
That's all for now. Ciao infidels.
A place where I blog about photography, my photos, my travels, and my thoughts.
Most Cuban Cafeterias in Miami will make you a mamey milkshake, but they use frozen mamey. There is one place where you can have the mamey shake of a lifetime here in South Florida. It is of all places in a fruit stand/farmer's market called "Robert is Here". You can't miss it if you're traveling to the main entrance of Everglades National Park (or if unfortunately, you're traveling to the South Dade Correctional Institute). You take U.S. 1 or State Road 9336 to SW 344th Street, turn right through Florida City, past tomato and squash fields to "Robert Is Here" Fruit Stand. I like to stop there either when I'm on my way to the Glades or when I'm leaving the Glades. It's a fantastic old fashion fruit stand with a huge variety of tropical fruit, jams, jellies . . . you name it. But I stop there for the tropical milk shakes. They make them so thick you have to eat them with a spoon or you'll pull a muscle in your mouth trying to drink it with a straw. They have every tropical fruit imaginable: mamey, papaya, mango, and key lime, just to name a few.
On occasion when I pass through there on weekends, they have these old guys in thier real old antique cars like the old guy in the above image. Nice guy even posed for me.
So my friends, next time you're in South Florida make sure you visit the Everglades and on your way, stop by Robert is Here to have the mother of all mamey shakes. In fact, pick up a fresh mamey while you're there.
Ciao infidels.
"Pour me somethin' tall an' strong, Make it a "Hurricane" before I go
insane. It's only half-past eight a.m. but I don't care. It's five o'clock
somewhere."
Happy Tuesday. Today we will do a little Florida sightseeing by giving you a photo of the historic Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse in Jupiter, Florida. For those unfamiliar with Florida, it is on the northernmost edge of East Palm Beach County, right before the Martin County line.
Originally a civil war lighthouse, it has stood over one of the most treacherous inlets in Florida. Even the most experienced boat captain must watch himself when manuevering these waters.
While El Farito, or the Cape Florida lighthouse, is one of my favorites, the Jupiter Lighthouse is second on my list. Perhaps it is because I have a fondness for red brick colored lighthouses. Most of them are white, or black and white striped, or simply metal towers. The Pone Inlet light in Volusia County is also red. I like that one too and will feature it in a later post. The Jupiter light is endearing to me as an artist since it faces the inlet which allows for some interesting photographic compositions. This shot was taken from across the inlet from the boat docks.
My buddy Pete the Drummer, moved all the way to Jupiter from Miami Beach and really digs it out there. However, one cannot find Cuban Fritas in Jupiter. It would require him nearly 2 hours to find the nearest frita from the Jupiter Inlet.
Hell, even in Fort Lauderdale, one cannot find a Cuban Frita. Only when I visit my mother in Westchester (S.W. Miami for you non-locals), can I enjoy a Cuban Frita at El Rey de las Fritas on Bird Road. Back in the days when I used to be a musician, myself and my fellow musicians, (Pete included), would end our rehearsals by heading out late in the evening to Las Palmas Restaurant on Calle Ocho to order some Cuban Fritas. They always seem to go down good with a Pineapple Soda or Beer. However, you'll still taste them for hours after you consumed them.
For those without a clue, the Cuban Frita is a spicy hamburger served on a hamburger bun made of Cuban Bread. I've seen many recipies for them, but none of them taste like the ones we enjoy in South Miami. Dunno the secret. I've tried to make them with a mix of ground beef and ground chorizo (with a lot of paprika). My version taste pretty good, but it's not quite there.
So for those like Pete, myself, and others of Cuban descent who have ventured far away from the frita capital of the world, we welcome your frita recipies. Post them here in care of Mr. Mike. To close my post, in the words of the immortal Oscar Wilde, "Work is the curse of the drinking classes.” Ciao infidels.
The one thing everyone in the world has in common is that our mothers and their mothers are all mothers. We would not be here without them. So let's raise our Sunday morning cocktails and say "cheers" to all the mothers out there.
Happy Mother's Day.
As you can see from this image, even the owls of Marco Island celebrate Mother's Day too.
Now it's time to clean the grill and chill the beer.
This past weekend the movie "hoot" opened up which was produced by Jimmy Buffett which features burrowing owls. The movie also includes a soundtrack featuring new parrothead music from Jimmy Himself.
Since I rarely go the movies, (I've been to 4 movies in 8 years, and 3 of them were Star Wars related), I decided to have a date with some real burrowing owls which can be found on Marco Island, on Florida's Southwest Coast.
While sustaining a direct hit from Wilma from last year, the burrowing owl nests are thriving on the Island.
Hopefully they won't be pushed out by developers as envisioned by the plot of the "hoot" movie so we can continue to enjoy and photograph these adorable creatures.
I'm going to take a break from commentary, if you can believe it. I get all riled up and can't shut up sometimes. So back to nature photography. I am giving you today an image of a great blue heron taken in Manatee Bay near Bradenton Beach, Florida. For those of you unfamiliar with Florida, it is on the West Coast just south of St. Pete. Some of the most beautiful beaches are in this area, and a plethora of avian subjects as well.