A Tropical Vacation of the Mind

It’s in the low teens here today, with light snow and hard wind. My friends in the Eastern states are grounded by huge drifts and colder temperatures. The plein air artist Jim Coe is the only one I know who’s ecstatic over the weather. Snow, after all, is his bread and butter. He’ll be the crazy guy out in the woods pushing paint around a canvas. I wish him warm hands and good light.

I’m fairly sure that for the rest of us the wintertime blahs have set in, and I’m all ready for a tropical vacation, if you are. It’s easy to book immediately if you have a good imagination and a little Flor de Caña, a very fine Nicaraguan rum. We can’t get it here, but always snag a couple of bottles at the Panama City duty-free shop on our way home. And judging from the level of this bottle, it’s been way too long since our last trip to Panama. Grab your binoculars and sketchbook, we’re heading south for a little field study and tropical warmth.