Florida, what can I say. You either love it or you hate it. I really
haven't made up my mind yet. We are just trying to get out of the
cold.
Last year, we were trying to avoid COVID. A lot of good that did.
This year it's the NY cold weather. So far things seem OK. My
mother was also able to get a vaccine today. I think that's a positive
thing. In NY it might have taken a bit longer to get. I think Gov.
Desantis is trying to curry favor with the Florida seniors.
At first I thought he was a jerk up there with hypocrite Matt
Gaetz, but I think he may be on to something. It seems that the
Florida schools seems to be doing well with in person learning, and
my mother who is over 65 was able to get a shot. So although I don't
like Desantis or his politics, I give him kudos for his good decision
to help his constituents.
I also think that there is a difference between people who live in
Florida year round, snow birds, and tourists. At first we were eating
a lot of meals out, but the longer I live here the more I realize that
eating at home is less expensive, and also less likely to contract
COVID. We are also starting explore more than just the beaches.
My mother and I recently went to Bert Aronson Park. I didn't
realize that there are two parts to it. We went to the southern entrance
and after picking up some sandwiches at Dunkin Donuts we went
under a gazebo to eat and hopefully watch the sunset. No such luck.
After what seemed only a minute. I felt like I was in Alfred
Hitchcock's The Birds. There must have been at least 15 aggressive
black birds. I think that in Florida the bids are even more aggressive
than the alligators. I'm not usually worried about birds, because we
have seagulls and pigeons in NY but this was crazy. So we just left.
Maybe Florida blackbirds are like piranhas. I didn't want to stick
around to find out. So instead we headed up to the north part of the
park.
In the north people were waiting to watch the sunset, going to the
dog park, water skiing, and driving their jet skis. I was surprised to
see water skiing in a public park, but I guess it goes with the
territory.
There are some other things that surprises me. Like iguanas walking around and alligator/snake warnings. Also, How Bed, Bath, and Beyond bathrooms can be used as a hurricane shelter. You would think there would be actual bathtubs, but no such luck.
I was sad to see that some stores and restaurants have closed: Shadow Woods theater, Bruce's of Boca, Steinmart, etc. But I guess Covid having a huge impact on many places across The USA so why should Boca be any different.
