Today I took a walk around the condo, photographing the best gardens, which I used to create a gallery at the condo’s web site. I also created a view where people can rate each photo and see the highest rated photos.
Local
Florida joins the modern world
Florida’s State Board of Education has voted to use the term “scientific theory of evolution” in new science standards, the first time the word “evolution” has been included.
Castro Resigns
Wow… just wow! I didn’t expect this. Castro has been in power longer than I’ve been alive. Nothing is going to change, however, since his brother Raul Castro is in charge now.
Raul isn’t as strong and charismatic as Fidel, so his rule probably won’t be popular and is more likely to be overthrown.
Armando Garcia, 67, of Miami, said replacing Fidel Castro with his brother, Raul, probably won’t result in the kind of sweeping changes urged by those who have fled Cuba since the revolution that swept Castro into power.
“It’s the same dog with a different collar,” said Garcia, a retired electrician. For change to happen, he said, “my people have to changeĀ The young people, they are the hope.”
Adriano Manduca, 79, said he suspected Castro was close to stepping down when he heard the ailing dictator say recently the revolution had been “inflexible” in some respects. Change on the island, he said, will be gradual and only come when a new generation of leadership takes over.
“There will be more food and a little bit more freedom,” he said.
Orlando Gonzalez, 80, was selling Cuban flags for $3 each on the corner of Southwest 8th Street and 36th Avenue. He said he’s had the flags for a long time, waiting for this day to sell them.
“It’s the desire of all the world that this tyranny end,” he said, referring to the Castro regime.
Repeated rumors of Castro’s death over the years helped prepare residents and officials for this day that all knew would eventually come. So far, the reactions were calm, peaceful and not as boisterous as when thousands took to the streets after Castro temporarily handed power to his brother Raul in July 2006.
Cold Weather
We’re having unusually cold weather in Florida the last few days. It went down to 45F last night and barely reached 60F today. It’s supposed to go down to 35F tonight. I already covered my tomato plants, but I suspect they won’t survive. For everyone outside of Florida, it means our crops may be damaged, so expect to pay more for food grown here.
Oakland Park honors its most famous resident
On November 28, 2007, the Oakland Park City Commission unanimously voted to name the city’s new downtown park after Jaco Pastorius, The World’s Greatest Bass Player. Jaco’s hometown celebrates its most famous artist with a tremendous honor: a living memorial with a focus on the arts. The 2 1/2 year grassroots effort has come to fruition. Now south Florida residents and Jaco fans worldwide will have a place to reflect upon and enjoy the legacy of a music giant. There are also plans to incorporate Jaco’s name and story into the City’s various performing arts events.
The park is located in downtown Oakland Park, Florida, at the intersection of Dixie Highway and NE 38th Street. It is between Dixie Highway and the Florida East Coast Railroad. (via Grass Roots Project page)
Jaco went to Northeast High School, which is right up the street from me.
Getting Closer
All of the cabinets are in place, including the one over the refrigerator, which was a special order. The knobs and most of the trim is in place. We’re just waiting for the sink & countertops, which should be here by the end of the week.
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Kitchen renovation day 9
They finished putting in the cabinets and put down the tile. The floor & walls are uneven, so they spent several hours just getting everything level.
Wilma two years later
Two years ago today we got hit by Hurricane Wilma. Although Hurricane Katrina got more press, Wilma was the bigger disaster for south Florida. I lost power early in the morning and was without power for 10 days. Almost the entire county lost power when many power lines and substations were damaged.
We had a cookout by the pool every night, since that was the only way we could cook. Someone set up a generator, so we spent the nights hanging around the pool & clubhouse instead of in our dark apartments. We were still without power on Halloween, so we had a party for the kids in the clubhouse instead of letting them go trick-or-treating in the dark.
We learned from it and prepared for future storms. The condo association bought a generator and a large freezer for the clubhouse. One of the reasons I bought my Prius was because of the long gas lines we had when most gas stations were without electricity to pump gas.
We just finished having the last roofs replaced – almost half of the 34 buildings needed a new roof. Other than that we were pretty lucky. We didn’t have any damage other than the roofs and some flooding. A lot of people lost their homes and some of them still don’t have their roof fixed.
Kitchen renovation day 8
The guys made a lot of progress today. The microwave oven and most of the cabinets are in. The stove is in place but not connected, along with the bottom cabinets on that side. The wall is uneven, so they need to fix it before they install those cabinets.
