Miami II: South Beach and the Everglades

Friday, February 26, 2016 was a feel good day.  While Jonny worked, Jenny took Dave and me, along with Sam and Henry, to Homestead and the Everglades.  Homestead is a farming area south of Miami, where roads branch to both the Florida Keys and the Everglades.  We stopped at one of Jonny and Jenny's favorite places, Knaus Berry Farm.  It has a U-pick strawberry field, but it also sells cinnamon rolls that sometimes spawn lines out the door and around the parking lot.  We bought half a dozen and washed them down with key lime and passion fruit shakes.

 We spent several hours at the Everglades Alligator Farm.  We wandered through the exhibits of tropical birds and past the pens for grown and baby alligators.

We watched the animal shows.  The highlight of the snake show was watching the volunteer shiver and scream as the presenter draped a Burmese python around her shoulders.

The highlight of the alligator show was watching the presenter "bulldog" an alligator by sitting on its back and hold open its mouth with his hand.

 We took an airboat ride through the swamp.  There were alligators lazing on the shore, and, out in the open marshes, the captain whirled us around and around, at full speed, in the sawgrass.

 We drove into Everglades National Park and walked along the Anhinga Trail.  The trees in the parking lot (and throughout Florida) were draped with Spanish moss.

Sam is fascinated with bridges, and he ran from one bridge to the next, as Jenny followed with Henry in the stroller.  "It's a bridge!" he exclaimed.

 On our way back to Miami, we stopped at "Robert is Here," a fruit stand with a huge selection of exotic fruits for sale.  Guanabana and Ugli fruit were not familiar to me!  I bought several jars of fig jam to serve with brie cheese and crackers.

Jonny joined us after work at Miami's South Beach.  South Beach is a living museum of Art Deco buildings.  We stopped at the Wolfson Museum, with its Art Deco style and thought-provoking exhibits on the impact of philodendrons (tropical house plants from Brazil) on US clothing and home decorating, and the evolution of Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles from the 1880s through the 1950s.  After chasing Sam around and around the galleries, Jonny swore there would be no more museums.  I appreciated his humoring me with the fabulous Wolfson.

South Beach was hopping on Friday night.  We prowled the fringes of the partying with our toddler and our stroller, savoring the lights, music, antique cars, and Art Deco vibe.  We also walked on the beach in the moonlight.

We walked past the Hotel Victor, where Versace, the famous clothes designer, was murdered outside his apartment.  Miami earned a reputation for drugs, sin, and danger during the 1970s and 1980s.  "Miami Vice" was a popular 1980s TV show that burnished that image.

 Sam stayed up late and walked most of the way on his own two (short) legs.

Miami I: In Search of Sunsets

Sam is twice as smart as he was at Christmas, and he also has a cool collection of monkeys, dogs, and bears. Henry, at four months, is a real person who looks straight into your eyes, grabs toys with his hands, rolls over, and wails if he gets bored.  We visited Jonny and Jenny in Miami for two long weekends--February 25 to 28 and March March 4 to 7, 2016--and treasured our time with Sam, Henry, and their doting parents. During the week, we stayed in a timeshare in St. Augustine and explored the Florida Spanish Colonial coast and the Florida Outback.

 Jonny is an expert on sunsets.  He knows all the right times and places to watch the sun light up the sky in florid pink as it sinks into the Atlantic Ocean.  On Thursday, February 25, we hiked along the beach near the Key Biscayne lighthouse, as night fell.

 Raccoons, a common mammal of the Southeast, roamed the parking lot.

 We settled on benches facing west to await the sunset.

 We didn't see any sea cows, or manatees, while we were in Florida, but there were many signs warning boats to beware of them.

 Finally, the moment came--the sun sinking into the sea and the clouds turning pink and gold.

Jonny took us to the Wynwood district of Miami, where artists painted murals on dilapidated buildings and brought the neighborhood to life.  It is now bustling with shops, restaurants, and tourists who come to see the art.

Sam took it all in.  We were his third set of visitors in three weeks--Sam's beloved Nana and Papa Leatham visited first, followed by Camille with Sophia, Ezra, and Mia.  Sam was still glad to see us, and came running out with his jack-in-the-box to show us its wonders.

We finished the evening with a selection of pie slices from Miami's top pie shop.  The key lime pie was out of this world.

Goodbye to Grant

Grant entered the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, March 2, 2016, to learn Slovakian.  He gave his farewell address in the Sammamish First Ward on Sunday, February 21.   Dave and I flew to Seattle for the weekend to hear Grant and celebrate with his family.  I often remember grumbling to a friend at work, when my Jonny and Mike left on missions, that it took a dozen parties to get them launched.  The friend said that she would give 100 parties, if only her son would go on a mission.  Dave and I joyously ate dinner at The Spaghetti Factory with the Flindts on Saturday night, and then fixed a Sunday feast.  All celebrations were in honor of Grant and the wonderful parents who raised this fine son.

Lisa knows the best hiking trails around Seattle--the paths winding through rainforests and following old railroad tracks.  On Saturday morning, we savored both types of trails with Lisa, Kirsten, Bryce, and Alyssa.  Michael, Grant, and Kyle were all at work.

We spent the afternoon at Pike Market.  The horse police drew a crowd, as did the iconic fish-throwers and the polished brass pig.  Alas, we missed the newly renovated "chewed gum" wall.

Kirsten, Alyssa, and I wandered through Pike Market food stores and art galleries.  Our first treat was orange-coated hazelnuts.  Our second treat was choosing from the dozens of bottles of soda pop at the Pear Delicatessen and Shoppe. 

The whole Flindt family gathered at The Spaghetti Factory to wish Grant well.  Michael K is home from BYU Idaho for a semester, although Spencer stayed close to his studies at BYU Provo.

 Kyle's parents, Herb and JoDee, were in Seattle with us for Grant's farewell.  The kids got lots of Grandma and Grandpa time.

Grant's Church talk was personal, moving, and very spiritual.  "Grant sounds like a missionary coming home, rather than one leaving," David said.  David especially enjoyed hearing Grant share one of Grandpa Cliff's spiritual experiences, as Grant talked about having faith during adversity.  "If I had a few more minutes, I would have squeezed in my Grandma Flindt's story about our Danish ancestors and your story about Grandma Rose," Grant assured us.  Grant had no lack of advisors for his talk--several friends from BYU talked with him for hours and hours the night before, and David, the Flindts, and I all shared faith-promoting tales.  Grant may find use for the overflow on his mission!  Grant gave special good-byes to the patriarchs of the Flindt and Spendlove families.

 Of course, we needed a luscious Sunday dinner.  We (Lisa, Dave, I, and a collection of volunteers and draftees) fixed ham with mustard sauce, red potato salad, fruit salad, green salad, angel biscuits, and Mississippi mud pie with ice cream.  It was a meal Grant can remember as he eats potatoes and cabbage in Slovakia!  Dave and I left for our Sunday night flight home after hugs all around.