“Oh the North country winters
Keep a-gettin’ me now
Lost my money playing poker,
So I had to up and leave
But I ain’t a-turnin’ back
To living that life no more.”— Old Crow Medicine Show, “Wagon Wheel”
Hello little blog.
Let’s see. I’ve been in two countries and eight states over the course of two weeks.
I was home for five days before taking off for the Keys. With all the crap breaking down in my apartment, and having a guest to impress, it was the only sensible thing to do!
I think I had my first real vacation. Sure, I have plenty of weekend escapes. But from Thanksgiving Day till Tuesday at 12:30 when I got back to work, I was in a whole different place — mentally as well as physically.
“I see your lips and I wonder who’s been kissin’ them.
I never knew how badly I was missin’ them.
We both know we’re never going to make it,
but when we touch, we never have to fake it.”— Donnie Iris, “Ah! Leah!”
Oh, what can I say on this page that doesn’t give it all away? Perhaps that I became like the girl in the Corona commercial. Not necessarily lounging on the Gulf of Mexico — although we did visit it — but instead sitting on a balcony atop Duval Street in Key West, holding hands with a special friend and basking in the colors of the sky as the sun went down. Yes, I think that moment encapsulates my weekend very nicely.
“Where have you gone
The beach is so cold in winter here
Where have I gone
I wait in Montauk
With you near.”— Ryan Star, “Losing Your Memory”
Temperatures in South Florida have dropped from the mid-80s to the mid-50s. I’m glad we enjoyed my area and hopped down to the southernmost part of the state last week and not this one.
Sure, it was hot as hades for most of the escape. But that’s the point of Florida, you know? Getting away from the snow and into the scorching hot sun. It might not get our guests through the whole winter, but it at least gives them something pleasant to remember for a little while.
I have a lot more to say. Words were never my problem. But time and space and privacy, well, are. So I’m going to go to the local Christmas tree lighting, where Santa is scheduled to arrive by helicopter, and not think too much about sunsets, sunrises and everything in between that comprised the earlier part of my week.
“You were from the North
I was from the South
We were from opposite places
Different towns
But I knew it was good
And you knew it was too.”— Missy Higgins, “Secret”