Tuesday, Dec 11 - Cool today, sunny with a strong north-westerly wind, temps not likely reaching 20 today. Yesterday was quite fine, so no complaints, as it's supposed to get warmer and less windy again tomorrow. Minus 1 is the high at home, so we aren't complaining one little bit.

Yesterday was good for riding, so the writer did two circuits, plus a trip down to the local convenience store for a 6 pack. Total: 46 kms, as the circuit around the lake is very close to 20 kms from our site. Gail did a full circuit and most of another for close to 35 kms. Along the way on the first run, Gail counted 25 iguanas. They continue to multiply at what may eventually become an alarming rate. They're not a nuisance yet, but we met two folks today along our route, who had visited a large cemetery in Fort Lauderdale to do some birding, and found the place overrun with iguanas. The lady said it was creepy, as you'd step into the grass and there'd be furious activity as several of the creatures darted hither and thither. There are so many of them there, that there are apparently plans to do some culling to keep the numbers under control.

Gail finds them fascinating, which indeed they are. We have one in our back yard, and he doesn't bother us at all. Most of them are quite shy, so that if you get near them, they scuttle off at great speed. But we did meet a couple of large ones today that were sitting quietly on the sidewalk, not interested in moving even though we were right beside them. Size? They range from a foot to 3 feet, and can be quite chunky, as well as beautifully colored. I'll have to post a picture or two.

Today, because of the strong wind, G opted to stay home to try to figure out her new Instant Pot. I did my circuit, sailing along when the wind was behind, struggling to stay upright when facing it. At one point, with the sun behind me, I saw the shadow of a cyclist before me, leaning aggressively into the handlebars, lean as a greyhound, legs pumping effortlessly, clearly an elite rider out for a little run in preparation for a championship race. Wait! That's me! My fantasy was quickly snapped when a grey-haired guy clearly older than me went whipping past on my left, leaving me in the dust. Funny how you can feel like you're doing great and then something like that brings you back to reality. Can't hit a golf ball as far as I used to either. But what the hell? Still swingin'. Still pedaling.

This afternoon we set out to try to find a Publix grocery store. The nearest one is a considerable distance away, so by the time we'd walked for 45 minutes along busy streets, we reached the far end of our cycling path, still some distance from the store. So who needs food anyway? We headed back down our trail around the lake, and two hours of trudging later were back to our site for the last rays of the weakening sun. Just a little weary, but feelin' good. Time for a drink.

One other thing. In certain parts of the park, there are a lot of homeless people. We did a short-cut on the way home, and came across about a dozen of them, sitting around a picnic table, or sleeping under trees or in the shelter of the outhouse building. Their stuff was all over the place, a real little community of lost souls. Obviously the local authorities don't chase them away, as their piles of stuff looked somewhat permanent. There's another group that hang around a corner on our trail, and each time I've gone past, they are sharing humour with large peals of laughter. None of them ever bothers anybody. And there are always a few folks, mostly black or Hispanic, just wandering the trail, some looking pretty lonely, of varying ages, mostly male. Thank goodness most have their own communities for company and support. Count your blessings, every day.

That's all for now. Thanks for listening. More later. Stay tuned.