HERE'S A REAL SUM-OF-A-BEACH

It's the end of month #1 so tonight we're folding up our tipi for the 6-hour move tomorrow. Miami Beach is way more than neon and loud Lamborghinis. There are lively neighbourhoods, thousands of shared bikes, and great recreational trails, on top of the sunny breezy weather. Personally I love all the water and shore. I'll miss the models, surfers, container ships, and cruise ships so close you can smell what's for dinner (on the ships, maybe not the models...)

Last night was the monthly "Cultural Friday" in the Little Havana section. Surprisingly, no demonstrations for or against the new U.S. policy with Cuba, just locals with Cuban rhythm in their blood and sweet churro fried dough on their tongues. Domino Park has 20 tables ready for a slam-bang match among friendly couples. Paintings, sculpture, flower arrangements etc. draw the crowds with wild colour schemes. The highlight though was a 4 pc. band that played everything from soulful Cuban melodies to pop hits like "Happy". Dancers both amateur and pro proved they were just that!

No surprise that I found a classic car show nearby this afternoon. Lots of customized, lots of added horsepower, not a lot of restored beauties.Well, maybe.  There was the black Firebird from Smokey and the Bandit. Oh and a nostalgia-full VW van with front windows that open forward for venting. My Best-in-Show was this extended orange crate. Can you tell it started out as a 1939 Lincoln?

This guy is a dummy. No, really --- the most convincing one I've ever seen. But we're no dummies; we'll be heading out at sunrise Sunday morning, racing the sun across the state. With luck, we'll see the Atlantic sunrise, Gulf sunset, and desert Super Bowl all on the same day!

CLASSIC RUNNERS TO ROAD RUNNERS

The daily walks average between 12,000 and 18,000 paces ---- at a stride of 2 1/2 feet, you can do the math on total distance. In the evenings the route can be through balmy patio diners. But last sunny Sunday we reflected on some glorious classic cars. Two I had never seen before: a 1949 Kaiser Carolina and a 1947 Playboy, made in Buffalo N.Y.! (Notice the hardtop convertible, way ahead of its time.)

The last day of the Art Deco  festival also featured ARF-Deco, a parade of local dogs and owners, some of which looked like each other in Art Deco duds. Other walks this week included the Harbor Park zone of Miami with mega-yachts and sparkling towers. And have you ever seen a 6 ft. tall model posing upside-down in  6 in. heels on sand? Any guesses what product she was modelling??

We were out this morning before dawn to cheer on  runners in today's Miami Marathon. (At 53 degrees Farenheit it was cold for the locals!) First through were the so-called "disabled" on their hi-tech machines. They looked pretty able and inspiring to us! Then there followed at least 26,000 runners in masses along scenic Ocean Road. Fantastic scene of dedication, perseverence, struggle, and lots of costumed fun. All ages and many countries represented, from 80-year old Swiss to 8-year old Canadian!

We walk a lot but seeing all these people having so much fun and triumph makes us want to do a marathon, too. Any other joiners out there?

IF THEY LOOK & ACT LIKE TOURISTS, THEY'RE TOURISTS

Last Sunday we did the traditional drive up to Fort Lauderdale for outdoor breakfast. Sunny to arrive but wind and lashing rain wiped out the day. (Brekkie was indoors at that popular Scottish restaurant ---- McD's!) Back in our 'hood the week was more normal: walking, runners tuning up for the Miami Marathon, cruise ships, dredging, etc.

But the major event of the week was the visit of T & J from their winter haven up the coast at Vero Beach. It was also Art Deco Weekend, the most colourful and popular event of the year. Big happy crowds, closed-off streets, drag queens, layers of Spanish culture, etc. It's the 100th anniversary of Miami Beach, so there was also an all-night Dance-A-Thon where you had to dance the styles and music of all ten decades! Sure, you can Twist --- but can you Lindy? Jive? Viennese Waltz?

Then to fulfill T's life-long wish, a sunny top-down drive over 42 bridges stringing Florida's island pearls to Key West. Still traces of the old railway that opened the Keys in 1912 but quickly was destroyed by another string ---- of hurricanes! But once in Key West the tourist stuff seemed like an OK idea. The interesting historic and architectural narration of the 90-minute Conch Train ride. Belly-busting burgers or sloppy joes at Hemingway's hangout--- Sloppy Joe's! The lineup for an obligatory pose at the Southernmost Point of the USA. The salute to Mile Zero of US 1, the classic old road from Maine to Mainly Sunny.

Sunset brings tourists like lemmings-with-wallets to Mallory Square. Aggressive buskers eat fire, walk tightropes, or offer amateur art to cajole a living. Some folks find the city's official statue-figures more intriguing. But when the sun finally takes the plunge everybody oohs and ahhhs in that direction.

Even with the 4-hour musical ride home last night, a good time had been had by all the tourists. Next time, I gotta have the Key Lime Pie too...