The wonderful Lou and Grace (from the Mariner Global Odyssey trip) met me at the terminal. I was spending the night with them.
We started off with a trip around Miami city. It’s really pretty.
We went around the business area and learned of many of the changes that have happened. Lou and Grace both had time in Miami as kids when their families came over from Cuba. They both ended up back in Miami as adults and met here. So they have certainly seen a lot of change.
I love history form a local. They talked about one restaurant they frequented. One night there were their later…… and the cliental changed. From the local restaurant to one of the main ‘locals’ for the Scarface crowd. Fancy cars, fur coats and all that goes with the infamous drug trade of Miami in the 70’s.
One of the main old art deco building survived as looks great among the modern buildings. It was originally Sears.
We then went along the new coast line, saw the ship, the amazing causeway bridge. One of the many storms was coming in. It storms. Then it get hot again.
An then went out in to the suburbs. The old suburbs. The rich suburbs. Stunning.
One area has no street signs. They use signs like the old concrete mile markers. Most of them were gated communities with the big guard posts at the first corner. The celebs all live in there.
Then off to an island Virginia Key. Amazing views over Biscayne Bay to the city.
This was where the ‘black’s beach’ was. Don’t know how they were meant to get there!
Its now a trendy little natural area. You pay $13 to get in and use the beaches. Pretty.
There is heaps of natural parklands. Really heavily timbered. We saw some people coming out of one walking track brushing the savage fire ants off.
There is a water treatment plant there. It has been there for a very long time. BUT…when a few large developments across the bay discovered that they were getting poo smells…they sued the city. The solution – a giant misting system….that puffs out citrus mist.
SO the people can now sit on their balconies and smell the lovely Orange Blossoms that Florida is so famous for! How wonderful for them. And I must admit… it was a lovely smell.
They trap the methane from the sewerage and use it for energy! This plant runs on poo power!
There were Mexican iguanas everywhere. Cool big lizards with great spiny hairdo’s. (“Oh we have them in the backyard”).
As we drove along I saw Racoons. A big family if them foraging under a tree. Of course I screeched with excitement. “Turn around, Turn around”! Very exciting . Mum and four big babies YAY My first wild racoons! (“Oh we have them in the backyard”).
We also saw lots of birds. Lou and Grace are avid birders. We saw…..Fly Catchers, Little Falcon Merlin, Cattle Egrets, Mourning Doves, and heaps of Turkey Vultures. Heaps of other things.
It was then off to Little Havana. The centre of most things Central American – especially Cuban.
And to Versailles “The world’s most famous Cuban Restaurant”. It a huge institution in Miami. The place THE people came to eat and plan revolution! It’s been here s long as the Cubans. They have the restaurant, the bakery (that is so popular you queue for 20 minutes to get served) and the coffee shop. The coffee shops here are tiny windows where you get your shot and drink it. No take away cups, nor other kinds of coffee. Just a shot of expresso. And again the queues were long. At around 2pm the whole of Miami is lined up at little windows.
The food was lovely….not like what I ate in Cuba from the government restaurants!
We then went back to their house. WOW. No wonder they are birders. We then spent many hours sitting in their sunroom/backroom, int he air conditioning, overlooking the mist beautiful yard. But not just a yard – a yard running into a lake…with so much life.
Now this is birding the hard way! Drinking a cup of tea, on a lounge chair, in the cool looking at this glorious view.
SQUEEL – Hummingbirds. Oh my. They are tiny – like your little finger and so fast. I didn’t know they were insect eaters. They are like a blur as they suddenly appear and snap an insect out of the air. Insane. Anyone that can get a good photo of a hummingbird is a genius. Even at the feeder (sugar water) was nearly impossible to snap the little darlings.
Also watched many Painted Buntings. Another tiny and super fast bird.The guy is so bright and the girls so beautiful in their olive green coats.
At leat they would sit and eat at the feeder. Squirrel proof feeders – makes it hard to photo but the squirrels eat everything. Because squeal again SQUIRRELS! The population stays at four males for the yard this size. They are also insanely fast… and why walk somewhere when you can dive, flip and pirouette. They are hilarious. They also like to get comfortable for an equally fast rest – on the furniture.
Blue Jays were another favourite. So pretty. They love peanuts and know the whistle means more are put out. They look quiet plain until they open their bright blue wings and fluff up their cool head piece.
When one discovers them he calls all the others. When there are multiple peanuts, they hop around and pick them up to weigh them, then go back for the heaviest one.
The Crakles came and went, also peanut fans.
A Ruby Throated Woodpecker came to visit. Just like the cartoons they do it on tree trunks, listen then peck away.
These to tree trunks show the holes they make when grub chasing.
At the back is the lake – is a man made water drainage system. New developments are dug out fro fill to build up the land. They then have a system, of water ways that all connect to the Everglades. I didn’t see any Alligators in their yard today…but they do get them. I did see turtles. Big round ones. And so many Ducks, Egrets and Ibis.
This place is amazing. We sat for hours. It must be awfully hard to leave the house.
But we did. We went to a Cuban restaurant (where no one goes hungry) for early dinner
Then to Everglades Park Drive for sunset. As it got dark the Egrets come in to roost. A group of trees went from empty to almost white by dark. An alligator cruised around under them and people caught fish – Oscars and a huge bass. A Red Hawks sat up high watching it all -then off he went.Jet boats came in and the sun sank into the Everglades.
WOW.
.
Next morning was up and out to sit in the room and watch birds. The hummingbirds were working hard and the squirrels and Blue Jays entertained us.
After breakfast we headed off to Wakadahatchee Wetlands. About an hour north. So beautiful. It was a great boardwalk through the 54 acres of swampy wetlands. It rained when we got there. The rain stoped and out came the sun..and the humidity!
The birds are changing over at the moment – different ends of the migrations. Huge Great Blue Herons were everywhere, resting and stalking through the water in slow motion. Anahinga (or Snakebird) flew all over the place. When they swim only their coloured neck shows and they look like a snake. A Downy Woodpecker came and attacked a tree. Talk about an industrious worked. I tough woodpeckers in the cartoons with their rapid tapping were caricature. But no. They are like lightening.
There were a few alligators lying in the water. And babies. Only about 300ml long. Cute! In a reptile kind of way.
But it was hot! So hot. Only low 30′ but the humidity was 150% according to Lou. So when the locals complain… imagine how I felt.
Next Page Vision of the Seas through the Panama Canal.
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