Monday, November 21, 2005

Snowbird Season


Well it's started early this year. It gets earlier and earlier each year. I thought because of Wilma maybe it would be delayed but nooooooo, it has been confirmed Snowbird Season has started! Yup, it you live in Southwest Florida you find it is a great placed to live. But during Snowbird Season don't plan on driving anywhere, going to a restaurant without a reservation 1 month in advance or finding a parking spot at the beach!

Take Friday night for example of Snowbird Season. Usually on Friday's I try to leave the office a little early to get to the country club for happy hour and maybe dinner. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes. So keeping to my schedule I took the interstate home to go 21 miles to my house. It was bumper to bumper crawling ! UGH 1 hr 32 min to get home. Had I stuck to the Tamiami Trail it would have taken 2 hours!

What makes Snowbird Season worst for me is the wackies on the road Sunday's during my long ride. This Sunday was not an exception, I was almost hit by an SUV, had an old lady pull out in front of me, have to dodge walkers in the road, runners, dogs on long leashes (in the road) and recreation bike riders on the wrong side of the road and that's all with in my community!

OK Snowbirds here's the deal if your going to visit Oldman's paradise there are a few rule that you must abide by:

1. No travel to early bird dinner specials between the hours of 4:30 and 6:30 STAY OFF THE ROAD AND HAVE DINNER AT A NORMAL TIME LIKE 8:00pm.

2. No travel in the morning between 7:30 and 9:00 to get to Perkins for breakfast or an early tee time . YOU HAVE ALL DAY! SLEEP IN! GO TO BREAKFAST AT 9:30 am.

3. Snowbirds must walk on the sidewalks and keep their dogs on a short leash. YOUR NOT IN MICHIGAN OR INDIANA OR ILLINOIS WHERE THEY DON"T HAVE SIDEWALKS YOUR IN FLORIDA WALK ON THE SIDEWALK!

4. Keep out of the laps lanes at the pool. THEY ARE FOR SWIMMING NOT STANDING TALKING TO YOUR GRANDCHILDREN WHO JUMP INTO THE LAP LANES.

OK RANT OFF

Saturday was the usual long run. I did the woods course for 14 miles. Sunday was a long bike dodging people dogs and things for 55 miles and Sunday afternoon I went to the pool but got so frustrated I quit after 1500 meters.

Today it was raining so I didn't have to dodge anyone just the rain drops. I got my 25 miles in but I was soaked to the bone.

Weakly Report

Bike 122 miles
Run 22 miles
Swim 1,500 meters

I'll try to do better coach hasn't been my bestest weak. I kow I missed my fartlek run and my bike sprints with stomps but next weak!


DAVID UPDATE

David's surgery went well. He started PT on Satuday and comes home from the hospital today. The pain is quite intense but atl eas the pt has started.

THANKSGIVING UPDATE

I still plan on attending my neighbor's home for dinner but I took Susan's advice and told them I was bringing a few of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes. Crab and cheese dip, yam yums, homemade bread, apple pie, pumpkin pie and a couple of bottles of Stag's Leap chardonnay.

QUESTION

If it is Snowbird season can we shoot them?

10 comments:

Cliff said...

Didn't Florida just recently allow u to carry firearms for self defense? :)

The thanksgiving meal sounds good.

I do agree with the swimming rant. People don't swim fast should not approach the fast swim lane.

Comm's said...

You can shoot a snowbird only if you have an out of state hunting lisense. Arizona also has snowbirds.

Nothing like driving behind a cadilac from Wisc. with some q-tip that drives by looking between the dash and the steering wheel, with their left turn signal permanently on and feinting like they are going to turn only to swerve back into traffic because its not the correct street. Of course they do the speedlimit.

Oldman said...

yes you can use a gun in self defense IF you feel you are threaten and have no other option. but you better make sure they are DEAD when your done or you will have a civil law suit on your hands.

PuddyRat said...

Oh, I do feel your pain. While I don't live in snowbird country, I do live in a town full of retirees. Oh, Lordy! Don't go to the grocery store during the daytime. There's nuthin' but blue hairs in there and their carts don't go any faster than they do. To say they are doing a slow crawl is giving them too much credit. I can only pray I do not become one of THEM when I hit the same age.

However, coming from the cold northwest, I've considered becoming a snowbird. Just not a blue-haired one. :-)

Recovering Alumni said...

I love this post because it has so many Florida references - Perkins, Tamiami Trail, and old people!(I grew up in Tampa.)Thanks for reminding me of home. :)

Dr. Iron TriFeist :) said...

Yeah but there's a 2 per day bag limit. Plus, you can't get them after dark when they hole up in the condos. Too much like ducks in a barrell.

I'm also a Floridian. Snowbirds drive me crazy. I can't wait for 5 months of "Florida sucks and it's so much better back home but my official residence is here so that I don't have to pay taxes to support schools or the environment but your education system is so bad".

OK, I'm done. Glad to hear your son was able to start PT right away. It makes a big difference in long term recovery.

Anonymous said...

ok first - someone is named PUDDYRAT??!! WOW - I gotta check out her blog to see if that word means what I think it means.

Second, I grew up on the East coast, and it's the law that once you turn 60 you have to commute to Fla for the winter.

Say hi to my grandpa for me, yah?

Tracy said...

Snowbird season! That's classic.

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