Here are this week's delayed blog: beach rainbows; formation flying and shore birds; ships at sea; sweating glasses; O. Henry note; the wild turkey; dysfunction in D.C.

New Smyrna Beach, FL. I spent a few days in NSB for the condo's semi-annual Home Owners Association meeting. The climatic changes between CO and FL still take me by surprise. It was barely 32 when I left Denver and, as usual, the airplane was cool, but the jet way at Orlando International always announces what lies ahead. Peel off two layers, keep on the light long sleeves, otherwise my unseen, but ever present, dermatologist whispers warnings in my ear! Put on the hat, too!

Watery rainbows. On several afternoons, rain clouds gathered over the Atlantic, thinly obscured portions of the pale blue sky, and gave birth to several pale, watery rainbows. They reminded me of what I have seen before in Hawaii.

Pelicans and shore birds. Only rarely do you see a lone pelican. They drift up and down the shoreline, flying in formation, descending towards the water, their forward speed providing just enough lift to let them skim above the waves. If fish are spotted, one or more will nose-over, plunging into the water. If Mr. P swallows, you know the dive was a success. The shore birds, big and small, run/strut to and fro, eyeing the sand for unseen edibles in the sand. A group gathering indicates good feeding.

Passing ships. I am always surprised to see so few ships from the shore. Apparently, the water is shallow enough that the larger ships plying the coast are just over the horizon, or they are using the nearby inter-coastal water water way. Several days running, though, a sail boat was visible, usually headed north from NSB towards the Daytona area.

Humidity. In Denver, we gauge the humidity by how much an ice filled glass of water sweats. Many times it does not sweat; a coaster if nice, but not really necessary. In FL, everything sweats! If the refrigerator door is open just a bit too long, the glass shelves "fog up." Conversely, in CO you do not doddle over your sandwich making, lest the bread dry out. In FL, you put the bread in the sack and use it quickly before it turns moldy.

Banana Republic. Originally this now pejorative term designated a Central American dictatorship and was first penned by O. Henry, most associated with the short story. Among Americans bananas are eaten at a rate greater than apples and oranges combined. For other facts, go bananas and see the above link.

Ben's bad (?) idea. This coming Thanksgiving, especially if there's an eagle's nest in your area, pause to remember that Founding Father Ben Franklin proposed that the national bird should be the American wild turkey. Seen in their usual setting both birds are admittedly majestic, one usually strutting through the woodlands only rarely in a tree, the other soaring above or perched searching the area for food.

Dysfunction in D.C. I heartily recommend this column by Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne. I am sure our friends (and enemies) abroad are more often than not wonder about what comes out of our nation's capitol. Leadership squabbles, lack of a budget (coherent or otherwise), unwillingness to raise taxes to pay for burgeoning social programs...... The list goes on and on.
     There remain a string of either increasingly irrelevant or demagogic or strident Republican candidates. The looming, leading Democrat seems to offer little more than the family's past litany of not always above-board programs and policies.

Thank you for reading. Have a good week.