“ These gardens give us the hope and serenity that emanate from the beauty of the earth.” (Eleanor and Eugene Goldberg)

As I eagerly await our next road trip to California later this month, perhaps you’ve noticed that I’m spending more time investigating local tourist spots in my own home territory of South Florida. For in paraphrasing from the introduction to my blog home page, any place near or far will do if your senses are open to the peaceful energy that surrounds you. So I headed north on busy I-95 on Saturday morning last week, then veered west through swanky Boca Raton to spend an amazing two hours meandering around the sixteen acre environs of Morikami Gardens.

So what exactly made the timing of my visit to “Garden Of The Drops of Dew” as Morikami is commonly called so special? Know that upon arrival, I seemed to have “caught a break” as throngs of tourists at Morikami were rushing for cover to escape one of those typical South Florida rain showers that pass through during the approaching summer season. Yet I knew that these deluges did not usually last very long. Thus I felt free to conduct my self guided tour of Morikami’s unique landscape designs at a time when it’s paths were relatively clear of competing pedestrian traffic.

So I invite you to join with me amid the cooler aftermath of summer rain at Morikami in the photo set below. For I hope to recapture for you some highlights of this visit that best capture nature’s solitude there amid its flowering trees, shrubs, rocks ,and gravel in Japanese artistic tradition.

“ Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” (Betty Friedan)

When it comes to music, it’s a fair statement to say that originality can be a rare commodity to find as each age generation passes. For as the iconic bands of the past rapidly disappear from existence, their old songs become reborn in the burgeoning trend of Tribute bands today. Witness for example those wildly popular musical impersonators of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson or Liberace along the famed strip in Las Vegas. Or venture into any wine bar, country hall or dinner theater establishment on a Saturday night and you can often hear American legends of pop music past like Willie Nelson, The Eagles or Tom Petty magically reappear for your enjoyment. Surprisingly, I’ve even observed directly that those memorable songs that I grew up with during the Vietnam War era inspire me to find common ground with today’s youth as well. Thus upon retirement from teaching a few years back, I took out my old trombone and tediously practiced my horn in order to ultimately play with a volunteer gathering  of gifted high school students in such a classic rock branded band.          

 Perhaps you’ve noticed then that Tribute bands seem to pay homage to the idea that while we cannot stop aging of our body, the musical vibe we’ve enjoyed most can remain youthfully alive. So in this spirit of timeless optimism, I ask you to observe then the following song excerpts from four, retro minded, Tribute bands I’ve been paying great attention to lately. Do the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms of any particular tunes resonate for you as they once did in the past? Does any performance feature a charismatic lead vocalist who inspires attention to one of your previous musical idols on stage? Do the personalities of other band members stand out for you for any group as they often did before? Are you induced to dance or sing along in youthful vigor to the lyrics of a familiar song? Does the lighting or other special effects accentuate the stage “backdrop” appearance of one or more of these venues in a nostalgic way for you then? Would you be willing to remain for the traditional encore to hear that Tribute Band play on in lieu of exiting early to escape the crowd?

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Leonid and Friends     

Bee Gees Now

Solid Brass

 Ticket To The Moon

 

“More wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world.” ( New York Herald description of Flagler’s Palm Beach Estate, 1902)

Imagine what life might have been like to join the filthy rich during the late 19th century, “Gilded Age” in America. It seems likely that one became inspired at that time by Rockefeller, Carnegie, or Vanderbilt to undertake great individual risk in order to obtain vast wealth from the rapid growth of business, technology, and industry. Yet I’m also intrigued about what kind of lifestyle might have best suited an aspiring entrepreneur then with such substantial profits looming at their future disposal? I assume then that one important strategy for solidifying one’s rank in this elite society could take place for one of these magnates by building a magnificent mansion to enjoy the fruits of their lifelong leisure passions.

Know then that such pervasive Gilded era displays of opulence still exist today on the exclusive, fourteen mile long island called Palm Beach, Florida. No I am not thinking of the tempestuous tycoon presence there of Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago now. For on a recent visit to Palm Beach last week, I would instead experience the proud legacy of Henry D. Flagler, a man who more reasonably handled his sudden fame with both sound heart and mind at his Whitehall mansion during the early years of the 20th century.

So imagine this great captain of American transportation and commerce during the Gilded era eagerly celebrating his second marriage on August 24, 1901 to a sweet Southern lady, Mary Lily Kenyan. For a marriage gift, Mr. Flagler had decided to construct for his younger wife an elegantly designed mansion named Whitehall along the tranquil shoes of Lake Worth Bay He would thus spare no expense in constructing this new home with marble floors, painted ceilings, crystal chandeliers and and an indoor courtyard. A wrought iron fence around the the perimeter of the property would also secure maximum privacy for the Flagler family.

With such a grand wedding event taking place by Mr. and Mrs. Flagler at Whitehall on that momentous day, I’d been enthused that my actual visit to Whitehall last week might somehow offer me a rare opportunity to imagine traveling back in time as a guest of this festive wedding gala. So take a look at the following photos from our visit. For they might help you understand how that memorable wedding atmosphere that happened over hundred and twenty two years ago, seemed so real for me in 2022.

Hi Friends: I’m in the process of making some changes to my Word Press website. I would appreciate if you would complete the brief survey. If you don’t see the survey, click once on the blog title or picture to access it. Thanks. USFMAN

Hello Readers: I’m experiencing some storage space limitations with the thousands of photos I’ve compiled on Word Press over the last five years. So I decided to do some spring cleaning now and purge a manageable collection of my past blogs. Please let me know if there’s a particular blog erased that you would like me to repost. Thank you. USFMAN

 

“We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.” (Anais Nin)

The concept of perfect does not exist as a viable concept in my life. Thus it’s totally wrong to expect my reality in travel to unfold in a perfectly idealized manner. Yet during those curious wanderings that sometimes seem mistake-prone at the time, I strongly envision ways to change my world for the better.

Let’s take the obvious flawed appearance of the historic Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. For how might its legendary angled position influence my future life in a more positive way as I reflect back to our past tour of these hallowed grounds? Perhaps I could now realize the greater needs to stand up straight to gain greater confidence in oneself and avoid back ailments caused by such excessive slouching. Or closer to home, why would I become consistently repelled by the monotonous blight of high rise condos when visiting the beaches of South Florida? It seems that I’m just perceiving them as ugly wall barriers of tourist driven profit that fuel my desire for actively protesting at local zoning meetings to preserve more public beachfront land.

So take a long look at the following photos. I challenge you to consider how you could transform each of these travel scenes depicting signs of negative imperfection into more dazzling deeds of importance in your own life.

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Imagine a vast Everglades of primitive swamp wilderness transformed in a little over one hundred years into a dense urban megalopolis called South Florida. Nowadays, close to ten million people reside along this narrow strip of land stretching north to south in Palm Beach , Broward, and Dade County along the southeast coast of Florida. Envision further a heavy infiltration of visitors and part time residents from northeastern U.S. states, French Canadian Quebec and various other Latin American countries each winter-spring times in south Florida during what’s commonly called “The Season.” Thus begins the mad scramble of human competition to enjoy our coastal sun, sea, and air amenities for these four to six months of the year. So for this longtime Fort Lauderdale resident, you might understand why I diligently search during “The Season” to find accessible spots for peace and quiet along this congested beachfront coastline.

Consider as well my reasoning for making a first time visit last week to the “Bonnet House Estate and Museum, a historic landmark of notable interest within the popular Fort Lauderdale beach district of Fort Lauderdale. In one sense, Bonnet House estate’s thirty five acre “protected” expanse of lush tropical vegetation and gently rising sand dune formations functions most prominently as as one of the few remaining coastal “protected” areas in Broward County to buffer urbanized areas westward from feeling the destructive effects of our annual hurricane season. Yet this so named barrier island encounter on my day trip felt so much much more to me than a dividing juncture to block wind or rain disaster inland. For as I casually strolled this unique oasis showcasing so many artistic, architectural, and ecological gems along this self guided trail, I’d realized that I’d also stumbled upon a special place to relax amid nature away from the “maddening crowd.” Some upcoming nature events to be held in 2022 at the Bonnet Complex that “caught my attention” included the Orchid & Garden Festival, a “forest bathing” walk” and various birdwatching classes.

Continue reading “Going Tech Silent For A Day” →

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger then oneself.” (Joseph Campbell.)

I used to think of Memorial Day Monday solely as a self-indulgent reminder that my stressful teaching year in inner city schools would soon end with some well deserved freedom in summer. Narrow-minded visions of a sumptuous picnic or a sunny off-day at the beach typically occupied my mind during these times. My indifference to the expected military pageantry of this holiday seemed further driven by the cynicism of student protest that intensified for me during the Vietnam War period in my undergraduate college years.

In retrospect, however, it’s clear to me that I’ve made a poor choice to ignore the true meaning of this important patriotic holiday in my life. For I’ve grown wiser through the years and thus now deeply regret my past failure to give tribute to the countless number of men and women who lost their lives serving our country so honorably and courageously in the past. Understand then why I feel grateful today for possessing the folded American flag from my father’s funeral that now lies front and center in our condo living room. For this flag provides a vivid reminder for me to remember often my father’s great courage in having flown multiple bombing missions over Nazi Germany as an Army Air Force gunner in World War II. Most recently, my yoga classes have also given me a useful forum to manage my “inner pain” of past Memorial Day forgetfulness. For in silencing my ego through meditation, I’ve resolved in the spiritual presence of “Dharma” to pay homage in action to America’s military past on this most cherished day.

So next Monday morning , I will lay a bouquet of flowers on my father’s grave and perhaps say a few much needed words to him then that feels appropriate. In the afternoon I will take some time to engage in a spirited “pep talk” with my mother about my father’s admirable military past. I close this entry with some key historical events in American History that I’ve observed in my travels that might spark interest  in your Memorial Day reflections. 

“The seed of cultural harmony lies not in the culture you are born but in the recognition of the sweetness of other cultures.” (Abhijit Naskar)

I’m a huge proponent of cross- cultural awareness based on my past experience as an English Second Language instructor along with my extensive travels around the world. Thus, I diligently make an effort to study any obvious misunderstandings of cultural bias at home and abroad. Informal word phrase usage involving culturally defined, slang expressions, I realize, can present comprehension challenges for foreign born individuals who rely chiefly on obtaining literal understandings in their 2nd language. In other vocabulary use situations, word part divisions, like eggplant and driveway, can easily confuse the culturally challenged learner. Those who overly depend on the dictionary for looking up such new meanings rather than deciphering their vocabulary understandings from contextual clues in a sentence will most likely suffer more severely from this problem.

Consider for instance the following situation. Observe how the intended meanings of quotation marked word/ phrases below could be culturally misunderstood by one receiving the message.

EXAMPLE 1 – WEATHER FORECAST MISUNDERSTANDINGS      

Person #1 – I heard that it will not not rain today.    

Person #2 – “Good grief!”Hold your horses”. This is no time to “cut corners” and leave your umbrella home. For a “matter of fact”, let me tell you something “straight from the horse’s mouth.” “Sit tight” if you leave your “doorway” to “get out and about” today. For it will definitely get “pretty ugly” if you drive in the town’s “parkways” today.

A Logical Take: Warnings about a rainy day are clearly given but the reader becomes confused from so many informally and/or contradictory worded and directions.

Another important component of cultural misunderstanding that I’m highly sensitive to involves those who make hasty judgments about real life situations based on limited knowledge of cultural customs and beliefs. In such cases, specific facial expressions, body movement, and tone of voice…. can be interpreted in different ways.

 Notice below several cultural awareness challenges that I have faced in my past overseas travels. Imagine putting yourself in each of these situations to self reflect in agreement or disagreement about why/how each of them can be best explained.

EXAMPLE 2 – PRIMITIVE PUZZLEMENT          

You’re headed into the vast grasslands of Kenya on a wildfire safari. Along the way, your expedition van turns onto a dusty path leading to a small village of primitive looking huts occupied by the Masai Mara tribe. It seems the entire village populace gathers to meet you then. You expect handshakes or hugs to be exchanged but are surprised that all Masai people present smile broadly and then begin to jump up and down in unison as they come closer to your presence. Some cows are soon brought into the gathering spot accompanied by a leader of the tribe. The chief gives curious attention to your electronic device that you’ve taken from your pocket.

One Logical Take: Playful physical movement in certain cultural settings  may indicate one’s willingness to greet another person.  

2nd Logical Take: The smiling chief might be serious about bartering with me to exchange something he owns in exchange for his use of my electronic device.

EXAMPLE 3 – CULTURAL CLASSROOM INTRUSION      

You’re teaching an English Second Language class of freshman students on designated mornings at a South Florida community college. On the first day of class you notice that one of your pupils, an Iranian of birth, comes to classroom accompanied by his affluent father. During class, the father follows your instructions that college rules prohibit family from sitting in class with the student. So he proceeds to wait outside until the class finishes. When the ninety minute class ends, the father re-enters the class to speak to you about his son. He tells you in a very demanding tone of voice that he functions as an important Arab businessman of great wealth and religious power in his country and thus expects similar high standards of success for his son in this class. He further suggests that if you pay dutiful attention to insure that his son’s grades will be excellent this term, he notes that he will keep his end of this bargain by treating you well at his personal expense.

One Logical Take: Good grades can be bought in some cultural situations; not necessarily earned

EXAMPLE 4 – THE MISCAST LUNCHTIME              

You’re taking an organized tour vacation in South India. On one of your day’s proceedings, you’ve been told by the tour guide that you will be eating a casual lunch in native cultural style in this dense, tropical environs. So when you sit down, and take a sip of your glass of water, you are curious why the waiters have gathered together in mass some giant leaves from nearby trees in these lush surroundings. You next notice one leaf has been given to each person sitting along the table. While larger portions of meat, porridge,, raw fruit, and rice are now placed carefully on each leaf, you wonder why there are no eating utensils to be found. The waiters then quietly vacate the area.

One Logical Take: Proper eating etiquette with knife, fork, and spoon can be practically discarded in some cultures. Just use the leaf as a plate or utensil and scoop the food with it using the your hands. Maybe even eat what’s left of the leaf at the end

EXAMPLE 5 – A PATRIOTIC NIGHTMARE      

It’s the Fourth of July on your independent tour of Madrid, Spain and you are dressed conspicuously American for your country’s celebration in a noticeable array of red, white, and blue and a U.S. flag stuffed in your pocket. Adventuring around the city on this busy weekday, you work your your way slowly through local crowds and descend into one of the busiest underground stations of the Madrid Metro system. After only a very short wait, a metro car approaches. You then whisk your way through its opening door in mass with many others with little time to spare. A group of young men you don’t see remains near the train car entrance as you get in. They quickly work in tandem to surround you to pickpocket your front pocket for my wallet and time themselves for a quick exit off the train before the doors shut. The train departs on time and you realize you’ve become an innocent victim of this robbery.

One Logical Take: Showing love for your country may be perceived negatively in some urban cultural situations. So if you “stand out” this way  in such a crowded situation , you are more likely to become the victim of a “ mugging” crime.        

 2nd Logical Take: Rushing around in crowded places increases ones chances of becoming a victim of a crime .

EXAMPLE 6 – DIRECTIONAL DISORDER    

Today marks the beginning of your 1st time visit to Italy. So you step off  your water taxi alone along the Grand Canal in Venice onto a district of poorly marked local streets amid the old city. Being at first excited to find the small pension where you are staying, you soon panic as any maps and GPS guidance you’ve often utilized in finding suitable lodging before seem useless. An old man walking with a child ahead suddenly gain your attention. 

One Logical Take: Finding your way around amid an unfamiliar cultural location can be difficult to accomplish on your own. So look around during such times and make good use of your best  social  options. 

So in re-connecting to the world beyond as our travels resume in the post pandemic era, let us think more mindfully of the words we choose and the actions we take in challenging cultural situations. For as our sensitivity to /global diversity thrives, there’s greater potential for attaining unity in this modern era.