This is my fourth full day in Miami Beach. I arrived on Thursday but that doesn't count as a full day. This is the first day I don't have anything vital on my agenda. Got up in the morning and watched a beautiful sunrise. Listened to WDNA the local jazz station in the morning. Hung out all morning.
After lunch I made my way to Technique Records: a vinyl store. It's located on 79th St. in a small "business district". The store is about 50' x 50'. It's packed end to end with racks full of vinyl. Coincidentally, when I entered I found myself in the disco section. Was delighted to find that they have a large collection of disco vinyls. Was even more delighted to find that the prices on used vinyl were reasonable: usually $4.95. Glanced up to see the jazz section. Browsed. Then the classic rock section. I was here to find two specific rock albums. They didn't have them, but I came across some interesting vinyls. Their new and reissued album prices are comparable to those online. But their strength is the used section. They also have two turntables connected to headphones just in case you want to listen to any used vinyl before buying it. Ended up buying Village People (YMCA), and Ramsay Lewis' "The Movie Album". And a Rhino album: the worst songs in the world because it comes with a barf bag attached to it.
Early evening I went to the beach for a swim. While walking to the Sterling Condo, I noticed that the beach had a sprinkling of Portuguese man o' wars. At the lifeguard station near Sterling the yellow and purple flags were up: yellow for moderately hazardous conditions and purple for dangerous marine life. The wind was blowing pretty hard, so the waves were big and strong. In fact in all the times I have been at this beach, the force with which the waves hit me was strongest so far.
It was sunny so I had put on sunscreen. Mistake: sunscreen on face. Because it invariably runs into my eyes. The salt in the water going into eyes is bearable, but the sunscreen isn't. It stings. Anyway, after struggling my way from Sterling to Bel Aire, from Bel Aire to Akoya was awesome!! Spent 40 minutes in the water when about 15 minutes in I was about to quit due to the strong waves and the man o' wars.
The absolute highlight of the day was from 5:30 pm until 6:30 pm when I sat out in the balcony, watched the sunset and then the sky turning all kinds of colors. The feeling of joy and serenity that came over me was incredible. The lights came on slowly in the city. Skulling crews were still rowing in the canal even though it was close to darkness. Everything was just right those minutes. Normally, I'm keen to capture the view on my camera. I did capture the sun as it set over the city.
No comments:
Post a Comment