Living in Florida and a Little Deserved Sarcasm

by Skip Cohen

In yesterday's post, I mentioned summer being over, but only in relation to the upcoming holiday season. In reality, it almost always feels like summer living in Florida.

I grew up east of Cleveland, Ohio, and have lived in New Jersey, California, and back in Ohio and finally Florida since 2011. But the reality is that summer is never really over when you live in a vacation destination. But living here for the last 15 years, here are a few of the things I've learned:

• Any day below 70 degrees is considered to be bone-chilling!
• When winter temps do drop, younger women pull out ski hats, scarves, and Ugg boots. They blend them into a bizarre combination of shorts and halter tops, creating a nightmare for the fashion police!
• Hurricane season is never fun...but this year there aren't too many places successfully missing Mother Nature's wrath!
• There's a huge difference living on the Gulf of Mexico (sorry - it'll never be the Gulf of America any more than Lake Ontario being Lake America!) versus the East Coast and the Atlantic. Personally, we've grown to love the slower pace, combined with fewer people and what often feels more like a tropical paradise.
• Sarasota County has one of the oldest average ages per capita of any county in the US. That means too many people driving at 11 mph with their left turn signal on - but put them on an open freeway, and they're all doing 85 mph!
• My favorite months are starting now through New Year's. Why? First, the summer heat slows down, and second, the snowbirds don't show up until mid-January. When the snowbirds show up, the traffic gets bad, and if you're headed out to dinner, plan on eating early to beat the crowds.
• I've heard people who don't live here say they'd miss the change in seasons. Sorry, we've never missed the snow or fall foliage. In fact, when we first moved down here, I hung a print of our house in Akron after a blizzard over my grill. It was the perfect reminder of how much I appreciated not having to scrape ice off my windshield, not to mention being in shorts in February!
• For the first time in my life, I own more bathing suits than I ever did suits and ties in the 80s and 90s. 

​However, there is a stigma that seems to come with living in Florida - too many people think you've retired. I've never denied becoming an old fart, but for me retirement comes in the form of being happy with what I'm doing. Between the photo industry and the new podcast, Before They Take Away My Keys, there's plenty to do.

One last plus I love about living in this climate: virtually everything grows here in Florida. Whether it's on my phone or with my LUMIX G9 and my favorite focal-length lenses, there's always something in bloom. Put them together with spectacular sunsets, and I've got a front-row seat almost every day for photography.

Wherever you are - wishing you a great rest of the week!  Take the time to enjoy your community, family, and anything involving the click of a shutter! Being off this past week and staying away from social media was the perfect way to recharge.

Nokomis Beach, FL LUMIX G9 with Vario 14-140mm lens, shot at 1/320 @ f5.6 ISO 200