New Year's Eve on the Beach

Without a doubt the best place in the world to attend a New Year's Eve celebration is not Times Square, where temperatures can freeze exposed flesh in minutes... it's in Rio de Janeiro, where temperatures require bikinis.

Why, you may ask, would a blog suppposedly about Floridian Beach Life post about Brazil? The answer is simple: Temperature. Despite God's wisdom in making Florida a narrow peninsula situated in the subtropical belt, temperatures late in December and into January get downright cold. Like ghosts of Reconstruction carpetbaggers, cold fronts from Up North invade our Beloved Florida, robbing the Sun of its warmth and sucking the land dry of vitality. Thus we must turn our eyes further south to the tropical beaches of Brazil to find our vanished summer lifestyle.

Meanwhile, long pants and jackets - the dreaded encumbering outerwear of the Up North folks - are required for most days on the beach. Only the most intrepid surfers venture out, and like Californians in the summer, they do so in full wet suits.

Nevertheless all is not lost. King Neptune warms our beaches through the winter with moderating seabreezes off his watery domains, and there are days when the temps would be considered balmy Up North, and surfers don't need wetsuits.

Spring comes first to Florida, and the 2010 Bikini Season will open around March 1st. We'll let you know how it goes.

Image Source: Rio, Surfer

Blue Moon in Florida

So we're expecting a Blue Moon for New Year's Eve. Blue Moons themselves are rare events - two full moons in a single calendar month - and to have one on New Year's Eve is rarer still. Selecting a suitable image for this post was easy thanks once again to local photographer Paul Bates.

Let me tell you just how cool this Paul Bates fellow is. First, he has Mad Skillz, as you can easily see from his gallery of Florida Images. Second, he provides a great selection of images humbly offered without copyright restrictions for non-commercial purposes like this blog. Third, his philosophy of paying it forward by sharing his art first in trust of reward later says a lot about his character. Très Cool!

Paul's Moon photos capture the essence of a Florida beach at dusk, when the air itself seems velvet and luminous with blue faerie light, and a stroll by the surf is like walking through a half remembered dream. The blues in his Moon photographs are reminiscent of Maxfield Parrish, an early 20th century American painter so renowned for his blues that a color has been named for him.

Well done, Paul!

Christmas on the Beach

Christmas in Florida is a little different than those frigid States Up North (which includes all the others but Hawaii). We have no snow with which to build snowmen, so we make do with the materials at hand. A little carefully shaped sand, some palm frond arms, sunglasses... and voila! A Florida Snow Man. While all you Up North folks trudge through snow, sleet, ice and bitter cold, dressed up like Eskimos, we Floridians head to the beach in shorts and T-shirts for a little sun and surf. We don't care How You Do It Up North... and boy are we glad!

Image Source