Serendipity

Back in the day, not many people had pools. That never stopped us. We had "The Trestle" on the Miami River. It was very high and many '50s Hialeah or Miami Springs kids either swam there or heard the stories. Some claim they jumped from the top, but I never saw anyone jump.

We did climb to the top though. I remember it being very scary. Most of us jumped from the wooden posts that guarded the middle and a few of us jumped from the railing (about 10 feet higher).

The river was cleaner back then. You could catch fish relatively easy and there was a lot of wildlife along the river, including manatees, otters, bird, ducks and other critters. Oh yeah, and there was the occasional alligator.

Farther northeast along the river, there was a great swing tied to a large Australian pine tree. It was a hang out place and the source of many good times.

You see, in those days, that was all we needed to have a good time. It was even better if you had a bike and didn't have to walk there. No one had bathing suits. We swam in our jeans and made sure they were well dried out before we went home, because no one was allowed to swim in the canals and rivers.

Okeechobee Road (Hwy 27) was a two lane road back then and the Palmetto Expressway was in the planning stages. The only movie theaters close enough to bike to was The Essex in Hialeah and The Circle in Miami Springs.

The kids that did have pools were popular, but it was more fun to get a group together and go "exploring". This usually meant that somewhere along the way there would be a canal. Of course, in the hot South Florida summers, that meant a swim.

Today, there are miles and miles of roads and expressways. Most of the rivers and canals are dirty and/or polluted. Nonetheless, life goes on but memories of going swimming at The Trestle are still fond memories.....

Brother Kirt And I

The News As I See It: Bernie Sanders said that he went to Boy Scout camp in New York. You can tell it was a while ago because Bernie Sanders didn't learn how to make a fire there.....he discovered it.

A man at Wal-Mart in Missouri has been fired for hugging people to thank them for their business. After being told he was getting fired, the man said, "Oh, I don't work here."

This Date In History: 1814; Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba. 1899; The treaty ending the Spanish-American War took effect. 1921; Iowa imposed the first state cigarette tax. 1945; Allies liberated Buchenwald concentration camp.

1951; President Harry Truman fired General Douglas McArthur. 1968; President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1968 Civil Rights Act. 1979; Ugandan dictator Idi Amin was overthrown.

1981; President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House after he was shot in an assassination attempt. 2007; Science-fiction writer Kurt Vonnegut died in New York City at age 84.

Picture Of The Day: This is an aerial view of where The Trestle used to be before the top part was removed. We also swam in the Miami Springs canal (seen lower). The trestle still serves as a train rail bridge going into the town of Medley (click on image to see larger).

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) You know you drank too much last night when you have to use your cellphone GPS to locate yourself the next morning.  2) I don't like to brag but my bank says I have an outstanding balance. 3) In 1872, Muslims invented the condom, using a goat's lower intestine. In 1873, the British somewhat refined the idea by taking the intestine out of the goat first.

4) I enjoy making my grocery shopping list. I also like to leave it laying on the kitchen counter and then guess what's on the list while at the store. It's a fun game. 5) A guy stole my bike so I got in a cab and said, "Follow that guy!" He said, "Sure, whats his Twitter name?" We laughed and hi-fived and I need a new bike.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Aries - April 11th: You may become trapped in a cave with a panther and a sound system playing Michael Bolton's greatest hits this week. You can avoid the panther's attack by simply singing along with Michael Bolton but there's no cure from the lingering effects of Bolton's music.

Birthdays: Charles Evans Hughes, American statesman and jurist 1862, Dean Acheson, statesman 1893, Percy Lavon Julian, chemist 1899, Oleg Cassini, fashion designer 1913.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: Two old women were eating breakfast in a restaurant one morning. Ethel noticed something funny about Mabel's ear and she said, ''Mabel, do you know you've got a suppository in your left ear?"

Mabel answered, "I have a suppository in my ear?" Mabel pulled it out and stared at it. Then she said, "Now I know where to find my hearing aid."

Barack Obama walked into a New York bar with a frog on his shoulder. The bartender says, "Hey, that's cool ! Where did you get it?"

The frog replies, "In Chicago, there's thousands of them up there."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: A phenomena known as "women's intuition" a sixth sense if you will, is no myth. Women seem to know what's going on in their man's lives almost better than they do. Why is this?

In the early 80's, researchers discovered that women have more connections between the brain's two hemispheres than men do. It's these connections that allow them to put together a puzzle from seemingly un-connectable pieces. That, and they go through all your stuff while you're in the shower.

One morning a man comes into the church on crutches. He stops in front of the holy water and splashes some of it on both of his legs, then throws away his crutches.

An altar boy witnessed the scene and runs into the rectory to tell the priest what he'd just seen. Without batting an eye, the priest says, "Son, you've just witnessed a miracle. Tell me where is this man?" The altar boy relied, "Flat on his ass, Father, over there by the holy water."

That's it for today, my little puppies. Remember, adulthood is like the vet and we're like the dogs that are excited for the car ride until we realize where we're going.

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More on Wednesday.

Stay Tuned !