I have a new reading partner at WLRN . . .

He name is Leo Pantin-Parrish, and he gives great kisses.  Actually, I met him when he was just a baby.  Officially, I'm his godmother, so my devotion is strictly maternal, although I doubt that my cats, Wasabi and Ginger, would approve.

Leo came to visit at the radio station this past Tuesday morning as his real Mommy, Marianne, and I, did our regular on-air reading of the Miami Herald to the visually impaired.  With the help of endless "treats", courtesy of moi, (much to Marianne's disapproval and Leo's delight) he was the perfect guest, sitting on our laps while we read, (see photo of Marianne at work), sleeping under our feet, and generally enjoying the outing. Needless to say, he is totally delicious.

I know this blog can't be considered a serious piece of work, but  you'll have to bear with me for this once.  That face is so cute, I just couldn't help myself. 

Reading was never so much fun. Do you get the feeling I love animals????
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Art + Arepa = Delicioso

Only at outdoor art shows do I give in to my addiction.  This weekend was the Annual Beaux Arts Festival on the University of Miami campus.  The art was truly outstanding but the arepas. . oy!  I just can't pass them up.  I wonder if there is such a thing as Arepas Anonymous that I might attend.

The arepa, for you uninitiated, consists of two flat corn cakes held together by gooey slab of some kind of very yellow cheese, all melted together into one delicious mess on an oily grill that probably hasn't been scoured since last year's festival.  I don't even want to think about the calory count.  I figure once a year I can afford to go hog wild.

Please don't think I didn't also appreciate the art.  But there is something wonderfully Miami about wandering from booth to booth, stopping to admire and chat with the various artists, all the while munching on my arepa.  By the way, if you're wondering why I am wearing a heavy hoodie sweatshirt, it was because we're having our version of a cold snap and the weather was in the low 60's.

I also had to snap the Jazz Combo playing under one of the
tents.  These kids were terrific and couldn't have been more
than nine or ten years old. The apples in the painting were
done with a palette knife and were fabulous.

When Beaux Arts comes around next year, I highly recommend it.  I wouldn't miss it for the world.

An amazing morning. . . .

I spent yesterday morning observing Miami Lighthouse for the Blind's SGA program for seniors. It was amazing. They call this an Arts & Crafts class, but the work they do, under the guidance of Program Coordinator Nelba Gonzalez, is truly "art,” in every sense of the word, with mature men and women, some totally blind, some with extremely limited sight, creating beautiful ceramics, elegant weavings and professional quality paintings.

 

Nelba has taught them to use their minds, their memory, and their sense of touch, to create beauty. Most importantly, the sense of pride they so obviously take from the work they are doing goes a long way towards restoring self respect and independence despite their visual disabilities.

 

The smiles, the laughter and the feeling of friendship amongst the group as they worked made a deep impression on me. The classroom has seating for 50 at long tables, with 150 in the program. Although everyone I spoke to wanted to attend class more often, they are limited to two or three sessions a week because of the real need for additional funds to enlarge this very important program.

 

I was actually at the Miami Lighthouse because its CEO, Virginia Jacko, my friend and neighbor, had asked me to interview some of their senior clients for a funding project they were submitting. I've volunteered with youngsters here in the past, but this was the first time I spent any time observing seniors in a class.  I interviewed four different people, two men and two women, ranging in age from 81 to 53, and although each said it slightly differently, they each were emotional and anxious to tell me how much coming to the Lighthouse meant to them.  As one woman said it succinthly, "This was my lifesaver." 

 

I really wasn't there to take photos but I had to whip out my iphone and take a few.  That's Hulda Lange "weaving a purse" as she very proudly showed me, and Nelba holding up a completed handbag done by another senior student. Each of the items in the framed ceramic was created by a different student and it truly was remarkable. 

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Looking back at last night. . . .

New Year's Eve was an interesting study in contrasts.  Actually, it was a blast!

My friend Sandy and I started the evening by stopping by for a drink at a neighbor's apartment.  Our hostess is a State Representative so the guests already in attendance tended to be political in nature and on the mature side.  The wine was good and the conversation interesting, and then it was time to move on.

And boy, did we move on!   We headed north to the 79th Street Causeway and a tony neighborhood called Harbor Island, where Sandy's daughter Alison was co-hosting a party that by 9:30 when we arrived at the ultra modern waterfront apartment, was in full swing. Ali's friend Gabby, her co-host, is a very successful attorney and the guest of honor was her major client, the Grammy-award winning composer and rapper, Rico Love.  The rest of the guest list, with the exception of Sandy and me, were all involved in either the rap music or high fashion worlds.  It promised to be a very interesting evening!

I am the first one to admit that I am not up on the world of rap, other than being able to recognize Usher and Jayzee, and maybe even Kanye West. Let's face it, I'm from the Sinatra era. But last night I met and talked with more fascinating guys and gorgeous women who revolve around this immensely successful rapper/composer's world, that the time flew and it was suddenly midnight and the ball was dropping on Times Square on the huge flat screen TV on the living room wall.  (Not so incidentally, the food was fabulous, mostly cooked up by Ali and Gabby. And did I mention that Sandy and I were possibly the only two women in the room not wearing 7" heels?)

Needless to say, first thing this morning I googled Rico Love aka Richard Preston Butler, Jr.  Wow! He is downright impressive with numerous Grammy nominations for music he composed for the likes of Usher, Beyonce, Diddy and Chris Brown, not to mention his personal success as a vocalist and a rapper.

Take a look at one of the many photos taken during the evening.  That's Sandy on the right and that very short person on the left, I believe is moi. The gentleman's name was Thurston and he kissed both of us hello and goodbye, as did just about everyone else we talked to at the party. 

Thanks, Ali and Gabby.  It was definitely an evening of contrasts and a fabulous way to start the New Year.
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The way to feel good on Xmas morning

Sheila, Sandy and I answered Federation's call to help cook Xmas lunch for the patients and families at Ronald McDonald House this morning.  This House is attached to Jackson Memorial Hospital and caters to the families of seriously ill children who are undergoing surgery or treatment for life-threatening illnesses. We spent two hours preparing lasagna, pizza, salad and cookies for the 12 noon lunch, and received in return a very special warm feeling that comes with helping those less fortunate.  Our thanks to Syd Carpel for including us in Federation's efforts.

I worked like a well-greased machine with a young lady named Meghan, whom I dubbed Noodle Lady, because her job was to lay out the pre-cooked lasagna noodles as I ladled ricotta cheese and tomato sauce between the layers.  For a non-cook, I think I did pretty well.

Sheila was in charge of pizza and salad making and Sandy was the Cookie Lady, arriving with her special Cranberry Oatmeal cookies, prepared at home and ready to be baked.  Deelish!

The little boy on the left in the photo with Sheila and Sandy recently underwent a kidney transplant and was doing great. We got to chat with his very grateful father who told us both his son and another little boy received the kidneys of a 26 year old man who apparently died in an accident.

The three of us walked away knowing how much we had to be grateful for on this holiday morning.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!
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Where were you on November 22, 1963?

Fifty years ago today, at 11 o'clock in the morning, I was sitting in the coffee shop of the Barcelona Hotel on Miami Beach where I served as the pr director, chatting with the hotel's social director and photographer, when a staff member ran in and gasped "The President has been shot!". The scene is engraved on my brain.

Much like anyone who was alive in 1963 and heard that unthinkable news, we were paralyzed for the moment, then together we rushed to the one place in the building where we knew there was a television set. . the hotel bar. Gathered around the black & white tv set, with tears in our eyes, we heard the announcement that the President was dead.

When I think back to that terrible day now, I also have a vivid picture of JFK campaigning for the presidency a few years earlier and visiting Miami. My sister Fran and I heard that he would be making a stop at the 163rd St. Shopping Center in North Miami. I played hooky from work and picked her up to try to get a glimpse of him. In those days security was very lax and we heard that his entourage would be making their way down Biscayne Blvd. so we parked our car on the side of the road, put the top down on my 1959 Dodge convertible, and sat up on the hood like two groupies. We waved like crazy as his open car passed us and were positively dazzled when he waved back. That scene is also engraved on my memory.

Strange how certain events remain vivid through a lifetime. Almost everyone remembers every detail of where they were and what they were doing when 9/11 occurred. That goes for me as well. Tragedies seem to make the deepest impressions.

It's hard to believe that fifty years have passed since that day in Dallas. Listening to all the memorials on television, the sadness of the moment returns.

Fun nite for fund raising. . .

I've been to many fund raisers, but the one I attended on a recent Saturday evening was definitely unique.  Saks 5th Avenue's 3rd Annual Fashion for a Cause, at posh W Hotel on Miami Beach, was co-hosted by The Juice Foundation and benefitted UM's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Yes, it was a fashion show, but not like any I'm quite sure you've ever attended.  The Juice Foundation is headed by Jenine Howard, wife of the Miami Heat's Juwan Howard, and the fashion models for the evening were the kids of all the Miami Heat players.  Talk about "attitude"!  Ranging in age from Chris Bosh's 2 yr. old son Jackson and Ray Allen's 3 yr. old son Rashard, up to the Howard's 12 yr. old son Jace, not to mention Lebron James' two offspring, Lebron Jr., 9, and Bryce, 7, the show was a knockout. The audience was pretty sparkling as well.  (See photo of shoes on the woman sitting in front of me.  Sorry, but I couldn't resist another fabulous pair of Loubetins.)

The auction preceding the fashion show was also unique.  First item up for bidding:  A chance to be a ball boy at an upcoming Heat game.  If the bidding hadn't started at $2500, I might have bid on it myself.  When two bidders were fighting each other at the $4000 mark, Juwon Howard raised his hand and announced the team would go for two ball boys at two different games..  The result: $8000 for the Cancer Center. 

Must also mention the evening's food offerings, all donated by various companies and geared towards kids, big and small.  Sliders. . .little square melted cheese sandwiches. . .Yogurt popsicles. . .Oreo cookies coated in white chocolate. . .jars and jars of jelly beans, chocolate covered raisins. . you name it, every childhood delight was there for the taking.  And adults and kids alike were eating everything.  Everyone got to have their picture taken, including me, as long as you followed instructions and went slightly nuts as the photographer snapped away.

It was a fun evening thanks to my invitation to attend via my friend Sandy's "marketing maven" daughter Alison who was in charge of the event.  Watching her work took me back to my pr days running charity events for clients.  I recognized all too well the look on her face as her eyes scanned the room constantly to be sure everything was going as planned.  It was, Alison.  It was great.
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The kids model like pros!

 Juwan Howard greets a normal size guest.  Those players are really tall!