No whining in paradise

Isn't there a saying about a rainy day at the beach being better than almost anything...

: )

So it rained while we were in Florida and when it stopped raining it got so cold and windy that being outside on the beach was almost unbearable.

Almost.

We got to do all the things I was hoping for and it was still fun, but the weather did put a damper on things.

Florida is magical to me, regardless of the weather, really. During the many hours on the road, driving back and forth on I-75, I found myself remembering a road trip my family made to Florida when I was a kid. I don't remember much about that trip beyond the rain and that I had to sit next to the leaky window in the backseat of my dad's Cadillac.

Any trip to Florida still holds a certain level of excitement for the Jersey Girl in me. Growing up, the lucky kids got to go to Florida on vacation.

: )

But having been able, recently, to visit different parts of the state, I'm seeing it differently now and starting to form opinions about favorite places to spend time.

That's a good thing, I guess. The magic isn't at Disney anymore, but instead in the places that aren't so developed. The roadside orange groves and blooming bougainvillea delighted me. The palm tree-lined streets are charming, but for all the traffic. The birds are amazing... I've never seen so many Osprey!

So... I came home without even so much as a sunburn. I've a bucket of seashells from Sanibel to sort through and some lovely photos of Florida "junk birds" like this Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. Plus the memories of a couple rainy days in paradise...