[dennis s]

Originally Posted by Prichard

LauraC sounds like a typical "half-back" to me. Let me guess, you weren't from Florida originally; probably from New York, or one of the other north-eastern (possibly California) states. You moved down to Florida, didn't like it, and moved half-way-back to where you came from, i.e. to the appalachian mountains somewhere.

Yes sir, we see this kind all the time. They weren't happy in the north-east, so they move to Florida. Being from the North East, they don't have a clue how to have fun in Florida, and complain about EVERYTHING! Crime's too high, too many spanish, over-crouded, too hot, too humid, too tropical, not tropical enough, too flat, too sandy, trees are too short, scary hurricanes, everything is too green, Christmas doesn't feel like Christmas, I miss my mommy, etc., etc.

Ok, if you are over 70 moved to Forida and have no family or friends here and don't like making friends, then I can understand not liking Florida.

Afterall, I wouldn't expect people over 70 to take up the many sports and physically challenging hobbies that make Florida awsome for the those who are capable of getting all they can out of Florida. For example, where else can you go kayaking, canoeing, fishing, water skiing, swimming, surfing, wind surfing, sailing, hunting, jet-skiing, motor boating, bicycling, motorcycling, scuba-diving, golf, tennis, running, gardening, horse-back riding, explore thousands of tiny islands, and thousands of lakes. And, do this all year round. North Carolina? Tennessee? New York?

I would love to be able to retire early just to do all of these fun things every day in my own backyard!


Don't get me wrong, I love the mountains of North Georgia / North Carolina too. When I go up there, I find pleanty of fun things to do, and meet all kinds of nice interesting people. But, as much as I love hiking in the mountains and white-water kayaking, I love even more windsurfing and exploring the many costal and lake islands in a flat water kayak.

If you are all about sitting around and engaging in no physical activity, then you are not getting what Florida (or the mountains) has to offer.

Let's not forget, Disney World, Sea World, and Universal are only a few square miles of land in the southwest corner of Orlando; Miami / Ft. Lauderdale is about a 60 mile strip of land on the South eastern tip of Florida. Florida is the second largest state east of the Mississippi second only to Georgia. If you don't like Florida, I suggest that you've never experienced Florida. Who's fault is that?

This guy is right ........I'm stayin'

[verobeach]

Yesterday, November 1st, we walked the beach. The water was delightfully warm and the sky was beautiful with puffs of clouds. Later we went to lunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean. I felt like I was in a painting. Today my husband is playing golf. This weekend we will go to a clam festival.

[dennis s]

on the subject of spanish in Florida. I know...when a Floridian hears someone speaking spanish they always think that they are being talked about. They aren't. Hispanic people have the same conversations as "Americans" do. Here's the trick.....ready....LEARN SOME SPANISH you probably memorize sports stats. You already know who's in the running for the super bowl. Buy some tapes and listen to them on the way to work instead of "the crazy crew" or the "goofy group" on the radio. I failed spanish 3 times in junior high and high school but still retained enough to communicate. When I realized that life would be easier knowing this language I learned some more. It's a really easy language to learn. It's based on Latin just like english is. After you learn some, if they are talking about you you know what they are saying. Sometimes it might be good stuff.
All this stuff about "this is America they should learn our language" is unfair. We are supposed to be an example country but most Americans only speak one language. In other countries, even most former Soviet Union countries, the young people are raised learning many languages.
Hasta luego (until later)

[SunKrist]

Originally Posted by dennis s

I'd much rather SEE a roach than breath in the pesticides that are marinating inside your body at this moment. Hence another reason to stay away from Florida. I've done a lot of research on the pesticides used on lawns and gardens in "the sunshine state". One of the reasons people are so grouchy in Florida is that they feel like ......... from all of the stuff that they breath in all day long at their beautifully landscaped gated community.There is no cold weather down here to kill of the bugs every year so pesticides are believed to be the alternative. The outdoor pesticides are 100 times more dangerous than the indoor chemicals used in the north for those pesky little germain roaches.

So true, Dennis, so true. People wonder why they have allergies. Well, maybe it's because they are slowly poisoning themselves to death.

Besides, roaches eventually become immune to pesticides. So, they have to keep making them stronger and stronger.

[s01]

Originally Posted by dennis s

on the subject of spanish in Florida. I know...when a Floridian hears someone speaking spanish they always think that they are being talked about. They aren't. Hispanic people have the same conversations as "Americans" do. Here's the trick.....ready....LEARN SOME SPANISH you probably memorize sports stats. You already know who's in the running for the super bowl. Buy some tapes and listen to them on the way to work instead of "the crazy crew" or the "goofy group" on the radio. I failed spanish 3 times in junior high and high school but still retained enough to communicate. When I realized that life would be easier knowing this language I learned some more. It's a really easy language to learn. It's based on Latin just like english is. After you learn some, if they are talking about you you know what they are saying. Sometimes it might be good stuff.
All this stuff about "this is America they should learn our language" is unfair. We are supposed to be an example country but most Americans only speak one language. In other countries, even most former Soviet Union countries, the young people are raised learning many languages.
Hasta luego (until later)

Just a thought- but if we move to Mexico or to Spain, would I not have to learn spanish??? By accomodating so many of these folks are we not hindering them and further creating a problem and a more segregated USA?

[dennis s]

They (folks from other countries) can't help but learn english if they are in the U.S. long enough and some people know english a lot more than they let on. Amongst themselves they speak their native tongue as we would if we were living amongst other Americans in another country. I'm just saying it's always good to learn stuff and good communication solves more problems than fighting or giving up.

"Hindering" them, or any minority is what causes segrigation.

[JSR]

What are we all running to? Well, my husband has been offered a job in Florida that will pay him double what he earns now in New Jersey and the cost of buying a house in Florida is less than half the cost of owning one here in CT. So, there's that. Our traffic patterns are a nightmare here too so that's a nonfactor. He loves to golf and I love the beach. Private school is always an option. Spanish is a lovely language and we could all benefit from broadening our horizons and joining the rest of the bilingual world. And old people? They're everywhere.

[dennis s]

Hey JSR I have just the house. It's 2 blocks from the ocean, two blocks the otherway to the W. Palm Beach golf coarse and 1 mile to the best private school in the area. We'll trade!

[pixiewytch]

Originally Posted by dennis s

on the subject of spanish in Florida. I know...when a Floridian hears someone speaking spanish they always think that they are being talked about. They aren't. Hispanic people have the same conversations as "Americans" do. Here's the trick.....ready....LEARN SOME SPANISH you probably memorize sports stats. You already know who's in the running for the super bowl. Buy some tapes and listen to them on the way to work instead of "the crazy crew" or the "goofy group" on the radio. I failed spanish 3 times in junior high and high school but still retained enough to communicate. When I realized that life would be easier knowing this language I learned some more. It's a really easy language to learn. It's based on Latin just like english is. After you learn some, if they are talking about you you know what they are saying. Sometimes it might be good stuff.
All this stuff about "this is America they should learn our language" is unfair. We are supposed to be an example country but most Americans only speak one language. In other countries, even most former Soviet Union countries, the young people are raised learning many languages.
Hasta luego (until later)

You know, obviously many of us know that we could learn spanish but maybe we don't want to. I too nearly failed spanish in junior high and at this point in my life learning a foreign language isn't a priority or desire. I know that many folks are bilingual and that's great. I'm certainly not going to complain that people speak different languages but I don't agree with suggesting that someone who has been living in their native land and speaking their native tongue for years should learn a different language just to appease the influx of others. That doesn't really seem fair.

[scamutz]

Originally Posted by pixiewytch

It sounds like a mobile home would be more in your price range but in these days I think buying a mobile home in Fl is a lot like taking a gamble. They will literally tear apart in a hurricane or tropical storm (even if you live inland) and the last I heard nobody will insure your mobile home either.

Come on Pixie....this is incorrect. Mobile Homes built after 1992 were required to meet the new HUD windzone requirements and held up very well during the '04 Hurricanes. I agree that I wouldn't buy an older MH...which are the ones that can be gotten inexpensively...but a nice doublewide (1200sf, 2/2), built by a reputable manufacturer, can be purchased for about 70k in E. Pasco County. As long as common sense is used, the home is properly maintained, and local evacuation plans are followed, they are perfectly safe.

Insurance is also readily available...though it has gone up for MH's as well as SFH's.