Final thoughts

My mother used to recite a Robert Louis Stevenson poem that certainly expressed her outlook on life: "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

My last week in Florida was full of new sights, and I'm grateful for so many experiences. I'm not sure how happy kings are anyway, but I sure am. In no particular order, a few things new to me (and one of two old things in new places):

Prickly pear fruit, beloved of gopher tortoises (and certain Italians).

A glimpse of the astounding variety of critter homes revealed at low tide in the estuary.

Sugar cane press, part of a failed factory. Someone's get-rich-quick-on-the-backs-of-slaves idea.

Thistles grow three feet tall in this part of the world.

Tradescantia, suddenly in bloom in the dunes.

So much green!

I was in a mood to see beauty, rather than an annoying scavenger. The markings are pretty wonderful. Even if he was looking for a handout.

Reminders of the amazing diversity of human creativity at the Modernism Museum.

And, always, the ocean. It never fails me.