Category Archives: Awesome People

An Evening Remembering……..

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For those who regularly follow the blog, I’ve written previous posts about the USS Spiegel Grove, the 610-foot Navy Ship (LSD Class) that for quite some time was the largest ever ship deliberately deployed as an artificial reef. It’s an amazing dive off Key Largo and brings divers from all over the world. On Sunday, Hubby was on a special dive where a plaque was installed on the ship. He was covering it for the paper although since Horizon Divers provided the boat, he would have been able to go anyway. It was one of those very special moments because everyone on board had either been directly involved in the project or has many, many dives on her.

Last night, May 17th, was a reception with a lot of artifacts on display and quite a few for auction from the History of Diving Museum who has a special exhibit up for the month of May. There was both a film and a slide presentation as well as a panel of seven individuals, who were significantly involved in the project. It was a bit of a long evening at two hours on a weeknight, but good to see so many people turn out. We had a chance to catch up with a few friends during the reception and while I didn’t learn much new from the panel and M.C./moderator, there were some insights I hadn’t heard before.

In my book, Islands in the Sand: An Introduction to Artificial Reefs in the U.S.A., I devoted a chapter to the Spiegel Grove and later, my friend Don Altemus asked me to co-author a photo book with his photos and my writing. Groupers and Gunmounts: Inside the USS Spiegel Grove was where I learned the story of the ship itself and met some more great people during the process. The History of Diving Museum carries the books.

Great Music Plus……

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There are unexpected things that can touch us and for a number of people that happened in the unlikely place of the Seminole Theatre Saturday night. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the Seminole has a Showcase series where they book a mix of performances and then there are multiple other productions by individuals and organizations such as when Homestead Center for the Arts does a show. Due to the cost (which of course then drives the ticket price), there is usually only one ” big name” per showcase series, but they bring in quite a few tribute bands. These are the bands who specialize in a famous band’s music and we’ve attended several over the years; all of which have been good.

So, Saturday night was the “Best of the Eagles” and with continuing concerns, the audience was smaller than it probably would have been otherwise, but there were still maybe 200. Ordinarily, the Seminole Director speaks to the audience in the beginning with a welcome, etc., We’d seen her earlier actually helping out up front to open the second bar and a gentleman we didn’t know was at the microphone instead. I didn’t catch the name (and now wished I had), and he explained they would start in a few minutes. They were from New Jersey and he was the promoter. Although this was his first time to bring a show to Homestead, he was impressed with the theatre and staff and had two or three others lined up for the season. He asked for all active duty military and veterans to stand to be recognized. After we sat down, he said he usually started a show with the Pledge of Allegiance, but since there wasn’t a flag, he would pass on that. Two things happened next; Katherine Rubio, the Director, (or it might have been another staff) called out there was a flag and one of the staff dashed down the aisle to go behind stage. There was a guy in front of us who had a flag patch on the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing and we all called out to say, “Hey, here’s one.” The guy looked only momentarily confused as the promoter asked if he would mind; that he didn’t want to be disrespectful of the guy. The guy willing went forward, and held his arm up toward the audience at about the same time the staff member brought a flag out. He positioned it where it was aligned with the guy and everyone recited the pledge. Now for the next part.

The promoter said he was at a venue (which he didn’t name) and they told him he could never do that again. He said he had multiple shows booked there and cancelled them all, that he wouldn’t agree to that rule. “Yes, it cost me a lot of money, but that’s okay.” Not surprisingly, there was a big round of applause. The band then came on stage for what was an excellent performance.

“We Can’t Help Everyone”……

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In writing for our weekly community paper, I have and continue to cover many non-profits and often pass them along in posts here. Some are events held by the national/international organizations like the Kiwanis and others are regional or local. I have also covered multiple small groups that aren’t able to sustain even though they had good intentions. Running a non-profit requires a certain level of organization and some administration as it should if you’re going to ask people to give you money. There are, unfortunately, those groups that do spend far too much of their revenue on “administration” rather than programs and even worse are those that are out-and-out scams.

Setting aside the negative aspects, I’ve also previously posted about the sheer number of legitimate organizations means no one – not even the multi-billionaires – can contribute to all the worthy causes. Which leads to the phrase, “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone”. I used that as a lead-in to this week’s article about one of the local non-profits that has managed to sustain since they started a few years ago when I first learned about them. (https://brightseasons.org) I did a post as well, but that’s been a while. The lady and her husband began with a small group of friends and have grown. Their mission and goal are to help people who are going through a “tough time” and just need a bridge to help them across the turmoil.

One of my favorite stories of many was the cheerful young man who worked at Starbucks and was a student at the local college. Aside from paying for college, his wages went to help his single mother and younger brother. So, one of the organization members learned his old car had broken down and he was waiting to make enough money to fix it. This meant taking the bus and walking to work and school which of course meant even less free time than he usually had. The first discussion was to pay for the repairs, but his car was really old. Another member had a basic used car, yet still serviceable and they said they would contribute that. Someone else did take it in to make sure it was tuned up as well as fueled. They delivered it to the young man who was stunned and incredibly grateful. While this was more of a “big project” if you consider the value of a used car, most of the good deeds they do are smaller in scope, yet greatly help the recipient.

Biking for a Cause…

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As I think I’ve previously explained, Hubby moved from just helping with photography with our weekly community paper to being a photojournalist. He’s enjoying it and yesterday he attended an event at the Veterans for Foreign Wars (VFW) post where a check was presented to Rick Fit, a cyclist riding from New Orleans to Key West to Washington D.C., to raise awareness about homeless veterans. The full story will be in next week’s paper. The VFW held a Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday and raised a little over $1,000 for the cause.

Mr. Fit served in the Army for only a short while due to a medical condition that permanently disqualified him from continuing in service. As with certain other conditions, it did not preclude him from many types of employment or activities, yet was not compatible with the physical rigors of military requirements. He later became friends with veterans who suffered PTSD and became aware of the high correlation of PTSD and veteran homelessness. He lives in Louisiana and started looking into the issue more, and began to do things like create backpacks filled with items to distribute to homeless vets and help get them linked in with organizations that had resources available. After the premature death of one of the friends, both of whom spent time in Florida, Rick decided on this cycle venture. His original intent was to make it up to Philadelphia where the other friend lives. Others who support him in his efforts urged him to stop in Washington, D.C. to help add his voice and experiences to members of Congress and groups who are also engaged in veteran homeless actions. One of the things he mentioned to my husband during the interview is how giving people have been during this time in helping him make the journey.

Good T.H.U.G.S…….

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As I have mentioned on multiple occasions, writing for the community newspaper allows me to learn about people and organizations I would not necessarily come in contact with otherwise. In actuality, this is another case where I didn’t “meet” this group; Hubby did. I will branch off for a quick explanation. I’m a terrible photographer. There were times when photographs were especially important to a piece and the paper would pay Hugh to take them. On other occasions, it would be a photo-heavy piece such as Fourth of July celebration and they would have Hubby and a couple of the others do an array. A few years ago, I was out of town and there was an event where Hubby went alone and did up a short article. Then as they realized how much he enjoyed and understood racing, and the primary sports writer left, he stepped into the racing piece. Yesterday was what one might call a hybrid situation. I’ve been working the story of “National Rebuilding Day”, but things got really jammed for me. Hubby was always going to do the photos and he kindly agreed to capture the quotes as well. (We also had an event to cover last night, although that’s a different topic). Okay, having set the stage, here’s the thing.

Rebuilding Together, Miami Dade (RTMD), is the area chapter for the national organization. It’s similar to Habitat for Humanity except they repair and renovate other than build entire houses. The last Saturday of April is a nation-wide “blitz” day when as many chapters as can focus on multiple houses to complete projects. Professional contractors are used as required to do major work before and volunteers do finishing painting, landscaping, etc., Five houses were the focus yesterday and as the mayor and the lead people from RTMD went to each house Hubby took photos and talked to homeowners and volunteers. One group was from T.H.U.G.S. – True Heroes Under God’s Sovereignty. This is an organization that works with inner city youth in Miami with the express purpose to mentor boys and prepare them for a life without drugs, violence, and crime. The guy explained they work most closely with 8th and 11th graders to help them get onto the right path as they are entering and becoming seniors in high school. They stress vocational careers as well as college. They are a faith-based organization even though they don’t require the boys to be of the same – or any faith. They’re outside the area we cover for the paper, yet I always appreciate learning about these programs.

Uplifting Story…..

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When I write stories for the community paper, I have a target word count of 450-800 depending on the story. The paper is a weekly and if something isn’t time sensitive, it may get slipped to the following week due to lack of space. There are times when we know the story will “go long” and we make allowances for that. In a few cases, we set up a 2-part story to adequately portray the person/group/subject.

My intent when I went to write about the new Krab Kingz was a regular story of a touch of irony along with the extra difficulty in opening a restaurant under current economic conditions. I’d spoken briefly with the husband half of the couple, but when I was able to sit down with them both, I knew I would need to “go longer”. The finished article is here: http://www.southdadenewsleader.com/eedition/page-a03/page_c2d14d6c-1224-540e-bb7e-60744a393581.html

I wasn’t able to include as much as I wanted about how each on their own has been a shining example of achieving the American Dream. They’ve both worked hard all their lives, committed to community and church and always on the lookout for opportunities. An element that adds to this is their personal story of having known each other in their youth and then gone separate ways. Whether one believes in destiny or coincidence, they met again as adults, both single parents and still working hard. (I did not inquire as to what circumstances caused the single parenting – it wasn’t relevant to this piece). They took their time though and allowed a few years before entering into dating and ultimately marrying.

I feel confident they will succeed in this endeavor and can attest to the quality of the food. It’s interesting that they have a “fried” and “boiled menu” and they do recommend if you want fried as carry-out, you come in to order so you can then carry out as soon as it’s taken from the fryer.

 

Excellent Coffee and More….

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I am always cautious about recommending specific brands, especially when they are more expensive than other options. In cases like I have done for the Olive Morada, it is because they provide an excellent product and we are willing to pay more to support a small business. I don’t recall when I first started seeing promotions for Black Rifle Coffee, but that’s not important. I have never been a particular fan of Starbucks and only patronize them when someone else asks me to meet there or they happen to be the only easily accessible choice. I was curious about Black Rifle Coffee and went onto their website a few times. Initially, they did not offer whole bean and we do prefer to grind our own. I guess it was about three months ago when I saw they had whole bean. I talked to Hubby and we decided to give them a try. They do come in about the same price as Starbucks and shipping is involved.

They are a veteran-owned company, specifically former SOF (Special Operations Forces) veterans. In addition to coffee there is other merchandise and affiliations with groups that shouldn’t be surprising considering their background. I ordered two different types of coffee and both were excellent. They have a Monthly Coffee Club where you set up for regular delivery and that does come with free shipping. We selected that and although I did designate two bags per month, I think I will be able to cut back to one per month and augment with an extra bag as needed. Again, this is not the place to save money, but it is value for what you pay and support an interesting small business. Do check them out to see if it is something that might appeal to you. https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/pages/about-us

 

The Three Celebrities Pattern….

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Sigh. We are all familiar with “three celebrity deaths in a row”, and this has been no exception. While Ken Spears, who helped create Scooby-Doo, wasn’t someone I knew anything about, there were many episodes of Scooby and the gang watched when son was at the cartoon age.

And to be fair, Sean Connery did make it to 90. Despite him having grown up in poverty, how could he have not achieved basically everything he wanted in life? Well, okay, he was a fierce proponent for Scotland’s independence from the United Kingdom, and that hasn’t come about. What wonderful movies from him though and what class over the decades. He was the quintessential James Bond, and others were from okay-to-good, but none could truly match him.

Which brings us to Alex Trebec. If you caught the Monday, Nov 9th intro to the episode, there was no way to not tear up as the studio VIP paid his tribute and explained all thirty-five of the final episodes with Alex would air. The fact he was able to do as well as he did during his battle with cancer was remarkable enough. That he taped his final show only two weeks before died was symbolic of why he was admired by so very many. I suspect no one will ever know the thousands of youngsters (and perhaps adults) he inspired in all those games of Jeopardy. RIP, gentlemen, and thank you for what you shared with us.

When Willing To Pay A Little More….

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This is one of those fun things to hear. I may actually have previously posted about this  but if so, it’s been a while. As I have discussed before, I am not into spending money for the sake of doing so and those times when I have bought a “luxury car”, it has been a pre-owned, low-mileage one. The same goes for dining. Yes, we can afford the really high end places for special occasions, but quite frankly, we don’t care to special the extra money to encounter the attitude that too often comes with those.

On the other hand, there are times when spending extra is worth it, especially when it does support a small business. As we came back up from Islamorada this afternoon we heard an ad on the radio for a second location for Key Largo Chocolates.The couple that opened the store are hard working and have established a business that is pure, 100% discretionary. No one actually needs specialty chocolates.To succeed in such a business is impressive enough, but to be able to open a second store with everything going on right now – how great is that? Their secret isn’t really secret; it’s making this work the old fashioned way. They started with an excellent product of hand crafted chocolates. I won’t list the many types because you would start drooling. Yes, they cost extra, but they are fabulous. They added more kinds and create novelty shapes. Then they added an ice cream section. Apparently they also offer cakes now although it has been a while since I was in. They market well and attend many big public events as vendors.

A few years ago when my cousin brought her daughters down, she commented about wanting to get something special to take back for the lady who was looking after their dogs/checking on the house. I explained I knew just the thing. They were, of course, captivated and purchased a box as the present as well as some for themselves. Halfway back to our house my cousin remarked that perhaps she should have doubled up on what they bought.

It’s https://keylargochocolates.com and yes, they do ship.

Launching To Space……

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Hubby was disappointed Wednesday when the joint NASA-Space-X launch was postponed until today due to weather. All was well at approximately 3:44 p.m. this afternoon though as engines fired and the ship streaked upward. This was an especially significant moment because of the public-private nature of the effort. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a Crew Dragon spacecraft on its first test flight with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on-board to be taken to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the  NASA’s commercial crew program. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea later in the weekend. NASA astronauts previously went to the ISS on regular shuttle flights, but that program was discontinued in 2011, leaving only Russia capable of delivering individuals to the station. By way of quick facts, 15 nations contributed to the station that was completed between 1998 and 2011, although the station has been continuously occupied since late in 2000 with more than 230 individuals from 18 different countries spending time on it. Several years ago my sister asked us to go with her to a launch because her Swedish neighbor was finally getting to go up. He’d been training in Houston for years and part of the tour that day was watching other pieces of the ISS being assembled. Different modules and capabilities have been continuously added to it.

Anyway, Elon Musk and his Space-X teams have had failures as always happens when working in this level of technology. Today, however, if not perfect (and it may have been) accomplished the critical initial stages of the mission. Unlike Hubby, who has kept track of multiple stages leading up to this, I was not aware a woman,Gwynne Shotwell, is the President and Chief Operating Officer for Space-X. She was one of the early employees of the company and in the interview shortly before blast-off, she said she’d become accustomed to launches, but was nervous about this one.

There are thousands of individuals in hundreds of roles involved with making something like this happen; all of whom must be feeling very proud today.