We timed it perfectly, flying over Virginia when Trump became President. By the time our plane landed it was over. We only caught glimpses of his inaugural speech as we passed TVs heading to baggage claim.
We didn't want to hear it. We didn't want him to be our President. We came to to our nation's capital for the anti-inauguration today and tomorrow's Women's March to protest everything he stands for.
The protests started off ugly unfortunately, this morning. Police pepper-sprayed dozens who took our their frustrations by bashing fast food restaurant windows with bats. Over 200 hundred were arrested. Despite that, 99% of the protests have been peaceful in this city.
They created a central place for today's protests, a park just north of the inaugural parade route. That way, I guess, they could keep an eye on us. It was energetic but peaceful, many policemen surrounded us. A half-hour after we left trash cans were being set on fire a block away. There will ge protests all over this town from morning 'til night for at least three days. The Big One is manana when a million angry people will pour into Washington. These protests will continueas long as Trump is President.
We are in our nation's capitol to resist the new administration, the one that began repealling Obamacare this afternoon. We are making our protest choices by looking at on line protest schedules.
We went the park this afternoon and heard Michael Moore give a rousing -and hilarious- speech. Humor makes it a little easier. The filmmaker point out that, "America is in deep shit. It's up to all of us to dig ourselves out".
He's a funny guy and the thousand people listening were entertaining as well with their costumes and signs. There were other speakers and musicians at the three-hour affair. Here are a few photos,
Wouldn't it be great if the guy we elected was only paper mache? Paper doesn't lie!
Of course, we were there for much more than entertainment. A misogynistic, inexperienced bigot became our President today. We rant, we joke, but what really need to do is dig ourselves out of this mess.
Tomorrow we will join two hundred thousand
activists for the Women's March on Washington. If you can't be here join your local rally, like the one in downtown Miami on Saturday. We will fight this guy and the awful things he represents.
Today's Miami Herald editorial asked us to "give the guy a chance". I did but it ended when he spent his first hour as President eliminating A) healthcare for 20 million Americans (without a suitable replacement), B) environmental laws that protected our health and climate C) Lying to us about how his inauguration audience was "the biggest ever". What a creep.
We've got work to do. We are the majority and starting tomorrow, at your local rally, say "NO" to our new President.
Working together we will win.
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"It gives me hope, being around so many positive people resisting the Trump agenda", is what one woman told me. She was one of 126 people attending our political action gathering Sunday night. It was a MoveOn meeting sponsored by the Grove's new group, "Progressive Miami".
Our skate-boarding city commissioner, Ken Russell, got us off to a good start giving a rousing speech. We were there to share ideas on how to deal with the dark days ahead. This Friday we get new President, one so embarrassing he makes Pee Wee Herman look like Lincoln.
After Ken's speech we broke up into four groups to discuss the Affordable Care Act,
women's rights,
immigration issues, and,
the inexperienced billionaires Trump has chosen for his cabinet.
When we re-convened each group shared their issues and ways to resolve them.
The road ahead is long but in groups like this, we will be walking -and working- together.
It was inspiring to be there.
South Miami Mayor gave us some tips on how to influence politicians.
At one point I was presented with a "pussy hat", one that I will proudly wear in Saturday's Women's March on Washington.
One of our tremendously talented members, Susan Barimo, knitted it on the way to the meeting. 
She can apparently make these in less time than it takes to yawn.
Our Grove group began when I invited seven friends over after November's election. Looking for answers, we realized most of our country's voters had rejected Trump. We decided to help mobilize these fifty million voters into something positive. Hundreds of other community groups are doing the same thing. National organizations like MoveOn, Indivisible, Wall-of-Us, and the Democratic party are pointing the way.
Thirty people attended our second meeting at a Grove church and we took our first political action. Now we have a name, a growing, energetic crowd, and a terrific new Facebook page, "Progressive Miami".
Come join us if you share our values of truth, tolerance, and dignity. Jump in if you want to work for social and economic justice. Together groups like Progressive Miami will protect our community, defend the country, and help build an America that we can be proud of.
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Have you heard who America chose to be it's next President? It's like letting Pee Wee Herman run the country, only worse. Pee Wee would make a much better President than he whose name is best unspoken.
Fear, lies, and Russian spies have put a orange-headed buffoon in the driver's seat and we have to deal with it.
Coconut Grove has risen to the occasion with two Trump resistance groups meeting on Sunday, January 15th.
Both are sponsored by MoveOn, one of our nation's largest, progressive, political groups. They are two of 400 MoveOn meetings taking place across the country on Sunday.
Each will focus on immediate threats to the Affordable Care Act, Immigration, and the Trump's deplorable cabinet choices. Most important, they will teach us how we can work together to resist all of the bad things that the next President represents.
Here are your choices,
A) A picnic meeting on the lawn at the Barnacle. Steve, its host, encourages people to come, share food and ideas. The Barnacle State Park is across from the Playhouse Parking lot (where you can park for $5). Park admission is $2. It begins at 2 pm.
B) A more traditional meeting will be held at St. Stevens Church, 2750 MacFarlane Road (next to Peacock Park). It will be held in the "Great Hall" room on the south end of the church campus.
I'm hosting this one along with the Grove's "Progressive Miami" group. Guest speakers include our city commissioner, Ken Russell, and Legal Services attorney Miriam Harmantz.
It begins at 6 pm. There is free parking in the church lot (on MacFarlane, until it fills up) as well as a $5 lot next door.
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If You Live Outside of Miami and you want to attend a Sunday meeting, go to Moveon.org to find the one closest to you.
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WOMEN'S MARCH ON WASHINGTON (And Miami!)
I hope you're making plans to resist Trump, nine days from now, by participating
in the Women's Marches. The big one is in
our nation's capitol on Saturday, January 21st. Francesca and I will be there along with a lot of other Groveites.
There will be one in Miami too, on the same day, in downtown Miami. The "South Florida Women's Rally" will take place at the Bayfront Park Amphitheater from 1 to 5 pm.
Make plans to attend one of them. Each is important, each has its Facebook page (for information). Make your voice heard at these huge, historical events.
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PASTOR LAURIE GOES RAPUNZEL
Having enough to eat is as important as having trustworthy political leaders. Miami has more poverty that most large US cities. The Coral Gables Congregational Church is doing something about it with its Bell Tower Food Drive this weekend.
Tomorrow morning its pastor, Laurie Hafner, will be climbing up into the church's bell tower. She will remain in the small, hot room until people like us bring her 10,000 pounds of food. It will be donated to the Feeding South Florida charity.
You can help the hunger problem and get Pastor Laurie out of the tower tomorrow. Bring food to the church on Saturday, June 14th. It's the one across from the Biltmore Hotel.
One More Thing,
The same church is having a free, one-hour jazz concert tonight (Friday) honoring Dr. Martin Luthor King, Jr. The Zach Bartholomew Trio's repertoire will include Oscar Peterson's "Hymn to Freedom". It begins in the sanctuary at 7 p.m., 3010 De Soto Blvd., Coral Gables, 33134.
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AS NASTY AS SHE WANTED TO BE
Two weeks ago the Grove had its 35th King Mango Strut parade and a friend led the "Nasty Women's Marching Band". Just before the event she was admonished by a parade official. She told Gina she could not use one of her signs, "Keep Your hands off My Pu-sy", because it was a "family parade".
Just ahead of her group was the parade's grand marshal, Luke "As Nasty As I Wanna Be" Campbell. The former rapper made history by going all the way to the Supreme Court to make talking dirty a national pastime.
If it really was a family parade they should have had the bell tower's Pastor Laurie serving as grand marshal.
My friend added that after the official walked away she made four more pussy signs (Whoops, there I go, being as nasty as I wanna be).
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PS: He really would make a better President.
Lucky us. South Floridians need only jump into their cars to visit exotic islands. Our state is surrounded by hundreds of them. Some are still free of condominiums. We visited one last weekend.
Bahia Honda is a hundred miles southwest of Miami but, in many ways, is closer to Jamaica.
Its got coconut palms and a sugar sand beach that you can camp on. For forty bucks a night we had our own piece of oceanfront. Francesca and I were lulled to sleep by lapping waves. The next morning we were greeted by Mr. Sun peeking over a tranquil blue horizon.
Key West is less than an hour away. We love lunching under the banyan trees at My Blue Heaven. Chickens peck at you feet as you peck at shrimp and grits. It's wonderful but still a bit unsettling for me because of The Other Glenn.
Fourteen years ago I was single and looking for love in the southernmost city. At the Blue Heaven's bar
I noticed a man who looked like me passing by. It was very strange and I followed him as he
headed for the restroom.
Its one thing to see yourself in a mirror but this was no reflection. Except for being an inch shorter, this guy was me. Thoughts of "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" ran through my head. "Is this guy going to kill me and take over my life?" I thought. Hiding behind a tree I saw him emerge from the men's room and return to the dining area.
Mr. Lonely continued thinking, "Is he now returning to his wife...my wife?" This clone thing, after only half a beer, was way too freaky. Of course, I followed the other Glenn from a safe distance until he sat down next to a woman who was not my type at all. I know appearances aren't everything but she looked like the last person I would want to be wedded to. How could my clone have chosen her?
I turned and left quickly, before Glenn #2 caught on to what I was up to. I have not seen him since but I did run into Glenn #3 (Ed Wujciak) a couple of years ago. I'm okay with Ed. He only almost looks like me and has no intention of taking my life.
Thoughts of evil clones faded once lunch was served. Afterwards we dropped in on our friends ,Hugh and Yadira.
They have two old houses on the ocean just next to the Southernmost Point. While Key West has changed drastically these last four decades the Morgans have managed to keep things simple. They drive old cars and prefer talking over texting.
Our southernmost friends use rotting seaweed and dead fish to fertilized their bulging red tomatoes. Catching dinner is as simple as casting a line off the seawall.
Good fortune has allowed the Key West couple to keep it real despite the growing glitz around them. While we don't live on the ocean, our Bahia Honda campsite allowed us to imagine being real Caribbean castaways.
It's not that hard to do, there are islands all around us. Make plans to visit one and plant yourself in the sand. You can do what others only dream of.
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WE TOLD BOB BRENNAN GOODBYE yesterday as we gathered under the trees he loved at Fairchild Gardens. He passed, at the age of 63, on Christmas Eve.
Hundreds of friends and neighbors listened to his three children recount why their father was admired by so many.
"Our dad had an endless love for our mom, for us, and the rest of our extended family", said daughter Talia who added, "but it didn't end there. He loved all of our neighbors and our friends. But it continued as he loved our friends' parents, their friends, and all of their dogs." Her brother, Louis, added that his father remembered their names too and had bear-like "Bob hugs" for everyone.
Endless love and a willingness to help, that's how all of the speakers described our departed friend. And as they did, Florida snow (falling leaves) sparkled in streaks of sunlight. At one point, a flock of white ibis took off behind the speaker, their wings taking them up to a place where we imagine Bob might be.
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Paris is so special. It's rich with art and history, part of its recent history being me, taking a knee, to propose to my wife on the Eiffel Tower. When we learned the new musical, "An American in Paris" was opening at the Arsht Center last night, we had to be there.
The show has early origins. In 1928 George Gershwin wrote the original "An American in Paris" orchestral piece which reflected the images he saw and heard strolling about the city. He even brought back French taxi horns to be used by his musicians.
Adding a few more popular Gershwin tunes, this became the classic 1951 musical starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. In 2005 the music inspired a popular "An American in Paris" ballet. All three versions are incorporated in the latest incarnation which made its debut on Broadway recently.
I expected the City of Light to be the star but it was just a beautiful backdrop for the story and its song and dance performances. "Song & dance" is putting it lightly. The music was, of course, the Gershwin brothers at their best but the dancing was even better.
Even the dance-jaded Grove Guy was mesmerized by seeing incredible ballet incorporated into this high-powered production. The main characters were highly-trained dancers who could also sing and act.
The show's story begins with a soldier with artist dreams, lingering in Paris after WWII. The city is still is shell-shocked by four years of Nazi occupation. The young American soon falls in love with an unattainable French girl as the plot unfolds. The show was nearly 3-hours long but its ending seemed too soon. We had a great time,
and so will you.
"An America in Paris" plays through January 1st. For tickets (prices start at just $19) contact arshtcenter.org .
We timed it perfectly, flying over Virginia when Trump became President. By the time our plane landed it was over. We only caught glimpses of his inaugural speech as we passed TVs heading to baggage claim. 
They created a central place for today's protests, a park just north of the inaugural parade route. That way, I guess, they could keep an eye on us. It was energetic but peaceful, many policemen surrounded us. A half-hour after we left trash cans were being set on fire a block away. There will ge protests all over this town from morning 'til night for at least three days. The Big One is manana when a million angry people will pour into Washington. These protests will continueas long as Trump is President. 
