[Pete C]

Originally Posted by Moderate Guy

Ah TAN...Florida is like a lover one cares so much for.

The love can escalate and take you to unfathomable highs when you are at the peak of your emotions. But alas, like all love, there can be trials and tribulations. Florida, like any other lover, can cause much grief and anguish...then the love may turn to hate and you want to turn your back and leave her or him forever.

Alas! You leave her behind and move on to greener pastures. But the memories of her soft caresses and tenderness haunt you even as you lie in the arms of another. You reminisce about her beauty - the lovely sunsets, the evening drink on the lanai as you take in her lovely shape in the surrounding lakes, the refreshing flora and fauna. You remember the palms swaying provocatively as you drive by, the sugar cane fields, the citrus trees, the blooming hibiscus.

Then you wonder...should I return to her? Will she forgive me for leaving? Can I accept her with all her faults because of all her great virtues? Will I truly be able to endure her low points. Surely, you muse, my new lover will be perfect and faultless, I just cannot return to the wasteland of a long-forgotten time in my life.

Some can continue that facade, deceiving themselves that it's hate they feel not love, others truly have gotten over that bond...and yet again, others silently, in the still of night, drive down back to Florida's soil accepting that there's no substitute and that the hate they thought they felt was really a metaphor for a love that will haunt them eternally.

Awesome!

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by Moderate Guy

Ah TAN...Florida is like a lover one cares so much for.

The love can escalate and take you to unfathomable highs when you are at the peak of your emotions. But alas, like all love, there can be trials and tribulations. Florida, like any other lover, can cause much grief and anguish...then the love may turn to hate and you want to turn your back and leave her or him forever.

Alas! You leave her behind and move on to greener pastures. But the memories of her soft caresses and tenderness haunt you even as you lie in the arms of another. You reminisce about her beauty - the lovely sunsets, the evening drink on the lanai as you take in her lovely shape in the surrounding lakes, the refreshing flora and fauna. You remember the palms swaying provocatively as you drive by, the sugar cane fields, the citrus trees, the blooming hibiscus.

Then you wonder...should I return to her? Will she forgive me for leaving? Can I accept her with all her faults because of all her great virtues? Will I truly be able to endure her low points. Surely, you muse, my new lover will be perfect and faultless, I just cannot return to the wasteland of a long-forgotten time in my life.

Some can continue that facade, deceiving themselves that it's hate they feel not love, others truly have gotten over that bond...and yet again, others silently, in the still of night, drive down back to Florida's soil accepting that there's no substitute and that the hate they thought they felt was really a metaphor for a love that will haunt them eternally.

You are very young in your 20s when your dentist says you need a root canal. You are scared after hearing everyone talk about them. You know you have to do this, but there is a sense of dread and yet anticipation that YOU can beat the pain, etc., etc. After it is over, you move on and never think twice about it. It is over, and the pain and suffering, is long forgotten. You just live your life and never think about that tooth again, because it is FIXED AND OVER.

Fast foward, 20 or 30 years later and your dentist tells you that the same root canal you had way back when has gone bad and you have to do it all over again. This time, you KNOW what to expect. You not want to do this all over again, especially with the same damned tooth, but you know it has to be done and that when it is, at your advanced age this time, it will be the last.

That is how I think of my living in Florida in 1971 for 6 months, and now in 2009 for 2 years, which I want to be over ASAP (just like a gone bad root canal).

[Moderate Guy]

Originally Posted by TANaples

You are very young in your 20s when your dentist says you need a root canal. You are scared after hearing everyone talk about them. You know you have to do this, but there is a sense of dread and yet anticipation that YOU can beat the pain, etc., etc. After it is over, you move on and never think twice about it. It is over, and the pain and suffering, is long forgotten. You just live your life and never think about that tooth again, because it is FIXED AND OVER.

Fast foward, 20 or 30 years later and your dentist tells you that the same root canal you had way back when has gone bad and you have to do it all over again. This time, you KNOW what to expect. You not want to do this all over again, especially with the same damned tooth, but you know it has to be done and that when it is, at your advanced age this time, it will be the last.

That is how I think of my living in Florida in 1971 for 6 months, and now in 2009 for 2 years, which I want to be over ASAP (just like a gone bad root canal).

Nice post too, TAN.

[kristin4]

Originally Posted by TANaples

You are very young in your 20s when your dentist says you need a root canal. You are scared after hearing everyone talk about them. You know you have to do this, but there is a sense of dread and yet anticipation that YOU can beat the pain, etc., etc. After it is over, you move on and never think twice about it. It is over, and the pain and suffering, is long forgotten. You just live your life and never think about that tooth again, because it is FIXED AND OVER.

Fast foward, 20 or 30 years later and your dentist tells you that the same root canal you had way back when has gone bad and you have to do it all over again. This time, you KNOW what to expect. You not want to do this all over again, especially with the same damned tooth, but you know it has to be done and that when it is, at your advanced age this time, it will be the last.

That is how I think of my living in Florida in 1971 for 6 months, and now in 2009 for 2 years, which I want to be over ASAP (just like a gone bad root canal).

LOL! Wow, never pictured Florida as a root canal. I like Moderate Guys comparison better, less pain involved. Sorry you associate Florida with such agonizing pain.

[LateNight]

Originally Posted by Trusses

Can I ask you what you what you mean by the upper-middle region of FL not being as "outwardly" Floridian?

I see upper-middle regions as less outwardly Floridian by being more like other Southern states. Less of the "beachy", palm trees and bikini vibe, and more of the farmland and slower pace of more rural areas.

[Reptoid Humidian]

Originally Posted by Moderate Guy

Ah TAN...Florida is like a lover one cares so much for.

The love can escalate and take you to unfathomable highs when you are at the peak of your emotions. But alas, like all love, there can be trials and tribulations. Florida, like any other lover, can cause much grief and anguish...then the love may turn to hate and you want to turn your back and leave her or him forever.

Alas! You leave her behind and move on to greener pastures. But the memories of her soft caresses and tenderness haunt you even as you lie in the arms of another. You reminisce about her beauty - the lovely sunsets, the evening drink on the lanai as you take in her lovely shape in the surrounding lakes, the refreshing flora and fauna. You remember the palms swaying provocatively as you drive by, the sugar cane fields, the citrus trees, the blooming hibiscus.

Then you wonder...should I return to her? Will she forgive me for leaving? Can I accept her with all her faults because of all her great virtues? Will I truly be able to endure her low points. Surely, you muse, my new lover will be perfect and faultless, I just cannot return to the wasteland of a long-forgotten time in my life.

Some can continue that facade, deceiving themselves that it's hate they feel not love, others truly have gotten over that bond...and yet again, others silently, in the still of night, drive down back to Florida's soil accepting that there's no substitute and that the hate they thought they felt was really a metaphor for a love that will haunt them eternally.

I couldn't have said it better! The Lover analogy fits perfectly! I felt it when I landed at Ft Lauderdale. The Florida air caresses you like a long lost lover! I long to be reunited with the 'Florida Lady' - the other half of my soul!

[LateNight]

I can understand why Florida may have been an intriguing destination 50, or even 30 years ago, as far as the culture, and moderate to low level of development back then. But even regardless of that, it really puzzles me why some people LOVE Florida. As though you can't get nice wheather and sunshine anywhere else.
Sunshine, beaches and beauty abound in places like Southern California, and the air doesn't feel like warm soup on your skin either.

I'm moving from South Florida, to Southern California early next year, and I can hardly wait. I feel CA is everything FL claims to be, and so much more. But the differences are what make people gravitate to one over the other. Not so much apples and oranges I guess, as oranges and oranges.

[Moderate Guy]

Originally Posted by LateNight

it really puzzles me why some people LOVE Florida. As though you can't get nice wheather and sunshine anywhere else.
Sunshine, beaches and beauty abound in places like Southern California, and the air doesn't feel like warm soup on your skin either.

That's okay, LateNight. Love cannot be explained, it must be experienced or felt for oneself. We can't all love the same person, place, or thing.

From the sentiments you've described, I'd say California would be a great fit for you just as Florida is for many others. Different strokes for different folks...it's all good to go...all America!

[jim09091]

Originally Posted by LateNight

I can understand why Florida may have been an intriguing destination 50, or even 30 years ago, as far as the culture, and moderate to low level of development back then. But even regardless of that, it really puzzles me why some people LOVE Florida. As though you can't get nice wheather and sunshine anywhere else.
Sunshine, beaches and beauty abound in places like Southern California, and the air doesn't feel like warm soup on your skin either.

I'm moving from South Florida, to Southern California early next year, and I can hardly wait. I feel CA is everything FL claims to be, and so much more. But the differences are what make people gravitate to one over the other. Not so much apples and oranges I guess, as oranges and oranges.

Because some people, like me, hate the weather in Southern California. It is cold half of the time. For instance, San Diego has average lows in the 40's and 50's for half of the year and average highs of 60 to 70. If I wanted to swim in 50-60 degree water full of jellyfish, I would pour ice and jellyfish in my bathtub and do it here with the windows open so at least the air would be hot.

Then again, I was born in Fort Lauderdale and did live in Boca Raton. Moved to Atlanta (hated it), moved to a small town in MA (quaint, cold) and then to downtown Boston (nice little compact city but I am not a penguin and am not into self-torture).

Right now, it is 84 (slight overcast) with 80% humidity and a feels like temp of 95. I have the rest of the day free so I am going outside to work in the yard and then on the boat. I wouldn't have it any other way.

This just shows you that each and every one has a different view on some things. I am amazed how many people poured in down here without realizing what they were getting themselves into. I kind of wished they hadn't.

[doggiebus]

^^^Great post, LateNight great post too. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is a good thing. I am with LateNight trying to move to Southern California, for me I look forward to cooler weather, so I can do more year round outdoor activities (its to hot in South Florida most of the year for us). I look forward to sitting next to a fire outside having a glass of wine in the crisp night air. Neither of you are wrong, we are just different.