Aloha to Key Biscayne - Stiltsville, Sailboats, and Coconuts

 

I found this display a short walk from the Cape Florida Lighthouse, "Homes that hover".  From the National Park Service (link),

Seeming to float above Biscayne Bay's shallow seagrass beds, Stiltsville has a colorful history that dates back to the 1930s, when "Crawfish Eddie Walker" built the first shack on stilts above the water. Over the years more buildings were constructed, and the area took on an aura of mystery. Accessible only by water, the area was the place to see and be seen when visiting the winter resorts on nearby Miami Beach. Stories of illegal alcohol and gambling led to several police raids on the Bikini Club and Quarterdeck Club. At its peak in 1960, there were 27 structures on the flats, but hurricanes, fires and the ravages of being in such an exposed place made every building relatively short-lived.

Creative Commons (link)

In 2003, an agreement was reached to establish a non-profit organization called the Stiltsville Trust. The agreement is intended to preserve the structures so they can help showcase the richness of the Biscayne National Park's marine resources. The Park has a cooperative agreement with the Trust to rehabilitate the buildings to support educational and interpretive services. Possible uses include community meeting spaces, a National Park Service Visitor Center, research facilities, an artist-in-residence program and satellite park offices that could provide the National Park Service with a presence closer to South Florida's population center in the northern part of the park.

Sailboats enjoy the aqua blue open sea.

The Cape Florida Lighthouse guards over the golden sand.

Downtown Miami looms in the distance. If you could live in Stiltsville, what would you call your home? One randomly selected commenter from this week's blog posts wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, May 28, 10 pm in Baltimore. I'll post the winner on Sunday, May 29 at SOS Aloha.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Celebrating National Parks - Aloha to the World War II Valor of the Pacific National Monument

Last week, I noted 2016 is the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS)(link).   To continue the celebration, I offer you the National Parks in Hawaii.  The number one tourist attraction on the island of Oahu is the World War II Valor of the Pacific National Monument. Visitors can explore interactive displays, including a short film, before taking the shuttle across Pearl Harbor to the USS Arizona Memorial.  From the NPS website (link),

The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship's 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. The 184-foot-long Memorial structure spans the mid-portion of the sunken battleship and consists of three main sections: the entry room; the assembly room, a central area designed for ceremonies and general observation; and the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on the marble wall.

Initial recognition came in 1950 when Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC), ordered that a flagpole be erected over the sunken battleship. On the ninth anniversary of the attack, a commemorative plaque was placed at the base of the flagpole.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who helped achieve Allied victory in Europe during World War II, approved the creation of the Memorial in 1958. Its construction was completed in 1961 with public funds appropriated by Congress and private donations. The Memorial was dedicated in 1962.

According to its architect, Alfred Preis, the design of the Memorial, "Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory....The overall effect is one of serenity. Overtones of sadness have been omitted to permit the individual to contemplate his own personal responses... his innermost feelings."

Inside the memorial, the far wall lists the sailors who lost their lives on that day of infamy, including seven sets of brothers. The USS Arizona, resting on the bottom Pearl Harbor, leaks about one quart of oil each day. Survivors call them tears, believing the Arizona will leak until all survivors have joined their shipmates in the watery grave (the National Park Service allows survivors to have their ashes interred in the Arizona).

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter - open forum.  Comments are open through Saturday, January 23, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 24 at SOS Aloha.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

The Memorial spans the sunken USS Arizona.

Photo by US Navy (Public Domain)

Aloha to National Parks - Happy 100th Anniversary!

The National Park Service is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2016.   From Wikipedia (link),

National parks and national monuments in the United States were originally individually managed under the auspices of the Department of the Interior. The movement for an independent agency to oversee these federal lands was spearheaded by business magnate and conservationist Stephen Mather, as well as J. Horace McFarland. With the help of journalist Robert Sterling Yard, Mather ran a publicity campaign for the Department of the Interior. They wrote numerous articles that praised the scenic and historic qualities of the parks and their possibilities for educational, inspirational, and recreational benefits.  This campaign resulted in the creation of a National Park Service. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill that mandated the agency "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Mather became the first director of the newly formed NPS.

Everglades National Park
Public Domain (link)

National Parks have touched my life.  I grew up in Miami and enjoyed weekend getaways to the Everglades National Park (link).   I learned about our colonial history when I was assigned to Hanscom Air Force Base, outside Boston, by visiting the Minute Man National Historical Park (link).  In fact, my "farewell" plaque from Hanscom includes the famous Minute Man Statue.   Now that I live near Baltimore, my family takes pride in Fort McHenry, home of the Star Spangled Banner (link).    

The Minuteman guarding the North Bridge
Concord, MA

The Star Spangled Banner may be our National Anthem, but America the Beautiful is a song of our heart.  Yes, America is beautiful, especially in this Youtube Video (link) from the National Park Service - nature is our national treasure.

Next week I'll be away in Florida ... so I will share pictures from my favorite National Parks in another sunshine state, Hawaii!

Do you have a favorite national park, monument, or historical site?  Or one that you would like to visit?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blog posts wins a book choice from my convention stash.  Comments are open through Saturday, January 9, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 10.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Park ranges dress as WWI soldiers
at Fort McHenry