Chapter 700

Mar 7, 2026

Pompano 2026

9th  year

link to Pompano 2026 photo album

This year my daughter's family came down for vacation as well. Had a nice time at the Foundry for Happy Hour with drinks and appetizers. Maybe the highlight for me, Chris's highlight was the Flamingo Gardens. Colleen's fav perhaps every happy hour. The kids - the pool. Water rats.

I tried to minimize walking this time averging only 1.5 miles a day so as to not totally disable my hip. Hip replacement surgery on St Patricks Day. Able to swim ocean only on first day, rest of week waves too big. Also minimized the photos.

We started with a nice evening on the Water Taxi. $15 per person ride all evening among the 9 stops along the Pompano section. We boarded near home at Sandy Harbor Marina here on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Michael Andretti has one mansion here on our ride. Sun was setting so a little hard to focus iphone. Son on famed race car driver Mario Andretti. He sold another beautiful  estate last year in Indiana for $12 million and bought this one in Fort Lauderdale for  $27 million. Some statistics on the new home. Youtube description. Of course Michael probably too busy to live here very often with his worldwide race schedule, etc. That seems to be the way it is with the ungodly amount of mansions along the entire Florida coastline. So very multimillion dollar houses with scant occupancy. When you are rich, why not have several houses around the world. It is breathtaking, awe inspiring, and just makes you wonder?

This was more than just casual interest to me since I filmed his Dad in 1978 crashing at Watkins Glenn but still winning the Formula 1 World Championship  chapter 329 .  And Michael Andretti's team was there when I filmed the Indy Lights at the Grand Prix of St Petersburg chapter 492 and his team won that 2018 Championship.

Another random common homeowner on the water had this Italian  Lamborghini 63  model in dock. They go for about $4 million on the used market. Lauderdale just south is the yacht capital of the world.

Walked up the beach toward the Hillsboro Lighthouse with fam. Couldn't get around this bluff with high tide crashing too violently. But a nice walk nonetheless.

We joined our group of time share owners who threw a Cinqo de Marz party. Colleen is talking to Mirosav. He was born in Poland and came to America in 1961. I mentioned Uncle Nelson served time at the Sagan, Poland POW camp and he was stunned, saying he was born there and never thought anyone would have ever heard of his home town. 

Many walkers, canes and bad hips here- 60s, 70s, 80, 90s. Most do not do too much exploring.

Brother Bill visited his grandkids in Florida this same week. You can tell he loves Goldendoodles. Our Golden had a ball at home with friends.