2-11-10

I'M BEING FOLLOWED BY A MOON SHADOW

GOOD DAY SUNSHINE

SEA CHANGE

THANKS FOR THE WARM WELCOME TRAILER PARK

THANKS FOR THE WARM WELCOME SUNSHINE STATE

What a day! We woke up before 6am to finish packing all our belongings and headed to the beach with Andy to watch the sunrise. He drove the truck and all was fine until we reached the dunes: we got stuck. The tires were spinning without moving, only sinking deeper into the sand. As the sun was quickly rising, we abandoned the truck in order to be on the beach, not wanting to miss the incredible morning sky. After the sun rose, we quickly trekked back to the truck to get it out of the sand. We thought we might have to call for emergency assistance, but luckily after putting sticks and small rocks under the tires, the combination of us two pushing and rocking the vehicle with Andy milking the gas eventually freed the truck. We were able to leave the beach and get to the Inn in time to grab a cup of coffee to go and board the boat. Leaving Greyfield was bittersweet; our time there had been outstanding and leaving was sad, but we're excited for all that lies ahead.

Once we crossed the state border into Florida, we immediately purchased a quarter bushel of Honeybell oranges from a roadside stand. We've already consumed 7, and we've had them less than 12 hours. They are so incredibly juicy and succulent, sometimes it seems no other orange is worth eating. We had to eat them out of the car, because otherwise we would have a sticky, juicy, messy car. We have a feeling fruit will get better and better each place we go. We can't wait!

Hunger struck while we were driving through Daytona Beach so we tried to find a palatable meal for lunch. We didn't realize the Daytona 500 is on this Sunday so there was a lot more traffic than we expected. Apparently there are many races at this track so thousands of people were parking and ready for the festivities to begin. We left the racetrack area and drove around for a while, not finding any place that looked remotely decent. Finally we picked a pizza place that we walked into and quickly out of. The food looked inedible. The food standards of the average American are so insanely low, that finding a place to eat off a major highway is more challenging than hailing a cab in midtown Manhattan at rush hour. Chili's, Applebees, Pizza Hut, and McDonald's litter every single road we pass, however none of these places serve anything we deem appropriate to put into our bodies. Eating twenty oranges a piece for lunch didn't seem like a balanced meal so we ventured to a second pizza place with our fingers crossed. In contrast it was a significant improvement so we sat down to scan the menu. A man passed our table and asked if we were the couple with the "just married" sign on our car. We replied "yes", to which he first congratulated us and then told us lunch was on him. We looked at each other thinking this was a joke. He promptly took out his wallet, pulled out a $20 and put it on our table. He then walked away and, looking over his shoulder as he exited the door, shouted "I hope you'll have as happy a marriage as I do." The entire incident from start to finish was no more than twenty seconds. We both stared at each other, jaws dropped, wondering what had just happened. Was that real? Could it have been possible? But there was a real Hamilton on our table. In order to pay it forward, we gave our waitress an $8 tip on a $17 meal. This trip really is reminding us that there are good people out there. It is so refreshing to meet strangers who warmly open theirs homes, hearts, and sometimes wallets to us.

We're staying in southern Florida for a week, taking a break from the farms to visit family. Tonight we bought dinner ingredients at Publix, and like all American supermarkets, it was a sterile, odorless environment. Supermarkets stand in stark contrast to farms. Sure, animal manure stinks, literally, but for every unpleasant aroma we encounter on the farms we also encounter something incredibly sweet smelling. For every sacrifice on the farm, we are richly rewarded. In a supermarket, the shopper makes no sacrifice, and the result is no reward. Seeing people fill their shopping carts with "food like products" made us cringe and sprint for the exit. Still, we don't always have access to farmer's markets and the freshest, local produce, so we make due with supermarket produce. In spite of the shortcomings of typical supermarkets, they are still far superior to fast food dives.