Swimming in the Swamp

Some of you complain that all I do is beach beach beach. Well, if you must know ..... Florida is actually a swamp. It's overrun with alligators and other unfriendly critters, pesky mosquitoes and big ugly bugs, gigantic weeds and horrible humidity.

Are you booking a flight?

Bye Bye Bye

We're leaving town next week. We're packing up and saying our good byes.

Au revoir to our friends .......

Hasta luego to the beaches .......

Sayonara to the dolphins and all the other creatures beneath the sea ......

Arrivederci to our favorite restaurants .......

Dasvidania to the marinas ..............

See ya later, alligators .......

It Only Hurts When I Laugh

The usual ride is under the weather so today we're going topless to the beach. I would prefer a red convertible, but you take whatever the nice man at the car clinic gives you.

I'm also test driving my Halloween costume. Rather clever, don't you think? What? Why, it's the Flying Nun, of course. Seriously windy at the beach, but any day with low humidity is a good day.

Oops. Did I speak too soon?

Life is Good

Sunshine

A glass of wine

So Fine

Weather Woman

If you're down here on vacation, boy did you pick the wrong week. We tied the record high temperature ever in SWF today; tonight we'll break the record low, which was set back in 1927.

How does one go from record highs to record lows in just a few days? Just askin'.

Moving In, Moving Out, Moving On

Last year we were excited to move into these giant towers next to the Caloosahatchee River. Here in the land of furnished short-term rentals, we were signing a lease and rescuing our furniture from long-term storage in Ann Arbor. We have down-sized several times, but still have enough stuff to make unpacking an unpleasant chore. We said to ourselves - we're not going to do this again in the near future.

You just never know what fate has in store so it doesn't pay to over plan. Unfortunately, our condo went into foreclosure, and we are resuming our status as rolling stones while we search for our next residence.

We don't own our condo so we are merely inconvenienced, but for the owners it's a different story. Hard times here in the Sunshine State although I think California currently has the largest number of foreclosures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCPbL4yA7ik

Record Heat

It's the DH and we're on the move. Notice, fashionisto (and you thought I didn't know Spanish) that he is, he has donned autumnal attire now that it's October. I do hope it is not his Halloween costume.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?? So sorry, I say, about those chilly temperatures all of you north of the Mason-Dixon Line are experiencing. Too bad. So sad. But life on the lower peninsula is not exactly a day at the beach. Oh, what's that you say? Well, yeah ..... I guess it is if you want to be all literal about it, but we're setting new temperature records every day. Do you realize how hard that is, and how much time we must spend looking for the cool?

No wonder we kick off our shoes and make ourselves at home.

We're Hot

It snowed in Denver ... postponing the baseball game, and I noticed that the temperature was below freezing in Ann Arbor this morning (despite Rich Rodriguez being a bit hot under the collar). First question: should we even be playing baseball in October? And don't say global warming. Second: was I the only one who noticed the sports overload this weekend? Football, football, football, golf, golf, baseball ....... whatever happened to seasonal sports?

And speaking of seasons, you may have noticed on the national weather map that we are experiencing a heat wave here in the Sunshine State. Must be why we're still number one in the college football rankings. Go Gators. Okay ...... I'm fickle ..... so bite me.

Spooky

Well, October is the month of Halloween. Perhaps someone (something?) from outer space is trying to warn us. After all, we are planning to bomb the moon tomorrow at dawn. Ouch!

Beach Blooms

Ah, it's another day at the beach. Record high temperatures for October. Yes, you heard me - October. The temperature is still in the 90s, and the Gulf is still 85. Let's not talk about the heat index (same idea as wind chill for you Yankees) which hovers somewhere in the low 100s.

Some of us are searching for whatever blossoms beneath the waves.

Some of us haven't gotten our feet wet yet,

but when we do, look what treasures we find ........... sand flowers, don'tcha think. Recognize the nutmeg?

Something is always blooming at the beach.

These beauties remind me of morning glories although they glory all day long.

Even the trees are heavy with peliblooms.

Of course, there are few days that one does not observe the blooming parasols.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

On the Beach

Didn't you say 10 AM?

I've been waiting around here on one foot seems like forever.

Hope you don't forget to bring the fish for lunch.