The latest cold front has departed Hollywood, FL – and so has Kintala. (I double checked to make sure it was Hollywood we were in, and not Hallandale. Since I am about to insult the place with gleeful abandon, getting the name right seemed only fair.) Before departing I seriously considered leaving my morning constitutional as a direct deposit, thanking the good people of Hollywood for their hospitality and generosity of spirit. This being a Deep Red State after all, chock full of the anti-government fever decrying the over regulation by Big Brother robbing us all of personal liberty and the right to live our lives as we please, surely the independent cruiser lifestyle is one they support. Hollywood expresses its Patriotic Chops by forbidding the docking of dinghies; preventing people like me (a retired Airline Captain and Corporate Flight Department Manager) from marring their beach with my footprints and feeling the warm ocean breeze ruffle my carefully trimmed beard. I am free, of course, to spend money at one of their marinas, paying for what I don't need in order to have access to a beach and ocean they didn't build. Given their clear appreciation for the righteousness of unfettered Capitalism, leaving a turd floating in South Lake struck me as a fair exchange.
Alas, I have grown fond of the manatees. At least one family of these gentle creatures grunted themselves to sleep beneath the keel of Kintala each night. One evening we heard the quiet squeak of a baby, checking with Mama before drifting off to manatee dream land. These kindhearted animals accepted our presence without complaint and did what they could to add a little magic to our visit. Clearly more evolved and intelligent than the cone-headed humans that have overrun the place, they deserved nothing worse than my parting smile and heartfelt thanks.
Kintala will not be passing this way again.
Note: To be perfectly fair, if one IS looking for a marina in the Hollywood area, the Hollywood Marina wouldn't be a bad choice. The price is reasonable, the facilities seem nice, and it is just a short walk across the bridge to the ocean. You are not, however, allowed to park your dinghy there for the day, or even a couple of hours without paying full price for a slip to put it in.
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| Photo Courtesy of Mary Beth Seibert |
Alas, I have grown fond of the manatees. At least one family of these gentle creatures grunted themselves to sleep beneath the keel of Kintala each night. One evening we heard the quiet squeak of a baby, checking with Mama before drifting off to manatee dream land. These kindhearted animals accepted our presence without complaint and did what they could to add a little magic to our visit. Clearly more evolved and intelligent than the cone-headed humans that have overrun the place, they deserved nothing worse than my parting smile and heartfelt thanks.
Kintala will not be passing this way again.
Note: To be perfectly fair, if one IS looking for a marina in the Hollywood area, the Hollywood Marina wouldn't be a bad choice. The price is reasonable, the facilities seem nice, and it is just a short walk across the bridge to the ocean. You are not, however, allowed to park your dinghy there for the day, or even a couple of hours without paying full price for a slip to put it in.
1 comment:
Venting is healthy...
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