Bahama Breezin'

We are just back from Aspen and Boulder, with regrets. Five days in Colorado in mid-September -- way too short a time to enjoy the mountains, the cool fall weather, and the hordes of family and friends celebrating Jacqui's and David's wedding. Way, way too short. One clue that I married into the right family is that the dancers on their wedding night were almost entirely cousins and kin who couldn't tear themselves away from a rockin' band playing the good dance songs. We've now had two embedded-in-your-memories-for-life celebrations in the space of nine months, the other at Christmas, both in Colorado. Thank you, Jacqui and David, for hosting both events and for putting up with the mob. Thanks also to Amber and Megan for their party-and-food planning and their early arrival to pitch in and help take some of the load off of our host and hostess. And, thanks to Colin for driving us over Independence Pass and back over Vail Pass. We hope we didn't embarrass you or Sarah too much when we met Tim and Pam, Sarah's parents.

So, we are back in Florida where September still feels like August, the humid air feels like the inside of somebody's mouth, and where the bush-wa ugliness of Bre'er Bush's politics is manifested by our Secretary of State's putting Ralph Nader's name on Florida's absentee ballots despite a preliminary court order not to. Explanation? Hurricane Ivan, now headed for New Orleans, might interfere with the hearing in Tallahassee, scheduled for (drum roll) tomorrow, to make the order permanent. Go figure. Let me figure it for you: Ralph Nader is Bush's man, financed by Texas Bush-leaguers, for the purpose of diluting the anti-Bush vote.

But I digress. Back to more pleasant subjects. We got off the plane in Tampa in need of a late dinner, not too heavy. We stopped at a great place called the Bahama Breeze for a meal of shrimp and salad, and the Bahamian ambiance got us into a mood to tolerate the heat and humidity for awhile longer. I close my eyes and see mountains and golden Aspen trees but I can mix some margaritas and get into the mood to relax. God knows, we need it. Goodbye, Ivan. Don't even ask about Tropical Storm Jeanne yet.