Northerners complain that Florida doesn’t have a change of seasons. Not so. The seasons here are just more subtle than those up north. Right now it’s wildfire season in Florida. There’s been no rain, and the brush is burning up. Parts of I95 have been closed because flames were jumping over the road.

At the beach, it’s Portuguese-man-o’-war (bluebottle) season. Every March the tide washes in these irridescent blue beauties, but they’re as dangerous as they are attractive. The tentacles are full of venom, and every year someone gets stung. The men-o’-war are interesting creatures. They live half in and half out of the water. Their tentacles stay beneath the surface, while their upper body is filled with air and acts as a sail. They cannot move on their own and are subject to the wind and tide, which is why they get washed to shore. They are still deadly when they land, but after a while look like deflated balloons.

I’ll be stepping verrrrrry carefully around them.

Day 66: 11,001 Steps     YTD: 598,875 Steps       Goal: 616,000 Steps