What a Difference a Day Makes

When I got up Saturday morning and looked out the window, the ground was 90% covered with snow. Saturday just happened to be the vernal equinox, and it was also a relatively warm and bright day. By Saturday evening, I saw only 50% snow. Sunday was also a relatively warm but rainy day, and by Sunday evening I'd estimate there was only 10% snow coverage. The ground was still frozen, so instead of being absorbed, enormous puddles formed everywhere. Rivers literally ran down the edges of the roads. The ground is starting to thaw now, so the water is receding. As long as it doesn't rain too much, things should be okay, just rather muddy.

The drainage projects that we've done and redone around the house seem to be working, so we're not having any problems with flooding.

Snow, snow, go away!

After months of my life being dominated by snow, it finally feels like that is coming to an end. It is sunny, and the snow is melting. This morning, it snowed, but not so much. This thawing started a couple of weeks ago, but with temperatures only barely above freezing during the day (if at all), it's been a slow process. It's thawed a bit during the day, but then it freezes again at night. The bare spot in the backyard which has been about 2 square meters for the last couple of weeks, has suddenly doubled in size and been joined by some smaller spots. Otherwise, the fields are still covered in snow.

The fields have been covered with snow all year. It started snowing in December, which is pretty normal. Then it started melting around Christmas, which is also normal, so the snow coverage got down to about 50% around here. And then it started snowing again, and it's been snow covered ever since. This is really hard on the wildlife, and while it certainly is beautiful, everybody is long since tired of it. My daughter, who's so fond of playing in snow, is sick of it. Even my husband finally admitted yesterday that he'd had enough.

For me, the worst part about the snow was trying to drive in it. BMW's have the reputation of being bad in the winter, and while I've had this car since 2006, I'd never had any winter related problems until this year. This year, I've been stuck in the snow 4 times. The first time was on February 2 as I drove home from my daughter's soccer practice. The dirt road has an uphill S-curve that can be a bit tricky. It had only been snowing for a couple of hours at the time, but it was snowing hard and windy too. The loose snow was too deep, and my car rode up on it then slid sideways into a drift. I called our neighbor, the farmer who's in charge of plowing this road, and he set out with the tractor to rescue me. In the meanwhile, two guys from the home health-care service came behind me. I was blocking the road, so they took their shovels and attempted to dig and push me out, but to no avail. Then someone came from the other direction and blocked the tractor. A spot was plowed for this car to pull over, then the tractor came and pulled me loose. We backed my car down the hill, the tractor plowed the hill, then with a running start I was just barely able to follow the tractor as it plowed a path for me all the way home.

A few days later, when it was time for me to pick my daughter up from a play date, I got stuck on a drift again. Again, I blocked traffic from both directions, but the only other vehicles out and about were 4 wheel drive. Again, I called my neighbor, and even though I wasn't on the road that was his responsibility, he came and pulled me out. At the same time, another snow plow came from the other direction, so I was able to make it to my destination and home again, but the whole time I feared getting stuck.

Every time I left the house, I feared getting stuck. Even if the roads were plowed, and the snow wasn't blowing around, I was still managed to get stuck. A parking lot with 6 inches (15 cm) of loose snow was enough to do it. I had to be pushed out of my spot.

The fourth time I got stuck, I was miles from home, and there was no tractor available. As usual, I was blocking the road for someone else. He couldn't figure out why I was stuck, but he called three of his friends, and with them pushing, he was able to get me unstuck. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers.

Besides being thoroughly embarrassing, this has totally shaken my confidence. Not only do I lack the skills for driving in snow, but I lack the judgment to know when not to try. I resorted to calling my neighbor and asking him about road conditions before venturing out. I've also been collecting advice on driving techniques (not all contradictory). My husband's idea of a solution is to buy me a proper winter car before next year (something like a Jeep Grand Cherokee) and I'm inclined to agree.

Besides my frustrations driving in the snow, I've also come to the conclusion not to do Konstrundan (the Easter art show) this year. Even if the snow were to melt by Easter, it would still be a terrible mud hole here. The dirt road is so muddy that people would probably get stuck. While I generally look forward to Konstrundan, it's a relief this time not to have to do it.

I've spent too long writing this, and it's snowed again, about 3 inches/7 cm. The bare spots in the yard are gone. Spring is coming, but when?

So the Economic Crisis is Over?

Politicians and the media seem happy to tell us that the economic crisis is over, but I have my doubts. At least here in southern Sweden, it seems to be in full swing. Just a few days ago a large pharmaceutical company announced that it was shutting down its facilities in Lund. 900 people would be out of work. Other large telecom companies have been announcing round after round of lay-offs. My husband’s a consultant at one of these companies.

While we’ve seen it coming for months, it still shook us a bit yesterday when my husband found out that his position had been eliminated. They didn’t say if he would be reassigned again, and the odds of that are slim. They also didn’t say when this would go into effect, which means he has at least a month left there.

Before Christmas, the company announced that several hundred positions would be eliminated. Last week, they said they’d be announcing which positions this week. Then on Monday, they said they’d have to wait at least another week because the union wasn’t ready to deal with all the phone calls. I guess they decided to tell some people anyhow. Don’t people understand that uncertainty is not good for productivity? For the past year, the product pipeline has been clogged by indecisiveness caused by people not knowing which projects would survive the next round of cuts.

So if the economic crisis is over, why does it feel like it's just getting warmed up?

Florida, day 13: Last day in the Keys

We were sad to leave our little bungalow at the marina and head back towards civilization today. It had been so lovely in the Keys that I really wanted to stay longer. However, we had all day to enjoy the Keys on our way out.

Our first stop was Bahia Honda State Park. I'd read about this, and I'm glad we got to see it. The visitor center had interesting information about the old railroad bridge which was completed 1912 and destroyed by a hurricane in 1935. The trail out to the bridge went through the native vegetation which was also nice to see up close.

We then walked along the beach where my daughter collected shells and bits of coral.

Eventually we had to tear ourselves away and hit the road again. We'd heard there may be a place that rented sailboats on Islamorada, so we stopped at the visitor's center there. It was true! My husband rented a Hobie-cat and took our daughter sailing. There was no way I was attempting another boat, so I enjoyed my book on the beach. This was the first time my daughter had been sailing, and she loved it.

We left the keys and stayed at a motel in Florida City/Homestead since our flight was the next morning, and we didn't want to be more than an hour from the airport. I repacked and weighed our suitcases, then we headed out for a final round of shopping at our favorite stores: Harbor Freight Tools and Target.

Florida, day 12: Key West Ultimate Adventure

We arrived at the dock in Key West armed with bathing suits, SPF 50+ sunscreen, Dramamine, Swedish motion sickness medicine, warm clothes, bottled water, straps for our sunglasses, and everything else we could think of. We were greeted with a mountain of disclaimers and release forms the likes of which I'd never seen. One would have thought we were buying a house. There's no way we could have read half of it in the time we had before departure, so it was just to sign and initial as fast as we could and hope for the best.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and the water was the most fantastic turquoise color. Onboard, we were fed breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and pastries. The Dramamine was working, and I did okay until it was time to get into our wetsuits. Then I made the mistake of going to the restroom. That was more than the Dramamine could handle, and the wetsuit was so confusing. I couldn't figure out how to put it on and eventually had to ask for help. My husband and daughter went ahead of me to go snorkeling, and I hoped to catch up. Unfortunately, every time I moved, I almost threw up.

All day on a boat? What was I thinking? I've always had a problem with seasickness, and I've been careful to keep my boat trips to a minimum, but I'd done okay on ferry trips the last few years, so I was optimistic. I really wanted to try snorkeling, para-sailing, and jet-skiing, so I pretended I could. Oh, what was I thinking?!!!

The boat had stairs going down to the water so one did not have to jump over the side, but my daughter got scared when the waves threw her back against the stairs, and she came up crying. My husband continued without her. After everyone else had gotten into the water, my daughter was ready to try again. I really wanted to go snorkeling and see the reef, and I really tried, but when I put my mask on, I threw up. From then on, every time I moved at all, I threw up again. I'd heard that once you throw up, you feel better and can get on with things. Oh how I wish that was true. I begged the staff to help my daughter, so they called my husband back. He tried again to get her into the water, but once again she got clobbered by a wave and freaked out. We'd never taken her into the surf in California, and the minuscule waves we encounter in Sweden (or so far on this vacation) were nothing to prepare her for this.

When the snorkeling part of this adventure was over, my half-dead corpse was in the way, so the staff helped drag me to the back of the boat where they claimed it was stiller. They then sailed around from the reef side to the gulf side of the island for the rest of the day's activities. On the way there, they saw a sea turtle bobbing in the waves as if it was injured. The came around and fished it up, but it turned out the poor thing was dead. Everyone on the boat thought it was really interesting anyhow.

I got up to photograph the turtle, and while I managed to do that without throwing up, all I wanted to do was lie down again. Lunch of cold cuts and sandwiches was served, but I just lay still. It was cold and windy, and I lay there for what felt like an eternity. As long as I kept my eyes closed and didn't move a muscle, I was pretty much okay.

When we got to our destination, we were divided in groups, and our group was first up for para-sailing. My daughter really wanted to do this, and there was no way my husband was going to do this, so I got up. I didn't fall over or throw up, so I climbed into the smaller boat and off we went. They commented that I must be pretty uncomfortable with my wetsuit on backwards, but that was really the least of my problems.

I was surprised that para-sailing was so easy. They just hooked us up, and off we went. The view from up there was amazing, but I hadn't dared to bring my camera. Instead, I left it with my husband who took a few shots then handed it off to the para-sail guy. So these really are pictures of me, not by me. I'm not bothered by heights, and being up there flying around was no problem. My daughter thought it was a little bit scary, but she enjoyed it. Everything was fine until they were bringing us down. As soon as we started bobbing and jerking, I threw up. It must have looked pretty impressive, but I don't have any pictures of that.

As the para-sailing boat returned us to the main boat, I begged the guys to give me a lift back to shore, and they agreed. I'm sure they felt sorry for me. The whole ride back, I concentrated on chewing my anti-nausea gum and not throwing up, and somehow I made it. Unfortunately, I didn't remember in time to tip the guys, and they left as soon as they helped me off the boat. I hope some good karma catches up with them.

My husband and daughter spent the rest of the afternoon kayaking and jet-skiing. There was a water park with inflatable icebergs for climbing and such, but the water was quite cold, so they chose not to swim out there. My husband was impressed how well my daughter paddled, and they enjoyed the kayaking, but jet-skiing turned out to be the highlight of the day.

I walked around Key West window shopping while I waited for the boat to return. One thing (chocolate covered frozen key lime pie on a stick) kept catching my eye, but I didn't dare eat anything. We met up and walked around some more, picking up a few souvenirs. We eventually found a restaurant that didn't have anyone standing out front trying to lure us in. The smell of fish didn't appeal to me, so we enjoyed gourmet salads for dinner, and I felt fine.

Florida, day 11: The Keys

We ate our Pop-tarts, cleaned our cabin, and got off to a relatively early start. I was a bit surprised that my daughter, the sugar addict, was not all that fond of the Pop-tarts. For me, they were as good as I remembered, but I certainly wouldn't want them for breakfast more than once per year. Did I really live on those things when I was in college?

We drove back through the greater Miami area and down to the Keys. Key Largo was in no way glamorous or beautiful which I'd expected from the internet, and I'm glad I took my friend's advice to focus on Key West. As we got to the middle keys, the scenery improved, and the view from the bridges was spectacular.

For lunch, we went to the No Name Bar on No Name Key (Big Pine Key) which involved driving through the Key Deer preserve. As we parked the car, a deer ran across the road! It looked like a small California mule deer. There was a long wait to get seated for lunch, but the food was worth the wait. My husband and I shared a grouper sandwich and a Cuban sandwich, both of which were excellent. The pizza also looked really good, reminiscent of my favorite, Carinos in La Jolla, but we'd already ordered by the time I saw this.

Instead of the relatively expensive motels, hotels, and resorts, we chose to rent a suite at the Dolphin Marina on Little Torch Key. We had two rooms, a screened-in patio, and a kitchenette (fridge, microwave, but no stove) for not much more than the really cheesy motels we'd passed. The staff at the marina was incredibly helpful. They didn't have the little sailboat my husband wanted to rent, but they'd try to get one or find out where else we could find one. I asked about manatees, but they hadn't seen any around recently. My daughter asked where she could drink coconut juice. She'd been admiring the coconuts lying around all over Florida, but we had no way to open one. The next thing we knew, a guy had grabbed a machete and was hacking one open for her. This looked pretty dangerous, but he handled it with ease. It turned out to be a bit sour, but this was a great experience for her.

After settling in, we continued on to Key West. We walked around the historic district but chose not to go into any of the museums. After our rather late lunch, we weren't particularly hungry either. Instead of dinner, I picked up some key-lime pie for later. (It was divine!) All over Key West were kiosks for booking activities. We asked about renting a kayak or jetski and were talked into an "ultimate adventure." I was wary of spending 6 hours on a boat, but the guy insisted it was rare that anyone got sick because we'd be so busy with all the activities: snorkeling, kayaking, jet-skiing, para-sailing, and the water fun-park.

Florida, day 10: Billie Swamp Safari

While planning our trip to Florida, I did a lot of research on the internet. One of the things that I came across which really stood out to me was an eco-tourism package on the Seminole Indian reservation. This package included an airboat tour, both day and night swamp buggy tours, a reptile or small animal show, native-american storytelling, and the option of spending the night in a traditional hut. At the time I was looking into this, Florida was experiencing record cold temperatures, so the idea of spending the night in a hut with no electricity or plumbing was even less appealing than usual--thus the RV park solution. I booked this package thinking it would be the highlight of our trip. I'd had wonderful experiences with tours on the Navajo reservations in Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly, so I had high expectations. I was really looking forward to learning about the Seminole culture and local ecosystem.

When we arrived at Billie Swamp Safari, it was dumping rain. This turned out to be a good thing, because when I went to pay for our full day package, they said the airboats weren't running because of the rain, and we were given the option of buying our activities individually instead. We were disappointed because we really wanted to do the airboats. We decided to have a leisurely lunch and booked the 1 PM swamp buggy tour and the following reptile show.

The restaurant had an extensive menu including both "normal" food and local specialties: frog legs, catfish, alligator, and indian fry-bread. I considered trying the alligator, but it was expensive, and I really wasn't in the mood for chicken (which is what everyone says alligator tastes like). I chose normal food, but the fry-bread got me thinking. Do all native-americans eat fry-bread, or is it a gimmick for the tourists that they've all picked up. I've eaten Navajo fry-bread in Arizona, and as far as I recall, it was the same as Kumeyaay fry-bread in San Diego. Did the Seminole in Florida really have the same food culture as the southwest?

As we ate, the rain let up. While we were on the swamp buggy tour, the weather cleared up entirely. The first animals we saw on the tour were cows and pigs. I was not impressed, but they explained that these were descendants of livestock originally imported by the Spaniards. Next they pointed out a nilgai (yup, African!) and later later an eland (also African). I was pissed. This wasn't an eco-tour, it was a zoo, and not even a good one! If I wanted to see African animals, I'd go to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Then came Asian water buffalo and North American bison (though I doubt they're native to South Florida). They had had a Scottish red deer (very similar to the elk we have in Sweden), but it was eaten by a crocodile which escaped from their enclosure. The poor deer must have really suffered in the Florida summers. I saw some poetic justice in that since crocodiles aren't native to the area either. They have not been able to recapture the crocodile, but they keep tabs on where it is by what it eats.

In between non-natives, the driver did mention a couple different habitat types and some plants and birds. We even happened to stumble upon a white-tailed deer. We also passed a "traditional" Seminole residence, complete with sheet-metal roofing and a fiberglass canoe. What were they thinking!?? We did learn that Seminole buildings were constructed not with a single opening in the roof to let the smoke out but with a solid roof and open gables on both ends. This diffused the smoke and allowed it to spread horizontally, instead of vertically where it would be easily visible to enemies. Unfortunately, this was the only bit of Seminole culture presented.

After the swamp buggy tour, we looked at the monitor lizards on display while waiting for the reptile show. They were climbing their cages in order to be in the sunlight. This was quite impressive, but we noticed a small wild lizard on the outside of the cage. We pointed out to our daughter that it was almost ready to shed. On cue, it pulled off it's skin and walked away from it, leaving the fragile skin for us to examine.

Disappointed in the swamp buggy tour, I was expecting the worst from the reptile show. I really didn't want to see some idiot sticking his head in an alligator's mouth. Fortunately, it wasn't like that at all. The young man doing the show was both knowledgeable and respectful of the snakes he handled. He showed an talked about a tiny pygmy rattlesnake, a cottonmouth, and a water moccasin, all natives to the area. For comparison, he also showed a rattlesnake from northern Florida. He talked about the Southern tradition of rattlesnake roundups where people would catch and exterminate rattlesnakes. This selective pressure on the rattlesnake population has lead to the occurrence of rattlesnakes that do not rattle audibly (they still shake their tales) being more and more common. No reptile show would be complete without an alligator, and indeed, he ended the show with a small one. He even allowed audience members to pose for pictures with it (mouth rubber-banded shut). My daughter was very proud to have held an alligator.

By now, the airboats were running again, so we sent and bought tickets for that. Our driver seemed quite bored with his job and not the most personable, but this turned out to be the highlight of the day. My husband and daughter enjoyed the high speed part of the ride. (My daughter had even enjoyed the bouncing of the swamp buggy.)

I really liked it when he slowed it down and went into the cypress mangrove. I'd finally gotten my chance to take a better look at this habitat. Alligators posed on logs, and Spanish moss hung from the trees. Then we saw a pair of raccoons--they were just too cute! One stood as if posing for the camera, and I was in heaven!

After the airboat, we walked around the rest of the park, including the boardwalk nature trail. Clearly the boardwalk was not used by many of the visitors, and that was a shame. A few narrative signs would have made it even better. A row of raccoon droppings on the railing showed that they had been eating berries, crayfish, and dog or cat food. We also got a close look at the lichen, bromeliads, parasitic plants, and grasses all growing in the trees.

There was still a few hours before the storytelling and nighttime swamp buggy tour, and we were not inclined to wait. I was happy that we had not paid for these activities. We went back to the RV park where my daughter enjoyed the pool. For dinner we went into "town." What we thought was a restaurant turned out to be a combination fast food/convenience store/gift shop, but the fajitas were really good. I was feeling nostalgic looking at the shelves full of American sweets, so I picked up some pop-tarts for breakfast.