The Bright Lights Of.....Naples?

Tradition here is to put up lots and lots of white lights all through the palm trees. The entire downtown is a white, winter wonderland. [Ed. Note: That could also be a social commentary on the amount of diversity in this city. But that's a topic for another posting.....]

This year, our condo decided to get into the act. And since I was the only guy under 70 down there, I got to spend three straight hours up on a ladder stringing lights.

I felt like Kramer at Del Boca Vista Phase II ("So that's as high as you can get them? Higher, higher. What? You don't want things should look nice?"

However, the results are quite dramatic - especially if you could see it in person and not filtered using this photographer's "fog of life" effect.

As this may have contributed to the aforementioned knee problems, you can think of each light as another day I have to spend with my leg elevated.




So a great trip (ignoring kneegate). And now to somehow make it up to my body for taking it from +85 deg weather in the morning to -25 that evening. My now-desiccated hands were literally cracked and bleeding by the next morning.

And, because of weather delays in Chicago, we had to sit on the tarmac for almost two hours before leaving. And because of the dry air in the cabin, my legs, I kid you not, started to peel on the plane.

I didn't think it was a big deal, but apparently the young lady I was chatting up next to me did. And I guess the emphasis in that sentence should be "I was chatting".

But no harm done, it wasn't long before she pulled out her book and put on her iPod headphones. I don't think you can hear very well with those things on.