Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Marc's Theory of Relativity

What a December we've had in Minnesota. A brown Christmas - unbelievable! Mild temperatures! Fantastic! I wasn't able to stop myself from singing my joy about the balmy weather. Isn't it great? What more could you ask for?

Well, it's all relative, isn't it? How about this for balmy?

Remember: You can click on any photo to see it full screen.

Windchills hovering around 76 degrees


Ah! January!


No ice sculptures here; so artists make due with locally found materials


Food and wine are always important when we get together with Jay and Claire.

Hiking. Bike riding. Beach bumming. Cooking with our friends, Jay and Claire. Going out to eat when we don't want to cook. There's swimming and tennis, of course. And today, Jay tsk tsked me for getting into the M&Ms before the noon hour.

On New Year's Eve, Claire took us to Nokomis Beach on Casey Key for a really cool celebration. Each Saturday evening, people gather to drum the sun down. Several drummers just appear and begin their rhythmic performance. Hundreds of people show up, some to just watch and listen, others to dance and play. Young people, old people. Some in costume, sparkles, baubles, beads. It was hard not to dance, and I didn't even try to resist. Bare feet moving on the cool sand. Moving to the beat. Coaxing the sun below the placid Gulf of Mexico. Our first full day in Florida, the last day of 2011.

Yesterday we sighted a manatee on a bike ride. We were on the bike ride; the manatee was swimming in the intracoastal waterway. I was delighted. I've wanted to see a manatee for a long time. Haven't sighted a 'gator yet, but there's still time. No responsibilities sighted, either; I've given up looking.