So why did we visit Florida in the middle of winter? First of all, I didn't expect it to be colder than Colorado. I also didn't expect it to last. People who live in Florida kept telling me it gets very cold in Florida in the winter, but it rarely lasts for long. Even they were disgruntled by the length of this record-breaking cold snap. It snowed in some areas but we got rain and more rain. I would have preferred the snow just for some variety.
Cedar Key is very affordable compared to most of the tourist areas. It's full of things to do, particularly if you're not the Orlando type. (No offense intended to amusement park aficionados. It's just not my style.) There are excellent restaurants, some shops, multiple places to drink, boat rentals, hiking, and bird watching. There's an airstrip and, the next time I visit, I'm going to ride in an airboat. I would have loved to have gone kayaking or on the birding tour up the Suwannee River.
My novel is set in Florida on the Gulf Coast so it seemed reasonable and prudent to visit the area, and the town didn't disappoint. I love being near water and Cedar Key is all about water. However, they have mosquitoes and humidity in cruel abundance when the weather is hot, say... in August. One woman told me they rival Alaska for the number of mosquitoes, and she said it proudly.
Sunday was Valentine's Day. We took side roads to Gainesville to get an idea of what the greater area looks like. Gainesville was okay but the parts we saw weren't very interesting. While in Gainesville, we went to Starbuck's to read the Sunday New York Times, visited Walmart, Target, a grocery store, and McDonald's. The Walmart and Target stores had absolutely no warm clothing left to sell. No jackets, sweaters, coats, or thermal underwear. We would have to continue to shiver.
We were returning to Cedar Key by way of Bronson when we saw a large, strange headstone. There was a bright red, rectangular guitar on the front.We stopped and walked into the cemetery to see it up close. He was a native son of Bronson, and died on June 2nd, 2008. I would love to know who designed his headstone.
Saw a lot of birds on Valentine's Day: A summer tanager, bald eagle, tern, grackles, seagulls, egrets, and a lovely yellow-crested night heron.
Went walking around the town again that afternoon. Someone was giving inexpensive plane rides above the town, but we got back too late to take a spin. It would have been awesome if we'd had any idea something special was about to happen. The town was full of people who hadn't been there when we left that morning. Now we know Valentine's Day is a popular occasion there.
Cedar Key is very affordable compared to most of the tourist areas. It's full of things to do, particularly if you're not the Orlando type. (No offense intended to amusement park aficionados. It's just not my style.) There are excellent restaurants, some shops, multiple places to drink, boat rentals, hiking, and bird watching. There's an airstrip and, the next time I visit, I'm going to ride in an airboat. I would have loved to have gone kayaking or on the birding tour up the Suwannee River.
My novel is set in Florida on the Gulf Coast so it seemed reasonable and prudent to visit the area, and the town didn't disappoint. I love being near water and Cedar Key is all about water. However, they have mosquitoes and humidity in cruel abundance when the weather is hot, say... in August. One woman told me they rival Alaska for the number of mosquitoes, and she said it proudly.
Sunday was Valentine's Day. We took side roads to Gainesville to get an idea of what the greater area looks like. Gainesville was okay but the parts we saw weren't very interesting. While in Gainesville, we went to Starbuck's to read the Sunday New York Times, visited Walmart, Target, a grocery store, and McDonald's. The Walmart and Target stores had absolutely no warm clothing left to sell. No jackets, sweaters, coats, or thermal underwear. We would have to continue to shiver.
We were returning to Cedar Key by way of Bronson when we saw a large, strange headstone. There was a bright red, rectangular guitar on the front.We stopped and walked into the cemetery to see it up close. He was a native son of Bronson, and died on June 2nd, 2008. I would love to know who designed his headstone.
Saw a lot of birds on Valentine's Day: A summer tanager, bald eagle, tern, grackles, seagulls, egrets, and a lovely yellow-crested night heron.
Went walking around the town again that afternoon. Someone was giving inexpensive plane rides above the town, but we got back too late to take a spin. It would have been awesome if we'd had any idea something special was about to happen. The town was full of people who hadn't been there when we left that morning. Now we know Valentine's Day is a popular occasion there.
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