Challenger no, Cuda si

Errata: I knew this blog would attract a comment or two, and I stand corrected. This is NOT a Challenger, but it is a Barracuda. The year must still be 1970 or 1971. SO I changed the title of the blog to be more accurate. If you really are a fan, look here. You'll learn that the two cars are very similar, but they are not the same. Thanks to David for keeping me honest. The original blog is below.

Miami streets once in a while offer a glimpse of the past and a slice of history of the American muscle cars. This is a well restored 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible. In 1971, the film Vanishing Point featured a car similar to this in a death wish race against the law. This is a beloved American muscle car and the owners of these cars are quite proud of their ownership. This is a web site featuring the owners and fans of the two well known muscle cars made: the Dodge Challenger and the Plymouth Barracuda.

Thriving

This vine is growing like there is no tomorrow. It is wrapping around this coconut tree and began its climb I am not sure when. I wonder how high it will go. Let's wait and see.

Francais

This is a crepe kiosk in Dadeland Mall. Kiosks are becoming a common way of merchandising in America's shopping malls. I understand this crepe place is not as good as the CrepeMaker kiosk in the Falls, another Miami mall further South. I did not try either one (and probably will not any time soon) so I don't know if that's true. These crepes look too forbidding for me. Too thick, too stuffed and too many calories.

Easy to Grow

The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo), was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya (about 100 km (62 mi) from Patna in the Indian state of Bihar), under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism later known as Gautama Buddha, achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi. In religious iconography, the Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. It takes 100 - 3,000 years for a bodhi tree to fully grow. I had a seedling and just tuck it in a crack of an oak tree then I forgot all about it. Here it is today, growing well, in the same manner as an epiphyte. This, I did not know.

Volunteerism

It's Saturday morning. You are looking at the faces of a special breed of Miami teens of Miami. They are here, at Bird Bowl to spend the time, energy and heart to show that they do care. The event is the annual Special Olympics bowling competition catered to the disabled population. Task assignments, instructions and rules to follow are given by the manager before these kids start to work as volunteers to help the bowlers. The time spent here will be 4 hours or more. My hats to these youngsters. Thank you!

SubWay

No, not the kind you think. Not the London's Tube or Paris' Metro or other cities' subway mass transport systems. This is the SubWay, like in Submarine sandwich way. These sandwiches that can be mistaken for US nuclear submarines come in 6 inch or a foot long. For your metric type people, a foot is 12 inches, which is 30,48 centimeters. Now, that's a big sandwich! That's why these US postmen are happy because they are enjoying an American fast food tradition break from work.

Headless Fashion

Kors, born Karl Anderson, Jr and openly gay, began designing clothes at the age of 19 and studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. In 1981, Kors launched the Michael Kors womenswear line at Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. All are stores for high maintenance people. This is a newer store in Dadeland Mall, occupying the space of the now defunct Sharper Image. Headless mannequins are now the in things so all department stores use them to display their clothing apparel.

Rush Hour

This is 6PM South bound US-1. We love rush hour madness because we all love our cars here in Miami. The bus way is to the right and bus run much smoother... but here, a problem is to get to your final destination that public transportation does not take you. You can't walk here so personal cars are the answer. One person per car... that's the problem!

Bayerische Motoren-Werke

I was curious to know what BMW stands for. Now I know: Bavarian Motor Works, but am even more curious. Why do the Germans use English name for their company? This can't be right! How about this: Bayerische Motoren-Werke? That's more like it! But the Mini, the lovely Morris of yesteryears, English as English can ever be is now owned by the Bimmer guys! This is stuff that makes a Queen lose sleep!

Canals

Thousands of miles of canals, and their water control structures, are part of the Florida peninsula, especially in the southeastern parts of the state. Canals are artificial waterways that modify existing rivers or streams, or are dug into wetlands or uplands for navigation, drainage and flood control. The canals form the crucially important arteries that feed the Florida Everglades with the waters from lake Okeechobee in central Florida. The parking buildings on the left belong to the famed Dadeland Mall.

Wave Runners

It's Sunday, sunny and hot. I am going "Wave Running." How about you?

Miami - USA

No cell phone, no car, no credit card, no cash, no friends, no family, no home. All alone in a city of plenty.

Black and White

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African American (it's more politically correct not to say "Black American") civil rights activist whom the U.S. Congress later called the "Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement." On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks, age 42, refused to obey bus driver James Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. Parks's act of defiance became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and Parks became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. Race is such a difficult issue and the new US president must walk a fine line to avoid political land mines in this country.

This sign that is displayed on US buses gives you a glance of history of the US civil right movement, and it tells you that three languages are used here, although it is sometimes difficult to say which is the official language. Come to Miami to understand more.

Equal Time

Since I mentioned "Brown" in a previous blog, I am giving equal time for fairness to the other big parcel delivery company, FedEx. They used to have the longer name of Federal Express. Then the user coined the shorter name, and it stuck. Here is one of their smaller delivery truck outside Dadeland Mall. Mind you, both delivery services are excellent, but they are not cheap. I guess you get what you pay for.

Bus Way

I rode the bus today Southbound on US-1 at rush hour. As usual, the traffic is very heavy, but the bus have special treatment and they ride on their exclusive lane. Clear sailing. This is better than driving and getting stuck in a car. But I can't wait to get my car back! Boo Hoo!

Street Diggers

This is the continuation of a job by the county government hooking up city water service to this area that is on well water. This way, the city can pick up new water service that will generate new income. Not bad considering the US $427 Million that Dade county finds itself in short supply of. These workers must also be happy to have these jobs in this flaky economy. The two big plastic containers you see are for trash collection, the blue is for trash and the green is for recyclable trash.

Miami Nocturnal Fragrance

The Orange Jasmine - Murraya paniculata is a large multi-trunked shrub or small tree. It is also known as the China Box and belongs to the Rutaceae or Rue family. The fragrant “snow white" flowers stand out against the evergreen dark green leaves which are made of three to nine leaflets.This evergreen shrub flowers several times throughout the year, and produces fragrant jasmine-scented flowers and striking bright orange to red tiny fruits earning its namesake. It makes an outstanding boxwood-like hedge or decorative container plant due to its compact habit and dense glossy green foliage. It grows here as a hedge and it smells tonight o so heavenly. If you drive around Miami tonight, open your car windows and once in a while, you will get to sample this scent from heaven. It's so Miami!

Food Court

Dadeland Mall is surprisingly busy this time. This food court is overflowing with hungry and feeding people. I like the "sampler people" who hand out delicious small morcels of food to let you decide for yourself where to spend your money. I like the chicken dishes you can order here. Delicious!

Omelette

If you are very very hungry early in the morning, this place just South of Kendall Drive on US-1 can get you the biggest breakfast in town. They serve huge omelettes that will last you throughout the day. I know, I had one this morning.

Biscayne Bay

Across Biscayne Bay looking North from Broad Causeway towards Miami's NE 135th street.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

"This place is always packed on the weekends, and the crowd is young. There are always a lot of dancers from 5 to 8pm. Most are latina with a few black and white girls. There is a main stage in the middle of the club where two girls dance at a time and another smaller stage surrounded by the bar where one girl dances. The lapdance room has about 10 booths with no curtains so the bouncer walks in about once a song and checks on all the girls. It's the type of club where the girls walk around asking for tips after they finish dancing. In staying with the young crowd theme, the music is mostly hip hop/r&b with a little bit of modern day rock. You won't find any 80's hair metal here."

I don't know if it's obvious to you, but I swiped the above narrative right off the internet while I Googled BT's Gentlemens Club. I never paid attention to this place that is near the Sunset Place in South Miami. While stuck in traffic, this got my attention. Should I go in there to snap pictures? The bouncers probably will break all the bones in my body and I probably will need to bribe my way out by paying the girls. Nah! Bad idea! This is all you will see.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell is a restaurant chain based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., it specializes in fast Mexican-style food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and other specialty items. Stop right there! This is not the kind of food I like at all. But the building looks very interesting architecturally. It looks Mexican to me, and this restaurant is near Bal Harbor islands, a stone throw from Miami Beach.

Cookie-Monsters

I am not at all a cookie person, but may be you are, so this one is for you.

Chick-fil-A

Today is the US labor day holiday. There is a gimmick going on at this Dadeland Mall. The food chain Chick-fil-A aggressively advertises that a free chicken sandwich is given to you if you show up wearing your favorite sport team T-Shirt. That worked very well and they have the biggest queue of the entire food court. I know they made plenty of money on the drinks and the side dishes. Also, not everyone goes for the sandwich so they will pick other choices, paying full price and forget about the free offer that pulled them in here in the first place. You can never win against these clever marketing people, and the other food court tenants must be kicking themselves in the pants for not thinking about this themselves.

Down and Out

You think you have problems? Be happy you are not the man you see on the bus bench on the right. This is his home. I see him everyday at this bench, just sitting and looking at the traffic. Sometimes, I see him holding his head in his hands and today, he is sleeping. There is a storm forecast to arrive here later this afternoon, where will he go?

Vriesea splendens

This Flaming Sword bromeliad (Vriesea splendens) has remarkable staying power. It is named "flaming sword" due to its beautiful and bright scarlet color in the Spring. After all these months, the "sword" is still strong and its colors have become subdued as Fall is arriving.

Mack Cycle

This bicycle store has been selling bikes a long, long time here in South Miami, a true shining example for what a long lasting business is like. The white steel frames that hang above on the sides are old fashioned hurricane shutters that protect the window panes in case a nasty hurricane would sneak in to visit Miami. This store is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the business must have outgrown their interior show room so the bikes are now invading the side walk.

Brown

Ubiquitous in Miami are two giant delivery services competing for business. I like them both because they provide consistent first class delivery service... so reliable. Here is "Brown." That is the jingle United Parcel Service uses to advertise themselves. Everyday, you see the brown UPS trucks running the streets of Miami neck to neck with the other "guys" FedEx, which is the more catchy name they came up with for Federal Express. Actually, I like FedEx better, but Brown is OK too.

Crappy Weather

If you want to see how Miami looks under a mini storm, here it is. It's a "crappy" photo simply because the weather was "crappy" and I was busy driving too. This was about 2PM today. There was a lot of thunder and lightning and none hit me, thank goodness!

HUGE

Don't let the size of these guavas fool you. They will become real BIG in a couple of months. I can even eat them if I protect them like this. It's a pain, but this is the only way I know to keep a multitude of nuisance from spoiling ALL the fruits of this tree. Insects such as:

RED BANDED THRIPS (Selenothrips rubrocinctus)
CARIBBEAN FRUIT FLY (Anastrepha suspensa)
GUAVA MOTH (Argyresthia eugeniella)
GUAVA WHITEFLY (Metaleurodicus cardini)

Did I miss anyone? Grow, baby, grow!