Year 2, Day 1: 9/12/12 - "Only the Lonely"

"So hold on here we go  

Hold on to nothin' we know 

I feel so lonely way up here

It's like I told you 

Only the lonely can play..."

-"Only the Lonely" by The Motels

Another Year Older...I made it through another year, though even I could not have predicted all of the changes that have occurred since this time last year.  I never imagined I'd be living in Miami, getting ready to start a new job, and basically starting over again, but that is where I am.  It was a strange year, and as I look back at everything, I feel as if I did not truly accomplish anything during that time (mostly within my personal life).  I can only hope that my time in Miami will be different and that I'll finally find the time to take care of myself, make some new friends, and maybe, just maybe, find that one person who is meant for me (sorry, that was maudlin, but oh well!).  I'll continue my blog as I did last year and chronicle each day, hopefully with more exciting things to come.  For now, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words:

Really, Florida?  I went to get my tags for my car today and was told that in Florida, I can't do that until they have my actual title on file...then they will issue me my tags and issue a new title. I didn't have to deal with all that in Texas because apparently Texas is a no-title state.  They just want you to register your car - they don't care where the title is.  So now I have to wait for them to send the title...and then I can go back, stand in line, and get my tags...which means I'll be spending a Saturday doing that since work starts next week and I'm not taking time off just to get my stupid tags!

Birthday Week, Day 3: My Actual Birthday!!!!  I decided to do something culturally engaging today, so at the advice of a friend, I chose to visit a museum.  In this case, I chose to go to the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens because it looked interesting and was not too far away.  Plus, admission was only $12.  My first thought when I saw Vizcaya was that it reminded me a lot of when Jenny and were in France, specifically the Rodin Museum.  So I was not surprised when I started reading about Vizcaya, why it was built, and who designed it.  The owner and his architects and designers basically transported Europe to Florida and mixed up a number of different time periods into one large house and estate.  Unfortunately I was not able to take pictures inside of the house, but here are my thoughts on what I saw:

• I loved the high ceilings...of course, since I'm so tall.  But it really did make the house more open and airy.  The ceilings themselves were fabulous, and all were differently carves, painted, installed, etc.  One of the ceiling apparently was purchased and shipped from Europe...who knew you could buy a ceiling?
• The beds were super small!  Of course, people were smaller at the turn of the 20th century, but jeez!  I would have need to put two beds together just to find one that almost fit me.  It was funny to also see that all of the beds were truly meant for one person...one small person.  
• I was more intrigued by the kitchen and work areas than the rest of the house.  I'm always interested in where the real action in a house takes place, and the kitchen, to me, is usually that location.  It was interesting to see how sparse the design was in these locations, because they were built for function now for viewing.  When compared to the rest of the house, they also showed you the true time period, rather than what the owner and architect were trying to create.
• The waste of this place was amazing!  I couldn't imagine the cost (in today's dollars) to create what they did back then, and also the uselessness of it all.  Though it was beautiful, don't get me wrong.  But I just had to shake my head at the opulence.

Though photos weren't allowed inside the house, you could definitely take photos outside.  Some people were taking advantage of this for more formal pictures.  There seemed to be some sort of ad shoot going on, a wedding couple, a pregnant woman, and a new mom.  I kept dodging them to stay out of their pictures.  I also noticed just how many women showed up dressed for the club and not a museum.  I don't think that 4 inch espadrilles are the best type of shoe to be walking around an outdoor courtyard with nearly 100 year old walkways and steps...but those girls pulled it off!  Here are the pics of the outside with some of my thoughts on what I saw.

Statues: I didn't take pictures of all of the statues at Vizcaya because there were just too many.  But I did take pictures of quite a few that caught my eye.

 The Grounds: The highlight of the visit for me was the grounds.  The maze shrubbery sculptures, the fountains, the stone stairways, the gazebos, and so many other things that I can't even remember, were truly beautiful, even as they seemed to be aging before my eyes.

 

 The House: Though I couldn't take any pictures of the inside of the house, I still took some pics of the outside and of the pool...which was gorgeous!

The View: Then there was the view of the bay (or ocean, depending on your viewpoint). You can actually walk down to the bottom of the "pier" and if you wanted to, jump right into the water (or sit and let your feet dangle).

Flowers!  There is an orchid garden at Vizcaya that was a little surprise as you are heading away from the house and grounds.  You practically stumble onto it and could miss it if you aren't careful.