End 2008 with a Bang

On the last days of the year 2008, Miami is full of blooms. I think that the brief two or three quick but timely and "just right" cold fronts did a lot of good to entice the trees to produce. My Purple Wreath vine (Petrea volubilis) is going crazy and blooms as if there is no tomorrow. All the mango trees around are full of flowers. Stay indoor if you are allergic to pollen! The purple wreath is a tropical perennial vine and climber. But mine grows quite hefty and its trunk is as large as that of a juvenile tree. It blooms spectacularly several times a year. Today it seems to be at its peak. In the background is the Keitt mango tree fully covered with blooms. 'Keitt' is a Florida mango that has become one of the world’s most renown. It produces excellent eating quality, disease resistance, four to five pound goliath fruits. While the fruits are extremely disease resistant, the juvenile trees are very difficult to grow due to disease problems. The flowers begin now so the the fruits can ripen from August to October. I can't wait that long for these mangoes.

It's Over

Christmas is over. This local hardware store, Ace, is selling its Xmas merchandise at 50% off. Some people do their next year's Xmas shopping at this time. That's planning! I can't plan further than 1 day so that's not for me.

Automaton

The price of progress is seen here in the trash collection service of Miami. Last June, my blog showed a typical trash collection operation. The truck was manned by a driver plus two or three men who handled the trash containers. It was then. This is now. The trash container is now standardized and collection is done by a single person driving the truck with automaton arms. For each truck, I see two or three job losses.

CheeseBurgers, CheeseBurgers

Models of cholesterol laden burgers in display.

Empty Office Buildings

The economy stinks, to say the least! This office building is almost empty and this is moving day again. You'd think it's easy to move furniture, but I watched these strong fellows moving this desk. It's back breaking work. Many buildings now stand empty and their owners must have a hard time collecting rents! But I feel more for the small business owners all of whom are hurting bad these days.

Xmas Bromeliad

The plant genus Tillandsia, named by Carolus Linnaeus after the Finnish physician and botanist Dr. Elias Tillandz (originally Tillander) (1640-1693), is a member of the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae.) It is a very small plant and I would call it a miniature bromeliad. This plant is found in the deserts, forests and mountains of Central and South America, and Mexico and the southern United States in North America. The thinner leafed varieties grow in rainy areas and the thick leafed varieties in areas more subject to drought. Moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air through structures on the leaves called trichomes. Tillandsia species are epiphytes. In nature they normally grow without soil, attached to other plants. Epiphytes are not parasitic, and depend on the host only for support. Common names for Tillandsia include air plant, ball moss (T. recurvata) and Spanish moss (T. usneoides.) There are about 650 species of Tillandsia, and this is my Tillandsia tenuifolia. It was started years ago with a handful of pups. It has now self propagated into at least a dozen clusters around this longan tree. They flower every year at this time and last until late February. It should have been named Xmas Bromeliad.

Xmas Bananas

Xmas day is usually quiet and sad for some lonesome soul. The streets of Miami are almost empty. It can be a day of rest for many, like me, exhausted running around after material superfluous things. This day is a welcome cure of silence. These banana hands may be ready in a week or so. Do you see some whole leaves? Make a wish!

Cutler Bay

This is a retirement community in the deep south of Miami, a place called Cutler Bay, all the way to about SW 190th street and 87th Avenue. Miami is a BIG city. This is an unpretentious community and very quiet, with lots of security. The peacocks seem to enjoy the serene life style here. I was going to the 800 block so I was happy to see the signs. I found it! Finally!

Skybanner Ad

This is what I saw at the Miami's Dadeland Mall today (yes, I am still suffering through this:) A Simon's SkyBanner Network high-tech ad. I must admit that this got my full attention because it is a nice high-tech toy that grabs at you. It looks like a 42 or 52 inch flat screen hung high above at the center of the most heavily used traffic lane in this shopping mall. The photo of Donald Trump and his ad is seen on both sides. If you do not know who he is, look him up. He is very famous for his toupee. Obviously, Donald Trump is into high-tech and he found this way to get his ad directly to the Simon Mall Consumers. I found that Simon Property Group, Inc. is an S&P 500 company and the largest public U.S. real estate company. That is obviously the connection to Donald Trump because he is in real estate in a big way. This ad is very nice, and I like this high-tech delivery.

However, would you buy your dress shirts and neckwear from this guy? Not me! You are fired!

Santa's Lair

Santa is doing a brisk business today even when it's a Monday in Dadeland Mall. I procrastinated but had to bite the bullet to face the crowd today in the malls, quickly running out of time before Xmas. I hate this. But the kids line up with their parents to take a photo with Santa in his lair. Frankly, it's getting harder for me to take photos in public places nowadays and I can tell that my photos do suffer. I just cannot take time to compose my shots. Instead, I just sneak and shoot before I get caught by some low IQ guards and get yelled at. But Santa's in this photo, if you care to look for him. Of course, you can't see the kids! I hate this!

Betty's Best

This is inside Betty's Best Burgers. As it was discussed on the net, they are back to Coca Cola and discontinued Pepsi Cola. I can't tell the difference. Can you? Their hamburgers are a bit better, but not as good as Fuddruckers. What's the secret? I wish I knew!

Xmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesi) is a favorite holiday season house plant, but one which needs careful attention to details if it is to live and flower again the next year. However, I found that mine never fail, they bloom around Christmas time, like a clockwork without any other care than to water them once in a blue moon. This plant is closely related to Easter Cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri) and Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera truncatus), all with fleshy, flattened, segmented joints and showy flowers ranging in color from white through pink, red and purple. These are cacti which in nature live in the crotches of jungle trees, and benefit from light, porous soil mixed with leaf mold and sand.

Santa Time

This is the last day of school for many educational institutions in Miami. Schools will reopen again in early January 2009. It's festivity time and Santa begins making his rounds. Here he is taking time to pose with this little girl. Because I did not ask permission from her parents, her face is protected (as it is required by law) by a mask. Do you recognize the famous and mystic smile on her protective mask?

Badaboom

Another accident in the middle of the day, in clear weather and wide, dry beautifully maintained roads. Miamians are truly the worst drivers I know! The car that needs attention is hidden by the police car. It apparently needs help from the green emergency truck that was dispatched. The other car is WAY to the left, outside of my camera view. I don't know the economy of this, but I think someone will receive a bill from the emergency rescue department. It's certainly not free.

Roots

Malanga is probably the most hypoallergenic food in the world, so even persons with extensive allergies should not have problems with the flour manufactured from this vegetable. The starch grains are the smallest and most easily digested of all complex carbohydrates. Malanga is closely related to the taro root, which is used to make poi, a cooked paste, common in Polynesian countries. Malanga and taro root are in the Arum family, Araceae. Malanga is also called yautia, cocoyam, eddo, coco, tannia, sato-imo, and Japanese potatoes. The various species of malanga or yautia, include some of the oldest root crops in the world. It was first cultivated in tropical America, and spread to Africa in the mid 1800s, and is also grown in the Philippines. They are especially popular in Cuba (malanga) and Puerto Rico (yautia) and are found in this Winn Dixie supermarket that caters well to the large Hispanic population in Miami.

Malanga are about the size and shape of a regular white potato; they look a little like an overgrown gladiola bulb, because the outside skin of the malanga is dark brown and somewhat hairy. There are about 1530 calories in one pound of malanga flour. The composition of malanga flour is approximately: 75.5% carbohydrates, 5.1% protein, 1.6% fat, 9.8% fiber, 1.2% water, and 6.8% minerals. In this photo, they are to the right of the green chayote squash, and also at the other end of the container.

No longer Fuddruckers

This fast food restaurant on US-1 finally got a name. It's at 78 Ave and 104 Street, SW Miami and used to be my most favorite burger joint: Fuddruckers. I sorely miss it when the ownership changed to become Amos Sports Grill, which was so much inferior I tried twice and never returned. I think Amos was a failure and never even got its name on the sign. Now it's called Betty's Best Burgers. The sign is not easily seen from US-1 and I was not about to get into a car accident to get a better shot. Trust me, it says "Betty's Best Burgers." A review says its hamburger is the same as Fuddruckers so I need to try it soon. I hope so.

Dwarfed Tamarind

Of all the fruit trees of the tropics, none is more widely distributed nor more appreciated as an ornamental than the tamarind, Tamarindus indica L. (syns. T. occidentalis Gaertn.; T. officinalis Hook.), of the family Leguminosae.

The tamarind, a slow-growing, long-lived, massive tree reaches, under favorable conditions, a height of 80 or even 100 ft (24-30 m), and may attain a spread of 40 ft (12 m) and a trunk circumference of 25 ft (7.5 m). It is highly wind-resistant, with strong, supple branches, gracefully drooping at the ends, and has dark-gray, rough, fissured bark. The mass of bright-green, fine, feathery foliage is composed of pinnate leaves, 3 to 6 in (7.5-15 cm) in length, each having 10 to 20 pairs of oblong leaflets 1/2 to 1 in (1.25-2.5 cm) long and 1/5 to 1/4 in (5-6 mm) wide, which fold at night.

This is mine, but it is contained in a large pot which really is having a tough time to prevent it to grow vigorously. It may, or may not be tranplanted because it will grow too large to overwhelm all the other trees.

Face Lift

Sunset Drive, which is Miami's "Historic Road" and is East-West SW 72nd Street, receives continuous enhancement of landscaping as described in my previous blog This face lift was just completed a few weeks ago. The big clock and palm trees on the South side of the street are brand new additions. The elevated metro rail is seen in the distance where it parallels US-1. I wonder when this clock will die, because all these clocks eventually do. I am optimistic, but not too overly.

GranTurismo

Didn't I tell you there is a lot of money in the streets of Miami? Here is another of these babies: A 2008 Maserati GranTurismo Coupe, suggested price of US $110,000. Of course, again, you've got to add more green backs to drive it off the show room. This car is designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign, as Italian as Italian can be. It is a gas guzzler but I guess money is of no concern for these owners. This street is in South Miami where trendy restaurants abound, and muscle cars are parked pele-mele, especially on TGIF (Thank God it's Friday) and weekends.

Fearless!

This man has no fear to pose for my photo. That gives me more faith to the homosapien spirit, and his cause got a free internet advertising. Yeah! This location is just a stone throw from that of my close encounter of the paranoia kind on Tuesday. This man is fearless, and I am fearless!

Pepperoni

This is one of America's most favorite fast food choice. Pizza! Mine too, but mine's got to be much more than just pepperoni, like ham, salami, sausage, meat, onions, mushroom, bay leaf, cilantro, oregano. Lots of cheese. No garlic, green or red peppers and anchovy, please! Yummy!

Buteo buteo

Buzzards are graceful in flight, soaring at great heights and moving their wings only to adjust to changing air currents. They fly by day, seeking carrion. Buzzards locate carrion both by sight and smell. (Unlike most other birds, buzzards have a well-developed sense of smell.) There is a large number of cats in this neighborhood, and I think there must be some death in the family. How do these birds know? They must have superbird sense of smell because they are always soaring WAY up there. I do not smell anything!

The tree you see in the foreground bears beautiful purple flowers, if they will ever decide to bloom, but not yet.

U R Under Arrest!

I am SHOCKED! To begin, let me remind you of my recent blog. See what I said there? "Where is the police when we need them?" I wish I hadn't said that...

Heading to meet two friends for lunch at this restaurant in downtown South Miami, a very pleasant upscale neighborhood. Just Sunday, they had a Santa's Elves parade here. So I expect to have a very pleasant lunch with friends. How WRONG I was! I parked my car to the right of the restaurant. Being 15 minutes early, I walked across the street, took 2 identical photos one of which is this blog. That was all the time it took for a police car arriving with all lights flashing to stop in front of me. The police officer came directly to me and asked what I was doing there? I told him I took some photos. What for? For my MiamiEveryDay blog... What? Oh, that's one of the City Daily Photo blog on the net. What? So I told him that I guess I know what's happening, and he confirmed that someone had called the police and I was singled out! An entire suite of adjectives came through my mind, all from my secret dictionary of words not to use casually! Not for the police, but for the person who called. Of course, I was very politely asked to show my ID, which I had to take out of my wallet. I was also asked to show my business card. Just my lucky day that I had two in my wallet. I usually never have any. Now the police officer got my two valuable ID pieces and he was in conversation with some remote location. I was asked if I was ever arrested. The answer was no. (I thought to myself, not yet! But this does not look good!) I was asked to go across the street so he can move the police car (with wonderfully beautiful multicolor flashing lights, perfect for the approaching Xmas spirit) out of traffic. Of course I obliged. I told the officer, who was very nice that I am about to have a lunch meeting here in about 5 minutes, at 1:00 o'clock, and that I can show him my MiamiEveryDay blog in his car (because they do have internet connection in patrol cars,) I was asked again if I was ever arrested. The answer was still no. I decided to call my lunch friends to ask them to hurry and come to my aid. Gary came after he found a place to park his car to say that yes, he enjoys my blog, and yes, I take a photo of Miami everyday to blog, and yes, my blog does some good press for the city and he even took me to "Jimbo's" for a wonderful blog. Did it help? Nah! Didn't think so. I was asked if I make money with this blog. Are you kidding? At my rate, I am losing tons of money spending time doing this thing "pro bono!" So... to make a LONG story short, I was let go scott free! Without a citation or a ticket! Thank goodness. There is a God after all! Thank you, thank you! I was so shocked and upset (internally) that my luch went to hell. It was a bad meal! I forgot what I ate! The owner of the restaurant said he did not call the police. Of course, if I were him, I would deny it as well. Hhmmm... I wonder who that was??? Mystery! My consolation for the day? My friend Gary told me I was almost arrested by a police Sergeant, no less! Whew!

Day Moon

Moon over Miami at 5PM. There is a proverb that says "opposite as sun and moon" because it is believed they never appear at the same time in the sky. But that is not entirely true, at least not here in Miami. Here is the Miami moon casting on a beautiful blue sky and the sun is not yet setting. It will set at 5:30 PM in direction 245° West-Southwest, about seven more minutes from the time of this blog. Note that the foreground blur is not any dark clouds. That is the foliage of my flowering hedge. The moon is in the due Eastern sky and the sun is beginning to set behind me. South is to the right.

Pergola

Vine Pergola in Miami's Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden on a lazy Sunday stroll. This fast growing vine needs a pergola, a tree to grow upon, or some means of support.

US $120,000 +

I told you there is a lot of money in the streets of Miami, and here is another proof. This is the Audi R8, with a base sticker price of about US $ 120,000. But it usually costs another $ 25,000 for must have options. The young man who drives this car is very aggressive, weaving in and out of traffic, using his brakes all the time because there is really nowhere to go on the busy US-1. Where is the police when we need them?

Sweet Beef?

Miami is technically sub-tropical but one can find a large variety of flora that traditionally grows in the tropic. This is Schismatoglottis calyptra, of the family Araceae. It is a "wild vegetable" that is quite popular in Viet Nam. You can Google its local name of "Bo Ngot" to find this dish sold as a soup in local popular restaurants there (see insert.) I am not inclined to eat much vegetable, much less plain vegetable soup, but I am told this soup is very good and it is naturally "sweet," thus its name "Bo Ngot," Ngot means sweet. Not sure what "Bo" may mean here. A scientific nutritional study of food lists this "wild vegetable" as rich in micronutrient and is an important component of wild vegetables (Rau dai) in micronutrient intakes of women in Viet-Nam's Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands. And here it is, right here in Miami. These round white pods look like fruits, but they are seed pods, containing small black seeds that are very easy to germinate. I have a handful. I may just dump them in my backyard to see if any will take roots.

Exodus

These cars are filing out of the Target/Best Buy/Sports Authority/Michaels/Bath & Beyond/ shopping complex on US-1. The Xmas shopping season has begun. As long as these people have a job, they are willing to spend because the holiday season gifts are mandatory. It is as necessary as "you've got to eat." Deeper in debt is the norm in this society.

What's in A Name?

It is not hard to create orchid hybrids, but making some that become famous takes hard work and much luck. The resulting offsprings can be very rewarding, such as mine that keeps giving. This Vanda is not spectacular in terns of long spikes and many perfectly formed flowers, but it is long lasting, blooms twice yearly and has fragrance that is delightful. So what's in an orchid name? This is my V. tesselata x V. Mimi Palmer. V. tesselata is a species, but V. Mimi Palmer is a hybrid that came from V. Tan Chay Yan x V. tesselata. So you can see that V. tesselata has been used a second time when it was crossed with V. Tan Chay Yan. What's that? Tan Chay Yan (1870-1916) was a Malacca rubber planter and grandson of local philanthropist Tan Tock Seng (after whom Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore, is named) The famous and sensational V. Tan Chay Yan was bred by his son Robert Tan Hoon Siang using V. dearei x V. Josephine van Brero and it was registered in 1952. Finally, V. Josephine van Brero, which was famous for producing many award winning offsprings predated V. Tan Chay Yan when it was hybridized using V. insignis x V. teres in 1936 in Java..So, this Vanda of mine descended from royal ancestors! It smells so good! The genes are from V. tesselata, insignis, teres and dearei.

Gloomy Cold Day in Miami

The entire day of Miami today is so ugly, it's depressing. It's a gloomy cold day with no end. This look is a start, not too bad, but it goes down hill from here. This is the tail end of the Snapper Creek Expressway (SR-878) just about to merge with US-1. I think we have a stationary cold front. Go away, already!

Spheres, Spheres Everywhere!

Pocket table pool has 6 pockets and the game is played with 15 balls, all perfect spheres with different stripes with one black ball carrying the number 8. This game is popular in the US. French pool table has no pockets, and the game is played with only 3 spherical balls: one red and two white balls. There is a tiny black dot to tell the two white balls apart. I can play both games, but lousy at aiming. Ain't easy to shoot straight!