The rain came, and a Florida wind. A sunny Saturday?

This midweek morning, a northeast breeze blows in Southwest Florida. The wind can best be described as delicious with a temperature at 67 degrees. It is cool but not cold. This is an opinion section, so the statement that the breeze is “delicious” is purely a personal perspective. It is perhaps an uncontroversial perspective, however. 

The opinion about the breeze is one of those opinions where one would hope that others could share their opinion about what a “delicious” breeze is. And with that degree Fahrenheit breeze, about 16 m.p.h. on a partly cloudy morning, with the sound of palm branches rustling, we can all agree that there is no better place to be than in Florida on one of the mornings this week.

As we look backward, to the south, the moon is a Third Quarter Moon or a Last Quarter Moon, which means you see only a quarter of it from where you are. At presstime, our four orange spacemen friends up in Artemis II are still closer to that Last Quarter Moon than they are to Earth, and are expected to splash down on Friday in the Pacific after this newspaper is printed. Thankfully, they have had room to change out of those jumpsuits. In a press conference, during which they were asked questions about their mission, they were wearing NASA Artemis tees, some with the mission logo. We can be sure they will be popular sellers when readers take children and grandchildren over to Kennedy Space Center to see new exhibits.

The cool of the morning here in Southwest Florida came two days after a douser of a rain storm that quickly flooded streets and some businesses in Boca Grande. Across Cape Haze, the rain was desperately needed not only for aquifers and plantings, but to reduce the risk of fire. What is forgotten is that this little flood is a reminder of how exposed Florida is to the weather.

Luckily staff was there to swish it out where it got into some businesses in town, and nothing was damaged. Perhaps we can call it a preparation or warning for upcoming storms? It was only from 1.5 to 2.45 inches of rain, but drains were quickly overwhelmed, though the water did eventually disappear. Gullies were washed out across the island, so dry was the sandy soil. 

The good news about Florida sandy soil, packed with shell, is that it drains quickly. The bad news is that it washes out, or cannot drain if the tide is high. A reminder to all: our streets do not drain easily. Do not pass through water of unknown depth.

Our roads have vast rights-of-ways with drainage swales and intricate gutters, both above ground and below ground. Our new subdivisions and even houses have drainage ability. But when growing amounts of Florida territory are covered with impermeable pavement, or buildings, the water cannot get through, and it floods buildings.

This issue is important with our State Parks, which are under 10-year review of management plans. One discussion item is parking areas at Gasparilla Island State Park. These parking areas cannot get paved, as the water cannot run through, and will go elsewhere. But this also applies to buildings on the island, and off the island in coastal areas. You cannot build everywhere.

This week, there was another happy weather occurrence, at least in this editor’s opinion. The Weather Channel reintroduced its 1980s and 90s graphics theme on their website. Try it out. It is mesmerizing. 

Many will remember the channel’s Local on the 8s, when the weather broadcasts were interrupted by a screen with local weather information, and groovy CGI graphics. Local cable operators had to insert the programming breaks.

The new (old) design is the work of Lee Martin, a Soundcloud alum and web developer who worked with Weather Channel CEO Rohit Agarwal to recreate the look and feel on a website, using basic web tools and weather information for today. Martin calls it ‘retro futurism’, which may also apply to the Apollo-inspired design of the capsule of Orion. He wrote:

“In a time when information seems to be immediate, abundant, and abrasive, RetroCast Now harks back to a time of slow data consumption. I hope it is calming, nostalgic, and useful.”

The smooth jazz background is quite mesmerizing. At a time when the national news is difficult, perhaps we all need good weather, and some cheesy easy listening.

Garland Pollard is editor of the Boca Beacon. Email editor@bocabeacon.com