My favorite Florida time
June 21, the Summer Solstice, marks the official start of summer. Ahh, summer...I love it. South Florida in summertime guarantees that you will be subjected to unbearable heat, daily torrential rains, shark migrations and breeding along the beaches, gator breeding, lightning, mosquitoes, cockroaches and Palmetto Bugs, and the occasional hurricane or tornado. But what doesn't kill, maim, eat, crush, rend, or permanently debilitate you makes you stronger.
But I'm not complaining, oh no. After four decades of living here, I am used to our summertime weather and look forward to the thinning out of touristas and Yankee snowflakes. Before I go any further, those of you out there who incessantly whine about the heat and humidity during this time of year get no sympathy from me. Let's see, Southeast Florida is the only true subtropical zone in the continental United States...so you moved here why? Were you expecting Anchorage, Alaska, or Toledo, Ohio? Shut the hell up already!
When we first moved here, our first two homes did not have central air conditioning. That's right -- you didn't misread. Our children were raised without AC and running and gunning outdoors every single day. I worked outdoors seven days per week and our whole family acclimatized quite nicely to this beautiful climate, thank you very much. Of course, we lived in old Florida homes designed to stay cool with breeze ways, heavy tile roofs, terrazzo floors, banks of window glass (many new Florida homes today have windows that don't open!), and ceiling fans. And we had a swimming pool that I dug and built by hand. I was once young and strong, and also incredibly stupid.
But the point is, I experienced hotter days of summertime haying in northern New York State than I did here in South Florida. Along with living in a cool house, we had a secret weapon living along the coast -- the Tradewinds. Make a note to yourself if you plan on moving to Florida: don't live in a new home, you know...the type like they build in Indiana or Virginia, and don't live inland.
"... I love the incredible, sultry, sensual feel that you can only get from a Southern summer night ..."
Mosquitos? Skeeters are almost a rarity now due to county spray programs and the serious decline in the numbers of of wetlands, woodlands, estuaries, and mangroves. Most of the folks that live here now don't venture beyond a paved road anyway, so they don't have to worry about gator holes, breeding times, or upland habitat critters that can put a hurt on you. In fact, most of the folks that complain about summertime in Florida: 1) sleep in AC; 2) drive everywhere in AC; 3) work in AC; and 4) waste the remainder of their free time in AC. I ask you, how absolutely pathetic is that?
And that's a shame, because our woodlands and wetlands are breathtakingly lush and verdant green in summer. They're teeming with wildlife as well, just waiting for you to observe them in all their natural glory. And our wonderful Gulf Stream-controlled ocean water temperature is to die for in summer. Old-timey Floridians don't stick a big toe in the ocean until it's temperature permanently rises above 80 degrees F. During the summer, the beach is especially pleasant -- early morning until about 10:00 a.m., at sundown, or after dark. A sunbather basking on a blanket at high noon is definitely a boneheaded tourist or European -- you'll get all the tan you want by 10:30 a.m., tops.
Yup. I love summertime in Florida. I love the smell of jasmine on the night air, canoeing on the still waters of our fish-clogged rivers, the amazing feeling when the sea or land breezes cool everything down, the power of our sudden, massive thunderstorms and God's own dazzling light shows, riding with the top down underneath the tree branches of our canopy roads, and the incredible, sultry, sensual feel that you can only get from a Southern summer night.