Guanabanas (Friday, July 13, 2012) 

Matt Farr states his music is influenced by jazz greats like Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock to amazing songwriters and performers such as Sting, Hendrix and Marley. And then of course all the great bands like The Beatles, U2 and the list goes on.

We had the pleasure to see The Matt Farr Band perform the last show of their Wasted Days Tour at a small venue in Jupiter along the water–no crowds, beautiful views and lots of musical talent. 

The band produces a funky easy to listen to mixture of feel-good music.  You can check out their website and latest solo album here—http://www.mattfarr.com.

It is not the Serengetti but Zoo Miami.  In 2010, the MetroZoo was renamed and given a much needed face lift.  It includes now 740 total acres; 327 acres developed and over 3 miles of walkways with more than 2,000 animals, representing over 500 species and over 40 endangered species.

It is a great place to visit and houses more than 700 wild animals in a cageless subtropical environment.  The Safari stroller (similar to a bicycle but far more comfortable) helps you navigate the terrain with shade and speed. You learn a thing or two in the process which is always a wonderful exercise. They identify gorillas by rings around their noses similar to fingerprints on humans. Elephants only carry water in their trunk and never drink water through their trunk.  Rhinos are more closely related to horses than hippos and both the male and female antelope have horns. This fact is fascinating–grooming and social interaction is rarely observed among female gorillas.  It is the summer–run to your local zoo.

City of Boca Raton with Orchestra -1812 Festival Overture (FAU campus, July 4, 2012)

(Saturday, June 30, 2012–Mizner Amphitheater)

Summer is here and the free concert series at Mizner Amphitheater is underway.  Last night they featured Sarah Packiam and the New River Band. Sarah’s music was a blend of acoustic, pop and traditional Irish music (born in Ireland) with a touch of India (father is a musician in India) with sultry vocals.

It was the perfect evening. The amphitheatre is casual.  Parking is easy.  Bring a lawn chair or stroll through the park and check out the new iPic Theatre concept, Tanzy and Salt.    It redefines entertainment with a seasonal menu and food and drinks using fresh herbs, fruits and botanicals.  It is a very cool and hip venue with outdoor seating that flows into the park.

Neighbor’s Tree ( Boca Raton, June 27, 2012)

You take an evening stroll when you spot this cluster in a tree.  It is a work of art and the bees are sleeping (contrary to myth that they never sleep). Their sleep patterns depend on age and role.  

The foragers are under a lot of stress and expend a lot of energy on their collection rounds so they need, as many older creatures do, sleep on a regular basis.  The foragers tend to sleep at night since most of their work is done during the day.  The foragers also tend to sleep on the outside of the cluster to keep any diseases or parasites out of the brood area of the hive.  

The young bees tend to sleep inside cells in the center of the hive.  They don’t have regular sleep cycles, but catch a quick nap as little as 30 seconds whenever they can.  The young bees work as cell cleaners and nurse bees.  They work in the heart of the hive.

It is nesting season once again on our beaches. On any given night on a certain stretch of beach from Juno to Jupiter,  you can see these massive reptiles approach the shoreline to lay their eggs.

The Loggerhead’s journey is an incredible one. As a hatchling, it leaves the coast of Florida and rides the Gulf Stream up towards the Arctic and ultimately swims around the entire North Atlantic across to Africa and back to the beach where she was born. The odds are stacked against her; just one in ten thousand turtles survive the journey. She faces many hazards but her calling comes, and she returns to her beach. When she finally reaches  the same shores of Florida where she was hatched, 25 years will have passed. 

The cycle of nature begins again.  It is a rare and very special opportunity to witness such a unique call of nature.

Art is moving, uplifting and inspiring and doing art projects with children only enhances the experience. The Boca Raton Museum hosts a number of children programs.  One is called Creation Station.  Once a month children learn about a master artist on exhibit and have the opportunity to create a masterpiece in the style of the selected artist.  On Saturday, I worked with about 15 children in creating a piece of Optical Art.  The activity was inspired by a piece in the museum titled Tribal by Richard Anuskiewicz.  Tribal is large scale non-objective art.  Anuskiewicz applies colors both complementary and analogous to create energy or movement on canvas.

It is a wonderful way for children to learn about art in a fun and relaxed manner so if you live in the Boca area, check out the schedule at www.bocamuseum.org.

(Run 4 the Sea,  Jupiter, FL– Friday, June 8, 2012)

When you live in a coastal community, you can indulge in every sporting activity imaginable at any age.  From the local races to the morning sunrise cycles, it is a race to see and experience the views, the breeze and coastal roads.

(Cycling on AIA in Jupiter, FL at sunrise, Sunday, June 10, 2012)

If you are lucky, you can add waves and boogie boarding, body surfing and surfing to your options for fun in the great outdoors.  Check it out on www.surftopreserve.org.