Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Rhapsody of the Winged Ones
Backyard Treasures
In our backyard there is a canal, what I would refer to as a creek. All the same, this body of water can be a dangerous highway for alligators and snakes, but recently it has been dry and low so we have mostly seen only large empty snail shells which the birds have picked clean; although Walter has seen an otter. Also, many birds live in the thick tropical mass of palms behind our villa and squawk and tweet and twitter until you might go mad from nature's symphony.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Pahokee, FL
We soon came to some very interesting housing developments, which we, Michiganders, would call living in the "Projects," (seen below).
There were also some interesting views of the town. Businesses, open, many closed down, small businesses open selling all sorts of things from fruit and vegetables to used furniture which even offered used cabinet doors without the cabinets. It was plain to see that people are doing whatever they can to "make ends meet."
There was nothing to see that is "ALL NEW" as the sign reads, at least sort of, I guess, with the upside down "V" for an "A." This theater is closed, as in closed down for business.
These two tents are advertising used furniture for sale.
This "used to be" building of some sort even had its door boarded up and painted over.
Here is a shot of the middle/senior high school in Pahokee. The styrofoam cups in the wire chain link fence claim the school is "FCAT" ready, which is the Florida State assessment test. I wonder, who is FCAT ready? The State, the district, the administration, or the students??? The students who attend this school live in the town from which the above photos were taken. I feel many of them have more than education on their mind, such as daily survival. These streets are filled with gangs and gunfire. It is something to think about. I do apologize for the many crooked shots and pictures with the car window frame/mirror/ and arms in the them, but it was not wise to get out of the car and be noticed taking photos of these places.
Here are a few more shots:
This is the public library branch in Pahokee, FL (above). It is about as large as the main office at the middle school where I teach.
The nicest part of Pahokee was Lake Okeechobee. The boat docks looked relatively new, there was a new outbuilding constructed from wood and concrete which was aesthetically pleasing, and the palm trees, tropical plants, and flowers had recently been planted.
I did not include pictures of the people of Pahokee because I repect their right to privacy, however, I will include some student art work from Walter's class which I feel shows the wide cultural diversity of this town.
The flag on the right of the U.S. flag is an unfinished Mexican flag (above). The word "hello" is written around the U.S. flag in English, Spanish, Creole, Italian, French, and a few other other languages I did not recognize.
It is public information that over 80% of the students who attend public school in Pahokee, FL recieve free or reduced cost breakfast and lunch. The photos of the town where these children play, go to school, and live, along with the fact of the struggling financial homelife these children come from, are a warning signal. It is a fact that the high school population is half the size of the middle school population. Where are all of these kids going, or should we wonder, not going? As the cliche goes, "You do the math."