Thought Provoking Discussions

Thought Provoking Discussions

Friday 22nd January 2021

We were hanging out in the Tiki Hut at the marina waiting for out laundry to dry when our next-door neighbor Glen appeared, also on his way to the laundry. Gloria asked him where the name of his boat “Belleauwood” came from. He told us that it was a 1st World War battle ground in France where the US marines held off the Germans from entering Paris in 1918. Glen himself was a career marine and served in numerous places around the world including a two-year assignment to London. He seems like a lovely guy and we’ve chatted with him quite a lot over the past week … and he’s a Trump supporter based on the flag on his boat. This morning we talked at some length about history, politics and the state of the USA. It’s clear that he thinks a lot about things and feels the partisan divide in this country every bit as much as the people who are anti-Trump. It made me realize that we need to put Trump behind us. We can either wait for a generation of staunch believers (on both sides) to die out or we can start to bridge the chasm that has grown between factions in this country. I don’t know how this will happen, but it’s going to take outstanding leadership at all levels, a clear view of what we are trying to achieve and people working together across political divides to start to build some trust and respect. I think it’s important to recognize that for too long (decades) the government of this country (in its broadest sense) has failed the people. It has failed to address the short and long-term challenges that we face. Individuals within the government have focused heavily on perpetuating their own positions of power and exchanged insults instead of taking action. These are the very conditions that lead to the rise of authoritarian regimes. I certainly have my own views on who is more responsible for the gridlock, but I recognize that opinions are probably fairly evenly split on that question. As I look at the new government and particularly the senate, which is so closely balanced, I think it’s critical that the two parties start working together. It will be interesting to see who steps up and if they don’t then I would suggest that the future of this country looks really bleak. 

With these lofty thoughts in mind Gloria and I turned our attention to lunch and then a dinghy ride down “Sisters Creek” to the lovely Sombrero Beach. This time we went prepared with swim suits, towels and our two excellent camp chairs. We had an excellent afternoon and enjoyed our first swim in the ocean since Rhode Island in September (??)

We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Mike

24 42.220 N, 81 06.131 W

The Dumb Dog anchored at the southern end of Sisters Creek close to Sombrero Beach

Lots of families enjoying perfect conditions at Sombrero Beach

Even the dog was having fun

A stream of boats heading into the Boot Key channel after sunset

Couple deep in conversation as they head out of the channel ... possible anchored outside

The wake from other boats

Ripples below the bascule bridge