Monday! I spent all day Saturday at Vizcaya with my mother. Glorious.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group gives Kossacks a safe place to check in, a daily diary where we can let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, earthquakes, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It also allows us to find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, earthquakes etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a Kosmail and ask to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
We do have a diary schedule. But, when you are ready to write that diary, either post in thread or send FloridaSNMOM a Kosmail with the date. If you need someone to fill in, ditto. FloridaSNMOM is here on and off through the day usually from around 9:30 or 10 am eastern to around 11 pm eastern.
Monday:
BadKitties
Tuesday:
ejoanna
Wednesday:
Caedy
Thursday:
art ah zen
Friday:
FloridaSNMOM
Saturday:
Most Awesome Nana
Sunday:
loggersbrat
The house and the barge
Vizcaya was built by John Deering (International Harvesters) between 1914-16, in the grand European manner. It is furnished with Neoclassical, Biedermeier, English, French, and Italian antiques, plus Greek statuary and sarcophagi. Unfortunately, one is not permitted to photograph the interior, so I don't have any pictures. The grounds and the gardens are truly spectacular.
We had lunch-which was surprisingly good--in the cafe, and were lucky enough to get a small table overlooking the grotto:
This is part of the grotto.
We walked all around the house and the grounds. The kitchen awed me :) It had enormous pots, a possibly 10-foot-long stove, and the biggest mortar and pestle that I have ever seen.
A view from the sea side
There is a tea house on the water, too.
The barge
Vizcaya is now owned by the city of Miami, I think. The history is quite interesting, as is John Deering himself, but alas I will have to write more another day. I am still in Miami and must dress for dinner. Will be traveling tomorrow, will check in when possible.