Florida Part I

I'm back! and WOW what a great vacation! We had a blast! Florida was beautiful, warm, and fun! Our flight went smoothly, no delays; our cab ride to the rental car agency was a bit of a nail-biter but we made it in one piece; and our accommodations were as advertised, absolutely awesome!

My favorite part of the flight was when the plane descended close enough to see the ocean waters against the white beach sand all along the coast. My excitement could hardly be contained! One of the first things that I noticed when I got off the plane was how bright it was! My spirits soared, cheered by the sun and the sight of green plants and those magnificent palm trees! Having come from a rather dismal New England (brown, grey and dull), it was a pure joy to see the flowers and plants flourishing in a well groomed landscape. This was not my first trip to Florida. I have done several vacations in the Sarasota/Bradenton area and I used to live in Bradenton and Jacksonville back in the mid-seventies. Each time I have returned to the state, I am in awe of the brilliance of the sun and vivid colors of the native fauna.

When we stepped out of the airport terminal to catch a taxi, the heat of the day (80 degrees) blasted us like we had walked into a huge clothes dryer. It felt great! The four of us crammed ourselves into a cab; and held on for dear life as the driver ( a gentleman of Caribbean descent) made his way down the Tamiami Trail to the rental car office. Three lanes of traffic, weaving in and out, let's just say the yellow lights were bleeding red. Did I get him to tell us his story? Of course I did! His wife and kids were in Philadelphia; he was going to join them as soon as he could. Philadelphia was a much better place for them because there the government had better welfare benefits, free health insurance, etc. I bit my tongue. Hard. He showed me a picture he had on his cell phone, of a motorized scooter he had bought for his son's birthday. He was quite proud of the purchase, looking at it several times during our trip. (Hence the bleeding yellow lights). It was a bit of a drive from the airport, but it saved us nearly $250 each by not renting the cars from the airport location.

It was an easy drive back up the Tamiami Trail to Fruitville Road, then east for about 10 miles until we pulled into the Sun N Fun Resort. We were early they said, nothing ready until two p.m. so we parked one of the cars and all headed out for a leisurely lunch at the local Bob Evans Restaurant!
I've run out of time so will have to write more later....