We have grown to really enjoy Miami! It is a young and vibrant city with a distinct Latin vibe.
We have been here for about 10 days and have had some really fun adventures.
Mockingjay (Part I)
We got to see Mockingjay (Part 1) the day it opened. I (Tom) have been a huge fan of the Hunger Game books from before the first movie opened and I have found all of the movies well done and true to the books. It is a very well crafted story that deals with a lot of very real (if somewhat exaggerated) issues of income disparity and government control. Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss Everdeen perfectly as the reluctant hero. I have to admit that I was disappointed when they split the third (final) book into two movies, but now, at least, I can look forward to another movie.
University of Miami - Women's Basketball
We have long been fans of Women's Basketball and would have loved to see Syracuse play here, but that game is scheduled later in the season. But we figured it would be interesting to just see a game and we went to see Miami open against Oakland. They won handily, but it was a fun game. It was a mid-day game which is unusual, but great for our commuting on mass-transit. On arrival, we learned that the primary reason for the timing was that it was 'Student Day' when groups of elementary students can come for free. There were about 4,000 kids there that day and we were very impressed by the good manners and behavior of the public school students sitting next to us. Although enthusiastic and high energy, they dutifully put their trash in the designated bags and polite 'pleases and thank-yous' were abundant. Well done parents and Miami-Dade Schools!
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| Miami Elementary Students enjoying the game |
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| Some of the action Not a great picture but the best I could do with my phone |
Steel Pan (Drum) 'Seminar'
On a car-trip to Miami earlier this year, we had enjoyed a Steel Pan concert at History Miami (http://www.historymiami.org/). The 21st Century Steel Drum Band was the 'Artist in Residence' this quarter and they were offering a seminar where you could learn more about the instruments and 'learn' to play. We thought it would be fun and signed up. It was a blast! It was hands-on and we were taught a few songs - we actually didn't sound half bad on a simple version of 'Matilda' - the more complicated 'Silent Night' was another matter.
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| Pan-Master Joyce |
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| Tom with the ensemble |
Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens (http://www.fairchildgarden.org/
We had been to this large botanical garden on a previous visit, but enjoyed it so much that we wanted to return. We were not sure how many trees/scrubs would be in bloom at this time of year, but were pleasantly surprised to find that there were a lot of blooms on display. Also the butterflies were posing nicely and I got some fairly nice shots.
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| Doesn't this tree look like it's decorated for Christmas! |
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| Huge blossoms like above - different color |
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| Rainbow Eucalyptus |
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| Banana tree flower and fruit |
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| Colorful shrubs |
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| One of the art pieces from the exhibit that is currently being installed - major theme is 'balls' |
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| The hope is that a predator would aim for the head with the big eye |
On a personal note, we have also been able to spend some great time with my cousin and her family that live in the Grove.
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| Our newest crew-member! |
Addendum 11/23/2014 UM Women's Volleyball
We went to our first Women's Volleyball game as University of Miami hosted Boston College. It was much more exciting than we imagined. 'Kills', 'Digs', referee flag signals - so much to learn. They play hard and fast with occasional 'change-ups' to keep the opposition off balance. Pretty exciting!
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| Again, less than great cellphone picture, but hopefully it conveys a sense of the action |
There was a middle-school band and dance team from a local Miami-Dade school at the game. The band was amazingly good!
Tom
Moored Coconut Grove (Miami)
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