Highlights and Tidbits From Florida

Every state that we have visited has had a few quirks but Florida is rife with them. I thought it might be fun to write a silly (but somewhat educational) blog entry for a change of pace. Here’s hoping you enjoy it!

 

Building reflected in a building (St. Petersburg)

 1)      It was surprising to discover that people in the Florida panhandle area have a heavier southern accent than those we met in Louisiana and Alabama.

Horse drawn carriage ride (St. Augustine)

 2)      We have now crossed into a three hour time difference from home so calling friends and relatives is a real challenge. I am used to being able to call up my girlfriends whenever I want but it doesn’t work quite as well here.

Absolute south end of Highway 1 (Key West)

 3)      Produce! Honestly, people, you would not believe how difficult it is to get decent fresh fruit and vegetables here. Most of the vegetables are hermetically sealed in plastic in packages sized by the people wrapping. I couldn’t get ONE zucchini or pick out my own broccoli or carrots. I mean really…do they think I can’t pick out my own carrots? The quality was quite sad so maybe hiding it is the objective? That way you don’t realize until you get home that the broccoli is way beyond fresh and the carrots are already getting slimy. The sizes were rather odd as well. Carrots were in packages of either 5 or 25! And…oranges from California? Really??? I got so darn spoiled in Mexico.

Art deco at its best (South Beach, Miami)

 4)      Florida seems to be pretty hung up on fried food.  Even the chicken in a salad was deep fried. 

Great sunset viewing (Intercostal Waterway, Daytona Beach)

 5)      Roads/drivers. Well…the roads were in good condition but the traffic patterns were hideous and the drivers were crazy, crazy, crazy. Driving right through red lights, changing lanes and making turns without signaling or looking for on-coming traffic. Texting & making phone calls while driving was a constant. And then there are the motorcyclists: no helmets, usually wearing only shorts and sneakers, weaving through traffic at very high speeds. Totally crazy. Even crazier: Florida USED to have a helmet law but it was repealed in 2000. Since then, the number of fatal crashes for every 10,000 registered motorcycles increased by 21%. Hmmm…go figure. Watching these folks in action it certainly appeared that they have a death wish.

Common Moorhen cruising on Lake Okeechobee

 6)      Reptiles: Holy guacamole! I really do not like reptiles at all so found myself watching everywhere I walked pretty closely. Not only are there the expected alligators and poisonous snakes, but they also have HUGE snakes running rampant. Many of the people who had “pet” Pythons apparently decided that when “Fido” got big enough that he needed a goat for lunch…a white rat wasn’t going to cut it anymore…it was time to give him his “freedom” out in the swamps. Those that were released into the (very tropical and reptile friendly) wild have been making friends, falling in love and procreating like crazy and are now a force to be reckoned with. The estimate is that there are now 100’s of thousands wreaking havoc on the indigenous wildlife.

Alligator siesta (Everglades)

 

 7)      Grocery stores in Florida have decided (I know not why) to hire the mentally challenged and infirm elderly to work as baggers. Now I have no quarrel with providing an income for these folks but, for heaven’s sake TRAIN them!! Over time it gets a bit tiresome to find your eggs or loaf of bread under 2 bottles of wine or a half gallon of milk! I finally decided it was best to just “help” them in order to keep the frustration level at a minimum.

(Political aside: While it is nice that these stores are “helping” the elderly and disabled, one must wonder WHY they choose to hire personnel who most likely already have an income rather than giving a job to someone who has a family to feed. Do you suppose it is so they can avoid providing medical coverage for them since they presumably already have it? Or so they can pay a lower wage? Sorry…that is just my ongoing frustration with cheezy employers who are against a living wage for their help.)

A beach to ourselves (Carrabelle)

So…now we are out of Florida. It is a state filled with contrasts and oxymorons. Every beach is different, every city is different, even the weather patterns are different. The real advantage is that it is warm! I can see why the New Yorkers and the Minnesotans and the Ontarians and the Wisconsinites go there for the winter. The same reason we go to Mexico…for the heat. They don’t realize, however, that we are getting the better deal!

Sunset in St. Petersburg