Changes are here
With the fall here and a new presidential administration transitioning in, changes are also here for This Week in Florida. First, I'm planning to post here again after a long hiatus. As I explain in the updated "What is This Week in Florida" post, this new attempt to post will be less about pouring through news and notes about Florida politics and more about what I see with my own eyes. The former plan was just too exhausting, especially mentally. I frankly need space to remind me of what is great about South Florida, like the "South Florida Outback," aka my happy place, which is 45 minutes from my door and includes Everglades National Park, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Big Cypress National Preserve.
An anhinga (snake bird) hunts in the Shark Valley Area of the Everglades. The crystal clear waters of Florida Bay, with slightly darker areas where coral reefs live just below the surface.
So I'm hoping to have weekly posts again, but this time with less news, etc, and more stories and photos about the Everglades (I shot the anhinga in the photo above the week after the election, Florida Bay (where I went snorkeling with my kid's Environmental Class last week), food and maybe even events I attend, such as the tree lighting ceremony below. I'm hoping to go to more county commission (our city hall) and school board meetings and bringing the camera gear I have acquired through the generosity of my parents and the patience of my spouse over the year.
The Tree Lighting Ceremony at Bayside Market in Miami on 22 November 2024--built over the site of the original American settlement in Miami. The guy in the suit is The Mad Stuntman, Mark Quashie, who wrote and was the original performer of the song "I like to move it" made famous in the Madagascar Cartoon. The real stars were the Miami Children's Chorus.
In other words, I'm trying to force myself to see what's worth saving in Florida, particularly South Florida, specifically, mostly, Miami-Dade County, which is like its own little country separate even from the rest of South Florida. I also hope to bring back "this week in Florida history," because, well, I'm a historian. I would like you to come along with me for the journey.
Beyond this newsletter/blog/whatever, you can follow me for my savvy (lol) political rants and interactions in the fediverse via Mastodon on the historians.social instance, under the handle @philip_cardella@historians.social (what the hell does that even mean? keep reading and click below if you want). Unlike Bluesky, Xitter, and Threads, Mastodon is truly "federated," which means even if some "instances" in the fediverse have corporate sponsors, thousands of others don't. This, for me, is a key difference, and it is explained well enough in this PC Guide article from last year, if you are interested. My photography is being displayed at an alternative to Instagram, which is also in the fediverse, called Pixelfed.social. My handle there is @polonius916@pixelfed.social
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