Whew! Running in 85 degree weather in Fort Lauderdale feels a whole lot different than the 85 degree summer runs I enjoy where I live, in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Don’t get me wrong, I like the sweat that comes with the incredibly high humidity–somehow it makes me feel as if I am exercising harder.

Near the hotel at which I am staying is a neighborhood park, with a mile-long paved loop around a man-made “lake”, complete with a par course, soccer fields, and huge swimming pool. I was able to stay on the grass along the path for most of the run–a good thing as I am used to running the dirt trails at home, but I did zig-zag off the grass to make way for several duck families. Sweet, baby ducks are just too cute! I didn’t want to get too close to them.

I saw some of the usual Florida birds; ibis, egrets, and herons but the HUGE score was the burrowing owl that was just hanging out on a fence post. How cool is that?