Balmy Night

One of the best -- and worst -- things about living in Florida is the heat. In the middle of winter when much of the rest of the country is blanketed in snow, we are pleasantly warmed by the heat of the sun. Even when the air is a bit nippy, the sun is hot. But on an August afternoon, the heat can be too much to take. I know when I lived up north it got plenty hot there too. Nothing is worse than downtown DC on a sunny summer day. Well, maybe some things are, but that's plenty bad. The concrete and buildings hold the heat in the city. It's awful. But one thing I've noticed on my many trips back is that even on the hottest day, the temperature usually drops overnight. It's nice to start a summer day with a little coolness.

Here, in the summer, it's hot all the time. It's easier to take at the beach where there's almost always a breeze. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, I can get a bit of the ocean breeze, but even if I don't the air moves more where I live (three miles from the beach) than in areas farther inland. Tonight it is hot and muggy, at 9:30 at night, with a slight breeze. The sky is just beautiful. One of my favorite things about Florida is that you can see the clouds at night, something I don't remember seeing when I lived up north although I've seen it there since. A summer walk on the beach on such a night is just lovely; the ocean mostly fades into the night, other than the crests of the waves that shine in the moonlight. Usually not many people are out on the local beaches at night, so the only sound is the ocean lapping the shore.

I was near the beach tonight, able to appreciate the breeze and the night sky with clouds, but I'm still not quite steady enough on my feet to walk on sand. I'm getting closer and closer; being able to take a walk on the beach is a good goal.