Ode to my dog in Lake Worth

My dog in spring 2004 strikes a vigilant pose.

The dog days of summer remind me of my dog, Miska.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the thought that terrorists were living here, I thought I need to quit procrastinating and get a dog. Growing up, my family had a black dog, a mixed-breed beagle lovingly called Blackie. As an adult, I always wanted a dog. The terrorists' acts brought that desire to the forefront.

I wanted a shelter dog, about medium-size, one that would walk and help me get back into shape. Pure breeds came fraught with too many problems, plus I did not want to spend that kind of money on a dog.

Belly-dancing lessons at West Palm Beach library?

Dawn Rhys shows students the basic of belly dancing.

Music playing and people dancing inside a library?

If it's the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach, librarians want to lure residents up to the third floor with offerings of dance and fitness lessons. Then these curators hope the class-takers will stay and pick up a book or two.

The latest offerings include free Belly-Dancing Lessons on Monday afternoons with local instructor, Dawn Rhys.

Finding balance through yoga in Boca Raton

Craig Richman leads a yoga class in Boca Raton.

By any measure, Craig Richman's life was out of control last August.

Overweight with a torn meniscus, the Boca Raton financial adviser could no longer run or swim to relax from his stressful business life. He saw everything as a competition and had borderline high blood pressure as a result. "Impact sports were out of the picture," he says.

Richman tried tai chi but didn't like it. He eventually found his balance through yoga.

Joys of bike riding to work in Palm Beach

Lilly Leas rides her Palm Beach Lately beach cruiser to the office
of Beth Beattie Branding on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.

I admire Palm Beach County people who ride bikes to work, especially in the hot and humid months of summer.

One such person is Lilly Leas, pr and event coordinator for Beth Beattie Branding in Palm Beach.

Leas started biking to work last year, "but mostly in the summer when it is slower and I don't have to rush to get to work," she says.

Exploring Mango Festival at Fairchild

Mangoes for sale at Fairchild include some grown on its farm in Homestead.

This time of year, I dream of mangoes. Their sultry, sweet taste calls out to me. I really wanted to return to the International Mango Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, but I didn't want to pay the $25 entrance fee.

Then I remembered my membership to the Mounts Botanical Garden in suburban West Palm Beach. It has a list of reciprocal gardens that offers free admission, and Fairchild is on that list. I called to make sure Fairchild would accept the Mounts card to enter the Mango Festival.

Next, I needed to find another Mounts member who would travel with me. I thought of Carol Carnevale, friend and former boss, who went to the Tropical Fruit Festival at Mounts. She readily agreed to drive with me the 70-some miles south to Fairchild.

Lake Worth Yoga Lounge underway at casino ballroom

The start of the Sunday morning yoga class in the Lake Worth Casino
Ballroom. Notice the disco ball hanging from the ceiling.

Troy Mills has a dream for the city's new casino ballroom: Create a Sunday morning destination for yoga.

He and partner Valerie Vermeulen are establishing the Lake Worth Yoga Lounge in the ballroom space above Mulligan's at the city's newly refurbished beach.

"It will be a Sunday morning event," he says. "I see it blossoming to about 100 people who come from all over the county" to see the beauty of Lake Worth. He hopes that after the class is over, students will go out to eat together or perhaps stay to help clean up the beach.

'Tween Yoga at West Palm Beach library

At the start of the class, the preteens sit in a circle, say their names and
a descriptive word. Plus, like Dylan (right), they got to ring the bells!

 Would preteens like to practice yoga?

To answer that question, I headed to the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach on a Monday evening. The third floor auditorium, site of Yoga for 'Tweens, was buzzing with kids, ages 9-12, of all sizes, shapes and colors.

The instructor, veteran yoga teacher Sara Beth Force, greeted the 'tweens at the door. Her son Eddie passed out books with this title, My Daddy is a Pretzel, to the kids who missed the first class.