Jan 13:

It was especially hard to get up this morning after going out to dinner, eating too much, and then staying up until too late. Heather asked me what time it was at about 5:30 and I grunted that it was only 3:30 and rolled over and fell back asleep to wake at 7:00.

I have to report that sleeping has not been much of a problem for me during the last two weeks! My reconstructed breathing apparatus that my good friend Dr. Dudley Weider provided me is working miracles. I think my energy level and general health has improved noticeably since I recovered from my otolaryngological gotta lotta me. I don’t miss any of the stuff he removed from the back of my throat and nose and am enormously grateful to him for doing it. I have already forgotten the recovery period.

We finally were packed and at the Lantana Sportsman Park and on the water at 11:15. The Southern end of Lake Worth that we had not covered on Monday went by very quickly. Then we entered the beginning of the narrow part of the waterway. As on the shore of Palm Beach there was one elegant home after another but so many of them were the same that I suspected that a builder had built them before they were sold. This always strikes me as a waste. So many features never get used because they were not really chosen by the eventual owners. I am sure that the statues seen around the pools and gardens in their back yards were fake. Most had fancy docks with powerboats hanging above the water.

As the waterway narrowed the wakes of powerboats became more and more a problem. A few extremely loud and fast cigarette boats came screaming by oblivious to our existence. The contrast in our passages seemed amusing. I like to think of our trip as a gentle one. We leave no wake. We make no noise. We pass unnoticed.

After waiting out many large rolling swells turned up by huge powerful and sleek looking motor yachts a barge pushed by a tugboat gradually caught up with us. Now this is real power. The weight of a large crane and all kinds of construction equipment on board should certainly displace more water than any of these expensive toys. But as it approached I noticed no swells coming from either bow or stern. The wake passed without my needing to break stride at all. Perhaps the motor yacht designers should take notice! I suspect, however, that those designers try to give the owners the ability to throw up large wakes so that they can enjoy seeing the devastation as they pass. I must be some eccentric peace-nic to prefer the gentle passage.

Paul Johnson, president of Habitat’s South Palm Beach County affiliate came to meet us at Silver Palm Park in Boca Raton. Paul is one of the few benefits to society of corporate downsizing. He showed me several of the houses they had built on our way back to the car in Lantana. All were well maintained and neat. Other houses around them appeared to need replacement or, I suspect the owners need to go through Habitat’s education program. The greatest thing about Habitat beyond the creation of these homes is the training it gives their homeowners. Paul mentioned that they had had a lawyer that gave time to train the homeowners on common legal matters. They, of course, have home maintenance and community responsibility training as well. How many of us ever go through such training before we own homes?

I have long been an advocate of requiring a life skills course including all of these types of things in every high school and another more advanced one in every college. I see no reason why this could not be taught by volunteers from local businesses, professions and trades in return for recognition of service to the community. If I were a real estate sales person, for instance, I would look at giving instruction on how to buy a home as a very effective market development tool. Ah, but I am getting off on a discussion about what I might do if I had another career again.

Paul showed us his favorite Mexican restaurant and we shared interesting conversation over dinner together. My appetite has become what it used to be when I was 18 and I willingly finished most of Heather’s enchilada! I guess I will have to row hard tomorrow to burn it off!

Considering the late start and the interference of large powerboats we did well to row 16.75 miles today. We have already covered 174 miles so far in 13 days. Key Largo, here we come!