Spring Ahead

I love coming to Florida on this second weekend in March, because we go ahead two hours, one for the Eastern time zone and the other for the transition to DST. This is the one weekend of the year when I can be fairly sure of sleeping in until at least  5:00 a.m. This morning, I did wake before five by eventually went back to sleep and didn't wake until the eastern sky was brightening. The herons and egrets were fishing before dawn, but first light seemed to wake the gulls -- and they roused everyone else.

Canadians

Lots of Canadians here (Ontario, New Brunswick), some of whom we remember from last year. I had to laugh when people from Sarnia claimed to have come from the cold "60 miles from Detroit". Cold compared to where? The Fredericton contingent includes a couple who live "not 10 minutes" from St. Thomas University. The Ryans have a strong maritime connection, so I'm fairly sure we would discover that we know some of the same people.

Orientation Day

I wore my Sports Illustrated freebie Vikings jacket yesterday by the pool, while we waited for our condo to be ready. It was no heat wave but we were happy to have a beer (fresh from Norman's Liquors) in the gazebo area. Make that two beers.

We got our keys shortly after two. Same layout as last year's, two floors higher, with more panoramic view. The kitchen is better equipped and Bob is happy with the TVs. He's already referring to the second bedroom and bathroom as "Marilyn's", in anticipation of my sister's visit on Wednesday.

Shopped at Publix for a picnic supper (fresh gulf shrimp, roast beef, horseradish cheese, salads-Greek, chicken, fruit). By 7:30 I was fading fast so I headed to the pool, where I was the lone occupant for the rest of the evening, except for a couple of brief dips by kids in the hot tub.