ... which pretty much appeared to be true.  This one looked abandoned, like it hadn't been used in years.  We used to love going at low tide, you could get out and walk around, sometimes the water was only knee deep.  Then Hurricane Andrew came in 1993 and things at Stiltsville weren't the same.  We stopped going because most of the houses were destroyed and could not be re-built because the State of Florida was requiring that they be torn down by July 1, 1999.

So fast forward to today - and when my husband asked me what I wanted to do on my birthday, I said I would like to go back to Stiltsville and see how it looked 18 years later. We were so excited because it brought back so many wonderful memories for us...so off we went, and about half way there - the beautiful day turned to a dark, cloudy rainy day; we turned around and went home once we saw lightning. So today it was not meant to be.  Here's some photos that I took along the way - even if it is cloudy and dark...the ocean is still so beautiful...

I loved the color of this little boat.  We passed it going out the cut.
This is at the end of the cut entering into the Ocean.  Lots of people fishing today.
The view from the back of our boat - just as we were entering the Ocean.
Eden Roc ... The iconic landmark 1950's Miami Beach Hotel.
Oh Oh...the clouds are starting to roll in and it might be time to turn around.
This is the Art Deco District in South Beach.
Now we are on our way back home - I just took this because I loved
how this blue building is peeking out behind the other one.
The Therapy IV - in the cut - heading back into the marina.
The beach is now deserted as it has started to rain.
Bummed out that we had to come home.





Hoping to get back to Stiltsville before summer ends... I want to do a story on it's  remarkable history and how it looks today. 
 

17 comments:

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

Thanks for the boat ride. We haven't been on the boat in quite awhile. The weather has not been very good. Last time we had a storm come up and we had to head in. One rainy day after another around here.

Donna said...

Sorry you got rained out! Hope you had a great birthday!

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Wow that rain would have scared me!! Loved all the blue, except your dog looking blue...Does he love the boat? What a sweet puppy!

Carol

Heaven's Walk said...

Hey Debbie! HAPPPPPY BIRRRRRTHDAY TO YOU!!! Thank you SO much for feeding my 'beach habit' today with your boating pics! Even though you had to turn around and go back home, your pics still told a wonderful story and I loved seeing the beaches and water and amazing buildings. :)

xoxo laurie@heavens-walk

Beach House Living said...

Sorry the weather turned on you. Hope your next trip out has better weather.

Loui♥ said...

Hi Debbie..
delightful post..
loved being on the water with you.
and yes, even enjoyed the rain!
thanks for sharing..
and I'm looking forward to your return to Stiltsville..
warm sandy hugs..
Loui♥

Blooming Rose Musings said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I'm sorry you could not complete your trip but your pictures are incredible. The sky, the water, the beaches are all amazing. It's your birthday but you gave us the gift of these fabulous pictures!
I will look forward to seeing Stiltsville on your next trip. I hope you are having a very Happy Birthday.

iLoveShelling said...

I am so glad I saw this post from you! It brought back so many wonderful memories of living in Miami and boating to Stiltsville and seeing the beautiful building from the water. We used to find all kinds of great shells out on some of those sand bars near Stiltsville and Elliot Key. Thanks for that wonderful boat ride full of great memories.

iLoveShelling said...

Look for sea biscuits when you go again. They are the puffy looking sand dollars. We would go very slowly over the somewhat shallow waters (21 foot boat) and I would be the lookout on the bow and spot bright white circles in the sand......sea biscuits! If they are bright white, they aren't alive so you can take them. The water is so clear we could see them 3 to5 feet of water. Clark even found a gorgeous cowrie too- perfect. Not sure what the rules are now in the parks so check before you go. This was over 10 years ago when we were there. Thanks for the note. ;)

NanaDiana said...

Hey Debbie-I found you through Laurie over at Heaven's Walk. I am an ex-Florida girl too! Here I am in the Midwest where my heart longs constantly for the ocean. I see I will find that here (even if I do have to live vicariously)-lol Loving that Laurie and I guess if she likes you you are Okay by me! I am signing up as your newest follower- Diana

Simple Home said...

Those are beautiful photos. I look forward to seeing the ones from Stiltsville when you get a chance to go back.
Blessings,
Marcia

Debbie said...

Your photos are so refreshing! Love seeing everything from the boat. Sorry the rain made you turn back, but I enjoyed the ride anyway.
Debbie@houseatthelake

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great place to visit. I hope you get a sunny day to enjoy it again soon.
Can't wait to hear more about Stiltsville's history and how it has recovered from Hurricane Andrew.
Have a great week!
~ Jo :)

Maya @ Completely Coastal said...

Oh, I would love to see more pictures of Stiltsville..., did you end up buying the book?

I published your glass floats and other displays today -thanks!!!

Flotsam Friends said...

Happy Birthday!! Far out, this is an amazing little story you've told. I just love hearing about your world it's so, so interesting. PLEASE go back to Stiltsville, it sounds so fascinating. But then look at what you did, just cruising along, but discovering other things as you went. And all those beautiful shades of blue!! Pruxxx

Yanet @ 3 Sun Kissed Boys said...

1st off, Happy Birthday!! You definately have to go back to stiltsville. There are still a couple of houses still there. But definately not what it use to be. However, going back will bring some, what would abiously be, great memories for you and would make for a great blog post. So what else would you want?

2nd, We're neighbors! I'm in Pembroke Pines. Not too too close, but not that far either! Always nice to meet a local fellow blogger. As soon as I hopped over from Anita's place, I recognized the pics!!

3rd, well, I kind of already said it. Coming over from Anita's Going a Little Coastal.

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Happy Birthday! Just hopped over from My Shabby Chateau and have really enjoyed reading your blog! I enjoy the water, too, but in Minnesota it's a lake instead! I'm looking forward to reading more~ I'm a new follower!