Amy's Rear View Mirror

Hallandale, FL ...
July 2000

There is a large Cuban influence in the Hallandale area since it's only a few miles north of Miami. There's also a large Jewish influence from Ft. Lauderdale to Aventura.

Flamingo Gardens ...

A great place to spend a day. It used to be an estate owned by the Wray family that has been converted to a 60 acres lush gardens, with rare, exotic and native plants. You can take a tram ride through citrus groves and the Wray Botanical Collection. 

The "Free-Flight" Aviary is a 25,000 square foot Everglades "free-flight" facility housing the largest collection of wading birds in America. Five ecosystems are represented through the display of native plants. The Wildlife Encounter has live  presentations featuring Florida's native wildlife, such as birds of prey & reptiles and their relationship to the environment. The Bird of Prey Center houses South Florida's rare birds in their naturalistic habitat. These birds are either at-risk or  endangered and can not be released because of injuries sustained in the wild. The Flamingo Island Habitat is a lush area for Flamingos amidst tropical vegetation and sparkling waterfalls. The River Otter Habitat is an exhibit of Florida's frisky animals.

Coral Castle ...

Coral Castle was created single-handedly by Edward Leedskalnin, a Latvian immigrant, more than 50 years ago. It was constructed in complete secrecy and baffles engineers and laymen. He began many years of self-induced hard labor in order to forget the love he had for his one and only sweetheart who had jilted him for another man the night before their wedding day in Latvia.

He built a house from logs cut from the surrounding pine trees and coral rock which he quarried on the premises. This was the beginning of the project he set for himself which after 25 years of continuous labor culminated in the completion of what can only be described as one of the strangest works of man in all history.

Coral Castle is set on 10-acres of land and is surrounded by an eight-foot-high wall made of huge blocks of coral rock, each weighing several tons. The first floor of the coral tower was used as a workshop and the second floor housed his living quarters. Leedskalnin allowed no one in these quarters. Inside the walls of the castle are pieces of coral rock furniture and movable objects which he created. There are rocking chairs weighing thousands of pounds so delicately balanced they move at the touch of a finger ... you can sit in them and rock easily. There are also couches, beds, chairs and tables of all sizes and shapes, including one table made from solid coral rock into the shape of the state of Florida, and another cut into the shape of a heart with a floral centerpiece growing out of the center of the table. There is a telescope carved out of the coral rock. As in most castles there is a circular staircase carved out of the rock leading down into the water. Leedskalnin’s famous nine-ton gate was the most interesting to me.

But one thing he never told anyone was how he ever was able to move the huge coral rocks weighing up to 35 tons which he excavated all by himself. He told people that he knew the secrets used in the building of the Pyramids of Egypt.

Hollywood Beach ...

We went to the beach for the day. We had parked in the less developed area where there are parking metered spaces amung the trees, but not much else ... just a walkway to the beach. Jim had left a pair of shorts on the front seat of the Explorer so he could change before we drove home. Apparently some one thought his shorts might have had a wallet in them and broke in the car. A beach patrolman found us to let us know ... someone else walking onto the beach had passed our car and let him know. They stole Jim's shorts & briefcase and my camera bag which contained my digital camera (Sony Mavica FD70) and diskettes I had used in June and July.

Jim's shorts didn't have his wallet in them ... and his briefcase didn't have anything but a few work papers in it. The only thing I was upset about were the pictures I lost ... everything else could be re-purchased. Those diskettes held the pictures I had taken during the trip from Phoenix, AZ to Hallandale, FL and then Flamingo Gardens and Coral Castle. We've been laughing about it ever since it happened ... just imaging the look on their faces when they realized they didn't get much ... especially his shorts pockets being empty.

Since then, Jim has replaced his briefcase and I have replaced my camera ... I got a Sony Mavica FD90. So starting in August there will be pictures once again.