What a difference a year makes! Our mountain community was wrecked by Helene in 2024, and we had no running water the week before we left. This year, the fall colors have been resplendent, and as usual, it is very painful to leave. But it is already getting uncomfortably cold, and next week will be brutal. Ready or not, we have to go.
Florida will be different, too. For once, our home will be intact. Ron DeSantis is a lame duck, largely despised by the state leadership of his own party. Wokeness has had its day; the 2026 campaign will most likely revolve around financial issues. The candidates in the governor’s race will have difficulty running the usual outsider against liberal coastal elites campaign; they will have to define themselves relative to DeSantis’ legacy. It should be fascinating.
We will have a ringside seat for it.