Aimee and I returned tonight from a weekend wedding in Sarasota, Florida, and having finally been a part of the big event she had helped plan with Abby and Dave over the last year, we’re now fully ready to worry about the election for the next two days. My unofficial straw poll of bumper stickers in and around Sarasota ended with a plus 4 victory for Kerry. It was a particularly interesting experience, being in a state whose electoral votes are up for grabs, as sign-wavers for both sides crowded street corners, bizarre advertisements flooded the airwaves, and talk of the election was everywhere. I’ll keep this short, just a few photos, with a recap tomorrow.

My soon-to-be nephew and I practice throwing shells into the water.



So a priest and a rabbi are standing next to each other under a huppa…



A quiet moment at the reception



A study in scarlet



Some of the great architecture and signage in Sarasota:







On our way to the Tampa Airport, we stopped by the re-built Ybor City neighborhood this afternoon. It boasts itself as “The City with a Past,” whatever that means; Aimee’s take on it was “The City with a Hangover.” It had just hosted (endured?) “Guavaween” the previous evening, and the sidewalks were littered with broken beer bottles and mardi gras beads. My favorite relic, though, was this example of something that is just not done in polite company: beer with a straw. Why not? Who knows.



And it was too bad we were there too early to find out what’s Alaskan about these tacos