As I write this, my main office network lacks Internet connectivity, and I lack the motivation to do something wacky like share Verizon EVDO over it to bring it online. The cable guy's coming in a day, and then I'll publish this. (Update: I did get cable, so I'm publishin' this now)
An ill-planned, but well-executed move was pulled off, and as of very early Sunday morning, all my furniture and equipment is here in the Lower Keys. It's now Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and things are only now beginning to come into focus. The office and its computers are rebuilt. The platform bed (yes it moved) is rebuilt. The futon is rebuilt. Movies are playing on Theater-Mini. Gosh, we're even wearing clean clothes.
Above: My new backyard, a concrete seawall
Below: A view from the bedroom, when it was empty
In my new life as a dirty renter, I wake up and go to sleep to wonderful blue vistas... and the sound of Navy fighter hotshots in Boca Chica. But the S2000 and Mazda are both history. In their place, is a singular 2008 Honda Element, with stuff like a bike rack, tent attachment, and side-steppy rails. Between that and the move, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance. But more importantly, I look forward to many nights in Bahia Honda with the (Bahia) Honda Element.
Life here is so much different. Not only do you drive across the most gorgeous blue water just to get groceries, but people are so much friendlier. Cars drive slowly and yield often. People swap stories for 15 minutes or more, instead of exchanging 5-second introductions. Nothing's so urgent that it has to be done before the next drink (or cigarette). Shopkeepers take time to get to know you, even when it's pretty clear you're not buying anything today. It is utterly refreshing.
As I've become fond of saying, I owed myself a debt of serenity, and it's about time I started paying it off.
Sadly however, the word meaning "Atlantic tropical cyclone" has been removed from my vocabulary and I have become somehow incapable of its utterance. How does the Keys do that to people?
Some highlights from the Islamorada trip (which admittedly gave birth to this whole moving thing):
Originally mistaken for a stingray, nope it's a horseshoe crab. Almost immediately after arriving at the Islamorada Beach House, I went into the water and followed this guy around.
And of course the Keys are the world's largest exporter of sunset scenes like these...
And then there are the mangroves.
And then there are more sunsets.
And wind in the coconut palms.
There's more to show, but that's enough for now. So far I'd say I'm adjusting well to life here, and with each day I grow more convinced that it was the right thing to do. And if I ever doubt that, I'll read an air-quality survey, or better yet the Orlando crime logs.
-Chris