Clearwater man recalls a bygone era

Calvin Glaven of Clearwater says he can remember a time when not only was it not as hot out, but when it was downright cold.

“It doesn’t seem like that long ago to me but I guess it was,” he recalls wistfully. “I remember clearly that friends, neighbors and co-workers would say things like, ‘Shit, it’s cold out’ and ‘I thought this was Florida’ and ‘Goddamn it, I am cold’. Feels like a mere seven or eight months ago. Time passes faster as you age, though.”

He continued, “You had to wear long pants and jackets to the beach. Well, you probably wouldn’t die of hypothermia or anything like that, but it was cold enough to be uncomfortable. Sometimes you could even see your breath.”

“I tell young people you could go ice skating in Tampa. Outdoors!”

“But they just dismiss me and what I say as the demented rambling of some crazy old man,” he added. “I’m 34.”