Why we love Florida in the winter

Here we are in our last month in Florida this winter. The time has passed so quickly. We thought we would reflect briefly on the reasons we love it here so much.

First of all on the list is the weather. It is truly warm. We have not had a cold day this winter. To wake up every morning to sunshine and warm breezes is in itself priceless.

The second item on our list is the beauty of it. We are living in an area of beautiful homes. Landscaping is beautiful. The homes are such cheerful colors - gold, beige, light blue, peach.

Here is an example of one of the homes along the road. And another:

These are just the ordinary homes along South Tropical Trail. Some of them are vast estates with incredible homes. One near here even has a service entrance! Most of them are gated.
The skies are so blue and everything is so green. The lawns are beautiful. We watched a load of sod being placed across the road.

One of the favorite trees are the old live oaks. They have annoying little leaves, but the live oaks spread out with crossing branches, spreading in every direction. They sometimes form a canopy across the roads. Some of them are hanging with Spanish moss. They are now dressed out in new green leaves.

The third reason for loving Florida is the ease of life here. There is no rush. There is a peace about the place. There are many places to go and things to do. Here we have the farmer's market that we visit every week.

The beach is always a source of peace and beauty.

The flowering bushes are blooming to add vibrant color to the atmosphere.

It is so beautiful to just go for a ride down good roads with beautiful sights to see. The color is incredible. The sound of the wind blowing through the swishing palm trees is relaxing. When the spirit moves us there are literally dozens of places to go out and eat.

Here we had lunch at Molly's Seafood Shack, outside on the deck with the breeze blowing through.

Right now we are both sick with a nasty cold and sinus infection, so it will be a few days before we get back to the beach and dip our feet in the sand, but we hope this has explained a bit why we head south in the winter. We know there are many people who love winter, snowsleds, snowballs, and the white world that lasts for months. We did that in December. Each day is a joy in Florida when a person prefers a world that is warm and colorful!