Liftoff

“You cannot always wait for the perfect time, sometimes you must dare to jump.” - Anonymous

I love you guys. I do. But it's time for me to go. And while my online addresses won't change, my home address will. To Florida.

“So you live in Delaware, are you ready for all this heat” was the most common question people asked when I interviewed with my new company. “Oh, it’s not that different” I said. For instance, it was 90 degrees and humid while back home in Delaware it was... 90 degrees and humid.

But from the moment I was first asked a list started forming in my head of all of the similarities between the two states and it’s a longer list than expected. For instance, all of these describe both Delaware and Florida:

1. US Route 301 begins, or ends depending on your point of view, in both states.
2. I-95 runs through both states.
3. I can buy my coffee and gas at Wawa.
4. I can buy a Bobbie or a Capastrami at Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop.
5. It has a prominent cable-stayed bridge with yellow-painted cables.
6. They're both on a peninsula.
7. Their highest point is less than 490 feet above sea level and is near the north-end of both states.
8. They're lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean.
9. The Atlantic Ocean borders part of the state.
10. Both are considered to be the flattest state in the US, but this depends on your definition of flat.
11. The beach resorts are a main summer-time attraction.
12. Both my wife and I have lived in both states at the same time.
13. Neither state has produced a US President.
14. Both are popular with retirees due to their favorable tax climate.
15. Humidity is absurdly high during the summer. That’s a self-made observation, but I stand by it.
16. According to the Smithsonian magazine, both state's beaches are among the cleanest in the country.
17. You might find a manatee in them.

I'm sure that there are more. There will be a noticeable decrease in the amount of new art in the coming months (there already has been,) but with new landscapes and experiences ahead this is a positive change for me personally and for my art. I’m sure that there will be speed bumps, but the road ahead appears to be well paved and I hope to see many of you on it.