An office with a view…

My office overlooks the Miami International Airport and has one of the best seats to watch the setting sun…every weekday

What a view!

Monday Morning Magic

My Monday morning drive to work – look to the far left of the photo

bumper-to-bumper traffic on it’s way to the Magic City on the horizon

Bumper-to-bumper traffic or not…it is a beautiful drive!

Glorious…simply glorious

Last night’s sunset served as a pastel backdrop to the Biltmore Hotel Tower

Picture perfect sunset…

As if painted by a watercolor master….THE ultimate artist…

As the seconds tick by, the sunset becomes more and more spectacular…

Glorious…simply glorious

 

Thank you for the beautiful show…

  

My Miami…from the air

Returning from a business trip to Tallahassee…evening flight back to My Miami

  

  

Bring some warmth to today’s cool temperatures…

From the Southernmost Beach in the United States – Key West, Florida

As close to perfect and as far from normal…

Leave your cares and troubles behind…

and don’t take life too seriously…

   

The Pledge of Allegiance

Commentary on the Pledge of Allegiance

by Red Skelton

As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton’s teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. It is followed by an observation of his own:

I - – Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge - – Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance - – My love and my devotion.

To the Flag - – Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody’s job.

United - – That means that we have all come together.

States - – Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.

 

And to the Republic - – Republic–a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands

One Nation – - One Nation–meaning, so blessed by God.

Indivisible - – Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty - – Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one’s own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.

And Justice - – The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.

For All - – For All–which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools, too?

- Red Skelton

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All photos provided by my very talented brother, Art Boza.

I see the moon…

I see the moon,  The moon sees me. 

God bless the moon,  And God bless me.

-A nursery rhyme

    

And then the Miami moon passed over my Palms..

    

Moon over Miami…you were beautiful tonight

Beautiful, Glorious Bougainvillea…

What a difference a couple of days make.  Just a few days ago we experienced the coldest temperatures in the past two years.  It actually went down to the low 40′s here in Miami.  But today it is beyond glorious…the sun is shining, a soft breeze reminds me that we are near the water and yes, it’s 73 degrees…I truly live in paradise!

As I drove through my neighborhood the blaze of colors from the bougainvillea in all their glory screamed out to be captured and shared!

For my northern friends not familiar with this tropical beauty – here is just a little back ground on one of my favorites.

In 1768 when Admiral Louis de Bougainvillea began his long journey to the Pacific Ocean and discovered the vine that now bears his name, it was a botanical highlight of the voyage.

Through the ensuing years, this Brazilian beauty has assumed its rightful place as one of the most popular, spectacular and beautiful tropical plants.

The vibrant color of this vine comes not from the small white tubular flowers, but from the 3 large paper-like bracts that surround each flower.

The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colors associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow.

This gorgeous wall of red Bougainvillea is on Alhambra Circle, just off the downtown area of Coral Gables – absolutely gorgeous!

Am I really in Miami?

Lordy, Lordy…am I really in Miami?  Yesterday morning, Miami started out very cool…

But we were a lot warmer than some of my friends…a lot warmer!

   

The sun went down and the night and cold began to settle in…into my bones!

I started complaining about the dropping temps…until I realized that my friend Steve was looking at a single digit temp…

The temperature is dropping about 2 degrees every 15 minutes…Lordy, Lordy what’s a girl from the Southernmost city in the U.S. to do?

Who knew? Certainly not me…

The Coral Gables Plantation

Who knew? Certainly not me, that right around the corner from me was an historic marker and a location filled with local history and beauty.  Amazing what one can find when walking your own neighborhood…it was a great walk!

The Merricks named their thriving citrus and vegetable business, Coral Gables Plantation. After Reverend Merrick’s death in 1911, under the management of eldest son George, the family acquired additional land until, by the l921, they owned about 3,000 acres.  Personal note: These photos are of what sits on this property today…gorgeous coral rock walls, fountain and benches.

The Merricks were ably assisted by a large number of black Bahamians, who were experts at cultivating crops in familiar surroundings so much like their homeland. The firm’s packing house sat near today’s South Greenway Drive across from the Granada golf course.

The Merricks sold their fruit in Miami or shipped it from that young city on Biscayne Bay to markets elsewhere. According to some accounts, the Merricks operated the largest grapefruit export business in south Florida and were the first to ship carloads of grapefruit up north by train. The plantation prospered. Source: Historical Museum of Southern Florida

Personal note:  My little dog Dante couldn’t resist checking out this beautiful property.