Florida

Trip Photos

The first half of March, we were in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, the Florida Keys, and the Everglades National Park. I went on a snorkelling trip at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. Everyone had to wear a wetsuit because the water was very cold. There were plenty of fish in the corals. The novelty was seeing conch lying on the seabed. Key West was a big-time party town. One could drink and dance all night for weeks on end if so desired. The Everglades is not like the national parks in the West that I'm used to. It is completely flat. Its unique attraction is its wildlife. The park is teeming with birds, alligators, crocodiles, small cats, ... We did a number of hikes, and were mesmerized by the creatures we saw along the way.

After the sightseeing, the serious part of our trip began as we arrived in the Tampa Bay Area to supervise the Spring Training of the Toronto Blue Jays. Well, it's true that the Jays are not aware of the fact that Jeff and I are in charge of the team. Nonetheless, we went to a baseball game almost everyday, sometimes driving a good distance to see them play in other cities. When he found out that J.P. Riccardi had decided to keep Shannon Stewart and release Reed Johnson, Jeff almost exploded. We watched the rest of the training in deep gloom. This team didn't look to have enough offensive power.

While keeping a watchful eye on our baseball duties, we managed to play lots of tennis. This year, for the first time, we rented a condo instead of staying at a hotel. Dealing with the condo owner turned out to be an ordeal. The condo experience itself was rather positive.

James Clavell's Asian Saga

James Clavell's Asian Saga

My trip to Japan, China and Hong Kong reminded me of the books I read years ago by James Clavell: Shogun, Tai-pan and Noble House. They were highly entertaining stories, but it was so long ago that I can't remember much any more; besides, now that I've been to those places in the books, everything will take on a fresher meaning, which turned out to be precisely the case! I must admit that Clavell had a deep understanding of the Asian psyche. He exaggerated, of course, as all good story-tellers do, but he wasn't off by much. I then got Clavell's last book, Gai-jin, which took place in late nineteenth century Japan. However, by this point, I was getting Clavell'ed out, and the book seemed repetitive and boring. Three months of the same author was definitely too much.