Sunday, March 30, 2014

Max-ims, again

Organizational skills, or, I know where it used to be...
70 years of accumulate "wealth" into a 360 square foot box, good luck on that!


How did your day start? Mine? I reached into my underwear drawer and then tried to put what I thought was a pair of shorts...not! Tee-shirt, awkward!


RV owners are perceived as old and uncertain drivers. Partly correct, I am certain...get off my road!


"Bean counters" are human too! They may lack in social skills and relevance, but they are human..."sub-human!"

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" SHE said.


This one is beyond my comprehension, "self-analysis"...Hell, most of us don't realize that we snore, or that we bite our nails. If we are that unaware of our physical traits, how can we be expected to analyze our own mental state?


Who you are matters! The rest is window dressing.


Henny Penny: "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!"...or was that "talk radio?"
Response: If you were a banker you would never have noticed it!


Measuring up to your parents is a tough proposition and sometimes life just isn't fair. For instance, Mom hears these words from her daughter, "Mom ,I just got a wonderful job at the new "Gentleman's Club." After she finally lands, Mom makes a call and she too gets a job at the same club. There only two slight differences, Mom keeps her clothes on and she makes more money! It isn't fair...but, true!


The "Good Book" teaches tolerance...unless you dare disagree with it!






Saturday, March 22, 2014

My comfort zone

Somewhere, out there, are two or three old black guys that have no memory of me. I only remember them because they were the only other kids on the street. So for the year or so we lived there, we played together. The share-cropper kids and me. My comfort zone. Then we moved, north, to a big city, Boston. It took quite a while, but the comfort zone returned. Now I am trying to find a new one. Nothing new about the experience, you pick up your feet and place one in front of the other and progress to the next step. I have moved many times and always managed to adapt. I would enjoy finding a place peopled with kindred spirits, seeking the new or at least new to them new types of experiences. Those that "settle" in a place seem  to stagnate. 

Yesterday I returned from a visit with friends in Miami. A big city. One I had never been to, but would love to see again. Posso! I put that trip off too long, hopefully the opportunity to return will happen. The history of mankind started in caves and evolved to today's modern "Fantasias"...the huge, hectic, sprawling and crowded city. It's where we seem to be drawn to. Perhaps for the sense of being a significant part of something so overwhelming, so spectacular. Or, maybe just that man wants to be among his own. Most starstruck youngsters move to "the City", not "the sticks." 

The assets of and the diverse possibilities available in the modern city are the result of our search for utopia. Because we, as humans, seem to always question the results, the current version of the city may not be our crowning achievement, but just like "rock and roll"...I like it!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Vizcaya





























This is the estate of James Deering, one of the principals in International Harvester. He and his three designers took this from idea to fact in two years. Derek Jeter and his palace a bit longer. However the prices may be comparable as Vizcaya came in around 12 mil! Not chump change one hundred years ago!


I signed up for the walking tour and was the only one. Nice!
Learned a lot and enjoyed the tour. Now, here are the pix...no inside photography allowed. The book is available, around $30.



 OK little brother, where was this taken?



























 The guests were ferried to the barge (above) and the transferred to gondolas for the final few yards to shore.







 Deering and his lead designer battled over the main motif of the estate. The Seahorse was Deerings choice and there are everywhere. The designer's choice, Spanish Caraval, are very well represented as well...although mostly inside.











 The interior finishes, artwork, etc and much of the sculptures came from Europe. Shipped via boat and delivered by Deerings own equipment.










Wednesday, March 19, 2014

South Beach 2014

I have lived in Florida for more than eight years. In itself that's absurd. But all of the stories about Miami...dead wrong! Yes, Virginia there is a city in Florida and it is wonderful. Remember who is writing this, moi! Wonderful! Grace would have loved it and I am sorry we never got here before. Our friends greeted us as if we were in Rome. This should have been the place. Why? Atmosphere, people, events, places, food, I even liked the beach. I should always try to remember that the cost of free advise equals the value.  Niente. Here are today's pix