This Is Florida

To be more exact this is Sand Key, FL just outside Clearwater. We are here to get my son Matt married off. The wedding is in Bartow as is the new home of the bride, Emily, and the groom. Matt's soon to be in-laws own a beach condo for get aways from Bartow and this is shot from that beach.
****click pic for full size****

I was last in Florida in 1971 as a hitch-hiker at the end of summer before my first year of College. Oddly enough, a part of that trip took me right through this same part of the state. Not to put it too severely, I haven't been back for the simple reason that I felt I'd had all the use of Florida that I cared for. So, I am not a tourist, I'm here with a purpose and wouldn't be other wise.

Now this having had all the Florida I cared for has to do with too many people, way too much humidity, too flat, and generally speaking not my sort of place. I don't have anything against Florida as a place, it just isn't on my list of places to be. My mother is down from N Michigan and along with my wife seemed to think that some beach time was called for if they were in FL. I took them to the beach and took myself to a blue collar tavern and sucked down unsweetened iced tea and shot the breeze with some locals. I just couldn't be less interested in tourist traps or in laying in sand in the sun.

I've really enjoyed meeting Emily's family and I'll be glad to see Matt get himself married to such a great gal, so this is a good trip.