Not so tropical update

Today I'm in south Texas, but a subtropical paradise it's not today -- cold weather and a chilly mist are limiting the scenic and outdoor adventure potential. Tomorrow, In Corpus Christi, I should at least see some sailboats, but actual sailing might have to wait for some other swings along the Texas coast later this winter, spring, or summer.

Update

The holidays passed quickly and now it's time to move on to other projects. Gerald and Scratch cat have returned to Arizona to prepare for the new term and presumably next weekend's Leukemia Cup and Birthday Regatta in Arizona and Carol Anne has prepared for the new semester's classes that begin in just over a week. Today I will be packing for a trip to south Texas but unfortunately may be traveling south along with some chilly weather and may not have time to linger along the coast.

Just for fun, I've been looking at real estate prices in the Tempe area with the idea of getting a place where Gerald could stay and we could when we visit. It might be interesting to see what's the best place available in Tempe, southern Scottsdale, western Mesa, of the eastern fringe of Phoenix (85281-4, 85257, 85201-2-10, 85008, 85042-44 etc.) Sadly for people in the Phoenix-Tempe area, the Valley of the Sun has far too many bank-owned and short-sale properties as a reflection of economic hard times.

As for boat news, that's likely to pick up in about a month.

Political thought for the day

Ultimately any comment about the "Tea Party" has to have lots of qualifications because the TP isn't really centralized, hierarchical, or unified. Beyond common ideas about smaller, limited, accountable government, the Tea Party is different things to different people.

Some of the ideas and quotes that have given the TP a bad or controversial name may have come from some or a few TP-ers but not really define the whole TP. So, one can't fairly say that the TP itself is racist or xenophobic or defined by birthers or such, but one might say that the Tea Party harbors more than its share of people with these beliefs and that some TP leaders or groups are congenial to or guilty of them. Now, if you can demonstrate that leaders of say seven or eight or nine out of the ten largest TP groups have shown themselves guilty of something, then you could call that something a Tea Party characteristic.

But to say that everyone who goes to a TP rally or believes in their core economic and constitutional message is a racist is wrong, poisons civil debate, and makes the accuser sound guilty of the same intolerance of which she or he is accusing the TP-ers. Too bad life isn't simple.