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A few blogs ago, I wrote about meeting a young artist named Milda. You may recall that she is from Lithuania, a recent South Florida transplant who’s enjoying the tropical life here. I mentioned that a couple of her works were hanging in a “good local gallery.” But I didn’t say which one, so of course that only leaves you wondering about the name of this place. Today, I’m going to correct that oversight by telling you about Leche-Vitrines Art Alliance. Mostly because I was impressed with the gallery when I stumbled on it several weeks ago – oddly enough, a discovery I made before ever meeting Milda. Leche-Vitrines is a French phrase for “window shopping,” I’m told. It’s a delightful place to window shop for some of the most interesting artworks in greater Fort Lauderdale.

Leche-Vitrines is a little hard to find, quite honestly. To get there, head to Federal Highway and Oakland Park Boulevard, then look for the small shopping plaza on the southeast corner of that intersection. Along the row of shops on the south side of this plaza, there is a sign on the second floor that says simply, “Art Gallery.” Below the sign, you’ll spot a door that opens to a stairway. Climb up those stairs to the second floor and you’re there.

If you’re lucky, you’ll find the owner, Danielle Lanteigne, sitting behind her desk at the top of the stairs when you arrive. That’s how it was when I first walked in. She’s a warm woman with a serious background in art. And clearly, a serious passion for it. In 2005, Danielle came to South Florida from New York City, where she worked in the art community in a variety of positions, including assistant director of a prominent gallery for 19th and 20th century art. Now she’s giving a pleasant, upscale Fort Lauderdale home to some edgy artists. The emphasis is on the modern, some of it abstract, some not. Among the unusual pieces I enjoyed was a palm frond sculpture that looked like an elephant head. Hard to envision without seeing it, I know. But it works. So do many of the paintings, drawings, photographic pieces and other sculptures there. For information, call Danielle at 954-563-2993 or go to her website at www.lechevitrinesart.com. If you’re into art, I really do recommend this small gem of a gallery. Once you find it, Leche-Vitrines is a find.

In South Florida, late spring can be a funny time. After Memorial Day, spring usually is … well, summer. But sometimes this final period of spring is still spring. As recently as the last blog, I wrote that the warm South Florida weather was “settling in at last.” We were beginning to get those storms that come and go in the afternoons and the humidity was moving toward the sultry tropical norm for this time of year. But once again, the weather gods proved how foolish it is to predict anything involving the climate. So here I am, on May 27, with my windows open and a sweet cool breeze blowing through. Yes, spring is back. So early this morning, I went out for a nice walk to breathe it all in.

I left my condo and bounded along the driveway toward the neighborhood of single family homes across the street. There’s a large marina nearby and that’s where I headed. Along the way, I passed bottlebrush and other flowering trees, still in bloom. Another sign that spring remains. I also noticed the sky and thought it looked especially dramatic. To the west, vast banks of heavy gray clouds glowered down, as if rain might be coming. To the east, lighter clouds were breaking up here and there, revealing patches of blue. If there is some clash of seasons just now in South Florida, spring against summer, there seemed a similar clash of weather systems overhead as I began my walk, storm against sun.

Once at the marina, I enjoyed the pace of things around me. It was already bustling with trailered three-engine boats backing up and security scooting around in their golf carts and guys meeting over doughnuts and coffee to talk about yachts or something. This marina is home to many grand vessels of the kind so common down here. Oceangoing yachts with their own hot tubs and speedboats and all. I wandered down to pass along the wooden dock by a row of these, noticing where they were from. Places such as the Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands, Orlando. And of course, Davenport, Iowa. Yep, that great boating capital of Davenport contributed a very nice yacht called “Misterri.” To me, the real “misterri” was how it got here. By now, the sky was continuing to clear to sunshine and I saw that the marina’s many beds of impatiens were flourishing, much to my surprise. This is a bright, cheerful flower that tends to do well in the Florida winters, but only with lots of water. Here we are, nearly in June, with impatiens blossoming away in defiance of the calendar. As I said, late spring can be a funny time. I’m tempted to say that it looks like this unseasonably cool burst may last a little while yet. But then, it seems to me I just got through saying something about the weather gods, didn't I?

Can we really be into the summer holidays already? I can’t believe it’s nearly Memorial Day. The first of our three-day breaks between now and Labor Day, with the Fourth of July not all that far off and the warm South Florida weather settling in at last. In the past, when I was married, we sometimes took nice getaways during these summertime events. Maybe a couple nights at a local resort if we couldn’t spare the time and money to head out of town. That’s what I’d like to do this weekend. Unfortunately, I can’t swing it this year – for a variety of reasons. I’ll spare you the details but they include my girlfriend’s work schedule over Memorial Day. Still, I can dream, can’t I? I thought it might be fun to share the dream because, well, maybe you’d like to dream a bit too as you sit at work, looking out the window wherever you are and wondering what to do for the holiday.

So let’s head together to a great hotel. On the beach, of course. Maybe Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood, or maybe Deerfield Beach or Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. But I’m feeling like Fort Lauderdale this weekend. Some place very special. The fabulous St. Regis, possibly? Or the Atlantic or Hilton? There’s no shortage of first-class choices. With my car’s convertible top down, Gwendolyn and I roll up to the hotel entrance, where two bellmen open our doors, greet us warmly and point out the check-in desk. In a few minutes, we’re in our suite. Yes, a 10th floor suite overlooking the sea with a large private balcony for lounging as we sip champagne.

The bellman turns on the lights in our marble bathroom and finally leaves us. I pick up the phone. “Champagne for two, please, with strawberries.” We each slip into the hotel’s terry cloth robes just before room service arrives. Then I ease off the cork on the Veuve Clicquot. I pour two glasses as Gwendolyn carries the silver tray of strawberries to the balcony. We sip and nibble and pour some more until … is all that champagne really gone? And suddenly we’re feeling a nice dip in the pool would be just the thing. So we wander down to the beautiful pool deck, surrounded by palm trees rustling quietly in the ocean breeze. We step into the water and splash around like kids or something. Maybe it’s the champagne. Or maybe it’s knowing we have three whole days of this. Nothing special to do but have fun. And relax. Uhm … wow, I’m really getting into my little getaway. But I guess I’d better stop the fantasy escape now. We’re planning some sort of real at-home vacation later this summer anyway. If you’re lucky enough to live in South Florida, I hope that maybe you can too. Dreaming about time off at the beach is all fine and everything. Doing it is a lot better. Have a great holiday!

Yesterday I met Milda when I was sitting outside having an iced coffee at Stork’s on Las Olas. She’s a young, very pretty lady from Vilnius, Lithuania who moved here six months ago. We had a delightful talk about many things, including Fort Lauderdale. But let me back up a minute before I get to all that. Because I should explain that I love chatting with folks who come to visit or live in South Florida, anyone with a fresh perspective. I’m especially interested in the viewpoint of people from other countries. They approach life in Fort Lauderdale with a true outsider’s eye. I’m always fascinated to learn whether they like it and why.

So there I was on Sunday, sipping my coffee. The air was hot but with a nice breeze blowing off the canal next to the café. As I do often, I had gone there to relax, get in some reading, think about my writing projects and the work of my nonprofit group – and basically chill out while doing all of this. I was getting ready to leave and meet a friend when Milda showed up. It was crowded just then. Pointing to the empty seat next to my table, she asked, “Is it ok to sit down?” Naturally I was pleased to have her join me. And naturally, I suddenly decided I didn’t need to leave just yet.

As it turned out, she’s a bright and engaging woman with lots to talk about. I’ve visited Estonia, near Lithuania, so we compared notes about the Baltic for a while. Then we turned to South Florida. “I have lived in the United States for five years,” Milda told me. “I moved to Fort Lauderdale from Myrtle Beach.” Ah, another well-known vacation spot. How did she like Fort Lauderdale in comparison? “It’s better here,” she said. “The weather is great. And there’s not the same kind of slow season they have in Myrtle Beach. I like living here.” Milda is a painter with two works hanging in a good local gallery. To survive, though, she waits tables. But she voiced no complaints about this or anything. In some ways, I sensed that Milda already was charmed by South Florida. The range of things to do, the diversity of cultures, the beach and sun and sea of course – these were drawing her in the longer she lived here. Let’s just say that Milda smiled a lot when talking about this area. And so when she mentioned her planned return to Lithuania in a couple months, I wondered if this was a permanent move back home. “No, just three weeks probably,” Milda replied. “I’ll be back here.” I wasn’t surprised. South Florida has a way of attracting people, then holding on to them. As I should know. I moved to Fort Lauderdale nearly 19 years ago and, much to my surprise, I haven’t left yet. Who knows? Milda may be just as surprised some day.

Forget what I told you a few weeks ago. Remember, I said something about how the excellent March and April weather “sometimes continues into early May”? Well, it’s mid-May and we still have incredible weather. Just great stuff with low humidity and endless sunshine. So one night this week, I took Gwendolyn, my girlfriend, for a nice sunset outing over at Shula’s On The Beach. We left my place around 7 p.m., just as the light began to lose its late day intensity. A pleasant drive over the 17th Street Causeway bridge, past Port Everglades and up A1A, brought us to Shula’s. Which, by the way, is almost literally on the beach. That’s only a slight exaggeration. The outdoor tables are so near the water that you can hear the waves breaking.

It’s a good idea to make reservations for this restaurant, owned by the great former Dolphins coach, Don Shula. So of course I hadn’t done this. When we asked to sit outside, the hostess explained they had many reservations that evening but she still found us a great table – closer to the water than any other spot in the place. It was ideal. We’ve eaten at Shula’s before but especially enjoyed their meaty shrimp cocktails and luscious margaritas. So that’s exactly what we ordered. A nice appetizer and drink for a perfect evening.

The waiter brought our margaritas first. On the rocks, naturally. With salt. We sat there for a long time, chatting and laughing about nothing in particular. Just enjoying ourselves and the romantic setting. Slowly the sky began to shift through its palette of twilight shades. Two long streaks of clouds stretched out, west to east, cutting across the purple-gray above them. Little waves gently rolled up on the beach. When our shrimp cocktails arrived, we munched through them hungrily. Gwendolyn, a serious foodie, pronounced the shrimp “cooked to perfection.” And yes, the cocktails were excellent. Though this was all we ordered, our server never rushed us to leave. We had to ask him for the bill. So we sat for another long time, still chatting and laughing about nothing in particular. When we finally paid and left our table, we weren’t sure where we were going next or what we were going to have for dinner. It didn’t seem to matter, really. After a start like that, how could the rest of the night be anything but wonderful?

It has just been nuts around the Fort Lauderdale beach lately. As in, really busy. That’s great, of course. I’m glad to see so many people enjoying the sand and sun and everything that goes with it. But wow. I thought the “busy season” was supposed to be over now. Guess not. I finally made it to the USA Diving Grand Prix at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, but it took me two determined tries to get there. On Saturday afternoon, I attempted to park at my usual favorite South Beach lot but found a long line of cars waiting to get in. Traffic was backed up on A1A in both directions, though it was passable. So I drove to another lot and joined maybe ten other cars circling like barracuda, waiting to strike at the first vacant space. I decided to hold off until Sunday to give it another go. But even relatively early Sunday morning, my favorite lot already was busy with a line of cars. I ended up finding some open parking spots in the lot at Las Olas and A1A, fed the meter and toddled off to the diving tournament.

The Grand Prix really was even better than I’d expected. The event included some wonderful Asian cultural performances as part of the run up to the Beijing Olympics this summer. Chinese and Japanese singers, dancers and musicians. But the divers were just extraordinary to see in person – and they drew a good crowd.

Even that big athletic meet and that sizable crowd, though, didn’t explain all the people at the beach this weekend. Not by a long shot. There were throngs of people and beach umbrellas all up and down the sand. I don’t know if it was the unusually hot weather that made folks want to take a dip in the ocean. Or if the trend toward more and more summer tourists in Fort Lauderdale is just continuing. Or if maybe more locals are vacationing close to home. I’m not sure. It was Mother’s Day weekend, so I suppose it’s possible that hundreds of mothers decided they wanted a nice beach tan. But probably not. I guess it’s simply the endless appeal of the ocean and the sea breeze and a day spent in the sunshine. When it’s hot, there’s no better place to be than by the water. I’ll be going there often as the summer settles in for real in the coming weeks. I’m even planning my own close-to-home vacation along the beach somewhere. With the price of gasoline these days, no wonder so many of us want to park it on the beach for a while and just hang out.

I have always loved the Olympic Games. I know there’s usually some controversy or other swirling around the event but I admire tremendously the dedication and perseverance of the athletes. For many of them, Olympic competition is the brief culmination of many years of sweat and pain and struggle carried out in lonely anonymity. I’ve written six books for young people about the Olympics and recently profiled U.S. swimmer Dara Torres for Reader’s Digest magazine. So I’ve seen just a bit of the huge effort these people put into being the best. That's partly why I’m excited that Fort Lauderdale has its own Olympic preview this weekend. If you’re a fan of the Olympics as I am, or if you love to watch graceful divers performing their routines, head over to the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex at the Swimming Hall of Fame.

Called the USA Diving Grand Prix, this competition has attracted the top divers in the world, with Olympic gold medalists and world champions among them. Nations represented at the Grand Prix include China, Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Great Britain. And the United States of course, as well as 18 other countries. The USA Diving Grand Prix is considered an important tune-up for the Olympics, which begin in only three months.

I expect to head over there to catch some of the action. Olympic divers always have amazed me anyway. The training required to perform these precise, sometimes dangerous dives under intense pressure is impressive. Remember the brilliant athleticism of Greg Louganis, for example? Diving like that takes strength but it also takes flexibility and tremendous body control. I’ve never watched this caliber of diving in person so this is definitely my chance – without traveling all the way to Beijing to do it. The tournament started Thursday and runs through Sunday, with tickets going for $10 for adults and $5 for students, military and seniors. I think that sounds like a pretty good deal. And it’s a taste of real Olympic-caliber competition with great athletes in peak condition just before the games begin. How cool is that?

I don’t think we’ve had a drop of anything other than sunshine for weeks. No rain, not even a serious sprinkle I can recall. So I decided to wash my car yesterday. You know, a real hand wash, with a hose and rags and Windex and paper towels and everything. These days I’m driving that nice PT Cruiser convertible, as you might remember. A sweet cobalt blue with a black top. I even have Sirius satellite radio. I love it. So there I was, down crawling around the wheels on a bright Sunday afternoon. My car wasn’t all that dirty, mind you, but a good buff and polish seemed just the thing to make it sparkle. And that got me thinking about how our great weather here tends to keep our cars a lot prettier than automobiles up north. My car is a 2006 and it looks pretty much brand new. When I lived in places like Vermont and Michigan, a two year-old car already was starting to looked a tad – well, weathered.

True, our air is seasoned with sea salt down here and if you live near the ocean, as I do, the briny breeze can have some corrosive effects. But that’s nothing compared to four months of road salt each year, combined with slush and mud and sleet and generally cruddy weather much of the time. Anyone who’s ever lived both up there and down here will tell you the same thing: cars down here look a lot better.

When I was a teenager growing up in Michigan, I used to hear stories about local folks who would fly down to the Sunshine State for a used car. Everyone called these automobiles simply, “Florida cars.” And everyone understood this meant used cars that looked like new cars. For all I know northerners still may come down here for used cars. We have our share of old clunkers on the South Florida roads, of course, just like anywhere else in the country. I was driving one myself not that long ago, partly because it lasted so long in our endless summer. But when you look around on I-95 or somewhere, you usually see a whole lot of nice-looking, non-rusty cars. Lots of very pricey cars too, like Ferraris and Bentleys and Rolls-Royces. It’s all just part of the experience of living or visiting here. So yes, my PT is one of those sharp-looking vehicles right now. I put a good hour into washing my car on Sunday afternoon and proudly drove it all over the place. Then Sunday night I caught the local weatherman’s forecast: “Tomorrow we may have just a very brief shower, but then it will be beautiful the whole rest of the week!” Of course. If it rains at all, I'm sure it will rain directly over Dania Beach where I live. Just enough to spot up the windows and leave little smudges on the paint. If you get caught in this little storm, all I can say is I’m sorry.

If you haven’t been down around the Fort Lauderdale beach this week, you should go. The fleet is very definitely in town. The Navy fleet, that is. Along with a fair number of sailors, Marines and Coast Guard personnel. Some 2,500 men and women in uniform are wandering around A1A for a little rest and relaxation during Fleet Week. No doubt their r&r is well-deserved. The military can be a stressful place these days to say the least. We all appreciate their efforts. So it’s nice to see so many clean, well-pressed white uniforms trickling through the crowds along the beach. I was there last night and noticed several Marines, but mostly lots of sailors in groups of twos and threes and fives. From what I saw, they seemed on their best behavior – just on the town for a good meal, some drinks and a little fun. I had the sense that the non-military locals and tourists enjoyed having the military folks around.

I’ve read in the newspaper that a lot of our guests in the armed services are doing more than just kicking back and relaxing while in Fort Lauderdale. Some of them are visiting Broward County schools and hospitals. Others are helping to build houses for low income people through Habitat for Humanity. There’s also a friendly competition to see which unit can donate the most blood.

I don’t know about you, but I’m proud of anyone who wants to give something back to the community. When you see the military using their time and skills to help their fellow human beings rather than destroy them – well, those are people I can admire. Plus, their ships are really cool. I’m still a kid at heart in a lot of ways and so part of me looks at these high-tech vessels in port and just kinda goes, “Wow.” Looking from the 17th Street bridge, you can spot them tied up in Port Everglades to the south. I’ve toured a number of Navy ships in the past and always found this an impressive experience. Though for the life of me I can’t imagine living underwater for weeks at a time in one of those subs, like the USS Pittsburgh that’s here now. Anyway, the Pittsburgh’s crew is topside this week, enjoying our incredibly beautiful South Florida weather. I hope they have a great time, along with all their brothers and sisters in uniform. They sure deserve it.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

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LauderBlog

May 30: Gallery Gawking

May 27: Springing Late

May 23: Three-Day Dreaming

May 20: Milda & Me

May 16: Sipping at Sunset

May 13: Sunny Spaces

May 10: Olympic Preview

May 6: Sparkling Water

May 2: All Ashore