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July 4th Vacation to Crazytown. A Colorado State Open Thread, July 3rd 2023 [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-07-03

The Colorado State Open Thread is almost exclusively regarding stories, events and happenings from the state of Colorado. Well, sometimes people invest in properties outside of our lovely state and sometimes those investments are in Satanistan or Trump Pillaged Acres. This time, it was in a coastal community just north of Tampa Bay, Florida.

My long-term friends are Trump fans. I'll be honest, even though I knew they were Republicans, I was still shocked and dismayed when I saw the Trump flag hanging out front of their Littleton house and the "Women for Trump" flag hanging inside. They're not stupid people, but they have drunk the koolaid of that former POTUS.

They have come up to stay at my house in Estes Park a number of times, including this spring shortly after my wife died. They invited me to come out to see their house they purchased as an investment property (VRBO/Air B&B style) but may wind up retiring to. They still have their house in Littleton, but they are almost empty nesters and they're a bit tired of winter.

Florida offered an escape for them. Yesterday we went out into the Gulf of Mexico to some barrier islands and sand bars that separate Florida from the Gulf. The month of July is the season for harvesting scallops so scores of boats were out on the grass beds in the bay harvesting and maybe a hundred more (that I could see) were mooring at the sand bar for parties, shell collecting and catching rays like we used to do before we learned too much sun is bad for our skin. Another type of unhealthy ray would occasionally swim by, waving their toxic tail spine in the water behind them.

Open in a new tab to embiggen. Every dot on the horizon is a speed boat, pontoon boat, jetski, cabin cruiser, etc.

We were able to just walk a handful of steps out their back door, down a short walkway, onto the dock and then the boat. A quarter mile of putting in the no-wake zone and they're out of the channel and into open water.

I do have to admit it was a very nice afternoon. The water was warm, the breeze was mild and the waves were almost non-existent. Some of the residents of the community are out on the water every day fishing, hunting for scallops, checking crab pots, swimming, partying and having fun. People seemed to be friendly (but we are white/tanned) and according to my friends they're generally helpful and generous. The two flags (including the traitor's flag) in the picture at the top of the story may have also helped keep people friendly - we were one with them.

The temperature, of course, has been in the lower 90s with 68% humidity - not as nice as Colorado but better than the triple digits that much of the south has been experiencing. The heat index reports 99 degrees. I know that my house has snow about 7-8 months out of the year, but I kind of prefer cool temperatures to hot. If I want heat, I go down into "the valley" which is down out of mountains to the flatlands and I can find warmth until I return to the beautiful mountains.

And then there's the politics. In just a couple of days I've had some sensations of the conservative bent of the people. Trump signs and flags are on display, as are Confederate battle flags. I haven't been to Florida in over forty years (boy, that was hard to type) so I don't know how it is changing. Still, I will be glad to return to my blue district of our blue state of Colorado. Where we look beyond the color(s) of one's skin and look at the content of their character.

I hope that Florida can be changed by the brave souls living here. There are still some areas I would like to visit, including the Everglades and the Keys. I think it can be a nice state to visit, but this trip helped me confirm that I don't want to live here.

My friends' backyard, which isn't much bigger than this pool and a patio.

On a Colorado note, from babushka about the American Historical Society conference on Germans who have moved to America from Russia.

Sun Jul 02, 2023 at 02:40 PM MDT

Here is the press release about it. One of the featured speakers is from my HS graduating class. I don't know if you think any CO readers would be interested in learning about it ahead of time, or possibly attending. It is scheduled the first week of August. I was planning to write about a specific topic or two afterward. https://ahsgr.org/...

And now it's your turn to tell us what's on your minds. Have you been willing to travel to the land of scared haters? How about where else you might be traveling this summer? Are you taking advantage of our state's natural and cultural activities? Is anything else tickling your brain? The floor is yours…

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[1] Url: https://dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/3/2179090/-July-4th-Vacation-to-Crazytown-A-Colorado-State-Open-Thread-July-3rd-2023

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