“Beware Paradise”

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That was the sign on the plate glass balcony door of our suite in Puerto Rico.  The irony of the warning seemed almost comical.  Why beware such a beautiful respite? Our view stretched across the Northeast end of our lodging, the Gran Melia Golf Resort, out to the Atlantic Ocean.  Deep rich greens in the leaves of the palm trees gave our Winter weary eyes something new to gaze at.  Branches swayed in the gentle breeze that cooled the heat of the midday sun, and made a faint whisssssping noise as the palm leaves fluttered against each other. The surf from the distant reef was barely audible, but soothing in its drone.  The mildly humid air was a nice change from the arid and cold winds we left behind us in Philadelphia; the scent was fresh with a little touch of saltiness.  

Then it came to me. The thought I had been warned about on the door. I would have to leave this place, and I could have stayed forever. My senses, still peaked from the tactile pleasures surrounding me, shuttered in the realization that my station was but temporary.  Beware Paradise indeed!

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 45mm f/10 ISO 100 1/4 sec