I Love Fire Ants
One of the blessings we have in Central Florida is the wonderful weather. I love Florida. I think we live in the best place on Earth. We enjoy daily sunshine, two oceans, wildlife and fishing, world-class tourist attractions, restaurants, entertainment, and most of all terrific motorcycle riding year round. Most visiting Europeans think we live in paradise. I agree.
An hour's ride from my driveway, I can ride the oak-canopied roads of Brooksville and Floral City or the orange grove covered hills of Clermont and Howey-in-the-Hills. I can reach Disney, the vacation capital of the world, or airboat the great Cypress swamps. I can watch NFL football, major league baseball, NBA basketball, or even NHL hockey, all in person if I choose. I can hook world-class large mouth bass 15 minutes from my house or water-ski at Cypress Gardens.
But I can most often be found riding my two-wheeler down the beautiful gulf-view drives of the West Coast, my favorite area of Florida for one-day cruising -- from Clearwater Beach south to Naples. I love those one-of-a-kind, casual oceanfront seafood places where the fish is fresh, the sun is warm, and the beverages are cold. I first got Florida sand in my Indiana shoes in 1961 on summer vacation with my family. When we unloaded our pink '57 Buick on Jacksonville Beach, I knew I would someday call Florida home. I'll never forget it. As my brother and I body-surfed in the waves of a coming tropical storm, I felt I had found the place I needed to be. I quietly stored that thought away until I had finished school, married, and saved a few bucks for the U-haul rental. Then I moved, with my new bride, to bustling Ft. Lauderdale. I returned shortly to the Midwest for a job opportunity, but my heart was always in Florida. And now I plan to never leave. Around the holiday season, when we talk to friends and family up north, I am most grateful for Florida's warmth and sunshine. Even when we get the occasional frost or if a strawberry or two get frozen, our cool weather woes pale in comparison to any place north of Atlanta.
My oldest daughter and her family recently went to visit their in-laws in Buffalo. The original plan was to introduce the kids to snow. Wow, did they ever get an introduction! About five feet fell during their visit. The kids came home with chapped faces and runny noses. They all came home with a new appreciation of the Sunshine State. (My son-in-law made sure to tell his Northern relatives what his father-in-law always says: "You're only a U-haul away from tropical paradise!") My daughter told me how glad she was that I had moved the family to Florida years ago. She didn't understand why people had to live in those conditions. I told her I had an inkling of that over 30 years ago when I was watching the Orange Bowl on New Years Day and my mother wanted me to shovel the walk during halftime to avoid being blocked in.
At times, I have forgotten the pain of frostbite and have visited the North during the winter. I'm instantly reminded at the airport of all of the snowy afternoons I spent delivering the Indianapolis News in WI (West Indianapolis). I remember the discomfort of getting that arctic blast in my nose. I like to joke about returning quickly to Florida on the next flight after remembering just how miserable it is when the temperature drops below zero. It's in those moments that I recall why I quit my job and headed for Ft. Lauderdale in '72. I instantly regain my appreciation for watering my tropical plants, cleaning my pool, fighting fire ants, and riding the lip of Tampa Bay on my motorcycle at sunset in January.
So the next time you're complaining because you have to mow the yard or clean the pool or fight a few palmetto bugs, just turn on the Weather Channel. Check out Cleveland, Buffalo, Chicago, any of those places. Then say the words snow, ice, blizzards, dead batteries, garaged scooters under tarps to yourself. Then get the chlorine, brush the pool, and mow the yard. When you're done, cruise on over on your scoot to Pass A Grille in St. Pete Beach, take the elevator to the roof of the Hurricane, order a draft and a grouper sandwich, and watch a magnificent sunset over the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.
See? Fire ants aren't so bad.
Ride Hard, Ride Safe.
