Places

A tourism film from 1964, promoting Miami Beach, culled from the travelfilmarchive channel on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SoJhbaz2Mk

For one who grew up in the area, it’s interesting to see how the place has changed since, and how many resorts popular then still exist (or don’t) today. Some scenes in the film are natural, some are staged and awkward, but it is fun to watch.

It’s also worth noting that the same studios that made cartoons (Van Beuren Films, Castle Films) also made travel films.

Miami Beach in 1964

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Video Log

The plaster bagworm

We found this tiny little striped bug in South Florida, USA. It had a silken brown cocoon which it dragged behind it. It was a tiny little larva with minuscule legs, and its cocoon had two entrances. It would hide inside, then emerge out of either end to begin moving along.

I’ve never seen a bug like it, and would love to know what it is. Updated 6/4/10: it’s a plaster bagworm, and that wasn’t its cocoon, but its home — and it’s a pest. Thanks Andrew!

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Places

Butterfly World

Butterfly World, located in Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek, Florida, opened in 1988 and is the largest butterfly park in the world. It contains over 3,000 live butterflies. The butterflies are bred and live in what is essentially a botanical garden, filled with all sorts of beautiful flowers they can feast upon.

Visiting Butterfly World is a wonderful experience. You can just sit around and watch the butterflies do their thing, and you might even get one or two that will land on your hand and stay there for a bit.

As you walk around, you’ll get to see beautiful flowers like these.

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A Guide To A Good Life, Places

The Flagler Museum – Part 2

This is an article continued from Part 1, containing photos from the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in West Palm Beach, Florida. Part 1 featured photos from the exterior, the Grand Hall, the Drawing Room, the West Room, the Courtyard and the hallways. Now let’s go inside the rooms, to see how the New York firm of Pottier & Stymus did things in there.

Here’s the Dining Room, with its richly ornamented walls and ceiling. It’s a place that looks as if you won’t get up hungry from the table. Indeed, it looks as if you’ll be getting several courses every time you sit down.

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A Guide To A Good Life, Places

The Flagler Museum – Part 1

On a sliver of land across Lake Worth, between Florida and the Atlantic Ocean, sits one of America’s most famous historic homes and Florida’s first museum: Whitehall — Henry M. Flagler’s Florida home, and a gift to his wife, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler.

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