Double Whammy

I told you Miami drivers are not very good at driving their cars. Here is another example this morning. Miami crisis response teams are very good. They dispatch to the scenes very rapidly. After your accident shock, you will receive a follow up shock when they send you the bill. This is what one can call double whammy.

El Capitan

One of the many places you go to get fixes for your water crafts is this long time established boat parts and equipment business on NW 27th Ave and about 14th street. This is El Capitan Marine & Fishing Center catered to supplying boat accessories, fishing tackle, marine electronics and many other boat needs since 1973.

Baby Cigars

At Bayside in Miami, near the luxury yatch den, you can find the high price speed boats. Legends have it that law enforcement sometimes has a hard time keeping up with these high power wave runners.

Longana Heaven

The longans on my trees are bursting from the seams. Harvesting time is upon us and it's going to be hard work in this heat.

Veined Mystery

Can you guess what this is? Hint: it's a large leaf of an aquatic plant upon whose flowers it is said highly placed Buddha once sat.

Dracula

Blood is always in short supply so you often see blood mobiles in the city of Miami collecting to replenish supplies. If you give blood, you may get a thank you note along with a can of juice for your trouble. You also get a free notice of your cholesterol level in a few days. After a donation, if you do not get contacted by the blood center, you know you are in good shape. If you are not "perfect," your blood will not be welcome, for good reasons.

GameWorks

Weekend in Gameworks at Sunset Place spotlights visitors from afar. From the T-shirt, these people seem to say they come from the Big Apple, New York.

Dry Dock

Back to the grove... Boats upon rows of boats are stored on dry dock simply because there are just so many piers available on the water front. Do you know how much they charge for a pier, or even for dry dock spots here? Exorbitant comes to mind.

Named Bricks

Jackson Memorial is a well established hospital community in Miami. Its campus is huge and this alley commemorates names of contributors and patients over the many years. Some have names, some go without as anonymous.

Pho Thang

This is "Pho Thang," my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. It's deep in the South at 160th Street just West of US-1. The food is excellent. You need to pay with cash because they do not take plastic. Check with them first before you come. I recommend this restaurant to all my friends.

Route 66

People are all lined up here, ready for very tasty burgers at Johnny Rockets at Sunset Place. Me? I like to defy the cholesterol guy once in a while and go for my favorite "Route 66" o so good burger with mushroom right here. Yum!

Hidden Lotus and Frozen Water

In an impromptu visit to tog, I caught one of his wonderfully mystical lotus in bloom in his secluded garden.

Philanthropist

During his lifetime, Jay W. Weiss was a passionate and dedicated supporter of the Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital. Overall, Mr. Weiss helped raise more than $150 million for UM and Jackson, including millions in his own special contributions. He died of cancer in January 2004, and this summer the University of Miami Miller School and Jackson Memorial Hospital honored his memory with a special tribute celebration by the dedication of his sculpture in the middle of the medical center. The sculpture is the work of artist Ric Frignoca of Bronzeart in Sarasota.

Easy Riders

On a hot Sunday early afternoon, this family is taking an unconventional stroll in the neighborhood: on horse back! They are crossing a large intersection here at Sunset Drive and SW 107th Avenue. I wouldn't do that too often if I were them. You'd never know with all the crazed Miami drivers.

Fitness R Us

LA Fitness is a privately owned American health club chain with over 300 clubs and claiming it has millions of members across many US states and Canada. The company was formed in 1984 and is based in Irvine, California. There are many clubs in Miami and this one is inside the Sunset Place. Be warned! Before you rush to this place to join and then blame me, research about this business (as about any other business that may want your hard earned $) to see how you enroll (and pay) and how easy (or impossibly hard) to quit. You can learn a few things.

Radhachura

Right next to this golden shower tree (Cassia fistula) is its cousin, this Golden Flamboyant (Peltophorum pterocarpum.) You can see it to the right of the golden flower tree when it was without any flowers. Today is a different story... and it is blooming profusely.

Peltophorum pterocarpum (Copperpod, Golden Flamboyant, Yellow Flamboyant, Yellow Flame Tree, Yellow Poinciana, Radhachura in Bangla) is a genus in the same family Fabaceae as that of the golden shower. Note that the name Yellow Poinciana is a misnomer because the real yellow poinciana is a rare variant of the real flamboyant tree, the Delonix regi. Enough weird names already, just enjoy the view.

Murraya paniculata

The Orange Jasmine - Murraya paniculata is in full bloom. You probably have seen it here. This photo also gives you a report on the progress of the longans. They are getting big and heavy on the branches. If you drive around Miami tonight, you may be able to detect the wonderful scent of the jasmine here and there. Roll down your car windows.

Miami City Hall

I was concentrating on the man who was cleaning the fresh fish just off the bay here in Dinner Key... Later I realized that the building across the water is Miami City Hall. This view is from Scotty's Landing in Coconut Grove, which was formed in 1925 when the city of Miami annexed two new areas, the city of Coconut Grove (aka The Grove) and Silver Bluff. Historically, Pan Am's seaplane operations were based in Dinner Key, and the Miami City Hall is based in the old Pan Am terminal building. Imagine... that building is OLD, but it is in tip top shape. Wonderful!

Grand Bay Miami

This is the Grand Bay Miami, also known as the Wyndham Grand Bay Coconut Grove, on S. Bayshore Drive viewed from Pan American Drive. It is within a short walk to Cocowalk and the Coconut Grove Playhouse.

Golden

Another example of this beautiful species of Golden Shower tree that is in its peak now. This tree is across from the Emergency entrance to South Miami Hospital.

Hot Lunch

On a scorching day typical of Miami like today, you have to be brave to go to this place for lunch, which is Scotty's Landing in Coconut Grove. It's outdoor, on the water and there is no air conditioning. But the view is worth it and the ceiling fans equipped with misting nozzles do help a lot. This big sail boat is being launched and it caught the attention of a lot of people.

KFC

Look what the Colonel came up with... Double the calorie and multiply the grease... There is a real rash of new inventions on the menu of Kentucky Fried Chicken. This is the latest one. I can tell you this stuff is REALLY REALLY greasy... but depending on your mood, it could be delicious too.

Apple

Apple (I hate iTunes) is raking in the $ since it launched its newest gadgets, the iPad and iPhone 4. Their store in Dadeland Mall is usually packed with curious onlookers eager to have a taste of the new rage.

Hammock

Inside Miami's Matheson Hammock park, you can take a lazy stroll every day and see Florida nature up close... mangroves, oaks and banyan trees... and of course... mosquitoes. People come here to walk, bike, picnic, launch boats or just sit and watch the time go by.

Big Red

Once in a while, I come here in the middle of summer to look at this royal poinciana tree. It's one of the big one in Miami, and always beautiful. It's on SW 67th Avenue, a few blocks North of Miller Road.

Public Health Lab

Close to the Jackson medical conglomerate is this small but well appreciated Regional Public Health facility that provides free service to those who need it. People come here for immunization shots too.

Blue Sky, White Clouds

July in Miami is hot and humid and afternoon thunder storms... But blue sky and white clouds are always nice to look at. Beyond this beautiful flowering tree is Dadeland Mall, anchored in the East end by Macy's and JC Penney.

Hand Cycle

Today is the US' Independence Day and this is Sunday, so Monday, tomorrow is day off for many workers. Health minded people take advantage of the extra free time to exercise outdoors. Riding bicycle is a very popular sport in Miami. This person is special in the bike that he uses getting trim in Matheson Hammock park. He uses hand and arm power rather than the muscles of his legs. Of course, he has his cell phone with him. I wonder how he can text while riding like this. Hmmm... Can one text with toes?

Fruity Soaps

This is a brand new business that started only last week. The location is one of the many many kiosks inside Miami's Dadeland Mall. Since it's still in the "Grand Opening" state, this sale lady told me I can get a gift basket for between US $ 10 and $20. The basket comes free with either any three or five large "fruits." These are hand made (I forgot to ask her where, most likely one of the South American countries) decorative gifty style soaps shaping as fruits. They contain only 3 percent soap and 97 percent fruit scents. Now, that's quite an odd idea. May be not for me... I do not want to smell like a tomato or a banana after my shower or bath... unless I plan to attract insects or bees.

Magic Hands

This quite new car wash business is setting shop just about to be across from The Car Wash on US-1 near Bird Road. I can't figure this out because the car wash business is suffering quite badly in this economy. Now both are trying to lure the hard to find customers into their facilities. Good luck!

Waiting...

Patients waiting to see their doctors at a typical treatment center inside the Jackson Memorial Hospital complex in Miami. Typical waiting times are 2 - 3 hours resulting in productivity loss of about a billion hours in 2008. Multiply that by the average hourly wage and you can guess how much money is wasted every year.