our bahamian autumn

As I sit here in my shorts and short-sleeve blouse with the palm trees swaying, it may not sound like I'm experiencing true autumn here in Nassau.  But, I beg to disagree.  Hurricane Sandy left a gift for me in her path...a trace of autumn.  The bashing and lashing that she inflicted on the Bahamas has left a beautiful deadness to our island. 

Now to be sure, if I were here on a cruise, trying to escape the cold northern temperatures, I may not be thrilled that I came at a time when most of the trees and bushes look dead.  But for one northern US girl, the scenery keeps me from being homesick for my favorite season...autumn.  Our ficus looks dead, as you see in the pics above.  Our driveway is strewn with dead leaves, and there is a general "fall smell" as many people endeavor to clean up the aftermath of the hurricane damage by burning all the downed branches, twigs, and leaves.  We've already had two campfires since the storm!  It's ironic actually, to find autumn in this place.  The land of eternal summer.  God has heard my cries, perhaps?  I love waking up and seeing "73" on our thermostat reading.  "73" is beautiful!  Just a month ago, I could still wake up and see "82" there instead.  Humidity is almost non-existent.  It is just amazingly temperate and fallish.  Thank you Lord.  You care about every detail of our lives.  You can make the sun stand still, and you can bring autumn to the tropics.