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If one were to come to the conclusion, based on these photos and the ones from yesterday, that I love sunset pictures, they would be wrong.

The fact is, I’m just a real wimp when it comes to high temperatures. I was able to comfortably get shots during sunrise and sunset when the temperatures were bearable, but spent most of the rest of the day lugging equipment for her highness while sprinting from one patch of shade to another.

Ironically, as I write this, in the background an episode of Frontline entitled Hot Politics is airing. The slant of the story seems to be that, while the federal US political system has basically failed to do anything about climate change, the American people (grass roots efforts leading to movement on the part of state governments and industry) are taking action.

I’m not optimistic – I didn’t see any obvious signs of concern during my short visit. Things simply don’t add up… We paid as much as $3.69 for a gallon of gas – prices are at an all time high, but massive SUVs are everywhere. As we traveled around, we happened into two areas where other “all-times” had been set – record high AND low temperatures.

No big deal, right? Well, not really… consider this; We spent the day in the very beautiful and very historic little community of Key West whose highest point is 18 feet above sea level.

The scheme for land development seems to be generally curious as well. It can be summarized in three words – clear, pave, re-plant. We visited protected areas and nature parks that range in covering just a few square kilometers to several thousand. Besides having a shit-load of mosquitoes, these areas also have a stunning natural beauty. Signs on every Sate Park proudly welcome you to “…the real Florida.” Still, despite all this beauty, new development has large expanses of land flattened and “decorated” with pretty palm trees and grass – grass that apparently needs to be heavily watered. And what isn’t covered in grass is covered in brightly coloured concrete and pavement.

Anyway, here’s another encouraging thought. I’ve been checking out the The World Monuments Watch site – every two years they list areas of cultural heritage that are endangered around the world. Canada has only one site on the newest list…. not too bad. Ya, Canada! Europe and the Middle East on the other hand look to be in big trouble – they have more endangered areas than I have fly bites on my legs (…and trust me, that’s a lot of spots).

As I look through the list of endangered sites, one threat seems particularly common – rising sea levels due to climate change.

Oh well… Key West was nice.

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