Living in Minnesota, I love the annual ‘Theater of Seasons’. We are really treated to some epic changes throughout the year, with the temperature hitting 100 degrees F in the summer and -25 degrees in the wintertime. We are home to 10,000 lakes & the headwaters of the Mississippi, but they are all frozen like a rock for at least 3 months of the year.
We aren’t sticking around for the whole frozen landscape this year. Winter ends tomorrow as we get on a flight to Florida for our ‘Winter Summerland’ escape for the next few months. We’ll spend time on Cocoa Beach, outside Orlando, and in Sarasota. The only snow we’ll really see will be on NBC’s broadcast of the Winter Olympics from Beijing.
As a result, I tried to sneak in as many winter activities as I could into the last month. I went downhill skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, attended the outdoor NHL game, and went to a ice maze/castle. We had a big 22” snowstorm a few weeks ago and I even got to blast my new Jeep through the snowdrifts!
There are lot more winter things I would have liked to do, but the lure of Florida’s Jimmy Buffett-land is just too great. It’s hard to stay on the below-zero tundra when you can have rum drinks and watch dolphins from the beach. Starting tomorrow, we’ll be watching sunrises over the ocean, enjoying outdoor gardens in full bloom, and dining outside with fresh-caught seafood.
Still, I’m torn. Had we stayed the winter, I could have played in a curling bonspiel, participated in our winter carnival medallion hunt, and worked on my snowshoe art (above). Maybe we’ll still have a snowstorm or two after we get back and catch some of the final drifts of the year. As Minnesota’s musician, Prince, once wrote, “Sometimes It Snows In April”.
Do you have any warm-weather getaways planned for this winter?
Image Credits: (c) MrFireStation.com
MrFireStation 
I may have missed it but….I have to ask. How are you handling health insurance and transportation when you’re down in FL?
Have fun! Wish I was there – lots of snow and slop where I am today 😦
LikeLike
One of the benefits of going on MegaCorp retiree health insurance was coverage everywhere in the US, since they have retirees everywhere. We rent car when we are down there, but are getting close to a length of time where we will want to drive – https://mrfirestation.com/2021/03/15/drive-or-fly/
LikeLiked by 1 person
My wife and I live in the People’s Republic of California, so the weather is almost always good. If we move out of state, we would probably need to get two houses; one in a northern climate and another in a southern climate because we have learned to not like weather that is too hot or cold or humid.
When I graduated from college, I moved from Wisconsin to St. Louis and actually found that despite the winters being warmer, they were grey and depressing and offered less winter recreation. Wisconsin and Minnesota winters offer abundant outdoor recreation activities; cross-country skiing, snow mobile, ice skating, ice fishing, down hill skiing, curling, and hunting. Evergreen pine trees are less depressing than gray deciduous trees that have lost their leaves. I will take outdoor activities in the snow with a clear blue sky over a grey sky with rain any day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I can relate to that. The clouds are depressing. We do have very sunny winter days in Minnesota. I call it “useless sunshine”, but just having the sun out does help brighten your mood. Even if it is 0 degrees.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We are in the Florida Keys as I type this response. It’s our seventh winter spending some time here. I was talking to our rental house owner this morning, setting up our next winter stay for 2023. Our grown daughters were texting us snow pictures from home over the weekend, and I thought, oh hell no! I just don’t miss it. You can have the snow! I’m just not as interested anymore, and I’m betting after a few months in FL, you may be sold on the sunshine state too! Welcome to Florida!
LikeLiked by 2 people
For me, variety is the spice of life! Drove my Jeep out on a frozen lake today. I love Florida, but not ready to give up on my winter, either!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We used to love driving on frozen lakes when we were in high school. Do I hear its donut time? A side benefit was it helped us learn how to drive better on icy roads.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In high school, I did donuts in the snow in the big MegaCorp parking lots I later worked at! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Must have been Mega Donuts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL 😂
LikeLike