PEACOCKS, PALMS, & A POINCIANA TREE

I went for a bike ride with camera in hand. I wanted to show you the peacocks I’ve been writing about. Two blocks away I saw nine grazing.

You can still find them occasionally in Grove neighborhoods. Rarely do you see a male with its feathers spread but when it happens, it’s amazing. They shake ‘em and dance to impress the girls. As a younger man, I used to do that myself.

When I took these pictures though there was no hanky-panky going on. They were simply poking through the grass for insects.

A few blocks north I began taking pictures of some of the statues that have taken up residence on our downtown sidewalks. Many were painted by friends.

Lebo’s welcomes you to the north entrance of Commodore Plaza .

This one, painted by Eileen Seitz, depicts the “Old Grove”.

Fred Hunt’s hangs out in front of The Shops of Mayfair.

This one, touched by many little hands, guards St. Stephens Church.

The back side of Eileen’s shows a flock of birds grazing in Peacock Park thirty years ago.

Back then you could still see the sailboats and Biscayne Bay.

In the early 80’s the State planted the line of mangrove trees that now block the view. Here is what that same spot looked like yesterday,

The entire park is in dire need of a makeover. As you can see, the trees block much of the view and the cooling breezes for this bayside sanctuary.

The Grove’s city commissioner, Marc Sarnoff, is working on a plan to “cut windows” in the trees so we can see the bay again.

Let’s hope he succeeds.

On a surprisingly cool Tuesday evening there was no one by the bay. The setting sun lit up the park’s poinciana tree just for me.

On the west end of the park a dozen young men played ball. They have pick up games there twice a week.

Just a jump shot away six kids enjoyed the tennis courts that became a skateboard park. Watching them was our homeless lady. As she laid out a few snacks on a table I noticed that with the exception of the few game-playing boys, she had the whole park to herself.

Heading home I thought, "I should take some pictures of Walt’s Barber Shop". This is the type of lonely little structure that could be bulldozed any time. I zipped up to the 3800 block of Grand Avenue and took these shots,

It seems to be in violation of being appreciated. Wouldn’t it be great if our historic preservationists saved this little blue gem?

Five years ago Walt moved his business two blocks east, to 3671 Grand Avenue,

When I took this shot I could see Walt working away though the window, a customer perched high in an elevated chair. It is a unique Grove business. Where else can you get a haircut, pants altered and shoes repaired all at the same time? Like the sign at the old store says,