A TRIP TO THE SUNSHINE 18th DECEMBER 2025 BLOG
Well, it’s December , so sorry folks , There’s been no races on my agenda to report about for this , my final BLOG of the year .
The last one was published in mid-November, after returning from the Charlotte Dirt Track World Finals in North Carolina. It was the last event scheduled in my 2025 racing diary .
My racing year ended with me attending a total of 105 events . It’s not unsual for me to exceed over 90 , but this year turned out to be extra busy.
While I was down south, in North Carolina , I spent a few days with the family in the Raleigh area. On my return drive back to Canada on Monday the 10th of November , I got almost home before encountering a big snow storm and white out conditions on the 401 near Morrisburg, Ontario . I exited the 401 at this point and slowly traveled down the ‘old’ Highway 2. Once safely back home in Cornwall, I had a couple of weeks at home before my next little sortie.
Once again, I got invited to the Annual DIRTCAR Banquet in Syracuse, NY (Saturday the 22nd November ), but sadly I had to decline. I had so much going on at home, and things that needed sorting before my next adventure. I also had to miss the Annual Race Parts Show that takes place in Syracuse on the same day.
Wednesday 26th November . This was the big day, as I set off to the Montreal Airport on route to the sun.
I was heading to Miami Florida for a family vacation and a short Caribbean Cruise. My race season was over , and this trip was purely for rest and relaxation.
Wednesday the 26th November
As normal , when I’m flying somewhere, I got there a lot earlier than required. I prefer a long wait at the airport, in favor of last minute rushing around , if there are unexpected delays on-route .
After getting the wings de-iced, my Air Canada aircraft took off a bit later than scheduled , for the three plus hours flight to Ft Lauderdale.
My daughter, Carla was there to pick me up , as well as Arturo (brother of her husband Alex, who was flying in from Raleigh). The three of us then drove to on to Miami.
Alex , along with his mother Doris, and my grandkids Benji and Sophia had gone on ahead, to check in to our Miami base for the next five nights.
An Air B & B , top floor pent-house suite at The Club Condominium at Brickell Bay had been booked for the duration.
It was a real fancy place.
This was ‘part one’ of our holiday , before starting the Caribbean Cruise on Monday .
Thursday the 27th of November was the American Thanksgiving Holiday, and this was the reason for our early arrival .
Some of Alex’s family live in the Miami area and they’d arranged a ‘get together’ that day.
Friday the 28th until Sunday the 30th was spent chilling out in Miami .
Saturday , was the hi-light of our stay in Miami.
We drove down to the world famous Miami Beach.
On our return to the condo we ordered a Chinese supper , and had it delivered by a robot.
On Sunday the 30th , and our last day in Miami, we took the metro to the port area which is a popular tourist spot .
After returning to the Condo, we dined out at a Peruvian restaurant.
Since my few days staying in Miami , I can confirm it’s just like , the TV and Movies portrays . Pretty girls are everywhere, with their silicone implants and lips filled with bo-tox . There were lots of fast and expensive cars, quite often driven by posers showing off .
I even got to see a CSI Miami truck , but no sign of Horatio .
Monday 1st of December .
First thing in the morning we were moving out of the condo and heading for the cruise port.
Once boarded , we killed some time exploring the ship until we were given our cabin numbers.
I then went up on deck to take a few pictures as the ship left Miami.
Once the baggage had been delivered to the cabin door, it was time to settle in.
After a rest , it was time for the fun to begin
Tuesday 2nd of December.
Tuesday morning we woke to find the ship had already docked in Co Co Cay , an Island resort they called , The Perfect Day , and owned by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in the Bahamas .
We spent most of our day there , lazing in the sun at a cabin Alex had rented.
There were sandy, palm lined beaches , pools and plenty of places to eat , but it wasn’t the same as being somewhere ‘independent’ , and unconnected to the cruise company . I like to see non tourist things when I visit another country.
You don’t get to see the ‘real’ Bahamas at these kind of places .
Don’t get me wrong it was a lovely place to be, and by the time I returned to the ship , my eye balls were popping out my head , and needed replacing to their sockets.
There’s so much nice scenery on the beach
The rest of the day and evening was spent enjoying the attractions on board.
Wednesday 3rd of December
Over night the ship had sailed the short distance to the port of Nassau the capital city of the Bahamas.
This kind of stop-over was more to my liking .
The rest of the family preferred to stay on board this time, so I went ‘solo’ on an organized coach tour , entitled Nassau Highlights, to visit the sights.
Carla made sure I was in the correct pick up location , before a lady shepherded me and about 15 others to an awaiting tour bus.
Edroy , was the name of our driver, in our spotless Toyota bus.
The first place he took us, was the Rum Cake Factory.
From the Cake Factory we travelled further through Nassau with Edroy pointing out places of interest and some historical facts .
The Bahamas are a former British governed colony , that celebrated it’s independence in 1973. There is still a lot of British influence and vehicles still drive on the left hand side of the road , like in the UK.
Our next stop was Fort Montague .
Beside, the beach and the Montague waterfront they were , preparing for a forthcoming sailing event that was taking place on the beach.
Once back on the road we passed several historic buildings , before making our third stop at the Queens Staircase and Fort Fincastle located at the cities highest point , overlooking the hospital .
We were then back on the road taking in more sites .
Our final stop, was at a souvenir market at Fort Charlotte, before heading back along the beach road to the port.
I really enjoyed the tour , I learned a lot, with Edroy’s excellent commentry.
Nassau ‘town’ has always been somewhere that’s caught my attention.
I’ve been a fan of the Beach Boys since I was a kid . The first ever LP record I bought (vinyl 33 1/3 rpm ) was Best of the Beach Boys Vol 1.
Since listening to the words of Sloop John B , I’ve been intrigued by Nassau .
I didn’t arrive there on the Sloop John B, but “around Nassau town we did roam” . I wasn’t “drinking all night ” and didn’t “get into a fight”. I certainly didn’t get the honor of meeting Sheriff John Stone.
After this lovely little tour of Nassau I couldn’t really say “I wanna go home “.
Before getting back on board , I had short wander around the port-side stores and got a few gifts.
Once, back in my Cabin , I chilled out before going up on deck to take some pics as we left the port of Nassau .
This took place at about 5-00 pm.
Next thing on my agenda was supper.
Carla had a table booked at one of the ‘fancy’ restaurants on board.
Her Birthday was coming up on the 8th of the month , Benji’s was on the 6th and Sophia’s on the 13th . So it was a treble celebration.
Her restaurant of choice was called ‘Wonderland’ with a theme based on the childrens book, Alice in Wonderland.
When we arrived we were shown to our table by ‘the Mad Hatter’ and before the main course we were treated to some unusual courses at his “Mad Hatters Tea Party’.
It was a lot of fun and definitely ‘different’ to a conventional restaurant .
Thursday 4th December.
This was the final day of our cruise, the ship had ‘parked up’ somewhere in the Caribbean between the Bahama’s and Miami, and our day was spent relaxing beside the pools on deck , and enjoying the attractions.
My plan for the evening was to spend it in the one of the bars . I donned my Ottawa Senators shirt and headed for the Sports Bar . I was hoping to watch their game against the New York Islanders.
Alas , it wasn’t to be.
Out of all the multi TV screen options, only one was showing an NHL game it and it wasn’t the one I wanted. The other screens had either Basketball or ‘American’ football. Sorry , but I’d rather sit and watch paint dry, than watch those sports.
So instead , I joined the rest of the family for a trip to the ships Ice Rink , for a figure skating spectacular, It turned out to be very good.
This was our final night of the cruise , and our luggage needed to be packed by 10-00 pm , so it could be moved and transported , ready for off loading in the morning.
Friday 5th December .
We had arrived back to the port of Miami and our disembarkation time was scheduled for 9-00am .
Once off the ship Alex and Arturo got an UBER ride , to pick up the two cars from a nearby parking lot, while we awaited their return.
We then headed back to Doris’s place in Ft Lauderdale for a few hours .
Carla then took me to the airport .
My supper time flight landed back in Montreal around 10-15 pm , then I got the shuttle bus back to the Park N Fly to retrieve my car.
After sweeping the snow from it , I was on my way home to Cornwall.
There had been a bit of snow while I was away , but nothing serious .
The weekend was then spent unwinding from my trip.
Sunday 7th December ,
It was the final F1 Grand Prix of the season in Abu Dhabi , and it was nice to see Lando Norris and the McClaren Team clinch this years Championship with a third place finish. Max Verstappen in the Red Bull won the race.
By the start of the week , there was very little snow left in my driveway, so I got the Thunderbird out of the garage to check her over.
With the snow coming earlier this year , I can’t see too many outings in the near future.
I started the motor and let it run for ten minutes before tucking her back up in the warm. A bag of moth balls were bought and hopefully the wild life will leave her alone.
This was done , just in time , over the next couple of days we had a snow dump of more than 8 inches of snow.
Saturday the 13th December
On Saturday night I had another December Birthday celebration on my calendar .
HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY to RON MORIN , the former Cornwall Motor Speedway promoter and driver of the Yellow # 16 car.
That night family and friends met up at the Vieux Duluth Restaurant in Cornwall to celebrate the 80th Birthday of my long time buddy Ron Morin.
Not only was it Ron’s milestone day , but his wife Reina , and two others in attendance (Marissa and Chris) also had there special days to celebrate .
We all had a great night . The big day was actually on the 15th of December, but a Saturday celebration worked better for everyone.
and finally , some sad news.
R.I.P Lisle Devore
On Friday 12th December , like everyone else in the North Eastern racing family, I was saddened to hear the news of Lisle Devore’s passing.
Lisle was one of the ‘good guys’ of the sport making the Albany -Saratoga Speedway , one of my favorite tracks to visit. His promotional qualities were second to none, and he will be sorely missed.
My condolences to all his family.
Well it’s now , the 18th of December and time to sign off , until after Christmas.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL