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One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events. The grandson asked his
grandmother what she thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.
The Grandmother replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:
1. – television
2. – penicillin
3. – polio shots
4. – frozen foods
5. – Xerox
6. – contact lenses
7. – Frisbees
8. – the pill
There were no:
1. – credit cards
2. – laser beams or
3. – ball-point pens
Man had not yet invented:
1. – panty hose
2. – air conditioners
3. – dishwashers
4. – clothes dryers
5. – and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air
6. – and man hadn't yet walked on the moon
Your Grandfather and I got married first, and then lived together.
Every family had a father and a mother.
Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir."
And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir."
We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.
Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.
We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.
We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.
Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.
Draft dodgers were those who closed front doors as the evening breeze started.
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends -not purchasing condominiums.
We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CD's, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.
We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.
And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.
If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk.
The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.
Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.
We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
You could buy a new Ford Coupe for $600, but who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In my day:
"grass" was mowed
"coke" was a cold drink,
"pot" was something your mother cooked in and
"rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.
"Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,
"chip" meant a piece of wood,
"hardware" was found in a hardware store and
"software" wasn't even a word.
And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.
No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap.
How old do you think I am?
I bet you have this old lady in mind. You are in for a shock!
Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.
Are you ready?????
This woman would be only 59 years old, Born in 1952.
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In 1986 the Junior League of Miami published a booklet which was a guide to historic sites in Coral
Gables. There were two self-guided walking tours which included maps. They also included the entrances, plazas and fountains,
the 7 villages, and other points of interest. The following is part nine from that booklet.
The beauty and charm of Coral Gables are uniquely captured in these scenic oases located throughout the City.
Mediterranean-styled fountains and vine-covered trellises transport you away from the hectic city life to a bygone romantic era.
Of eight planned entrances, only four were completed by the mid-20s. All were designed by architect Denman Fink, George Merrick's
uncle and artistic advisor, and designated historic landmarks in 1975 by Coral Gables. Tropical landscaping is integral to the
beauty of their design.
"The entrances themselves also hold out the promise of beauty and repose within. They are not mere glorified corner posts such
as the first bright vision of the ordinary real estate developer. . .Here at Coral Gables. . .much effort is really expended in
making them hark back to old Spain in Spirit and in Setting." – Designer Denman Fink
ENTRANCES
DOUGLAS ENTRANCE
Douglas Road and Tamiami Trail – Walter de Garmo, Phineas Paist and Denman Fink – 1925-27
Architect Walter de Garmo, Phineas Paist and Denman Fink designed the finest main entrance which cost nearly $1 million and formally
opened on May 21, 1927. A tower, gateway, two wings of shops, galleries and apartments represent only partially completed pland for
the village square of La Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) on this 10-acre site. Constructed of rough cast concrete stucco walls with
oolite stone detailing, its wrought iron balconies and barrel tile roofs express the master plan of a Mediterranean setting.
Douglas Entrance was closed off to cars in 1957, and only through efforts of private citizens was it later saved from becoming a
supermarket parking lot. Restoration began in 1968. The entrance, now owned and operated by the Regency Group, is the splendid focal
point of a sensitively designed multi-use center which carefully blends the old and the new. The entrance, listed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1972 is named for John Douglas, a pioneer who cut Douglas Road from his place to Coconut Grove at
the turn of the century.
GRANADA ENTRANCE
Granada Boulevard and Tamiami Trail – 1924
Reportedly a duplication of an entrance to Spain's city of Granada, this was the first entrance built. It is one of two entrances
constructed of rough-cut coral rock and has a 300-foot long gateway with a 40-foot high arch, wooden pergolas with wood beam trellis
roofs, Cuban tile floors, fountains and hidden benches.
COMMERCIAL ENTRANCE
Alhambra Circle, Madeira Avenue and Douglas Road – 1924
A 600-foot curved rock wall forms separate gateways for traffic into the City. This entrance was the second built of rough-cut
coral rock and is noted for its earth tones, flowering vines, pergolas and trellises.
COUNTRY CLUB PRADO ENTRANCE
Country Club Prado and Tamiami Trail – 1927
The last entrance was constructed on a 240-foot wide oak-lined parkway (the length of a city block) for again nearly a $1 million dollars.
Country Club Prado is built of concrete and stucco with exposed brick as an elaborate, formal Italian Garden. It is characterized by
twenty free-standing stucco and exposed brick pillars topped with classical urns and lamps on wrought iron brackets, a reflecting pool
and two pedestal fountaions at opposite ends.
The setting is very popular for brides posing in their long white traditional wedding gowns.
PLAZAS AND FOUNTAINS
Of fourteen planned plazas, six were built by 1923, the others following soon after. Ponce de Leon was the first plaza and dates from
1921. The plazas were designed by Denman Fink, landscaped by a nationally-known landscape architect, Frank M. Button, and declared Coral
Gables historic landmarks in 1975.
BALBOA PLAZA
Coral Way, South Greenway Drive, De Soto Boulevard and Anderson Road
Four hundred feet around, Balboa Plaza routes traffic onto the heavily traveled Coral Way. It was constructed of rough-cut rock walls,
pink and yellow wrought iron fences and gates with wooden pergolas, and has three water fountains.
COLUMBUS PLAZA
Columbus Boulevard and Indian Mound Trail
Columbus Plaza is a clear open space, 600 feet in circumference, with each corner appearing different. Rough cut coral rock, wrought
iron, and cut rock paving, combine with the beautiful landscaping of bougainvilla, royal poinciana, and sea grape.
DE SOTO PLAZA AND FOUNTAIN
Sevilla Avenue, Granada and DeSoto Boulevards
This European-styled traffic circle at the intersection of three boulevards has a central fountaion two steps up from street level
constructed of rough-cut rock. The circular pool has a composite column, and a footed basin catches water that flows from the
fountain's four sculptured faces. It is most resplendent when seen at night.
PONCE DE LEON PLAZA
Coral Way and Granada Boulevard
This plaza predates all of the other plazas and entrances in the city. It is located at the site of George Merrick's first land
sales. The northeast portion of the plaza borders what was then Merrick's residence. The stuccoed plaza encircles the intersection
and is ornamented with fountains and pergolas.
GRANADA PLAZA
Granada Boulevard and Alhambra Circle
Comprised of smooth stucco, rough-cut rock at the lower portions of the walls and pillers, exposed brickwork and concrete benches,
the Granada Plaza has a large vine-covered pergola that faces a reflecting pool and a matching pool at the opposite side of the
plaza.
ADDITIONAL PLAZAS
Alcazar Plaza – Alhambra Circle and Casilla Street
Alhambra Plaza – Street running West from Douglas to Alhambra Circle
Augustine Plaza – Coral Way, Alhambra Circle and Country Club Prado
Castile Plaza – Granada Boulevard and Castile Avenue
Cocoplum Plaza – LeJeune Road and Sunset Drive (renamed Cartegena Plaza, Nov 11, 1962)
Garabaldi Plaza – Cocoplum section (in Biscayne Section which was not developed)
LeJeune Plaza – LeJeune Road and Coral Way
Plaza San Domingo – Sevilla Avenue and Anastasia Avenue
Segovia Plaza – Coral Way, Segovia Street and North Greenway Drive
In the next newsletter #22 we will conclude with other points of interest.
History of Burdines stores chronicled in new book
Former chain opened first South Florida store 113 years ago
By Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald
Long before the days of giant suburban malls, smack in the middle of downtown Miami, there was Burdines.
The former chain opened its first South Florida store on Flagler Street 113 years ago.
It has now been seven years since the name Burdines and its nickname, "The Florida Store," disappeared from the local vocabulary.
But the Burdines shopping experience — first in downtown Miami, and later in Broward and Palm Beach counties — remains in the
psyche of those who grew up wandering its aisles.
"Burdines was the best department store we ever had; we'll never see another one like it," said Miami historian Seth Bramson, who
has published a new book chronicling the history of Burdines.
"Burdine's: Sunshine Fashions & the Florida Store" (The History Press, $19.99) can be purchased on Amazon.com.
Bramson still mourns the end of one of the area's iconic businesses.
"Nowadays we go to Macy's but it's not the same," he said. "That's not a knock on Macy's, it's just that you go to Macy's in New
York. In Miami, you went to Burdines.
"If you were a woman, a man or a child, Burdines had something for you," said Bramson.
The roots of the grand department store are modest. The first store opened by William Burdine, a retired Confederate army officer,
and his partner, Henry Payne, was a dry goods store in Bartow, Fla.
"Things didn't go well," Bramson said. "In 1897, Burdine lost his partner and was struggling to stay open. Then he heard that down
south in Miami people were pouring in… He and his sons decided to open a satellite store — and the rest, as they say, is history."
One of Burdine's four sons, Roddey, soon took over the helm. By 1912, Burdines — which used both the name Burdine's or Burdines —
moved to its home on Flagler Street and became a full-fledged department store.
The 1920s real estate boom brought droves of prospective residents from the Northeast looking for the warmth of surf and sand. As
the population grew, so did Burdines.
There were some setbacks. The 1926 hurricane hurt business, and one store closed under the financial strain of the Great Depression.
But by World War II, Burdines knew only success, and its reputation grew as soldiers training on Miami Beach fell for its unique
selection of resort wear tailor-made for tropical living.
South Florida children who grew up going to Burdines have special memories of their own: the store's famous Snow Princess ice cream
dessert served in its tea room.
The beginning of the end came in 1956, when Burdines merged with Federated Department Stores, which also owned Macy's, Bloomingdale's
and other major stores.
At first, Burdines expanded. But in 2003, with no Burdine family members involved in the company, Federated decide to bring all its
stores under one brand name, Macy's.
On March 6, 2005, the Burdines name officially died.
This article appeared in the Miami Herald back in November 2011.
Your Staff Recommends
For Your Listening & Reading Pleasure
Recommended Reading:
DEAD LAST
Description From an acclaimed “master of suspense”(New York Times Book Review) comes a thriller in which Thorn must confront an
assassin whose victims and methods are taken directly from the script of a popular TV show
April Moss writes obituaries for the Miami Herald. Her son, Sawyer, also a writer, has been scripting a cable TV series called “Miami
Ops” and has been using his mother’s work as a central element of the show's storyline. In “Miami Ops,” a serial killer is using
obituaries published in the local paper as a blueprint for selecting his next victims.
But midway through the season, a copycat appears off-screen, a real-life killer who is using the same strategy to select victims. When
this serial killer crosses paths with the reclusive Thorn, he has no choice but to leave his sanctuary in Key Largo and join forces
with a young policewoman from Oklahoma who is investigating the murders.
In addition to the show’s head writer, April’s other son, Sawyer’s twin brother, works on “Miami Ops” as the lead actor. Could one of
them be involved in the killings? Or are they orchestrated by the director of the TV series, an aging mogul who badly needs a hit? And
what about the female star of the show, a deliciously strange young woman who seems willing to do anything to promote her career.
Thorn walks into this hotbed of entertainment business intrigue totally unprepared for the life-altering shocker he’s about to face.
This loner from Key Largo has brought down his share of killers, but he's never confronted one that was his own flesh and blood.
With the pacing of a thriller, and the lyrical prose for which Hall is renowned, this story pits Thorn against a killer—or killers—whose
motives are as elusive as their identities.
Available to purchase from www.amazon.com Barnes & Noble> Books and Books> Indiebound>
Recommended Listening:
CHRIS ISAAK: BEYOND THE SUN
Chris Isaak’s longstanding desire to musically salute his inspirations was fast-tracked when he read a 2000 interview
with the great Sun Records producer Sam Phillips that appeared in the Oxford American. Near the end of the Q&A, Phillips was
asked if any contemporary recording artists grabbed his attention. His response blew Chris away. “I don't keep up with the business
like I used to,” said Phillips, “but I love to listen to Chris Isaak. He’s very talented, and his music is so damned honest. It’s
incredible.” That pretty much sealed the deal for this Sun worshiper.
The accurately titled Beyond the Sun, Chris Isaak’s Vanguard Records debut, is a self-described labor of love. Since he fell in love
with his parents’ 45s as a child, this passionate writer/artist has been obsessed with the glory days of Memphis’ Sun Studio and the
visionary artists who got their starts there—including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis—all
of them discovered and nurtured by Sam Phillips. Now, at long last, Isaak recaptures the brilliance of Sun Studio, and beyond, by paying
tribute to the roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll with renditions of classics, plus new, original self-penned tunes.
Both before and during the sessions, Isaak was inspired to pen some original tunes in the spirit of these sacred texts. One of them, the
cranked-up rocker “Live It Up,” is being released as the first single. “When we were doing the record, I kept learning things,” says Chris.
“For instance, nothing on those early records has a rock beat—it’s all shuffle and stripper beat. I wrote “Live It Up” to put a rock beat on
the record, so that that beat too is represented.”
Produced by Isaak, Beyond the Sun was recorded mostly at the historic Sun Studio in Memphis with his longtime band—bass player Rowland
Salley and drummer Kenney Dale Johnson, who’ve been with him from the start, guitarist Hershel Yatovitz, pianist Scott Plunkett and
percussionist Rafael Padilla. The album also features a guest performance by the Memphis legend, ‘Cowboy’ Jack Clement. Beyond The Sun
will be released in a standard and deluxe package. The deluxe package includes 14 tracks plus 11 additional recordings. A 2 LP vinyl edition
of the deluxe package will also be available.
Disk One: Tracks
1. Ring Of Fire
2. Trying To Get To You
3. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
4. Great Balls Of Fire
5. Can't Help Falling In Love
6. Dixie Fried
7. How's The World Treating You
8. It's Now Or Never
9. Miss Pearl
10. Live It Up
11. I Walk The Line
12. So Long I'm Gone
13. She's Not You
14. My Happiness
Disk Two: Tracks
1. My Baby Left Me
2. Oh, Pretty Woman
3. Doin' The Best I Can
4. Your True Love
5. Crazy Arms
6. Lovely Loretta
7. Everybody's In The Mood
8. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry
9. Love Me
10. Doncha' Think It's Time
11. That Lucky Old Sun
Available to purchase from www.amazon.com, iTunes and other music outlets.
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