Water Tower Graffiti

Image from sarasotamagazine.com.

I have a friend who, once a week or so, sends me an ominously straightforward text, something along these lines:

“10 days.”

“15 days.”

“25 days.”

“A month!”

The reverse countdown is a running tally of the amount of time since I’ve last posted here. This thing is like a pet that’s adopted with tons of enthusiasm, catered to every day for a couple weeks, then neglected. Maybe it’s because the focus here doesn’t go much beyond “I’m Beau, and I occasionally write some things.” So until I figure out some kind of theme or ongoing topic, here are a few reasons that I’m pretty happy to live where I do right now.

A couple weekends ago, I drove to the park at the end of City Island, right on Sarasota Bay, and pulled out my bike (which gets about as much attention from me as this blog). I rode around St. Armands, then over the Ringling Bridge (just kidding, I rode halfway up the bridge then walked to the top…that thing’s a monster, and I’m out of shape), then parked at a swing near the end of Bayfront Park and read for a couple hours (this book, for the fifth time). It was a warm day, and even though thunderclouds threatened most of the afternoon, the sun stayed out long enough to add an extra shade to my farmer’s tan/burn. The rain held off until I was back in my car, then it came in the kind of torrents I haven’t seen in a long, long time. Driving up Longboat Key took twice as long as usual, and the road was lined with drivers who decided to wait out the storm. The rain obscured the road beyond a few feet, and the lightning was the kind that thunders simultaneously and then lingers in an electric shade of blue. I loved it.

Speaking of rain, that’s reason number two. It’s like clockwork this time of year. A couple hours after lunch it starts tapping faintly on the window, and I hear my co-workers lean back for a moment, all of us listening with a silent “Is that rain?” It doesn’t usually last for long, and by the time I leave the office I’m ready to curse the humidity, but for a few minutes every afternoon it’s a nice reason to stop and listen.

Reason three is about water, too. Sometimes when I’m leaving downtown Sarasota I go out of my way to drive the part of Mound Street that curves right onto the bay before heading to Bradenton. It’s a stunning view, the Ringling Bridge arcing in the background, the sailboats dotting the water, all of it. One night last week I waited until close to sunset, so that when I rounded the corner the sun was hanging directly above the bridge, the sky already going through its change–something straight out of a postcard. It was all I could do not to crash.

I don’t know how long I’ll call this place home, and sometimes I’m surprised that I’m still here, but at the moment I find a whole lot to love about it.

Two completely unrelated things I’m enjoying: New Civil Wars music, and the return of this guy:

Okay, maybe “enjoy” isn’t the right word for something that stresses me out so much, but I’m glad it’s back.