Why I like Living in Florida

Known as "transplants," my husband and I arrived in Florida for our permanent vacation in 2003. With millions of visitors yearly, you can assume that there must be something here people are seeking. According to the Naples News, 79.8 million people visited in 2004 even though Southwest Florida had been hit with a major hurricane, Hurricane Charlie, that year. One of the top vacation spots in the world, we are graced year round with visitors from the four corners--Canada, South America, England, and Asia.

We share our home with the many friends and family members that come to see us. They hail from "up north"-- that imperceptible east-west line running somewhere north of us. Visitors always say the sky is bigger here. And so it seems. Cerulean blue skies dappled with the whitest, puffiest clouds you will ever see. Every day, we are enveloped in the most awe-inspiring, magical environment. We have to pinch ourselves as a reminder that we do, in fact, reside here.

This leads us to the weather. Where do I begin? Some would say, "You live in Southwest Florida? Hurricanes come there." And, yes, they do and have since I've lived here. I have learned that anything worth having involves risk. And so, for me and Florida, the risk is that rare time the hurricanes choose to invade our precious little corner of the world. Frankly, 99.9% of the time, the weather pays off in spades--warm, sunny, and breezy.

Speaking of the climate, getting outdoors year round is entirely possible. We do it most every day. Biking, walking, and swimming. Rare is the day we cannot get outside. In the heat of summer, we just arise a little earlier to take that walk. We revive in the afternoons by taking a swim in our cool, refreshing pool. And we can swim from March through December. Five steps outside my back door lies the swimming pool.

Don't swim, you say? Neither did I before we came to Florida. Even someone of my (currently undisclosed) age can learn new tricks. Since we moved here, I've not only learned how to swim--I have trained for, competed in, and completed two sprint triathlons! No kidding. Even the year before we moved here, I would not have dreamed I could have ever taken part in such a sport.

While floating in the pool and gazing skyward, what blocks my view of the sun? Soaring overhead, the eagle that nests just 3 blocks away is returning to her babies with nourishment. Sometimes, I think the birds consider Florida as their heaven.

We wake to the sound of mockingbirds mimicking the calls of all the other birds nearby. Mourning doves, assorted finches, cardinals, blue jays, and red-headed woodpeckers call out, warning of their imminent visits to our various bird feeders, baths, and birdhouses. Locally, we often see sandhill cranes, terns, blue herons, swans, ducks, and other birds, far too many to name here.

A typical day for us seems more like vacation to others. For example, how about dinner on the lanai in December? Why not? Perhaps we prefer a feast overlooking beautiful blue water. That, too, can be managed. With just a short drive, we have our pick of many luscious restaurants along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

Speaking of dining, some of the best restaurants I've ever patronized are right here in Florida. Succulent seafood caught nearby graces our plates--grouper, blue crab, stone crab, lobster, shrimp, and scallops galore. Also, bountiful salads made with the freshest vegetables and fruits grown right here in the area are some of my favorite meals. Because of all the tourists, the eateries seem held to a higher standard to capture business and then want to keep those of us who live nearby returning year round for more.

My husband and I love plants and gardening so Florida is the perfect place for us. Ten minute rain showers daily during the rainy season assure lush bushes and brilliantly colored blooms of every size, shape, and kind. My husband, in particular, spends some of each day lovingly nurturing all things green or colorful in our yard. We have limes, lemons, grapefruits, and tangelos. We have even had macadamia, cashew, and pistachio nut trees that may one day bear fruit. Or is that nuts?

Steps outside my kitchen door, my herb garden grows, along with a few random vegetables now taking root. Those herbs I use most often--cilantro, flat leaf parsley, chives, rosemary, thyme, and basil can simply be plucked off the plants to freshen up our meals. This year, we are trying our hand at tomatoes, jalapenos, and cubanelle peppers for our own fresh salsa and salads.

Other plantings outside our doors are purple bougainvillea, pink hibiscus blooms as big as saucers, rosy rose of Sharon, deep red oxalis, and lovely white azaleas. Let us not leave out the palm trees found on our little square of earth--short, squat Sago palms, petite palms that stand about 9 or 10 feet tall, and the swaying, majestic Royal Palm by the side of the house.

But, the piece de resistance of our great outdoors is none other than--drum roll, please--the bamboo. It may not be tall enough yet to clack in the gentle breezes, but it will be within the next few years. With the largest planting towering about 15 feet, some of our bamboo grows in a delicate archway enticing us along the bountifully-planted walkways. The pergola my husband built by hand serves as the perfect invitation into our gardens-- "the jungle"--as we call it. White stepping stones lead from plant to plant, beckoning us to gaze upon the next in line. "Look at me, no--look at me!" They all seem to be clamoring for our attention.

Our home is truly our castle, so light and airy. It can be opened up to the great outdoors. Sometimes, it sounds as if a cardinal is chirping away in our living room! The aural flow of the waterfall in our swimming pool calls out to the birds to come see what is going on at our house.

Numerous touristy spots are found up and down the Interstate 75 corridor, located less than 5 miles from my home. We can ride a swamp buggy through the Everglades to see the awesome wildlife, view the incredible vistas of the nature preserves, or shop 'til we drop at the many malls that draw visitors from everywhere in the world. (For a list of malls in Florida, take a look at http://goflorida.about.com/od/malls/Florida_Shopping_Malls.htm). And we do all those things right here at our home in Florida. Visitors and transplants alike would say that it's just another day in paradise. And I would agree.