Happy Halloween!

The moon is full

The night is young

It feels like

Trick or treating time!

Happy Halloween to all the lovely ladies here on PNN!!!!  

A Toast!

A toast to all! The kids go back to school on Monday and I am just giddy with glee!!!! In honor of this MUCH anticipated emancipation, I propose a toast to all you wonderful moms, sisters, aunts, grandmoms, friends and fellow bloggers here on OS. Let us seize the day!!! Enjoy!

Baby Snakes

I just finished my last session teaching Young Actors at a local performing arts center. The play was Baby Rattlesnake... made me think of Baby Snakes. Wasn't that Zappa?? Anyhow, Look at these BEAUTIFUL faces!!!!  Where would we be without kids???

  Everyone one of them... GORGEOUS!!!!  

 GORGEOUS!!!                   

Baby Rattlesnake

Okay. I started my last session at the children's theater today. Exhausting to say the least, but how I love these kids! 

 So the play is Baby Rattlesnake. The original story is told by a Native American and calls for about 6 characters. I'm retelling and adapting for stage for 32 kids. I have to tell you, writing in all the characters and working organically from the students is like one of the most amazing things I've ever done in life. I hope one day I can translate this all to Broadway, but if I never do and just keep working with these kids, it's okay. Their youth, their energy, their enthusiasm - it's pretty damn amazing.

I know in life we forget all too soon the joys of youth. The joys of just having fun and being who you are without worrying about what anyone thinks, what any says... no walls have been built yet. Or, if they are being built they are at their very first stages. The innocence, the love, the happiness... way too cool for words to say.

I tell you all because I want to share that youth with you. The overwhelming delight of adventure in everyday, the physical stamina and sheer joy of naivete and a young and supple heart - open for all things and finding joy in the simplest of things. No worries of bills, the mortgage, relationships... just growing, exploring, learning, experimenting.  How I miss those days.

Being able to help guide them, direct them and help them find the power from within is truly, truly great. No control on my part. Just being a part of them and helping them find who they are and what they are capable of is simply magnificent.

I hope my small part in their lives helps them overcome and succeed in all that they do.

xoxoxo 

Vizcaya - discovering its roots

Founded almost a century ago in the heart of Miami, the remarkable history of Vizcaya will unfold this Sunday, September 20, 2009, 6pm on WPBT2 - South Florida's premier public broadcaster.

Documentary filmmaker Linda Corley, who has a background in the arts, decorative arts and architecture, has long been drawn to the enchantment, the mystery and the beauty that is Vizcaya.

“I thought long and hard about it and it is an amazing story, from its envisioning to its completion,” says Corley. “When people visit the house, they 'ooh and aah' about the paintings, carpets, tapestries, etc., but visitors don’t seem to understand what it took to build the house.”

Research shows it took ten years, more than 1,000 workers, including laborers and craftsmen from the Caribbean and Europe, and a number of immense obstacles – including its rising from a swamp riddled with land crabs, mosquitoes, crocodiles and alligators and construction taking place during WWI.

It is interesting to note that at the time of Vizcaya’s construction, Miami’s population was around 10,000, which means about 1/10^th of the population invested in Vizcaya's roots. Today, Miami has an estimated population just over 424,000.

One of the most intact remaining architectural examples from the American Renaissance, a time in United States history when the nation’s wealthy industrialists built lavish estates inspired by the palaces of Europe, Vizcaya started with the incredible vision of agricultural industrialist James Deering, who wanted to turn his dream of a winter retreat to fruition. Deering partnered with Paul Chalfin, a young New York painter, and together they traveled throughout Europe surveying residential architecture for ideas and design elements, such as doors, wall panels, mantels and ceilings for incorporation into the proposed home. In addition to the house and gardens, the complex included a farm, livestock, and a variety of other service facilities covering 180 acres on both sides of South Miami Avenue. (1)

Standing the test of time, as well as the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Vizcaya has rightly earned its designation as a National Historic Landmark for its national significance as an achievement of American Renaissance architecture, landscape design, decorative arts, and art collecting. It is also listed as one of the top five most beautiful estates in the United States.

Open everyday except Christmas, Vizcaya hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. South Floridians can take great pride and joy in knowing this masterpiece is in their own backyard.

The one-hour documentary will air this Sunday, September 20, 2009, 6pm on WPBT2 and will be narrated by another one of Miami's finest, actor and former alumni of Miami Beach Senior High School, Andy Garcia. Known for his solid character and firm commitment to the arts, this will be a delightful treat for all.

Vizcaya. Sit back and enjoy the show.

 For more info: Visit www.vizcayamuseum.org or call 305-250-9133. Special thanks to Palley Promotions for contributing to this article. (1) Wikipedia

The Webs We Weave!

I'm in my yard walking to the shed to get the lawnmower. Lo and behold and walk smack into this thing!

 Ugh! After I brush myself off and experience a spine-tingling chill I came face to face with the motherlode!

Double Ugh! The thing looked like it had fangs!

I'm still shivering. Yeeks.

But after being thoroughly grossed out, I couldn't help but look closely at that web. The sun was just beating down on it so I could see each circle. Imagine being caught in that thing... how hard to get out... being stuck in that web... with the queen waiting to suck your blood! 

 Funny how life can imitate the simplest of creatures - weaving webs so big, we can't get out. 

And the motherlode is just waiting to suck the life right out of us.

Where's Ripley when you need her????

Shades of green

Green is lovely...

 Green is light...

 Green is spectacular...

 Tarzan had it right!

But first some catnip...

Then I'll be swinging....

Aloes will dance...

Green plants will sing...

Birds will nest...

And ferns will sway...

There's so much joy...in shades of green...

Cyberworld is pretty O.K....

Where would we be without blogging? I mean, in the daytime, in the evening, in the wee hours of the morning? Where else can we rant, vent, and just speak at any time we want? And get feedback!!!! God is good. PNN is good.

I used to yell at my kids for being on MySpace or XBox live, and then I found myself in my own world doing the same thing. The cyberworld does have its perks, and it does seem to be a major communication tool in the 21st century. Got to love modern technology! Until the big magnet in the sky comes along and wipes us out! Then down the line, the excavators and archaelogists will find us in history as a lost civilization! Hehehehehe

I know I'm not here much, but when I am, everyone is more than encouraging, loving and supportive. Thank you all and have a lovely evening. xoxoxo

I Need A Forklift!

 Why is it that I seem to need a forklift to get me up and moving in the morning? I mean I feel like I literally need a John Deere Tractor or Bobcat to scoop me up from behind - using all it's hydraulic power to lift me up and get me moving! I blow off all my work, I don't want to clean the house, I just don't care about anything except sitting here being glued to the world of cyberspace. What gives? Am I alone? Coffee's not working anymore – and forget aerobics, I need robotics!

 You think these will work?

Top Chef Comes to the Beach!

So I finally got my big rump out of the chair yesterday, got on the bike, and peddled some pounds off! "That's it," I said to self, "no more being glued to cyber space!" I mean this is why I moved to Florida, I live 5 minutes away, and I never even go!

So, off I went. I'm huffing and peddling, huffing and peddling. I made it over the bridges and finally got to shore. The ocean was magnificent... the horizon, breathtaking. Lovely ride.

I decide to take a time out, catch my breath and enjoy the view. Lots of people, bright, gorgeous morning.

I sit by the bandshell, take a drink from my water bottle, look over and what do I see???

  TOP CHEF, indeed!!!

(This picture is from Delray Beach, but it was a very similar setup on Hollywood Beach)

"Holy smokes," I say to self again. "Look at everything I miss sitting on my big, fat rump!" Well, that's it! I'm up and out right after this post! Life is full of adventures, even here in cyberworld - but today, I'm adventuring outside! Here's to everyone's adventures today! Have a GREAT day!

I LOVE Rollercoasters!

And Busch Gardens has some of THE best! I mean, who needs coffee?However, since I haven't been there in awhile, I'm feeling like I might need a forklift to get me moving!

Well, I will post pictures of both to help get me motivated. Click above on Fun Stuff to see more!

Enjoy!