Ok..I will put it on the list.

What do you think..l am I off base with the breeze thing ?

I just saw a video of a family at bed and breakfast - jacksonvilke??
Family trapped by a fast flowing RIVER just beyond front steps

MISSINGROSIE said:Ok..I will put it on the list.

What do you think..l am I off base with the breeze thing ?

This is just my opinion and probably not worth 2 cents but here goes....
Floridian all my life on the east coast. Have lived from Lake Park (Palm Bch County) to Flagler Beach. Have visited the west coast many times. I hate the west coast. I say it's hotter and OMG! the humidity!!! Maybe it was just timing every time I was on the west coast but I NEVER experienced a breeze there. It was always as still as death.
My parents lived in Carrabelle in the eastern panhandle on the gulf east of Apalachicola for quite a few years and we visited them a number of times. It was still hot, still humid but didn't seem as bad as the areas opposite the east coast. Carabelle is a nice little town like you're talking about Rosie but the problem is access to pretty much anything. You see, the Apalachicola Nat'l Forest somewhat surrounds Carrabelle so to get to Tallahassee & thus to hospitals & medical care, you have a long drive almost surrounded by the Nat'l forest & is deserted most of the way except for the black bears, wild boars & other critters. They always life flight people to Tally. So that's the big problem with there. Plus I will state that it has been close to 20 years since I was last there so it may have grown a lot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
http://www.alligatorpoint.com/...
See? Carrabelle isn't even on the map there but is near Alligator Point.

gardenglory said:I do think Jacksonville is in trouble surge wise, up in that bend, it could be bad. Also, the st johns river, which will flood, runs thru downtown, I sure pray they dont get the bad side of storm.

Yes, the worst might be still to come. A long way to go yet before the storm leaves. The number of power outtages is sure to go way up still.

To me, the gulf is like a giant bay, the east coast has the atlantic ocean, so you get true sea breezes. I do feel you get breezes in SW fl, but its hotter than a firecracker down there. Ive had good times in the gulf, but this was a bout breezes and iust MO

MISSINGROSIE said:How interesting.

Funny story..we looked at area labeled retirement village here. Close to our home. Tall buildings..with really nice apts. we could not afford..they wanted $$$ just to buy in and $3K a month maintenance / rent on what you owned! Anyway...we were looking because I was mad when I saw the dope clinging to a ladder..50 feet up ...with his skinny white ( shaking) legs..crocs and white knee highs...in lashing wind and rain ---cleaning a gutter WITH A LONG HOE!

well we were there dinner hour..parking lot facing clubhouse..
All these walkers appeared out from the entrances of the buildings
All fancy dressed and heading to the restaurant on site with a full bar
It looked like COCOON!
DH hit the gas so hard I got whiplash!
It was a fearsome site.

I know retirement villages in Fla different..but this one was more like the last step before Soylent Green!

We have never been to The Villages, however, I don't think it is our kind of place. It is pretty crowded and they are e x p a n d i n g! We like elbow room and it appears that they are packed in there like sardines.

I'm glad to hear from those of you who fared the hurricane fairly well Who are we still missing hearing from on here? Hopefully the worst of it is past all of you.

And Rosie - I was eating my lunch when I read all of this and I almost spit my lunch out on some of your posts when I cracked up laughing - gotta love a round bird bath

I gave Rosie an acorn just for making me laugh out loud.

I've always thought the East Coast of FL was windier because of the ocean. The only parts around here that have breezes are Pinellas County (St. Pete, Clearwater). Technically, they both have breezes because the sea breezes from the Gulf and the Atlantic meet each other in the summer and the heat builds up causing our afternoon thunderstorms which is why Tampa is the lightning capital of this hemisphere. Some place in Africa has us beat for world champions.

I was just up in Silver Springs near Ocala and it has that old timey FL feel. When I worked at the county I had a coworker who had bought property in Ocala and was planning on retiring there. I've been antiquing over in the Mt. Dora area and that seems pretty nice. I have a bunch of relatives that live over in Titusville that are retired and they seem to like it. My dad has gone hunting up in Perry for decades, but I don't think it's a lot different than living in South Georgia. Take that how you will. I live just a few miles south of the Pasco County line which has lots of retirement communities. My grandparents lived in Zephyrhills for a few years.

I think because of our demographics, FL has a lot of places that have a small town feel but big city accessibility. I lived in north Tampa until I was 15 (1994) when my parents built the house here in Lutz. A big reason they moved here was a better neighborhood, but it was still very close to the hospital, our doctors, grocery stores, and other services. And no HOA like in New Tampa! And we have that country feel. The guy across the street owns cows I can look at every day if I want! Citrus greening wiped out a lot of the orange groves, though. Okay, and developers. The only thing I liked about riding the bus sophomore year was when the orange blossoms were blooming and you could smell them during the bus ride through the neighborhood.

Whew. I just heard from my nephew and all is well with him, except he is holed up with 5 grandchildren that are driving him crazy.

Rosie I'm no help with Florida - the only two times I've been there were first, in the early 80's we took the girls to the beach and Disney - in that order. I lost my glasses in the ocean the first day (blind as a bat until I got new ones), sunburned myself so bad I couldn't wear a bra the rest of the time I was there (prayed I wouldn't run into anyone at Disney that knew me!) and got sick on one of the rides
Second time was a couple of years ago we flew down to stay at Anna Maria Island during the middle of March to spend time with my DH's children and grandchildren. Since it was prime tax time I flew down on Saturday and got there early evening, and left before sunup Tuesday morning to catch my flight. They had a 6 bedroom house and 18 people in it!!! No one ate veggies or fruit for meals except 2 of us so it was and when we suggested them we were met with no way - meat & chips and candy, and maybe a baby carrot and a banana if you were lucky!!! I got exactly one hour on the beach on Sunday and then it rained (and I mean poured!) the rest of the time until the morning I left! My DH was staying for the entire week so he took me to the wrong airport and I missed my flight (needless to say I get really rattled when we find out we went to the wrong airport, running late, and I can't figure out my darn GPS on my iPhone and there was road construction and detours and we kept taking wrong turns )and they said the next one to Des Moines (where my car was) wouldn't be until Thursday (Allegiant). I convinced them to rebook me that day into Cedar Rapids and called my boss and said if he wanted me back for taxes he would have to pick me up, and then take me to Des Moines to get my car. He agreed (he drives a Porsche and loves to drive ). In the mean time my original flight came back to the gate because of a mechanical issue, and they paged me (no way I was leaving the airport to risk missing another flight ) and they put me back on the original flight-literally ran to the gate so as not to miss it!!! When I got home I worked an extra 30 hours to get the work done I missed while I was gone Never doing that again during tax time!
So let me see, please someone give me a good reason to go back to Florida and promise me I'll have a good time

Awwwwwwwwwww Ginny! What a rotten time you've had here.

Flipper?

Those swell coconut patties at the orange fruit stands?

Sharks teeth .." genuine right outta a shark "?

Love Bugs?

Orange Blossom toilet water

Sand that sticks in all crevices with no bias?

Opportunity to trial new deodorant?

Monkey Jungle?

See...there is a lot

Rosie, do check out Mount Dora, Florida ... I think it's my most favorite city in the entire state. https://www.google.com/search?...

plantladylin said:Rosie, do check out Mount Dora, Florida ... I think it's my most favorite city in the entire state. https://www.google.com/search?...

It is my most favorite too. We visited years ago..old town feel. My brother got married there. I forgot about Mount Dora.

Ooh, I'm so glad I mentioned Mt. Dora.

Ginny, I think you did Florida the wrong way! I'm going on a vacation somewhere in Florida next week (I'm keeping it a secret from the forum I moderate) and I just booked a spa treatment in the luxury hotel I'm staying at (FL resident special rate so I can afford it). And, I booked high tea at the English Tea House about a block away from the hotel. They're having a special "Tea and Tales" night where professional storytellers come in and do their thing while we have tea. And I'm taking an eco-tour on a boat but they market it as a dolphin tour since all the tourists want to see dolphins. It's three hours and we make a stop to do some shelling!

My tips...pick off-season times. Stay away from Disney. Wear sunscreen! Reapply sunscreen often! Stay hydrated. And remember a Japanese saying I heard once - There's no shame on the road.

You gave away too much info to hide It actually sounds like a perfectly wonderful getaway.

My beloved downtown old st.augustine is under water.

We're sailors, and moved to the West Coast of FL 15 years ago because there IS good wind here. Depends where you go of course, but our little sailing club here in Sarasota is one of the most popular spots for racing because we do have dependable wind most of the year. Up in Tampa we've raced at the Davis Is. YC and in St. Pete a couple of times and been skunked with no breeze. Anywhere you go, you can get burned by bad weather, though.

Ginny, you really did have a terrible time both times you came here! Yikes. Come in November, or March or April for really great, dependable weather with lower humidity and more breeze. That's when I tell all my family to come.

Yes, you must wear sunscreen here all year round and that's true of any place in Florida. I'm a redhead, so truly an endangered species here and I can honestly tell you I've not had a single sunburn since we've lived here going on 15 years.

If I were going anywhere that required staying in a 6 bedroom house with 18 people I'd be booking a hotel so fast it would make you dizzy, even if they were all people I was pretty fond of.

Oh I saw a video about St. Augustine, Pam. It looked like a very angry rushing river as the surge goes about.

As well as Jacksonville Beach...waterworld....

http://www.accuweather.com/en/...