53 years of hiding in the garage

I thought about going for a bike ride

then the rain started

She brought out her honeydo list

the rain came down heavier

after a while I got near the end of her list

It was still raining hard

she added more things to her list

the heavy rain continued

a flash flood alert on my phone

the heavy rain continued

never-ending honeydo alert in my mind

suddenly the rain stopped

the back yard was flooded

the flash flood alert was extended

too risky to take a drive into town

the rain started again

I went into the garage for some tools

It was real stay in your man-cave weather

I turned on the TV in the garage

70’s rock videos drowned out the sound of the rain

I decided to sit in her Mini Cooper S

the yard flooded more

My first car was a Mini back in 1972

I turned up the TV volume

Led Zeppelin took me back to my youth

I don’t remember it raining so much back in those days

the sun shone all summer long

I drove my Mini everywhere back then

it was my little 70’s chick magnet

finally the rain stopped

steam started rising from the roadway

the flooding out back started to subside

memories flooded my mind

Deep purple sang “Smoke On The Water”

I was eighteen when that song came out

the garage door opened and she stood in the doorway smiling

how long have you been hiding in here? she asked

Since 1972 I replied

it must have been raining for 53 years

From Racing Mini Coopers to being a MiamIan

Back in the 80’s I lived a different life

I lived in England and was totally engrossed in motorsports

Owning a Mini Cooper racing car 

Spending countless hours maintaining it

All for the thrills of driving a few fast and furious minutes on the track

My favorite TV show from the 80’s was Miami Vice

Undercover cops driving Ferraris and chasing drug dealers

A wild crazy city full of gun toting criminal gangs

I had no ambitions of visiting Miami back then

Fast forward forty years and here I am living in Miami

Waking up to spectacular views over Biscayne bay

Riding my bike most days over the Rickenbacker causeway

Taking in the dramatic views of the Miami skyline

Visiting international art exhibitions like Art Basel

Miami today is thriving with culture

Live music and great food are steps away

Ferraris regularly roar along the streets 

Perhaps one day I will see Crockett and Tubbs driving by

The people here are so friendly and welcoming

A great place to live if you love being outdoors

Pinching myself every day to verify its not a dream

Ian is in Miami

You can take Ian out of Miami

But you cannot take Miami out of Ian

Ian is now a MiamIan