Swamp Thing

After a weekend in California (where it was raining and chilly in “Sunny San Diego”), mimi can’t begin to say how happy she is to be back in her Central Florida swamp. The first time I ever flew west, I spent much of the time with my forehead pressed to the window, watching the landscape change from brilliant Southern green to hard-baked desert brown. After decades of Florida summers, punctuated by our typical late-afternoon thunderstorms, the arid California July was a revelation.

But may I just say that arid California weather coupled with two days of hotel meeting rooms and hours trapped in an airplane have wreaked absolute havoc on my sinuses? I now understand how Southern belles maintain their lovely skin--they aren’t having to slather themselves with moisturizer that seems to evaporate into nothingness. See, Southern women get plenty of moisture every time they step outside. We basically live in a giant terrarium!

Emerging from baggage claim at the Orlando International Airport after my trip, I could practically feel my skin sucking up the water. I felt like a walking tree frog--minus the sucker pads and green skin. Let me just say, I’m happy to endure Florida’s August weather (temps in the 90s, humidity in the 90s) if it means I don’t have to dry out and crack.

Posted in: Florida, self, Southern, travel