I'm mad as a hatter and I Can't Take It Anymore

Hatters, Mad as... They used to use mercury to form felt hats. I'm not sure how the mercury was used, but, I'm menopausal, my personal mercury (temperature-wise - that is, is off the charts.) I grew up in south Florida. We lived on the edge of the Everglades. My Miami playground included rock pits, cow pastures, and HaulOver Beach. I don't know how this beach got it's name, but, from childhood, I do remember getting tar-balls stuck on your feet, or worse, on your swimsuit. There are a few things that stick in my mind about that beach: First, that you parked away from the beach and went through a tunnel under the road to get there; Second, that there was a fishing pier at the beach, and one of my earliest memories was of a shark caught at the end of the pier - that was brought up and displayed on the pier with a beer can in its mouth (beer cans in the 1950's were made of steel and made a good support for a shark's mouthful of teeth); Third, that my parents always set their blankets near the pier and we always swam in the water near the pier.

Beaches in Florida are unique from place to place. The sand is truly different - wherever you go. At HaulOver (and South Beach) the sand is comprised of crushed shells. Miami's sand is sticky and salty. In Daytona, Ormond, and Cocoa (areas in the middle of the east coast) the sand is more compact, dense, so you can drive over it. On the west coast, south of Tampa, the beaches along the Gulf Coast are silkier, less sticky, and in some places - like just south of Sarasota, are so soft and fine, it's like walking in powdered sugar. For the record, best places for shelling are anywhere from St. Pete Beach (south end) to just south of Sarasota.

I love my memories of Florida. I believe I have been very blessed to live in and see some of the most incredibly beautiful places on earth. But, my world has changed dramatically. Over the last five decades, I've seen our home become more and more like northern residential areas; zero lot lines, condominiums crowding public beaches, paradise lost.

I will be an expatriate soon. I just hope those who follow appreciate what is left.
But, they will be drilling for oil, just like Texas, off our coast soon.

Cave Canem.