Miami Beachs Million Dollar Pier, and Jumping Back in Time! -- Paul Hampton Crockett Dateline: Million Dollar Pier, South Miami Beach, 1930s Pauls Safari Into Miami History. ____________________________ Miami Beachs Million Dollar Pier, and Jumping Back in Time! Yesterday my Mom had made a nice crock pot stew of beef, sweet potatoes, peas, etc., and invited me over to enjoy a casual meal. This gave me the opportunity to share with them both a little of what Ive been up to on Facebook. My Dad has still not seen the post I did honoring his parents, which (sadly) I could not readily locate on my iPhone. What I was more interested in sharing with him last night, however, was my recent post about the Miami Beach Kennel Club, and my account of the experience we had shared together there many years ago, relating to a week-end scouting expedition. I pulled up the post on my phone and handed it to my Mom, to pass along. Oh My God yeah, he said, taking it in hand. That was the weekend that we climbed out on the jetty. Do you remember how I had called the cuts and scrapes that had you poor little boys so bloodied, red badges of courage? I responded only by saying Dad, go ahead and read it. I think if you keep scrolling down after the post, you’ll find the pictures. When he saw that Id written about that very thing, he was astounded and incredulous. You remember that?, he asked. I rolled my eyes just slightly, and replied Of COURSE I remember that. Which I mention only because I feel that parents tend to vastly underestimate, generally, the impact that even their most simple words and deeds can have upon their children, for better or for worse. I pass that along especially for those of you that are parents. But thats not really the reason I write tonight. Back to my Dad and the iPhone he’s got in hand. After reading the post, he went on to skim some of the comments, and found those discussing the danger involved in jumping off the old pier. You know, he remarked, “when I was a kid, there was a two-story building on the pier. There was?, I unthinkingly interrupted, because I simply hadnt known. Yeah, he continued, Minsky’s. There was a nightclub called Minskys. And we used to climb up on top of THAT-- and dive off! Hell, that had to be a 50 foot drop, into 6 feet of water! I felt that kind of mixed joy and horror that arises sometimes when you are reminded that your parents are just people, too, and that even grandfathers were once very much foolhardy young boys. I dont even know what we were thinking, he remarked in a tone that sounded to me slightly mischievous. What I would do was, as soon as I hit the water, arch myself back up. He turned back to the television. Kind of crazy, I guess. So I immediately realized a couple of things. First I grasped that my caption to the picture of the pier, as posted, had been completely erroneous! (Its gist being something like the Miami Beach Pier, as it remained largely unchanged from its construction in 1926 until its demolition in 1984.) Note to self: Paul, refrain from any such assumption! Had I stopped to think about it, which I hadnt, how might I have even the slightest idea as to what might or might not have been there, before I was alive? Oh well. We learn from our mistakes, which is probably the reason Im so damn smart! Second, I was filled with curiosity as to what the building that my dad and his equally devil may care friends had jumped off of, in the 1930s, might look like. And what I found was just too cool not to share. I hope that you enjoy the images, as I did. Thank you.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 05:03:37 +0000