End of March, Eva, Anthony, and the kids drove down to Orlando for a fun filled week. They rented a house with a pool near the attractions and had a blast. The LaPreta’s came back tired, but also tanned and full of great memories. Click the photo below or here to get to the password protected photos of the whole family (don’t worry there is a hint if you forgot the password).

P.S. I only found out last week that the links to our photo site were broken. All is fixed now, easier to access. and much faster. To see all our photos go to photos.hernandezlife.com.

After sleeping for a few hours we spent the day relaxing at the home of my parents (Pete & Elsa) and sister (also Elsa), but that evening we went out to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Never saw an Indian Hard Rock before (to tell the truth it is not on reservation land and there is big controversy over it’s existence). The casino itself is nice, but only offers slot machines & various flavors of poker. Dad & I gambled (and lost) while the girls walked around the shops (they said it was like a nice looking, outdoor, high-end mall). The one restaurant we visited was a real disappointment, with one of the worst examples of service I’d ever experienced, plus the food was ranged from bad to just OK, and over-priced. Still we all had a good time.

The next day saw us visiting a Catholic Charities pre-school/day care center that my sister was once in charge of, and is now just one of many she administers. She has done wonders with these schools and I am very proud of her.

Later that afternoon we visited El Palacio de los Jugos (Palace of the Juices (sounds better than Juice Palace)). If you like fresh juices, this place is amazing, we bought Mango, Tamarind, Guanabana (soursop), Coconut, and Pina-colada (Coconut & pineapple juices mixed). In fact we went back at least twice more during the trip to get more.

A lot of time was spent in my sister’s private enclosed side yard (Phaedra & my smoking section) that she fixed up nicely with comfortable chairs, flowering plants and an avocado tree. This photo was of a small lizard poking its’ head out of the air-conditioning unit in her yard. Glad I wasn’t there when the compressor fan turned on.

Next day Phaedra, my mother, sister, and I, went to an amazing place called Corral Castle. You can read it’s story and a link to my pictures of it in my posting “What depression can do for you…“.

That night I wanted to take everyone out to someplace nice, but different, so I looked up on Zagat, and found Ortanique on the Mile, a fantastic, if a bit pricey, Caribbean restaurant. I have to say, it may very well have been the best food, and dining experience, I have ever had. We tried West Indian Curried Crab Cakes, a 3 cheese plate, Pan Sautéed Bahamian Black Grouper, Black Angus Beef Tenderloin, and a West Indian Style Bouillabaisse. Highly recommend it if you’re in Miami, on the Miracle Mile (and can afford $90+ a person).

Next day, besides going to a chintzy street craft fair, Espanola Way Market, we visited Miami Ink, walked South Beach, and got tattoos. More of that in my post “So we went to Miami Ink…“.

During the evenings we also spent time in my folk’s beautifully landscaped & decorated back yard, with a beach and dock on the (aforementioned, alligator-free) lake.

The next day, Christmas Eve Day, and Phaedra’s birthday, were spent shopping (the girls anyway) at Macy’s (Phaedra made out well with birthday gift cards from my family), while my dad & I went out to Miccosukee Casino (we lost again). That night we had a dinner at home in Phaedra’s honor, composed of turkey & stuffing, spinach mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, oven roasted asparagus, and cranberries. My father got Phaedra drunk with a sour-apple martini. We topped the night off with a birthday cake and gift giving.

Finally the event that brought us here. Christmas morning. A time of wonder and delight for all. After a breakfast of my wife’s world famous (at least in our small world) cheese soufflé, we got to the presents. This is a picture of what they looked like before we started.

The ripping, the tearing, paper & ribbons being uncaringly torn limb from limb. Oh my God, the horror of it all. No, only kidding, we had lots of fun, and lots of gifts for all. In fact, Phaedra & I had to leave some of our clothes behind (to be mailed) just so we could make room in our luggage for all that we received (and shopped for).

This is what the aftermath looked like. Oh the humanity of it all…

That was our trip. Phaedra & I had a great, and relaxing, time. We both very much want to thank my parents, and my sister, heartily, for their hospitality. We flew back at 9:30 p.m. Christmas Day, got in to Newark around 1 a.m. the next day, to the house by 2, bed by 3:30. Slept for a long long while, and then went to Eva & Anthony’s for Christmas leftovers, but that’s yet another post.

You can see the other 30 odd photos I took of our visit down south under trips on my photo page, or just click here.

Click any of the pictures above for larger versions

P.S. You may have noticed (or not) that the dates of the last few (and next) postings don’t match when they popped up on my blog. It’s because I mostly wrote them on that day, but had not had a chance to finalize the text (read spellcheck), or upload the pictures till now.

Edward Leedskalnin (“Ed” seen life size next to my sister) was born in 1887 in Latvia. Jilted by his “True Love” Agnes one day before his wedding, understandably depressed, Ed left for America and set out on a lifelong quest to create a monument to his lost love. Ed’s unusual creation is called the Coral Castle. Ed without any outside assistance, or large machinery, single-handedly built the castle. He carved and sculpted over 1,100 tons of coral rock into walls, carvings, furniture and a castle tower.

What makes Ed’s work remarkable is the fact that he was just over 5 feet tall and weighed only 100 pounds. The individual pieces of coral that he worked with were sometimes 4,000 feet thick and weighed 26 tons. Incredibly, he cut and moved huge coral blocks using only hand tools. Ed refused to allow anyone to view him while he worked. A few teenagers, who claimed to have witnessed his work, said that he had caused the blocks of coral to move around like balloons.

Ed built the castle, which he originally named Rock Gate Park, in Florida City near the Everglades. The castle remained in Florida City until 1936 when Ed decided to move and take the castle with him. He spent three years moving the Coral Castle structures ten miles north from Florida City to its current location in Homestead. Ed continued to work on the castle up until his death from malnutrition in 1951. He put a sign on the door of the front gate saying “Going to the Hospital” and took the bus to a Miami hospital where he died three days later.

Many of the features of the castle are notable. Among them are a two-story castle tower that served as Ed’s living quarters, walls consisting entirely of eight foot high pieces of coral, an accurate sun dial, a Polaris telescope, an obelisk, a barbecue, a water well, a fountain, celestial stars and planets, and numerous pieces of furniture. The furniture pieces include a heart-shaped table, a table in the shape of Florida, twenty-five rocking chairs, chairs resembling quarter moons, a bathtub, beds, a cradle, a royal throne (the most comfortable seat in the place), and a chair for what would have been his mother-in-law (the most uncomfortable seat in his castle).

Click any of the 6 pictures above for larger versions

You can see the photos I took of this unusual accomplishment under trips on my photo page, or just click here.

Click any of the 3 pictures for larger versions

Yep that’s right we got tattoos, A smiling sun on Phaedra’s neck, and a dragon on my left shoulder. But not at Miami Ink. Instead we wimped out and got Henna Tattoos on the beach. Basically they paint a design on you using Henna. Henna is a plant whose leaves are crushed & mixed with oils to make an ink. Same stuff they use in some hair dyes. The ink will dry and flake off, but not after staining the skin below. The design, over two or three weeks, will slowly fade and be gone. You can get designs with colors other than black, but those colors will fade much quicker. Henna Tattoos have been around for about five thousand years; it is well documented that Cleopatra herself used Henna for decorative purposes as well as her hair.

Visit this link to see a cool interactive flip book of real tattoo designs.