Florida Cool

Long time residents and northern visitors bemoan the cooler weather this winter. I really appreciated the cool wind yesterday afternoon when we visited John's Pass. The sun was San Diego warm rather than Miami hot, and I didn't spend the day in fear of sunburn.

The pier at John's pass was busy but not crowded -- bad for business, I suppose, but more enjoyable for visitors to this fun venue for people and pelican watching. We had lunch at Bubba Gump's outside bar and could actually find a spot at the rail to enjoy the activity at the dock. Lots of boats, fish, sea birds, and tourists, of course.

Alone in the Pool

We spent the later afternoon at the pool where the competent mother of four little boys played Marco Polo with her 10-year-old twins. At the end of the afternoon, I was, once again, the only swimmer. This morning, we woke up to rain: perfect swimming weather.

The sky seems to be clearing now, the 70-degree temps are unseasonably cool. Perfect weather for vacationing Minnesotans.

Technology Challenges

I have a new appreciation for fast wireless Internet. Internet performance seems to degrade as the day goes on and, for the first time in a long while, bandwidth has some limitations. Make that many limitations.

Not so many years ago, I was often one of two or three wireless users in a condo complex. Times have changed. Too many devices share an inadequate wireless infrastructure. Must be good work in this area for network engineers.

Red Tide Tragedy

For months we'd been looking forward to manatees in the bay and, in fact, chose a higher floor in the condo complex to have better perspective for photos. I was shocked to learn that the manatee population has been declining dramatically because of Red Tide.


This toxic algae bloom has infected the manatee food supply and yesterday the Tampa Bay Times published a story with the startling statistic of 174 deaths this year, a sad record.

Even after the bloom fades, the toxin persists in the manatees' ecosystem for several months, do the death toll will continue to rise.

Manatee in Boca Ciega Bay - March 2012