Sam and I did not travel north for the holidays. We rarely do these days. Instead we've developed our own private celebrations in Florida. We love to do a long trek at Honeymoon Island on Christmas morning because it's usually uncrowded, extremely beautiful and a very high contrast to our traditional Christmas when growing up in Illinois. This year it was as though the island was presenting us with the most wonderful holiday gifts - several dolphins to watch lazily swimming by as we walked; a flock of roosting wood storks; more than a dozen ospreys circling together and fishing right above us; willets, sand pipers, curlews, plovers. It was so warm and sunny that I was able to go wading and sent this picture to my family having a champagne brunch in Peoria.


I quickly received these 2 text messages in reply:
Comments: "that's disgusting!" "Hope she sits on a crab." "Delaney, don't throw the phone!" "Wish you were here." Aunt ruth asks when you need her boxes for moving!

Love, the family

"Nice! You are creating quite an uproar here!" Devon

Then they sent this photo of my sister's sidewalk.



It was about 6 degrees there....