Category: Geography

The Sun

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 21, 2023

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. One of my all-time favorite lyrics in a song is from R.E.M. in “Stand” when they sang – “If you are confused – check with the sun. Carry a compass to help you along.” It was a quirky song with nerdy lyrics, so that explains why I immediately related to it.

I am not confused. I know exactly which direction I’m standing, or driving, or flying – simply by checking with the sun (or moon) and noticing in which direction the clouds are moving. I don’t need a compass. I don’t need a road sign. A sense of direction is a gift that God blessed me with.

Today (and tomorrow) is the First Day of Winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, and it’s the First Day of Summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The Sun reaches its southernmost point above the Earth along the Tropic of Capricorn (23.4394° south latitude) where it’s directly overhead today at 10:27 PM U.S. East Coast time. (So that’s actually December 22ND across much of the world.)

It’s the shortest day of the year and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and it’s the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere. Here in the north sunrises continue occurring later in the morning well into January. But our earliest sunsets of the year already occurred 1 to 3 weeks ago (depending on your latitude), so the Sun is actually staying up later each evening. Starting tomorrow – the days will start to get longer.

The front of my new home (at 27.5436° north latitude) faces almost (but not quite) due NE out front, and of course almost (but not quite) due SW out back. During much of the year the sun’s rays enter my home office (where this blog is written) during the morning hours. But in December the sun can’t quite reach into this room. It’ll be back though in January. Meanwhile my master bedroom, lanai, and living room get full direct sunlight in the afternoon during this time of the year, but those sun rays will soon start becoming more diagonal, and then they will completely disappear later in the year as the sun retreats northward.

When I was a little kid growing up in Lanham Maryland in the mid-to-late-1970s I always noticed how the sun hit my home, my neighbors’ homes, and my grandparent’s home in the morning and in the afternoon / evening. I noticed that the extreme angles occurred during both solstices in June and December. Every March and September there were no angles. It was straight up and down. So – I’ve pretty much been an astronomy (and of course) weather nerd for the past 50 years.

Next #TravelThursday – it’s my personal travel recap of 2023. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Florida

Blogging Driving Geography Home Travel

SW 328TH Street In Homestead Florida

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 14, 2023

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. There’s a street in Homestead Florida that I’ve driven on more than any other in America. It’s SW 328TH Street – a Miami-Dade County road that runs about 13 miles due west / east in the far-south of the county from the edge of the Everglades on the west-end through Homestead in the middle to almost Biscayne Bay on the east-end. At its most primitive – it’s a narrow dirt road through rural farmland. At its most busy 2½-mile stretch – it’s a sometimes congested 4-lane divided road (recently widened from 2 lanes) with a couple of dangerous intersections.

My longtime home of the past 28½ years is near the middle of that busy stretch. That easily makes it my most driven road of my lifetime. I can’t go anywhere without getting on that road. It’s much nicer now than it used to be when it was a narrow and bumpy 2-lane road (up until just a few years ago).

Fun Fact: SW 328TH Street is exactly 20½ miles south (as the crow flies) of Flagler Street (which is Zero Street and divides Miami-Dade County into north and south). Every 16 streets north / south is exactly a mile on the county grid. Most streets that are a multiple of 8 (particularly in the south part of the county) are major thoroughfares.

SW 328TH Street is also known as Lucy Street for its western-most 5½ miles – and North Canal Drive for its eastern-most 7½ miles. It’s also known as SW / SE 8TH Street within the city limits of Homestead. For 1.7 miles Lucy Street serves as the border between Homestead (to the north) and Florida City (to the south). And speaking of Lucy Street – Lucy was one of the daughters of the first Mayor of Homestead in 1913. It’s been Lucy Street ever since, and it’s one of the longest-named streets in the region.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll follow the Sun. I’ll write about the Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere. And I know that I have readers in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the South American continent. I won’t forget about your Summer Solstice. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Florida, Homestead, Miami-Dade

Blogging Church Driving Food Geography Home Travel

Year 37 In Homestead Florida

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 7, 2023

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Yesterday was a wonderful day in downtown Sebring Florida – catching-up with a lot of my friends for the first time in over a month. I got to hang out with my favorite coffee roaster (and neighbor) at Strangely Warmed. I got to spend 2½ hours with my Sebring Historical Society family. I even picked-up a pizza and cannoli from my favorite pizzeria – Tony’s II. Even my Pest Control guy showed-up in the afternoon to spray my home for bugs. It was a good day in my new hometown.

And then there’s down south in Homestead Florida. Last week I ~~celebrated~~ (make that observed) my 36TH anniversary of my first arrival there during the early-morning hours of December 01ST 1987. I was there for a full week – from Sunday morning (November 26TH) to Sunday afternoon (December 03RD). I reflected last week on my 36 years in Homestead, and how it wasn’t supposed to be that long. (It was supposed to be less than 5 years.) Aside from my longtime church family that I got to preach to and enjoy fellowship with on both Sundays (and the next 2 Sundays) – there aren’t that many other bright spots in my life and times down there. There aren’t that many other reasons to visit Homestead and South Florida.

Nevertheless Year 37 has begun for me in Homestead. I’m likely spending another 25 scheduled nights in Homestead between this upcoming Sunday and the start of March, and then my visits will become sporadic after that – probably once every few months or so. I do plan to keep my longtime home (since 1995) for at least another year or so. Hotel rates are sky-high down south, so staying in my own old home is a bargain !

Down in Homestead there’s a single street with a few numbers and a few names that I’ve driven on more than any other since 1995. Next #TravelThursday – I’ll write about that street. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Florida, Homestead, Sebring

Blogging Driving Geography Holidays Home Travel Weather

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date November 30, 2023

Welcome back to #TravelThursday after a week off last Thursday for Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S.A. I was in Wylie Texas (northeastern suburb of Dallas) for 8 days and 9 nights – visiting my family for our annual #ThanksChristmasGiving (combined Thanksgiving and Christmas) tradition.

I flew out of #SRQ – Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport – on the Wednesday before the week of Thanksgiving. It was a late-afternoon / early-evening flight on American Airlines, and everything went about as good as can be expected with it. The flight – the only one of the day between #SRQ and #DFW – was about 90% full. That was a little bit surprising. I wasn’t expecting it to be that full. It was equally as full on the return flight back to #SRQ on Black Friday afternoon (the day after Thanksgiving here in the U.S.A.). I’m not sure if this single flight per day (in each direction – originating from #DFW) is seasonal or year-round.

I had an aisle seat flying out of #SRQ and a window seat flying back in. I prefer a window seat so that I can watch the weather outside all the way up to cruising altitude. It was exciting to see a new landscape out my window as we made our descent into the region – particularly a clear view of the beautiful Tampa Bay area to the north.

My first impressions of #SRQ were great. There are no parking garages – just surface parking including long-term, short-term, and rental vehicles. They are all connected to each other in front of the only terminal, and that one terminal has just 13 gates. (A new terminal is currently under construction, and it will add a few additional gates.) It’s the 8TH-busiest airport in Florida, and it was easy-in and easy-out to and from the surrounding metro area. It’s about 79 miles away from my Sebring home in the center of the state – almost a straight-shot along mostly rural Florida State Road 64.

I don’t know when I’ll be flying again (perhaps next November), but it will be a pleasure to fly out of #SRQ.

Today – November 30TH – is the day exactly 36 years ago that I flew to Miami International Airport for the first time ever on my way to my new home at Homestead AFB. (I would arrive on-base after Midnight on December 01ST.) Next #TravelThursday – I’ll write about the start of my 37TH and final year in South Florida. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Florida