Cauley Square and Deering Estates

Today, my husband, son, mother-in-law, and I went down south to Cauley Square. For those of you not familiar with "down south," or to whom "down south" means Miramar or North Dade, Cauley Square is located off of US1 and SW 224 Street. That's on the way down to Homestead and Key Largo, and not too far from home for me.

We originally headed there for breakfast in the Tea Room, one of two restaurants situated in this historic, "nostalgic Village that offers a Glimpse of Old South Florida at its best." All stores and restaurants are housed in quaint, cottage-style homes that lead to the ambiance of Southern comfort. Surrounding these cottages are large trees and ample foliage that are home to many animals, including cats and raccoons. In fact, we saw a crafty family of about 6 raccoons that meandered throughout the trees and roofs of the cottages. At one point, two of the raccoons creeped close to the edge of a roof, peering anxiously downward as if awaiting for someone - or as if looking for who to scare. It was a riot! But I digress. The shops there include antique stores, craft stores, tarot reading stop, and even a wedding location/planner. We only got to wander through one section of Cauley Square, though, because my son was getting very tired (and cranky!) and we new nap time was quickly upon us. If anyone would like to check out the website and plan a visit, here's the website: http://www.cauleysquare.com/.

As soon as we left, my son conched out, so we decided to get gas (15 miles to empty!) and head down historic Old Cutler Road. As we oohed and aahed at the views of the homes and the greens, we decided to make an impromptu stop at the historic Deering Estates at Cutler (http://www.deeringestate.org/pages/our-history.aspx). The Deering Estates at Cutler were the vision of Charles Deering, brother of James Deering (Vizcaya Museum & Gardens founder). As soon as you purchase your tickets, you follow a paved road surrounded by trees and the buzzing of insects. As you look ahead, you see, in the clearing, the Atlantic ocean, crystallized against the winter sun and bordered by swaying palm trees. The paved road empties out into an open space that is composed of the two stone houses, a brick-paved courtyard (which they rent for weddings and which they were setting up today for one), a large field of grass so green you think it's painted, some picnic tables, a plethora of nature trails, and the curved dock lined with palm trees. We made our way to the dock and breathed in the scent of fresh, ocean air. We watched the pelicans dive into the calm sea in search of food, and we watched a lone man paddle in a canoe full of fishing rods.

There were few others there besides us; most were families with young children, enjoying the exquisite weather we were having today. Others were joggers and exercise-enthusiasts taking advantage of the good weather for some outside exercise. One man in the far south corner was doing some movements that resembled yoga, while another man sat on a cement block with his German Shepard. I envisioned sitting on such a cement block with a paper and a pen (or maybe with a laptop with a long-lasting battery...) and writing to my heart's content. Then reality hit - not gonna happen! We left the proximity of the dock and wandered over to the open grass area. We took our son out of the stroller, and he proceeded to run happily throughout the lawn. Every so often he'd trip over and fall, his hands touching the pricking grass, and he'd get back up with his palms outstretched towards us as if saying, please clean! He loved that moment of freedom, away from the constraints of the stroller straps.

Afterwards, we set back out on our quest home. My son fell asleep again in the car, and so our adventure came to an end. It was very nice getting out into that historic landscape, away from the concrete world of our city. It was nice to see nature in all her glory, and to allow ourselves those few hours of not rushing around, meeting deadlines. Of course, that just means that now I have to rush even more to get done what I didn't get done in those few hours, but it's okay. I'll live with that. ;)

"Patchwork Heritage"

Today, our 44th President was sworn in. It was freezing cold in Washington, D.C., but that did not dissuade the sea of people that stood out to witness this historical day. It was a moment that brought most of us to tears - many a grandmother has uttered in disbelief to reporters, "I never thought I would see this day in my lifetime." Barrack Hussein Obama, our 44th President, is also the first of African-American heritage, and coming the day after we celebrate the Reverend Martin Luther King's birthday, this inauguration is especially poignant. It shows us how far we've come as a nation and as a people, and I believe Dr. King would be proud today, very proud.

I was only able to catch about 30 minutes of the inauguration (during lunchtime at my new employee orientation), but those were the best timed 30 minutes - I got to see the new president being sworn in and I got to hear his speech. President Obama is an excellent orator and writer with an almost poetic nature to his words; if anyone gets the chance to read his memoir, Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, I strongly urge you to take that chance and read it. It is amazing and he has a wonderful narrative style. Today was no different. I was particularly struck by his phrase, "patchwork heritage," which I thought was brilliant! This nation, we, are made up of a "patchwork heritage [that] is a strength, not a weakness." Our country is comprised of different cultures, heritages, religions and languages. That's what makes this nation so great! And his words reminded me of how great we can be and how far we've come. He cited examples of important historical events since our nation's inception which added to the wonder of the moment and to the belief that we can change and we can achieve if we want it enough.

I think that was the most important part of the message. Anything is possible if you're willing to work hard, and if you remember what your values and morals are. Don't forget where you came from and work hard to get to where you want to be. If you want to read his speech, check it out here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_obama_text.


I hope you all enjoyed viewing the inauguration and that you are proud with how far we've come. This nation is not perfect, but then again, no nation ever is. However, it isn't called the "Land of Opportunity" for nothing.

Extra credit! Extra credit! Read all about it!

There will be an extra credit opportunity for all my classes. This Tuesday is the inauguration of President Elect Barrack Obama. It is a pivotal moment in American History, and one that we should all be extremely proud of - regardless of who you voted for in this election. We are in the middle of history being made; history that will make its way into the history books that our children and grandchildren will read.

Anyway, the extra credit opportunity is this: view the inauguration and write an essay with your thought/comments. Remember that it's still an essay, so when you prewrite, figure out what exactly you want to say and develop your thesis accordingly. Some ideas include:

- impressions you have about this moment in history
- any personal implications this has for you
- comments on the process
- what this particular inauguration means for you

If you have any questions, email me (it's in your syllabus!).

Reading makes the world go round

Reading is one of those activities that many groan about, thinking that it's boring. They'd much rather be doing something physical or watching movies than sitting down with a book. It's also one that many others relish in, taking in every detail, every word as if it were life itself. And yet many others fall somewhere in between. Regardless of where you fall in the reading spectrum, there's one fact which can't be argued: reading improves writing. Reading will improve not only how you write but also the vocabulary you use. So go out and get something to read that interests you and actually read it!

Making observations

It strikes me, as I'm reading through the blogs, that many of us come to the table of journals with the idea that journals (and in this case, blogs) are for writing our feelings down, or writing about our innermost demons, or writing about our personal lives. Of course, journaling can be all that, but it can be so much more.

Good writers use journals to reflect, not only about themselves, but about the world around them. Say you like to people watch. Journaling would be one way to write down all the idiosyncrasies you observed about the strangers that crossed your path. Or say you go to the beach. Writing down the experience, in descriptive detail, can help the flow of creative juices. The idea is to write about the world around you in a manner that shows some critical thinking. Of course, you can simply write about your feelings or reflect on personal matters. But if that's not you, and you're dreading this assignment because of that, think about it in other terms: it'll be your chance to make sense of what's going on around you.

New beginnings and change

The scent of new beginnings is around me. Not only is it a fresh new semester, but it's a new year - a year that holds many promises. I was happy to see 2008 come to an end - it was a rough year for me, and a year that brought about an array of changes. Some of those changes were thrust upon me; I had no choice but to bow my head and accept them. Other changes I sought out and welcomed like a breath of fresh air. Regardless, 2009 brings me to Broward College and the new challenges and joys that await me as faculty here.

C'est la vie. That's life. Right?

So here we are. The first day of classes in January 2009. Teaching three classes in a row during lunch hours is very interesting. I felt my energy doing a major dive by the end of the day, and that mixed with no coffee was a recipe for a headache. Luckily, I found the nearest Starbucks after my last class and relaxed with caffeine and some music.

I look forward to seeing everyone's blogs and what creative energy is brought to the table. Each class has its own unique energy, and every student brings something to the table in creating that energy. I can't wait to see what this semester has in store for all of us.