Today summer started on southern hemisphere and all people went to the beaches to enjoy the first day of the hot season. The temperature reached 33°C/91°F, the sun was shinning bright, the wind was light and the sky was blue with very few clouds on sight. A perfect summer day.
To make it even better the flying conditions were great. I was in Brava beach with my paraglider just waiting for an opportunity to go soaring the local ridge. I waited till mid afternoon to hike up the hill as the air would be more smooth to fly compared to midday. In the meantime I would swimn in the ocean and sip a cold beer to celebrate the first summer day.
My guess was right and I had a wonderful flight at 4 o’clock, enjoying the refreshing breeze and the magic view from above.
Later on, back home, I read that Canasvieiras beach had a large oil spill and lots of garbage landing on the beach this Sunday. Very sad, but the same garbage they threw away, will get back with more and more.

Finally, after the storm, Floripa and the affected areas are blessed with the sun. The instabilities have apparently gone away and the weather has settled.
The rain took 122 lives in Santa Catarina state according to the last count, and destroyed hundreds of houses. Families are having now the opportunity to rebuild their lives.
It is a great relief to see the sun shinning bright in the blue sky, to walk on the beach and also hear good news about the cities affected. It’s a long way but the whole country is willing to help.
In Florianópolis the problem now is the huge landslide that closed the main access to the Northern beaches, the SC-401 road. The traffic in the area is chaotic, taking hours to pass through an alternative way. The city administration has been working to clear it out as soon as possible and the work might be partially completed on the 14th December.

Santa Catarina hopes that the tourism in the high season will help rebuild the state. The beaches haven’t been affected and everyone is working hard to clean the house for the visitors.

I managed to see the film An inconvenient truth and thought about the message Al Gore has given us. One thing is certain, the earth is all connected in nature and it has a limit. The high amount of precipitation seen on the last few days could be a sign of Global Warming because it is affecting the hydrologic cycle, making it more intense and irregularly distributed. On the other hand in the Northeast part of the country is facing now an intense drought. Some pray for the rain to stop, some need it badly. What is your guess ?