As most of you know, we were on vacation last week. We went down to sunny Florida, near Clearwater Beach, and spent a couple days on that barrier island. It was a much needed respite after a busy August of work.

We didn't actually stay in Clearwater; we stayed in a small town a few miles to the north named "Dunedin". It's lovely, has 8 breweries plus a distillery, a gay bar with drag karaoke, and one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever eaten in. In other words, it does NOT come off as tRumpWorld.

But Florida being Florida after all, we did see some cultists, although not as many as I would have expected. I remember one old guy in particular, with his brand new "Trump 2024" hat, and a scowl that looked permanent. His wife didn't seem particularly joyful either.

Also being that this is a beachy area, there are lots of shops selling beachwear and the purposely "offensive" T-shirts. Most of these shops had some sort of tRump gear, with the usual body-builder fetish images, and the implication that anyone who isn't a supporter is going to get hurt.

Nowhere to be found was any Harris swag. There was one store - count 'em, 1 - that had a couple pro-Biden shirts, but it was a store that didn't really traffic in the "suns out - guns out" nonsense. As it turned out, that was also the one store we actually spent money in.

I am guessing that part of the reason for the dearth of Harris/Walz messaging is that she hasn't been the nominee for very long, although that doesn't explain the lack of Biden gear. THAT I will chalk up to "we're not a cult". We're also not angry and fearful; we just want to ensure that all people have their personal rights.

There is talk that Florida may end up being a purple state. We'll see, but it's a reminder that no state is monolithic. Blue states have red areas and red states have blue areas. Women - who've lost their right to an abortion - live in all of them. Even Republicans are tired of the stupid anger coming from the tRump cult, and the lack of anything worthwhile from their legislatures.

Stay positive, and take nothing for granted.