.....I am in Florida right now in Feb. Three weeks and leaving to go back home in NJ.
I cannot see the fascination that some people have to come down here. I went to 4 different areas of the state where 4 couples (freind/aquaintances) are staying till April. They are not doing anything different down here than they do up North......
Except for not shoveling snow!
Walt Beat me to the draw! That was my first thought!
I don't live in "snow country", but can't you just hire someone to do that for you? I wouldn't think that would break the bank.....
It's really not an issue of cost. Sometimes it may be availability after a good sized snow fall....but they'll get around to ya eventually!
Besides the snow removal, there are countless other issues that us polar bears have to deal with throughout the winter....once the snow and/or ice are rmoved from our sidewalks and driveways, we have to clear the same off of our vehicles (if left outdoors...like mine are). Then there's contending with the ice, slush, slop, and snow on the streets and roads...as well as the other people who are doing the same (many of them have
NO idea how to drive in the aftermath of a snowstorm!). Once you (hopefully) reach your destination, you have to get out of your vehicle and trudge through the ice, slush, slop, and snow in parking lots and on sidewalks that haven't been cleaned up yet. And after all of that....you get to play it in reverse getting back home! It's too much fun for one person to enjoy alone, so that's why there are so many of us living 'up north'.....a.k.a. misery loves company!
Plus they are usually walking the beach , eating at outside cafes , playing golf or tennis ,fishing , or just sitting outside instead of spending four months in constant gray weather . I've lived in Florida for fourteen years and there are some things I do not like but being able to go outside year round without massive layers of clothes is not one of them .
Ding, Ding Ding!!! Mo picked the winning number!!! Those are the reasons we come down to FL every February....it's an escape!!! We've escaped the gray days with the cabin walls closing in on us, and found warmer weather and sunshine! Layering my clothes down here has consisted of (at most) throwing a denim shirt on over my t-shirt or polo, and I found my pair of jeans in the bottom of my suitcase this morning while I was looking for something else. I'll probably have to put them on next Saturday when we're up north in Georgia!
Would I want to move down here permanently? No way! Summers would kill me, 'cause I don't like heat and humidity. Woiuld I consider spending the entire Winter here? Oh, yeah! I could easily adjust to that kind of thing! I have several friends and neighbors that do just exactly that! My one eighbor across the street comes down to FL just before Thanksgiving, and returns home up north right around 'tax day' April 15th. For me, the first week of December through mid to late March would be fine and dandy, 'cause I love Spring, SUmmer, and Fall at the old homestead in IL!!!