that Florida weather

These pictures are actually from yesterday but it doesn't look like today will be any different so you can just apply them to my entire weekend.

I woke up yesterday because the sun was blindingly bright in my apartment at 8am.  I didn't need to be up until 9 so hid my head under the pillow and tried to go back to sleep.  At 8:30 I woke up to the deafening drum of torrential rains, as seen above.

It continued like this for the entire day, and apparently through the night and in to this morning.  Yesterday it let up enough at one point that I went for a run.  This was the view when I started:

And this was maybe half an hour later:

So by the time I got home I was slightly sunburnt, while also dripping wet from the rains that had picked up again.

I guess when the weather is so bipolar the detective doesn't have the patience for his whole "scared of the storm" act.  Now he's just annoyed.

Extremely annoyed.

they had a lot of security for breakfast

Robert took me to breakfast on the beach this morning and neither of us expected to be joined by the secret service.

Seriously, all of a sudden there were about 15 men and women dressed exactly like this guy who stood menacingly all around the restaurant.  Eventually some blonde hussy that nobody could identify sat down at the table.  I don't think anybody would have even given her a second look if it hadn't been for all of these hulking body guards hovering around her.

And they were legit too, they all had badges with the seal of the United States on them.  The only thing we could figure was that it was Ryan's wife but after a quick google search we were able to put that theory to rest.  She was joined later by another, more appropriately dressed, woman but still it offered no insight in to their identity or why they needed so much security.

It was all very bizarre.

Otherwise breakfast was dreamy.  There were crazy storm clouds passing all day so our front row view of the beach was very dynamic.

Rob was convinced we were going to see a tourist get struck by lightening.  I couldn't really tell if he was anticipating this with pleasure or dread.  Either way it didn't happen.

I'm sure if it had the security team would have jumped in to action though.  There were certainly enough of them.

Urgent! Special Weather Alert!

I get these weather alerts on my phone that are hit or miss when it comes to what actually happens with the skies.  My phone will be going crazy in my pocket with alerts about flash floods and tropical storms when the view out my window remains sunny and peaceful.

The detective, however, proves to be as reliable as old faithful.  We were sitting on the couch together when all of a sudden he looked out the window with terror in his eyes before slinking out of the room quickly but calmly.  I got no message from my phone and I couldn't see any clouds out my window but sure enough about 15 minutes later there was an afternoon thunderstorm.  I guess he had heard some distant thunder?

Of course the storm only lasted for a brief while and was hardly enough to even care about.  I forgot all about it by the time I went in to the bathroom and found him, still sitting here.  When I came around the corner he gave me a look like, "this is my hiding place and there's only enough room for one"

I closed the door and left him to his hiding.

it always happens like this

Looks like a beautiful day for the beach eh?  That's what I thought too.  In fact, I started preparing for my beautiful Saturday off as early as Friday evening when I unwrapped the roadster and got it all cleaned up.

You can imagine my displeasure sitting in the beach parking lot where the view out my passenger side was the one above, and the view out of my drivers side was this:

In that Florida style, the rolling thunderheads were nowhere to be seen on my entire drive to the beach. As soon as I parked, however, they blocked out the sun and brought that cold wind that often heralds the impending storm.

After some consideration I decided there would be other days for the beach and I gave up on my grand plan.  I instead spent the day cleaning.  The good news is that I have clothes to wear to work now!  The  bad news is I didn't get the golden tan I was hoping for.  When I travel to other places how will people know I live in South Florida?!

I guess it only takes a brief conversation to figure out somebody is an insane Floridian.  And sometimes, it doesn't even take conversation, as this man learned recently.  Since I'm not tan I'll have to use that as my topic of conversation with strangers I may meet in the coming days.

It's either that or talk about the weather.

scaredy cat

Driving home from work tonight was the first time that I was glad I was in an suv.  It is seriously torrential rain with lightning striking close enough to make you nervous.  As I plowed through the standing water with ease I thought how grateful I was to not be in a tiny little sports car.

When I got home there was no nice guy waiting at the door for me like there usually is.  At first I thought it odd but then I realized it was because it was storming outside.  Sometimes I will be sitting on the couch and he will be right next to me completely calm cool and collected until it starts raining and he just takes one look outside with terror in his eyes before slinking off the couch and out of the room.  I finally figured out that he goes to the closet in the bathroom and sits there until the rain is over.

I don't think he appreciated me exposing him and taking pictures for my own amusement.

I feel kind of bad about how much he hates the rain but then I also feel like he needs to get over himself because it's not like he's ever even outside anymore.  I decided to lure him out by making myself a tuna salad sandwich.  No sooner had I set the certain bowl I always use to make tuna salad  down on the counter, he came slinking out from the bathroom and in to the kitchen.  He didn't do his usual meowing routine, just waited patiently until he could jam his entire face in to the almost empty can.

He was so distracted by food he even forgot it was raining for a while after he finished eating.  I got to pet him a little bit and spend some time with him before he remembered the only safe place to be was at the bottom of the bathroom closet.

Whatever, I have some time off this week which means we'll have plenty of opportunities to catch up on our cuddles.

there actually was severe weather

Though yesterday started out beautiful, the dark clouds began to gather as the afternoon wore on.  I thought I had brought everything I would need for a day out of the house but I was not prepared for the weather to turn so quickly.

I ended up back home by like 6 with the intention of changing out of my swimsuit and heading back down south but then the skies opened up.  Within minutes the water on our street was up to my bumper.  I decided to try and wait out the storm with Heather.

Once we opened the wine though, there was really no turning back.  It was so good too!  This was the bottle that Heather brought back for me from Sonoma a few weeks ago.  Hand selected just for me.  I commented that it was totally worth the waking up at 5 in the morning to take her to the airport and then having to stay up until 1 in the morning to pick her up again a week later.  She looked at me with a blank face for a moment and then said, "it was actually for you cleaning up Paris poop all week, I guess I should have brought back two bottles".

It's ok Heather, you shared your white with me when we made the salmon salad so it's all good.  And you let me beat you at scrabble by more than 100 points, you didn't have to be so generous, but thanks!

It's not storming anymore but it is grey and rainy still here in south florida.  A good day for chores, and hopefully and evening of debauchery.  We'll see.

a windy minute

It's a dark and stormy weekend here in the sunshine state.  I spent the better part of yesterday sitting on the lanai and watching the wind.  It was really intense!

Every once in a while when the wind would blow in a certain way I would hear this faint hooting noise that always sounded like it was coming from right behind me.  Something about the tone of it, and how perverted it sounded, made me think it was Jonathan playing a trick on me.  Like he had flown down, found his way to the house, and was creeping around and hooting because he likes scaring people.

It was actually a watering can that was sitting on the window sill between the kitchen and the lanai.  When the wind blew just right it would go in the top and out the spout and make the hooting noise.  It also explains why I always felt like it was coming from right behind me, the window sill is in almost the center of the house so no matter what room I was in it would basically be behind me.

After I put it away I was kind of sad, the hooting had become so comforting.  Every time I heard it I would burst out laughing.  It looks like another stormy day today, maybe I'll set it back up and see what happens.

: )

I really like all the birds in Florida, I can't help but smile when I see them.  Especially in situations like this where I was on a run and came around a corner to see these four guys like some kind of rowdy gang waiting in the shadows for me.

Whenever I stumble upon these sandhill cranes they stop whatever they're doing and just stand completely motionless as they watch me go by.  The only thing that moves is their heads so they can keep their peepers on me at all times.  I don't get the impression that they are wary of me, more like they are waiting for me to let my guard down so they can give me a pecking I won't soon forget.

On a less violent note I went to the beach later to watch the sunset and ended up enjoying it with these funny guys:

I love how they all line up and look like they are watching the sunset together.  Every once in a while one of them would waddle up to the surf and just scream at the ocean for a little bit before waddling back to his place.

They will also keep a watchful eye on me but it's in more of a, "please please don't make me have to move from my spot that's my favorite spot on the whole beach" kind of a way.  This of course always gets to me so I end up walking down the beach in a crazy zigzag pattern so as not to disturb any of them.  Especially the ones that are sitting down, I think I love them most of all.

I was all excited to take pictures of the sunset, which I haven't watched in a while, but once again it was no sooner than me getting to my favorite spot when I turned around and noticed the wall of dark clouds that were fast approaching the beach.  Of course I had left my top down again so I had to go back well before the sky had even begun to change colors.

I'll find time to try again though, I certainly have plenty to kill.  Besides I'll take any excuse to go to the beach and watch the birds.

just another beautiful day at the beach

Nothing but white sands,

Crystal clear water,

Nice bird friends,

And a fast approaching wall of dark terror clouds.  Why do I always find myself gawking at the beautiful ocean, never thinking to turn around until it's all too late.  And why do I think I can leave my car parked 20 minutes away with the top down?

totally not waterproof

source

Up until today I thought that my Terra Plana boots were waterproof.  I feel like I actually waded through ankle deep slush last winter and made it through unscathed. 

But my boots were no match for the maelstrom that is happening in nyc today.  I guess it wasn't physically as painful as when it hailed a few weeks ago, at least the temperature was above 60, but talk about driving rains and howling winds!!  I woke up this morning feeling like I was living in the mystery of irma vep. 

As much as I complain about this office job I will say it's nice to be able to take my shoes off to dry while I work instead of having to carry bags of glass bottles down a slippery narrow metal staircase all day long. 

stormy weather

one thing that's quintessentially florida to me is the phenomenon of there still being blinding hot sunlight even in the middle of the perfect storm. It was so pretty at the beach because the light would hit the water and turn it this shocking color of green, even though the clouds overhead were dark and scary. When I was driving home I was literally going through patches of rain so hard that I couldn't see the car in front of me, then it would let up just like that and I would be in such bright sunlight that I had to put my visor down.

It's kind of trippy, and happens really frequently in florida.