When I awoke this morning at 8:30 am – after having removed my sleep mask – the sunshine was already pouring into the bedroom. There was no time to waste! It was imperative to initiate the matutinal productions to ensure that the bicycle ride began in tempo.

Chatting this afternoon with a fellow by the pool he asked, “When you’re in Canada, what do you do during the day?” I responded, “Nothing. Just the same as we do here.” Which is to say, nothing. I’m reluctant to account my daily adventures either here or in Canada because quite frankly there’s little to report. Following my retirement in 2014 there may have been projects of significance related to the administration of my father’s estate and subsequently related to the administration of my mother’s estate. But apart from those undertakings things are predominantly colourless.

We have turned on the heat in the apartment. This uncommon though seasonally predictable act signifies we’ve entered that short period of time during which the daily ambient temperatures consistently drop below a high of 80 degrees. For the next several weeks – conveniently the Christmas holidays – we’ll continue to endure cooler weather though usually beneath azure blue skies. Today was illustrative of that complexion. Once again this morning as I cycled along the island my first and instinctive gasp reflected the remarkable beauty and astoundingly clear atmosphere which surrounded me. The only difference today was that I wore a light sweater atop my customary golf shirt.

It was an odd day to go to the beach. The air was uncommonly cool. But the sky was clear and the sun was at least trying to be warm. What captivated me in particular were the lively waves and the sound of the surf energized by the strong northerly wind. The beach access was vacant. Walking across the white sand in my brown leather topsiders was a delight for some inexplicable reason.

When I awoke this morning I had little more on my mind than a mid-morning appointment for spinal decompression at the chiropractor’s office. I certainly didn’t imagine I would be moved to philosophic proclamation. I was very much mistaken. There were just so many desirable evolutions today that by late afternoon as I sought to recover my equilibrium and prepare my evening meal I found myself static in the kitchen, wet paper towel in hand, staring at the floor, pondering the scope of what had so agreeably transpired.

It is a pity to ignore the noticeable details of this place. A lifetime of dedication to introversion lends the risk of error. The calculation is not that the local ingredients are negligible rather that one’s internal mechanism more generally characterizes attitude and state of being. This is a mistake. Longboat Key is not just background.  Neither has it the contrived and almost spooky appearance which sometimes insinuates Hilton Head Island.  Longboat Key – though it certainly maintains its own indulgent attributes – has a more obvious architectural freedom and expression. The extent of novelty in turn contributes a dynamic of adventure which enlarges the overall acquaintance. The famous Floridian coastal cloud banks amount to a vast, magnificent and perpetually changing (often by the minute) panorama.

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I am in a state of immobility. My bicycle has been temporarily expropriated. Just as well. I need a break from exercise and monotony – as much as I thrive on them both. Besides sitting alone before my computer, glancing at the gulls soaring like kites in the wind over Sarasota Bay, listening to table music, eating walnuts drowned in maple syrup and sipping chilled espresso is an agreeable way to spend an idle Sunday morning. It’s only approaching ten o’clock and already I’ve showered, eaten breakfast and done a laundry. Thus have I expiated my guilt on the Sabbath!

Today as usual I bicycled to Bayfront Park. Actually I went further along Gulf of Mexico Drive to Block 5000 rather than stopping at Block 4000. At the time it seemed a manageable extension of my normal ride. But as I sit here now – not yet numbed by the handful of analgesics I took a moment ago – I can see that at my age the extra miles are work! On my way back I stopped on the beach for a swim. The weather, though continuing sunny over the next week, appears to be headed into the cooler December temperatures which will naturally affect the sea. I wanted to take advantage today of the cloudless sky and warm weather to swim in the sea before having to relent for a couple of weeks.

As a relic of the legal art
I’m still aroused by words.
And never to the point to say
That law is for the birds.

The reviews have been highly favourable. Other than those about the roll-out nightmares in August of this year at the start of the new model. But assuming it’s not all hype, Ford Motor Company appears to have addressed the problems and the associated bad press.

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