Snakes, Gators & Hurricanes, Oh My!

For many years at Christmas, Spring Break (or both), we would fly from Michigan to Florida.   We would leave Michigan in winter or early spring, complete with gray sky and the usual snowy ground.  Then we landed and got off the plane in Oz.  As in the Wizard of Oz.  It was warm, everything was green and blooming.  Like the Land of Oz when Dorothy stepped out of the house in the classic movie.   At least that is how it can seem. 

My wife Tina and I moved to Florida full-time about five years ago.  We had done the “snowbird thing” for a few winters, then we sold our house in Kalamazoo and made the move.  To be honest, it was a little hard for me to leave Michigan.  So many great memories from 30+ years there!  I loved the area, had so many friends, raised my kids there, and of course started SoccerZone in that community.   I still like being in our soccer facilities and even playing once per week.  But move on we did.  Another adventure in the journey!

Now a few years on from that move and we are now comfortably settled in the Sarasota / Bradenton area.  Some new friends, habits and experiences.  Change can also be good.    Florida living compared to Michigan?   Oh yeah, very different for sure!  A bit of one extreme to the other in the climate category.   However, to me, both have their appeal.

In Florida, snakes can come with the territory!  As a kid growing up in Virginia (and West Virginia), I always loved snakes.  Hunted them, caught them, read about them and had some I even kept as pets.    Down here, we have a great pool & Lanai (Florida term – look it up!) and despite the full screen enclosure, snakes seem to find a way inside just to say “hi” every now and then.  South of us in the Everglades, Burmese Pythons are even fully established as an invasive species.  So yes, I do like snakes and going on a python hunt is on my to do list. 

Gators are also part of the scenery.  Guess what?  I like them also!  I take a three-mile exercise walk just about every morning in our neighborhood.  It’s a good habit.  I listen to podcasts, noodle on business projects, writing, whatever, and of course, see alligators.  Some days or times of year, I see more than others of course.  But they seem to be about as common as squirrels are in Michigan.  They are interesting reptiles.   

The big deal this summer has been the tropical storms/hurricanes of course.  No, these I do not like!  Debbie flooded this area with eighteen inches of rain in just twenty-four hours.   A county record, I think.   Helene came next and took her shot, resulting in a terrible storm surge in coastal areas and a devastating impact for so many.  Including all the way up in North Carolina.  

Now we just had Milton.  A nerd name for a storm, isn’t it?  Sorry if your name is Milton.  Your issue with your name should be taken up with your parents, not me.  Anyway, it went from minor to very major quickly.  Came ashore and we must have had a target on our back!  The worst winds and the eye came right over us.  My radar screenshot is from when the eye just started to go over our area. 

Fortunately for us, we had no damage from any of these! Lucky? Good construction? Location just perfect? Divine intervention? A bit of all? But I am thankful and of course feel bad for so many others who did not fare as well.

I am sure Florida is not for everyone.  But it has been good for us.  An important bonus for us is that our daughter and her family live near us also!  And despite the storms this summer, the weather in Florida is very good overall!