It's almost sacred how they work in hushed tones. On Sunday, Akshobhya Mandala Sand Painting started at Zen Village. His Eminence Chungtsang Rinpoche, along with Tsepak Rigzin, world-renowned scholar and translator, and six Tibetan Monks are visiting. There was an open house for the sacred Tibetan art performance. They are working on the Mandala every day this week starting at 10 am. It will then be destroyed on Sunday.
After the ceremony, visitors were given a bag of blessed sand to take with them. There have been ceremonies all week, open to the public. The next one is Thursday, June 21 from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. It's the Medicine Buddha Puja an extremely powerful and beneficial practice for the sick and dying, as well as for those who have already passed away. It helps bring deep and profound benefits to those in the healing profession. If you wish to dedicate this puja to your loved ones please send the names and photos of your family and friends by email so that they may light the candle light for you during this puja. Suggested donation: $15 member, $20 non-members.
Saturday, June 23 from 10 am to 1 pm is Vajrasattva Purification Empowerment, Teaching & Instruction. Vajrasattva is the Buddha of Purification. Meditation on this deity, together with the recitation of the 100-syllable mantra, is considered one of the most powerful Tantric methods for purifying the negative karma of body, speech and mind, as well as for eliminating karmic obstacles. Suggested donation: $50 member, $60 non-members. ( pre-registered only, email: info@zenvillage.com).
On Sunday, June 24, at 7:30 pm, the Farewell Dinner and Candle Light Blessings will take place. The community is invited to join in celebrating and thanking the monks for the blessings given and being left behind. The evening will include a live musical performance, a thousand candle light blessing and a sit down dinner with the monks. Show your talent in cooking and music. This special dinner event will have limited seating therefore they request that you reserve your seat by calling 305-567-0165. Suggested donation: $35.00.
Zen Village is at 3570 Main Highway, Coconut Grove.
Photos By David McBurnett
This is the latest on the RFP that went out recently for The Chart House, Scotty's Landing and the Grove Harbour Marina properties:
Five companies submitted proposals for Scotty's Landing and the marina property, including Landry's Inc., the Texas company that owns The Chart House, Vic and Anthony's, Harlow's and Bubba Gump's and recently bought Morton's. Landry's, also put in a proposal for the Chart House, property, the only bidder for that property, after the deadline was passed.
Others rumored to be part of the bidding are Terra Group, the company that bought the Grand Bay and one bid came in from another group who brought Arquitectonica, the local architects in. The actual names will come out in about 30 days.
These were the latest RFP requirements.
As for local bars. The new place opening called Mr. Frog's on Main Highway and The Goose, which opened not too long ago, were forced to pay for expensive liquor licenses due to a new law that forces them to do so when other bars are within 1000 feet of them. In the past, the law was simply that they had to sell 51% food and the rest liquor.
Many feel the two go hand-in-hand, that business is planned to shift to The Chart House/Scotty's area, leaving the Center Grove behind. If this is the case, Center Grove business owners need to get off their asses and protect their interests, otherwise all the locals and tourists will be wining and dining on the waterfront in a few years. The people who shaped the long drawn out Waterfront Master Plan, which was approved in 2008, are curious about this and not too thrilled with the changes that may take place.
There is always talk about an RFP for the Glass House in Peacock Park, but that is small potatoes compared to this huge undertaking at the other end of the waterfront. That RFP at the Glass House seems to be on the back burner indefinitely.
The Coconut Grove Woman's Club is hosting a Bridal Gallery at The Mutiny Hotel on Sunday, June 24. The free event from 5 to 8 pm is open to the public.
Enjoy an evening meeting bridal vendors from the South Florida area. Learn about every aspect of wedding planning while perusing creative tablescape ideas, enjoy exquisite food and drink presentations, check out the enormous displays of innovative floral decorations and so much more.
There will be entertainment and prizes.
The Mutiny Hotel is at 2951 S. Bayshore Drive, please RSVP to 305-446-2909 or do it at Event Brite here: http://wedding-gallery2012.eventbrite.com/
Yesterday's Cars and Cigars at The Barnacle, broke the rain spell. It seemed as if every event held at The Barnacle was like having a rain dance, it would rain on the day of the event, but finally, the weather was perfect. It was sunny, not very hot and with low humidity.
Various classic cars filled the back lawn along with lots of other activities. Live music set the scene, there were hand-rolled cigars, hot dogs and hamburgers grilled right there and lots of candy and popcorn, too. A separate area, set up as a Biergarten was quite popular as the afternoon wore on. It was in a nice, cool, shady space, where you would just plop down with a cold one and not want to get up. Folks met new friends and hung out and enjoyed the old fashioned atmosphere. 
This had to be one of my favorite scenes. Is there anything more relaxing than this? I could almost see the Monroe family out in the backyard with some cold lemonade and the newspaper. The vintage cars in the background sort of add to the scene too. Not too 1890s, more like the 1930s.
I was quite late getting to my own family's Father's Day BBQ. I didn't want to leave The Barnacle! There are lots more photos of yesterday's Father's Day Cars & Cigars (and Biergarten) event here.
I'm happy to report that the vast majority of trees in Coconut Grove (meaning all except two or three) made it through the rain (and hail storm on Friday). None of them fell down, except one or two at the Seminole Boat Ramp and one on Virginia Street, but those "dangerous, dead, failing trees" according to Lisa Hammer's report, the City's paid Horticultural Consultant, where she claims they are in such fragile shape that they are going to fall and kill someone, are still upright and healthy. Chairs flew through the air on Friday, but no tree limbs fell on anyone or anything. No trees or leaves, for that matter, came down on Commodore Plaza.
Fridays, wind, rain and hail did not make a dent in those trees that Lisa claims are in need of replacement due to their poor condition. The truth of the matter is they are totally fine, totally healthy and the report should be changed to reflect the truth. The above photo was taken yesterday (Sunday) morning, where families were all sitting under them, enjoying Father's Day meals -- breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. And no one was crushed by a falling tree limb.
To be honest, if there was such a danger of falling trees, would people be permitted to sit under them and dine every day of the year? Come on!
A couple of healthy trees came down at the Horseshoe area at the end of McFarlane and and also one on Virginia. But who is to say what is healthy and what is diseased? We can all get hit by a bus and die tomorrow, does that make us unhealthy today? Same with the trees. We don't need people walking around with a clipboard playing God, for pay, no less.
The City's report should state: "These trees are being taken out and replaced because we can charge the taxpayers $10,000 for each tree that is replaced by installing the cocamamie Silva Cell System under each new tree we plant. If the trees are not replaced, the job fee for the sidewalk replacement and the whole streetscape plan can not be jacked up."
The Jacob Jeffries Band (above) is part of the Fete De La Musique on Thursday, June 21. They will play on the Mayfair Promenade from 7-10 pm.
Nikolas Metaxas is playing, too. He's coming to the Grove from Boston with his group, it's a really cool fusion music band, they play everything from rock to Latin to classical. Both he and Menura are veterans of the actual Fete de la Musique in Paris. Menura played there five times.
A Jamaican steel drummer, Jubal has been added to Thursday's lineup, too. And The Taurus is doing an open mic night they have a keyboard, acoustic guitar and sound board ... you can just show up with friends and start jamming ... their Happy Hour goes to 8 pm on Thursday.
"Coral Cuban," a 35 person choir, will be playing in front of the Bookstore in the Grove starting at 7 pm. Gospel! Bailes Ferrer and the Coconut Grove Drum Circle will be in the Mayfair Atrium. Robert Thomas of Weather Report will also be at Mayfair.
Main Street a great club rock band will play in front of Wine... Etc. on Commodore Plaza (they should play on Main Highway, though, being named Main Street and all). They have three bands rotating at the Commodore location.
Cleveland Jones, the jazz legend, will be jammin with Main Street all night. Wines, Etc. is turning the event into a wine party ... they will have half-off prices on bottles of wine. That's also where the Fete After Party will be for the Musicians.
Local restaurants and bars will be joining in, for instance Barracuda on Fuller Street has the Robby Hunter Band performing with Robby, Matthew Hester and Frank Zito.
As of this writing, there are 21 bands now as part of the Grove's Fete De La Musique ... and they'll still take more and find a place for them!
