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.

A young man wearing only his bathing suit trudged along the shore. No doubt he is visiting here for a short while and intent upon getting a tan at any cost. I on the other hand had adopted the Floridian protective costume of socks and a sweater. The temperature had plummeted from last week’s high of 84 degrees to near 70 degrees. Br-r-r! There was no chance of taking a swim in the sea today. Though there were two chaises longues situated on the beach I chose not to sit on one because I am never certain whether they belong to the homeowners located adjacent the beach walkway entrance. My experience here is that people are generally respectful of private property ownership.

When I got back to the condo I immediately went to sit by the pool – to work on my own tan. It wasn’t long before I removed my shirt and light hoodie. Eventually I took a dip in the pool. The water was colder than normal but tolerable. It assuaged my neuropathy. I didn’t stay long in the water. After drying myself I began to feel the cool air so it was back to wearing clothing.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent answering emails from our northern compatriots – who are universally absorbed in the enchantment of Christmas. This I discovered is especially so for those who have grandchildren. In spite of the cooler weather here we’re still unlikely to succumb to the persuasion of Christmas. This in spite of the incalculable magic of an electronic Christmas card we received! Instead we’re devoting our anticipation to an upcoming jaunt to Key Largo in a week. While there we’ll acquaint ourselves with the townhouse we’ve contracted to rent next year.

I’m entertaining myself at the moment by listening to Romeo Santos “Utopia“, music labelled as Salsa and Tropical. It’s definitely a toe-tapper! And considerably more apposite here than “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” (which peculiarly I was singing to myself while bicycling this morning, admiring the lyricist’s talent). The Spanish influence is not overpowering on Longboat Key but the spice and history insulate the whole.

“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is a song by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company. Gene Autry’s recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949.