Moving to Florida

by

Moving to Florida from Canada was a crazy experience for me, in so many ways. It has taken alot of getting used to, in almost every way I can imagine: the weather, the culture, food, and just general attitude. But, it has been SUCH an awesome experience.

The weather, for one, was a ridiculous change and very hard to get used to. Now though, I really like it down here.
 
Because it’s the Fourth of July weekend I suppose I am thinking about what it means to be American. I am not a citizen, but I have been thinking about moving to Florida permanently after I graduate with my masters degree.
 
On one hand, I don’t think I will miss Canada’s winters. B.C. has pretty mild winters when compared to the rest of Canada, but it just seems like I’ve gotten used to Florida’s best retirement community, so to speak.
 
Maybe the concept of snowbirding is something I should consider?
 
My grandfather used to say that his favorite season is summer because, as he put it, you don’t have to shovel sunshine.
 
If I moved back to B.C. I think I would also miss the water.
 
I think that Florida has the best beaches. I love the ability to hit the road on a Friday even and be surfing by the time the sun comes up.
I also love shell hunting. Looking for shells in Fort Desoto State Park, or Honeymoon Island State Park, or my favorite, Anna Maria island, is unrivaled. Canada forests just can’t compete with those experiences.
 
On the other hand, I do miss the mountains.
 
Hiking to glacier lakes in the summer is such an incredible experience, I hope that I will live in a place again in my life where that is possible. But, if I lived here, I would have all access to all Florida Springs, which I’ve totally fallen in love with. 
 
Speaking of glacier lakes, I have been meaning to find a stand up paddle board (SUP) to use with Peso!
 
I first had this idea that it would be amazing to take him to Ichetucknee Springs and paddle down the river. Unfortunately that plan will not work out because I read that dogs are actually not allowed on the river at all, which was disappointing. But, there are some other options, and maybe we can still go hiking in Ichetucknee Springs State Park.

One thing that has been on my mind lately is hurricane season. It sort of snuck up on me and now here it is and I haven’t really given much thought to storm preparation, or what I’ll do this year in case of a hurricane. I guess I need to start thinking about that.

Like I think I said in a previous post, the idea of moving to Florida permanently has been on my mind lately. One good thing about B.C. though is that we do not have to deal with hurricanes up there! The idea of buying a house in Florida especially and having it vulnerable to hurricanes and flooding is nerve wracking for me. Some of my friends bought a house recently and they have been dealing with one maintenance nightmare after another. On one hand, the idea of locking in living expenses for the forseeable future and having financial stability is so appealing, but on the other hand, I always wonder whether it’s a good time to buy a house in Florida.

It seems like prices have risen really dramatically in recent years, and I wonder how the long term effects of climate change will affect this market.

Sure, lots of people have been moving from New York to Florida, but will they still do that when they can’t get flood insurance in Florida because insurance companies stop writing policies? Living by the water is definitely a double edged sword. On one hand, it’s a dream. On the other hand, it could be a nightmare. I guess that’s how those things go.

Ha! In the middle of writing this I had to take a break and go rescue some random beetle that wandered into my kitchen. Ironically I used a box from Terro, the ant bait, that I’ve been using to deal with a recent ant infestation, to safely ferry the little guy outside. I felt really bad about the ant treatment. The idea of systematically poisoning a colony of living creatures tore me up inside, but I don’t really want hoards of ants crawling across my kitchen counter top, either.

One thing is for sure, it was fascinating to watch the ants. They have such a unique culture, and observing them really made me think about how efficient and sophisticated their behavior is.

But, now I am talking about ants, and the morning pages time is over, so I will stop.