Tag Archives: Travel

Spirit Dance

Posted on by under Creativity, Culture, Music

What started as a night of peace and music has become one of the most famous attractions in Sarasota, Florida.

The Siesta Key Drum Circle has been a tradition on Siesta Key Beach for more than two decades. The drum circle began in the 1990s when a small group of local musicians and artists gathered on the beach to play music and dance. Today, the impromptu gathering has swelled to more than 1,000 during peak season, fronted by a core group of two dozen drummers and joined by an equal number of dancers.

According to one of the event’s founders, former military surgeon Marguerite Barnett, local polymath David Gittens organized a full moon drumming ceremony in 1993 by the site of the grandmother tree on the south end of Siesta Key. It was attended by nearly a dozen drummers and one dancer and was led by David in meditative African drum rhythms. The event was so inspiring that the group collectively decided to hold a weekly event at Beach Access 8, until it outgrew the parking a few years later and was moved to the main beach.

As word of the gatherings spread, more people began to join, and the Siesta Key Drum Circle was born. The circle quickly became a popular attraction for both locals and tourists. Except during severe weather, the drummers have performed every Sunday, starting an hour before sunset.

While visitors enjoy the crystal sands of Siesta Beach, others have found a spiritual connection to the circle.

“We original organizers did not do this with the intent of making an event,” Dr. Barnett told Siesta Sand in 2021. “For most of us, it is our church—a chance to put the cares of a busy week behind us and lose ourselves to the rhythms. For some of us, it has led to a community, relationships, and lasting friendships.”

I’m happy to say I made a couple of friends this past Sunday as Dr. Barnett and the drummers invited a group of photographers into the inner circle. They give a lot. Here’s our chance to give something back.

Click on an image for a larger view.

For business, the high cost of high tide

Posted on by under Books, Business, Commerce, Culture, e-books, Housing, mystery, Novel, real estate, suspense, thriller

The tide is shifting. The debate over global warming has moved from theoretical to practical. As in, what is the cost of climate change to businesses and, eventually, to all of us?

Real estate agents find themselves at the heart of the issue. Anything that affects property values affects their livelihood. So it’s encouraging to see a call to action from one of their own.

Craig Foley, chair of the National Association of Realtors’ Sustainability Advisory Group, says that ignoring the impact of climate change on real estate has serious business implications. “Particularly in coastal areas, members have told me both they and their clients are worried about declining property values and buyer interest.” The piece, entitled “We Don’t Have 50 Years to Wait,” appears in the March/April 2019 issue of Realtor magazine.

In case you think that’s the hype of tree-huggers, Foley backs his observation with well-credentialed statistics. “Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Pennsylvania State University compared properties that are similar except for their proximity to the sea and found that the more exposed homes sold for 6.6 percent less than the others during the sample period from 2007 to 2016.”

Foley ends his commentary with this thought: “As I see it, we can’t afford to be on the wrong side of history on climate change.”

That captures a core issue of Permanent Vacation, a novel in which the protagonist, real estate agent CW (Candace) McCoy, discovers that encouraging construction in a flood zone is a sure way to sink a career.

You can read Foley’s commentary here. If you buy or sell real estate and have a comment on this or any other issue, you’re welcome leave it here as well.

 

 

 

A rising tide floats all buildings

Posted on by under Authors, Books, Business, Commerce, Culture, e-books, Fiction, Housing, mystery, Novel, suspense, thriller, tourism

Sometimes reality catches up with fiction.

Yesterday, a Florida Senate committee advanced legislation that would require the state to plan for rising seas. The action comes after storm surge has repeatedly flooded parts of Miami and threatened its infrastructure.

The proposed legislation is unique in that it avoids the politically divisive issue of climate change and addresses the economic aspect of rising sea levels.

Lawmakers aren’t alone in considering the financial impact of coastal development. The economics, and ethics, of building in flood zones form the central premise of Permanent Vacation, a novel set in a fictionalized version of Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida, both of which border the Gulf of Mexico. Central to that issue is whether governments should encourage or discourage behavior that puts people and property at risk.

Permanent Vacation is available from Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Smashwords. You can read the story about Florida lawmakers here.