Hurricane Rita has swept past Florida as it heads out across the Gulf of Mexico towards Texas.
The storm didn’t come anywhere near Saint Augustine but its effects could still be felt. For the past few days, a red flag has been flying on the beach. The waves and churning and it’s a bit too scary for my liking. It might be a good environment for kitesurfing but it’s not so great if, like me, you’re learning how to swim.
Nonetheless, over the course of my stay here at the beach house, I’ve spent a significant fraction of my time immersed, if not quite submerged, in saline water as I either frantically thrashed my limbs or simply floated on the surface. The rest of my time mostly involved shrimp and the eating thereof.
Today, I’m heading back to Blighty. It doesn’t look like Rita has affected flights out of Orlando so I’m hoping that the flight back will be as uneventful as the outward journey which I timed at three movies and a podcast in length.
The next time I see the Atlantic ocean it will be at the other end of the Gulf Stream in the significantly less florid setting of Brighton & Hove.