Best. State. Ever. - A Florida Man Defends His Homeland

To paraphrase one of Dave Barry's favorite sayings about his latest opus Best. State. Ever. - A Florida Man Defends His Homeland (#637); he is not making this up.  If you live in Florida you basically have two choices: you can be indignant about all the news stories, or you can laugh along with the rest of the country. Frankly, I'm disappointed when a weird Florida story doesn't make it into The Week or onto NPR's news quiz show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.

Dave Barry actually made some field trips to check out some of the unique places, people and events which abound here from Key West to Cassadaga.  Some of the stuff he came across even I have never heard of, like the Skunk Ape.  Yes, I have been to Ochopee, but somehow I missed the Skunk Ape Research Center.  Apparently it falls into the same class as the Yeti, Bigfoot and Loch Ness Monster. I'll have to keep an eye out next time I drive through the Everglades.  (There is however a lovely church which features the Loch Ness Monster in its stained glass windows - next time you're in the Keys, check out St. Columba's in Marathon, or better yet, attend the Celtic Festival it puts on every January!)

And now that Lebron James has left the state, the high point in South Florida is officially Hobe Mountain.  We pass by it frequently, always checking to see if any intrepid climbers have actually made the arduous trek to the top with the aid of their Sherpa guides.  It's tough to climb in flip flops! Of course Hobe Mountain is a sand dune with an observation platform built on top, and not nearly the same challenge as a hike up one of the towering landfills which dot the landscape here would present.  In its favor, the smells are much more pleasant!

I just hope that my husband never has the urge to check out Lock and Load Miami. In a scary sort of way it does seem like a logical business for Florida...

This is a fun, fast read.  I'm just not sure if it's good or bad for our tourist economy!