Living in Florida is great!  We have wonderful weather year around.  If you love the outdoors, you only have to decide what you want to do today.

Sue and I moved here from Columbus, Ohio on February 1, 1979.  We opened up the windows and didn't close them again for over a year.  Every day we rode our bikes, went to the beach, took long walks, went to the beach, went fishing, went to the beach.  But something was wrong, we were so tired, and we didn't know why.  One day we had an unusual rainy day.  We lounged around all day, and then we knew what was wrong with us.  In Ohio, we had so few sunny days that we had to make the most of them.  Unfortunately, we had not broken that habit, so we were wearing ourselves out, trying to pack as much fun as possible into every sunny day.  So yes, you have to make an adjustment to your way of thinking when you get here!

  Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. View from Paradise Point, 700 feet above the sea.

     Labadee, Haiti    

Cruising

One of our favorite pastimes is cruising to the islands with Royal Caribbean International.  We book a cruise, whenever we find a bargain, drive across the state and get on the ship.  We've taken 22 cruises so far, and we're ready to go again.  There is nothing like it, you're pampered and they have the most fantastic meals on board, amazing beaches & unbelievable duty free shopping.  The best thing is, we don't have to pay airfare to get down here for the cruise!

Golf

A day to be proud of - my first hole-in-one, on July 22, 1986.  Am I that good?  No, but when you can play 365 days a year, you get lots of practice.  There are many golf courses in the area.

 Bass Fishing

Another day to be proud of - my first 12 pound bass in October 1988.  Caught in a canal in North Port on a black plastic worm.  By the way, we practice "catch & release".  This is a fiberglass mount.  We also enjoy fishing for lunker bass with wild shiners.

Pan Fishing

What a blast!  Whether you're fishing for shellcrackers, bluegills or speckled perch, you have so much fun catching these fish, you feel like a kid again!

My Hunting Buggy

Call it what you want, I call it " My Toy ".  This 1967 Jeep CJ5 takes me anywhere in Cecil Webb Wildlife Management Area I want to go.  Don't let the 30-30 on the hood rack fool you.  I shoot my wildlife with a 35 mm camera.  I also like to shoot black powder, and have built several black powder rifles.

Airgator - My Pride & Joy.  Ask me about her!

Ready to cruise the lake

 Running Dry

Airboating

One of our favorite things to do!  Florida is a true wonderland for recreational boating, no matter what kind of boat you prefer.  We were introduced to airboating in 1993.  This versatile boat can be used for sightseeing, fishing, frogging and gator hunting.