As I serenely lounged by the pool mid-afternoon today with my eyes closed, my ruddy face directed to the sky, I suddenly became aware that the dazzling sunshine was fleetingly blocked not by a cloud but by the frenzied tops of a distant tree. The hindrance was not the usual grey patch of a passing cloud; rather it was the shimmering light streaming through tree branches tossed about in a high wind. This has not been the pattern for the past month. I know this because I have always positioned myself on or about the same lounge chair each time I have visited the pool. The change today was evidence that we’re approaching the Winter Solstice and I will have to accommodate my sunbathing ritual accordingly.

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While things may indeed be sent to try us, that at first appears rude reward for having to take the test.  Which is not to say a life without challenge is to be wished for, but it makes one wonder.  A moment’s reflection however clears the air. The alternative, though imaginable, is so dubious and of questionable sustainability as to be something only Jonathan Swift might have penned.

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When thinking about Florida, what is the elephant in the room? What is the one thing that really matters that everyone forgets to mention?  Is it the charming hotel room? The palm trees? The alligators? Or is it the pretty pool! Or the marvellous beach?  Or the food or the shopping?  No, it’s the sun. The sun is the sine qua non for existence in general and definitely for Florida in particular. It’s the one element which is so beyond our reach as to be totally out of touch but which is always within our sight. It diffuses its rays with such intensity and effect that its proximity is undeniable. Even when sheltered behind the towering mass of cumulonimbus its allure is hypnotic and prepossessing.

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The island of Key Largo is an exposed, fossilized remnant of a coral reef formed during a period of higher sea level and then uncovered and eroded during a subsequent ice age. The highest elevation is a slight ridge forming the spine of the island, which rises to about 15 feet (4.6 m).

The island’s substrate is called Key Largo limestone; in many places, fossilized corals and smooth, eroded limestone “caprock” are visible at the surface. Solution holes, which are pockets dissolved in the limestone by acidic rainwater, form shallow depressions in the land. The natural shoreline of the island is generally rocky. A slippery, gray, limestone-based clay called “marl” is the shoreline and near-shore soil. No natural sand beaches occur on the island. Inland, decomposed vegetation forms a rich, acidic humus soil up to about 6 in (15 cm) thick, topped by “leaf litter”. The soil supports a diverse flora of herbaceous plants, woody shrubs. and hardwood trees.

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The Genesis flood narrative is encompassed within chapters 6–9 in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. The narrative indicates that God intended to return the Earth to its pre-Creation state of watery chaos by flooding the Earth because of humanity’s misdeeds and then remake it using the microcosm of Noah’s ark. Thus, the flood was no ordinary overflow but a reversal of Creation. The narrative discusses the evil of mankind that moved God to destroy the world by way of the flood, the preparation of the ark for certain animals, Noah, and his family, and God’s guarantee (the Noahic Covenant) for the continued existence of life under the promise that he would never send another flood.

In the story of the Deluge (Genesis 6:11–9:19), Noah is represented as the patriarch who, because of his blameless piety, was chosen by God to perpetuate the human race after his wicked contemporaries had perished in the Flood. A righteous man, Noah “found favour in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8).

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It is inevitable that one should compare places where one has been. Limiting my scope to where we have wintered (as opposed to casual short-term visits) this buffet of venues includes Hilton Head Island, Daytona Beach Shores, Longboat Key and Key Largo. Happily Key Largo is proving to be our favourite. Indeed we have already committed ourselves to return next winter.

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The way things began this morning – with banging upon the roof – I hadn’t then anticipated that the day would unfold as favourably as it has.  That is, until the last hour when the air conditioner stopped working.  We suspect the malfunction is a consequence of the roofers having precipitated mischief with the A/C unit while repairing the roof.  We’ve contacted the estate agent and informed one of the workers of our peril.  We have just received a Message advising that someone will be around this evening to attend to the matter which I consider a challenge if tackled on the roof in the dark but who am I to say?

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“When Jesus was asked whether the chosen people might lawfully give tribute to Caesar, he replied by asking the questioners, not whether Caesar could make out a pedigree derived from the old royal house of Judah, but whether the coin which they scrupled to pay into Caesar’s treasury came from Caesar’s mint, in other words, whether Caesar actually possessed the authority and performed the functions of a ruler.”

Excerpt From
The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 3
Thomas Babington Macaulay

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It was a relief to get out of bed this morning shortly before 8:30 am.  A Sunday morning. I hadn’t the intention to go to church. Or anywhere else for that matter. When lately reflecting upon what I have done over the past decade to amuse myself whether in Canada or the United States of America it has been a monotonous affair. I say that with reservation because the monotony is by most standards a passably acceptable one, celebrating as it does the sometimes magical environments of riparian vistas or along roadways and seas in subtropical climates. Assessing oneself in these terms is both cheering and detracting. Clearly one mustn’t complain of the monotony of having to cycle for miles upon an open beach adjacent the Atlantic Ocean; or having to endure 80°F temperature while rolling upon a sheltered pathway overlooking Florida Bay or swimming in the sea.

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The impenetrable draw of the sea! There are days (albeit few of them) when I can roll by the sea on my tricycle without so much as a casual sideways glance. And then there are others such as today when an elusive magnetism fastens me to it! Nonetheless I succeeded to fulfill my cycling ambition of 5.47 Kms before succumbing to the more leisurely sport of floating on my back upon the emerald sea. After rounding the parish by the least elevated route, I turned onto the white gravel pathway towards the beach then stationed my tricycle next to the sign prohibiting golf carts beyond that point.

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