Skip to main content

In The Interest Of Fairness

I have spent some time lately bashing this state, and, gee, why not?  Florida is an acquired taste that I have yet to acquire.  I'm still looking for my exit visa but these things must be done delicately.  It's not that there are no positives in the Cocklebur State, it's just that there are greater positives outside the state lines.

So, in the interest of fairness here are some good things about Florida.


  


  • You can ride a motorcycle every day of the year.  You may have to bundle up on some mornings, but it can be done.  Before the bike club I used to ride with disbanded there were a couple Sunday morning group trips that were cancelled because of the chill.  But I have always kind of liked cold weather riding.  Just bundle up, wear a helmet with a face shield, gloves and, oh yes, socks, and there's nothing to it. 




  • A certain wee one who likes me in spite of all my faults.  And a pool in my back yard.  Actually, no offense to anyone else down here, you are all adults, but Norah is the most compelling case to stay here.  The poor thing is crazy for me and I feel a certain responsibility toward her.  





  • Just next to the main gate at Bedlam is this road.  Sense of humor or just mad coincidence?  For you who may be too young to remember, Mockingbird Lane is the street the Munsters lived on in the old 60's TV show.   




  • The Privateer Lynx still spends half the winter in St. Pete.  I missed her all of last winter but this year I will renew my love affair with the Tall Ship, Lynx.  
  • Summer is brutal but winter here is a joy.  We had a nice cold snap from the North a couple weeks ago but we are now back in the upper 70's during the day and mid 60's at night.  I prefer the cold snaps.   
  • "Papa Thursdays"


That's the day I get to make microwave Mac & Cheese, dish out ice cream and act like a three-year-old.  We have recently made cakes and then sent them home with her, too.  I think I have hit on a secret as well:  rugged series of calisthenics upon arriving topped off with a brisk run around the tennis courts tires her just enough that by 3:00 PM she is ready for a nap. 

 Let's see, is there anything else?  Hmmm.  Uh, no income taxes.  Guess that's about it.  All in all, I'd rather be in Northlandia.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless.  Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001.  It was one of those things that can generate crime:  two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job.   Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things.  Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold.   But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find.   His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead.  He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds.  He will be paralyzed for life.   None of this is pleasant.  Reading the f...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Mary Davis Home - Part 2

None of these pictures were taken by me,  they came right from the MDH website.  I am posting these so that friends who have never seen inside where I worked can gain access.  After 27 years I have many stories, tales and acquaintances.  But, I wouldn't know how to express them appropriately in a few paragraphs.  I enjoyed 98% of my stay there and hope I made a difference in the lives of a fraction of the kids who entered.  The original MDH at this site was just the front part.  The large red-roofed area in back was added on in the 90's. This is the Jerry Carlton library.  It was unofficially named after one of the counselors who truly loved the place.   He passed away around 2002, I think.  Mr. Farber looks like he is explaining a few things to a client. The classroom. Activity area with the gym behind the windows. Another shot of the classroom. It was a little different area to teach since we had 2 classes and 2 teachers i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Statuary In North Straub Park

The Vinoy is not the only park in town.  The place is fairly littered with them, and almost all, except Bum Paradise, are pretty nice.  This is North Straub and they have some old pieces in that seem to have suffered from time and perhaps human folly.     These and some 30 other statues were imported from Italy by local developer C. Perry Snell to help beautify the city.  Mr. Snell was in real estate and during the depression he went on a European shopping trip to collect items for the city.  He obtained these from Italy and installed them in this park even after the bottom fell in the markets.  He fulfilled his obligations at great personal loss to his own company and wealth.  Halso continued to pay his staff during those tough times.  He developed many areas in the city, Vinoy, Snell Isle, Crescent Lake and the beach area down around Fort DeSoto.  He lived from 1869 until 1949 and then buried in Kentucky.  I wo...
Post a Comment
Read more