Coconut Grove had its first big Veterans Day Parade today. It filled the streets with
marching bands,
a half dozen beauty queens, and yes,
a number of men who served in our military.
The procession marched from Commodore Plaza to Virrick Park, about a half-mile, twice as far as the King Mango Strut. Congratulations to all who participated and to those who made it happen.
Here are a few more shots of the happy event,
I take some comfort in knowing Janet Reno left us the day before Jesse Ventura (or someone very much like him) was elected President. I am told she died peacefully in her home in the woods, the one surrounded by oaks and wandering peacocks.
Just off Kendall Drive, I used to stop by on my way home from work. While I knew Janet, I knew her brother, Mark, better.
The Reno kids (L-R) Mark, Janet, Maggy, and Robert
He usually camped out behind the Reno home, preferring a hut to a house. We'd sit around his campfire and share a few stories before I'd continue my drive back to the Grove.
Often he'd say, "Let's go in and tell Janny hello". We'd enter her long back porch where the former attorney general would spend most of her days.
These last few years, being in the final stages of Parkinson's disease, she could barely move or speak. Mark and I would continue, entertaining her with our yarns, jokes, or, a briefing on my latest adventures.
When cancer took Mark two years ago they gave him a wonderful going-away party. "Janny" smiled from her wheel chair, happy to be a part of it.
Janet and her mother in a Martin Luther King Day parade, 1989.
I went by less after that. Usually, it was to drop off one of my home-grown papayas which she enjoyed. Sometime I'd be invited in and spend a few minutes with Janet and her helper, along with visiting friends and family. She was always surrounded by people who loved her during those last, difficult years.
It was an honor to be invited into the Reno inner circle from time-to-time. I was incredible to have occasional quiet moments with this unassuming American hero. How many of them not only have their number in the telephone book but answer their phone as well?
Years ago I called that number. When she answered I asked her to be the grand marshal of the 2001 King Mango Strut. A few days later she agreed and asked for a ride. When we stopped by my home on Loquat Avenue she marveled, "I spent my early years here. I used to ride my tricycle down your street."
The Reno Family home in Coconut Grove in the early 40's.
What an honor it was to introduce her to the thousands attending that year's parade. She chose to walk in our procession stopping to shake the hands of many.
I created a patriotic poster for that year's event with Janet and the king leading the way.
Four years later I called her again, asking her to come to my school to speak. The young students loved hearing her encouraging words about the importance of education and making the world a better place.
Before she spoke to the student assembly she stopped by my art room.
If she ever said, "Donald Trump will never be elected President in my lifetime", she was right. If she were still with us and able to speak she'd reassure us that things are going to be okay.
She'd say something like, "There will always be challenges. I got through Waco, Elian, and all the other difficult times by staying positive, doing my best and doing what I thought was right.
Keep your chin up and continue to fight for truth, justice and equality".
I intend to do that and I hope you will too.
Thank you Janet Reno for being your wonderful, delightful, extraordinary self for so many years.
__________________________
There will be an memorial service some time after Thanksgiving at the Kendall campus of Miami-Dade College.
Here is a link to other stories and obituaries written about Janet,
http://www.vanorsdel.com/obituaries/Janet-Reno/#!/Obituary
____________________
____________________
SO LONG LEONARD
Another day passes and I see another great person has left the room. I could ask, "What would Leonard Cohen Do?" but I suppose his response would be the poetic version of Janet's response.
He might just sing "Anthem". It's words include "Ring the bells that still can ring...There is a crack in everthing...that's how the light get in".
Here's a link to it,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wRYjtvIYK0
_______
GROVE MINI-PARK HAS PROBLEMS AGAIN
We
have some amazing parks in Coconut Grove. It is also amazing how they
get ripped up, fenced in, and stomped on by promoters and developers.
Last month a wrote about a small piece of public land at the east end
of St. Gaudens Road. It's one of the few places that you can walk to and
enjoy a breeze on Biscayne Bay.
In September a Key Biscayne developer, Isaac Perez, put up razor wire next to it to protect his empty 8-acres next to it.
It took two months of protests but the fence finally came down. The bad news is that Perez is at it again. He doubled the 
size of our little park on his own by putting grass sod on the road leading up to it.
Really.
St. Gaudens Road went another forty yards last week. Now there are soggy chunks of grass on top of it.
Here's where the grass begins to cover up the blacktop (everything's wet because of a water leak).
He
has also planted areca palms that will, when grown, blot out what space
people have to enjoy the space. It's an awful design with no regard
for space, scale, variety, or sight-lines.
Newly planted half-tree with areca palms lining the wall behind it.
For years the street began at the metal barrier and headed west. Now its covered with soon-to-die grass and trees.
This mess should not have happened.
Did
the City even know about it? Its parks department suppose to design,
create, and maintain public parks. Mr. Perez, doing it on his own,
might have meant well but...who places chunks of grass on asphalt
expecting it to grow?
Come see the craziness yourself. The grass is gasping for life in the South Grove where St. Gaudens meets the bay.
_____________________________
South Florida theater legend, Charlie Cinnamon, passed away this morning. He enjoyed a long run, 94 years, 333 days. He always loved a full house and on his last day his was filled with family, friends, and lots of love.
He was youngest of eight children growing up in the Bronx. Charlie served in Patton's Third Army in WW II. This morning I saw a handsome picture of him in his uniform. He got a degree in journalism from N.Y.U.
and headed to South Florida.
Charlie spent over sixty years promoting the arts in here. His house is filled with "champion of the arts" honors.
Even in his nineties (just months ago) you could spot him in a tuxedo welcoming guests to his latest event. My neighbor also started the Grove's popular art festival 53 years ago.
Charlie had stroke in late September. It left him unable to move or speak, something you'd never expect of a talkative press agent. His niece told me yesterday he had made it clear that he would never want to live under such circumstances.
Charlie was a friend and a neighbor. When they brought him home from the hospital three weeks ago I checked on him everyday. Speaking with his eyes and slight head movements he could acknowledge our words. Sometimes, as friends were leaving his bedside, he managed to move his mouth just enough to form a kiss.
His limited gestures also let us know how helpless he felt, how unhappy he was in his debilitated condition. Maybe his departure today was for the best.
He took his final bow this morning with dignity and grace. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.
_________
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. Riverside Memorial Chapel in Aventura, 20955 Biscayne Blvd. 33180 .
Coconut Grove's fishing fleet is long gone but now we can
get fresh fish again. The "Shore-To-Door" fish market just opened
on Douglas Road in the West Grove. Its owners, Indira Funes and Sig
Ozols, are there to greet you.
It's a
great looking business with plenty of fresh, local fish on ice. The "menu"
changes daily; On Monday they were offering tuna, yellowtail, conch, and
grouper. They usually have stone crabs too (priced less than Milam's!).
The Shore Store also has beer and wine, sauces, and a small collection of produce. 
While I was visiting this woman eyed the tomatoes and said, "My oh my, I just bought some next door and they costs twice as much." She added more tomatoes, garlic, and peppers to her shopping bag.
A Bahamian friend makes their fresh, conch salad. It is sublime. I
took home a pint and soon imagined my feet planted in the sand on Elbow Cay.
Indira and Sig live in the Grove and have
deep roots in its food businesses. Many of you will recognize her
smile as she worked at Monty's and Scotty's Landing for years. Sig is a
fisherman running Hot Shot Charters out of Dinner Key.
Their store is a half-block north of Grand Avenue, on the west side. You can park across the street in the lot surrounding the closed-down convenience store.
Some
have asked me, "Is it safe to shop there?" and I tell them, "It is. Just take the usual precautions you'd take in any of Miami's urban
areas".
Shore-To-Door offers delivery service as well.
The market is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturdays, from ten to five. The address is 3380 SW 37 Ave, Miami. 33133. The phone number is 305-529-3471. Their website is, www.shoretodoor.net .
Shore-To-Door is just what the West Grove needs, attractive, well-run
business that will bring more of the same. I've shopped there twice
already and with conch salad thoughts in my head, I may go there today.
__________________________
__________
Sometimes we get interrupted in the middle of a story. Last month I was in Louisiana writing about a cross-country trip when Hurricane Mathew threatened South Florida. I rushed home, put up the shutters, and resumed being a Grove guy.
Now I'll finish.
I left the Louisiana slave plantation I mentioned earlier and headed to New Orleans. I wanted to photograph its painted ladies and visit my nephew, Ben.
He lives in one of them.
Ben's Place
Ben, a Ransom grad, teaches high school geometry. In his third year, he is committed to improving the lives of his low-income students. He is also committed, like everyone else in the Big Easy, to Mardi Gras.
Ben explained how the festival's roots go very deep. During the big week, his kids march in parades almost every night. One spent a year making this costume.
That's dedication.
My nephew's house is decorated with parade trophies. There are the beads shading the windows. Collected them during a parade, they can get piled so high around your neck they become heavy and make it difficult to see. An even more desired reward are the crewe-painted coconut shells. At the top of the list is the sequined, decorated shoe. Ben got his for performing a ballet for members of a female group.
I love his funky neighborhood with its kind and colorful neighbors.
"Mr. Charles", an elderly man with few teeth, lives across the street. He and his dogs keep an eye on things. The Mississippi is a ten minutes walk away and Bourbon Street?
My bike got me there in the same time.
In Ben's 8th ward, all the basics are a block or two away. We had an excellent Haitian dinner at the St. Roch Market. We followed that up with performance art on the next block.
At the Art Garage a woman danced while suspended by a velvet rope. 
Next door was the Hi-Ho Lounge (a favorite of homegirl, Beyonce'),
and next to that, punkers worshiped eardrum-splitting music at Siberia.
In the morning I was photographing again. As my Olympus captured a voodoo temple,
a man sitting nearby suggested that I look around the corner. When I did I encountered this
street art by Banksy.
What a feeling, not knowing what's gonna pop up next in New Orleans.
__________________
_____________
__________
++++++
((()))
I take some comfort in knowing Janet Reno left us the day before Jesse Ventura (or someone very much like him) was elected President. I am told she died peacefully in her home in the woods, the one surrounded by oaks and wandering peacocks.
Janet and her mother in a Martin Luther King Day parade, 1989.
It was an honor to be invited into the Reno inner circle from time-to-time. I was incredible to have occasional quiet moments with this unassuming American hero. How many of them not only have their number in the telephone book but answer their phone as well?
The Reno Family home in Coconut Grove in the early 40's.
Before she spoke to the student assembly she stopped by my art room.
She'd say something like, "There will always be challenges. I got through Waco, Elian, and all the other difficult times by staying positive, doing my best and doing what I thought was right. 
In September a Key Biscayne developer, Isaac Perez, put up razor wire next to it to protect his empty 8-acres next to it.
size of our little park on his own by putting grass sod on the road leading up to it. 
St. Gaudens Road went another forty yards last week. Now there are soggy chunks of grass on top of it. 
For years the street began at the metal barrier and headed west. Now its covered with soon-to-die grass and trees.
South Florida theater legend, Charlie Cinnamon, passed away this morning. He enjoyed a long run, 94 years, 333 days. He always loved a full house and on his last day his was filled with family, friends, and lots of love.
He was youngest of eight children growing up in the Bronx. Charlie served in Patton's Third Army in WW II. This morning I saw a handsome picture of him in his uniform. He got a degree in journalism from N.Y.U.
Even in his nineties (just months ago) you could spot him in a tuxedo welcoming guests to his latest event. My neighbor also started the Grove's popular art festival 53 years ago. 
It's a
great looking business with plenty of fresh, local fish on ice. The "menu"
changes daily; On Monday they were offering tuna, yellowtail, conch, and
grouper. They usually have stone crabs too (priced less than Milam's!).
The Shore Store also has beer and wine, sauces, and a small collection of produce. 
While I was visiting this woman eyed the tomatoes and said, "My oh my, I just bought some next door and they costs twice as much." She added more tomatoes, garlic, and peppers to her shopping bag. 
A Bahamian friend makes their fresh, conch salad. It is sublime. I
took home a pint and soon imagined my feet planted in the sand on Elbow Cay.
Indira and Sig live in the Grove and have
deep roots in its food businesses. Many of you will recognize her
smile as she worked at Monty's and Scotty's Landing for years. Sig is a
fisherman running Hot Shot Charters out of Dinner Key.
Their store is a half-block north of Grand Avenue, on the west side. You can park across the street in the lot surrounding the closed-down convenience store.
The market is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturdays, from ten to five. The address is 3380 SW 37 Ave, Miami. 33133. The phone number is 305-529-3471. Their website is, www.shoretodoor.net .
I left the Louisiana slave plantation I mentioned earlier and headed to New Orleans. I wanted to photograph its painted ladies and visit my nephew, Ben. 
My nephew's house is decorated with parade trophies. There are the beads shading the windows. Collected them during a parade, they can get piled so high around your neck they become heavy and make it difficult to see. An even more desired reward are the crewe-painted coconut shells. At the top of the list is the sequined, decorated shoe. Ben got his for performing a ballet for members of a female group. 
I love his funky neighborhood with its kind and colorful neighbors.
"Mr. Charles", an elderly man with few teeth, lives across the street. He and his dogs keep an eye on things. The Mississippi is a ten minutes walk away and Bourbon Street? 
In Ben's 8th ward, all the basics are a block or two away. We had an excellent Haitian dinner at the St. Roch Market. We followed that up with performance art on the next block.
Next door was the Hi-Ho Lounge (a favorite of homegirl, Beyonce'), 
