Today started off typically. I woke up after a restless night with little sleep (though more than normal) and did my usual morning stuff before heading off to breakfast at Romeau’s which was okay. After which I went skating (today with Evan, John, Liz, Shane) at Pines.
Backstory: I had promised Karen I would try to go out with her on her boat today after putting it off since she got her boat seven years ago. I am not a big fan of boats and I get seasick as hell. The last time I tried there was a hurricane (Katrina), which I took as a bad omen. I really wasn’t looking forward to this, but a promise is a promise. So, I called her after skating and went over for the boating event as the weather was cooperating (damned weather).
The plan was to get her boat (a 20′ Seadoo) and go to Bayside for lunch. We waited while they got her boat down from the rack. First thing she noticed was it wasn’t covered. It had been sitting up there for over a month in the elements and she was miffed. The boat was dirty, and she was mad because she just had the upholstery replaced. She got things organized while I pumped the gas — her marina charges $3.35 a gallon for low-test — and we soon were ready to go.
It didn’t start. Apparently, they had left the ignition on and drained the battery entirely. We got a jump and they assured us the battery would charge itself since it was relatively new. So we were off. In the canal going out to the Intracoastal Waterway, there is a slow speed limit and we had no trouble at all, looking at other boats, houses, manatees, and waving at passersby.
We made it out, and the weather looked a little more ominous and I was a bit nervous because the water was not smooth and when larger boats went by, their wake rocked us. Still, I was okay. It was hot but since we were moving, the breeze kept it from being unbearable. My shorts (yes, I own shorts) were stuck to the vinyl already. She throttled the boat and nothing happened. We stayed at the same speed. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. All four times failed and then some smoke came out of the back. She turned the boat off entirely, hoping to dislodge whatever was in the propeller (her theory, not mine). She turned it back on — yeah, it started — but an alarm went off signalling serious problems and the engine was making noises that were decidedly not engine-like. Using her mobile phone, she called for a tow boat. Sometime later (during which we were baking) the tow boat showed up, asked for her driver’s license and then we spent some time trying to get hooked up. A nautical tow is more than a car tow, and it was damn near $400. And thus, one and a half hours after we set sail, the boat experience ended. See? I told you it was a bad idea. We decided to have lunch after stopping at her house to change back to normal clothes.
We ate at BullDog BBQ in North Miami Beach. The lemonade is homemade — fresh squeezed while you watch — and tasty, though from glass to glass it varies in sweetness. The cornbread is awesome if you like the kind that’s cake-like. Loved it. The service was decent, the place smelled great, the red sauce was a bit runny for my taste but other than that I liked it. Karen had the ribs and the meat was very nicely done. I got the brisket, and while the flavour was excellent, it was way too fatty for my taste. The sides are very well done, at least on par with Renegade . Price-wise it’s a little less than Renegade but the portions are about 2/3 the size. While I definitely prefer the sauce at BullDog BBQ, Renegade is still the winner in my book. But I can happily recommend BullDog BBQ to anyone.
After that, we went and walked around Bal Harbour Shops. As I’m sure I’ve said before, I like walking off a heavy meal when I’m done. I managed to buy a shirt that I really liked which I saw in the window of a store we were passing. I didn’t need one and bought it anyway, so I must have liked it. I drove towards home, almost getting busted in a speed trap, and stopped at the post office, getting my mail. I decided to stop at Publix where I shopped and bought a lot of nice-looking fruit. Yesterday’s entry is proving to be popular and it’s generating a lot of traffic over at my Flickr page. I got to level 30 on FarmTown (Facebook). I am looking forward to seeing Liz and John’s new lime green couch. Tomorrow is Grandma’s birthday followed by Yom Kippur. Shout out to Pablo: Happy Birthday!