Coconut Vendor, West Palm Beach

After two of us Ping clan types paired up for an early morning jaunt to Tampa, we whipped into a McDonalds in Delray Beach, Fla., and ordered coffee and a steaming cup of Wi-Fi to go. The hotspot, served up by AT&T, served us quickly and I had my daily fix of e-mails before I could say, “Just black please.”

AT&T and Micky D’s in D-Ray, hot hot hotspot and no one got burned — 6 pings.

The breakfast hotspot was a great way to get the day going, because I must admit I have been in a Wi-Fi funk. For the first time in the three-year history of this blog, I have been a little lackadaisical about my search for Wi-Fi. This is Florida, the land of retirees with more money than God … there are coffee shops and donut shops everywhere. BUT, in my defense … there is this other little distraction … one with crashing waves, swooping pelicans, frisbees, sand and little clothing.

Hot Fun, Summertime West Palm Beach

Yes, the sea, she has been whispering in my ear … and I have heeded the call. This distraction worried me at first. Have I lost my zeal for this deal? Have I just accepted that Wi-Fi is pretty much everywhere, as one friend suggested? No. That’s not it. There are still a million Wi-Fi stories out there.

Gotta keep lookin .. just as soon as I work on my tan a bit.  So for now I put the laptop in the car, which is parked errantly in a handicapped parking space … just kidding … and I am at least toting a camera.

So far, I have collected sand under my nails at Miami’s South Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach … and now a day trip to Tampa.

Shaven

It’s just that I love summer, and I love the beach more than anyone … anyone! Having spent “Dirty Gig” time in three different winter locales over the last year (disaster recovery jobs in Boston, Seattle, Christchurch) … I NEEDED me some beach. I mean, all three of those cities are on the ocean …. and yet, I was there at the wrong time to enjoy the water.

So, why not? I am here in the land of the fountain of youth. Don’t be hatin for my taking a little time off … letting my hair down … flying the freak flag and all that.

Speaking of freak flag … I tried something here in Florida the other day that is a little off the beaten path of the coffee shop crowd.

Kava.

Have you tried it? Ha! Have you heard of it? if you don’t know, it is a traditional, ceremonial drink from the islands — Fiji, Vanatua, Samoa … that part of the world. Picture tribal tattoos, maybe grass skirts … maybe some dancing … certainly the old National Geographic explorer type ritual.

I checked out my first Kava bar in Del Ray. They serve a concoction made from the root of the kava plant … kava kava … aka Piper methysticum. (I was surprised to learn it is a member of the pepper family … fyi.)

It doesn’t taste like your average mocha, shall we say. Yes, an acquired taste … but one with nice results. Some call kava the anti-energy drink. We;re talking mellow. If you know me … HA! … imagine me getting even more laid back.

But what great fun … an island ritual in the safety of a Florida downtown, tourist area. The festivities begin with the barkeep mixing the laid back elixir in a large container, then ladling it out in quantities about the size of a couple of traditional shots. (Kava, by the way, is non-alcoholic, and legal …) This java joy juice is served in a coconut shell cup. Just before you down it, you clink your cups — as much as one can clink a coconut shell — and you salute your your fellow mellow ones with “Bula!”

Be prepared. The active ingredients in the drink settle to the bottom and quite frankly taste like sediment … with some root flavor to boot. Ha! Picture yourself rooting in a garden … (Ha … that reminds me of a Beatles song … research Lucy In The Sky … I digress.) But about the taste … get over it. I mean … who would have ever thrown back a shot of tequila, if they were worried about taste. There is a reason they have the lime ready for you to ravage — because of the tequila aftertaste. Kava bars employ a similar strategy, providing a slice of fresh pineapple for the aperitif.

So … did my first kava bar have Wi-Fi … Ha … who cares moon!

Know what I sayin?