Your Mid-Afternoon Sift

Getting things going a little later than usual on this holiday but that means a much more fulfilling Sift for you. Enjoy.

A- Should we expect a July 4th lull to the rainfall we've been getting these past few weeks? The South Florida Watershed Journal is sure to tell us.

B- 305 shows off her new little one.

C- As does Tropic of Mom!

We finally got to meet our baby on June 30 -- our little Junebug.

He's perfect.

D- Want a good pastrami sandwich? The Chowfather gives us a recommendation.

E- Swampstyle has some unique thoughts for your July 4th.

F- Oprah has sold her Fisher Island condo and Miamism has the details and some photos.

The TV Diva has finally sold it for $1,100,000 – obviously petty cash for The Big “O”.

The Seaside at Fisher Island residence was listed for $2,200,00 in September 2007, reduced to $2,090,000 in May of 2008, then again to $1,795,000 in December of 2008 and finally sold in June. The unit is a modest 2 bedroom/ 2 bathroom – 1,838 square foot residence on the Southeast side of the island with gorgeous direct ocean views.

G- Bark Bark Woof Woof offers up some very cogent thoughts for this special day that we all need to read.

But the Declaration of Independence goes beyond complaints. Its preamble is a mission statement. It proclaims our goals and what we hope to achieve. No nation had ever done that before, and to this day we are still struggling to achieve life and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness goes on with no sign of let-up.

That is the true glory of America. Not that we complain -- and we do -- but that we work to fix those complaints. To put them right. To make things better than they were. To give hope to people who feel that they have no voice, and to assure that regardless of who they are, where they come from, what they look like, who they love, or what they believe, there will be room for them to grow, do, and become whatever it is that they have the capacity to be. It's a simple idea, but the simplest ideas often have the most powerful impact.

H- Sarah Palin cuts and runs and Eye on Miami has some thoughts. Check the comments, too. Random Pixels also jumps in. From the former.

After listening, I am afraid we are going to get 4 years of babble. At least she isn't a total media whore. Who, but an idiot, would announce something big on a holiday weekend in the shadow of the demise of the King of Pop?

I- Coconut Grove Grapevine lays down the rules for the Scavenger Hunt today.

It will go something like this:

Within a 45 minute period, contestants need to find and bring back coconuts to the finish area. No one will know who the winner is until we announce it after the fact.

[...]

Only one coconut per location will be given out, so the person will have had to make their way around the Grove searching. Clues will be given in the way of two line poems which will give hints as to where the coconuts are hidden.

J- Stay at a South Beach hotel for $40 a night, not including taxes? All Purpose Dark has the details.

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