It isn't often that I indulge in a self portrait. In fact, I rarely let others photograph me. Nevertheless, the bathroom in my hotel room was so "out there", I just had to...
The Fun House Bath!
Nothing but black marble, mirrors and lights!
During the 50's and 60's in Miami, houses came with "Florida Rooms"--fabulous rooms, located on the back of the house that were filled with jalousie windows and had a view of the garden or-- if you were lucky--the sea. I spent a lot of time in Florida Rooms--and now looking back, I enter that hallowed room once again..
It isn't often that I head back to the place of my birth. But this weekend I did just that and made my way to Miami, Florida. It had been a few years, though the last time I was there I admit to arriving in a rented convertible, wearing dark glasses, a vintage head scarf, and red lipstick. This time I opted for the less dramatic route and took a cab from the airport to my hotel on Miami Beach. I wasn't sure how I would feel about being there, but as soon as that thought entered my consciousness, I saw the blue waves break on white sand and rushed to get my bathing suit on.
It would be hard to explain what it was like growing up there. I didn't know anything about winter. I didn't experience my first snowfall until I was twenty years old. My formative years were spent in this strange tropical paradise--body surfing in the ocean, stealing mangoes from my neighbor's tree, and pool hopping along Collins Avenue. When people tell me about growing up in the midwest--and I say this with some shame--I feel badly for them.
I've often been the first one to say, "you can't go home again", but I feel differently about that now. Like voodoo magic, Miami wrapped its arms around me again, and I find myself considering yet another move. The weekend brought the usual late afternoon thunder storms and a rocking surf. If anything in life could make me happier than being tossed around in rough blue water and wet sand, I don't know what it is.
View from my room after a brief rain--Collins Avenue and the Inland Waterway.
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