One of the pictures I found in Google this morning, signifying the season that has just passed us by, traveling from Michigan to Florida this year. We had a lot of rain this past fall and somehow the colors never seemed as bright as in past seasons. It took a long time for the brightly colored leaves to start falling, which means that we will find a yard full of them when we arrive back in the spring. Not that it really makes much difference, there are always the strays that show up later on, just waiting for the mower to pick them up.

My friends are already sending me pictures of a snow covered landscape at their own home, and lamenting the fact of winter arriving.  But the more avid deer hunters are rejoicing, and hoping for an early winter with lots of snow for tracking. In Michigan there are two main groups of people, people who hunt, and people who don’t. I have lived closely with both, over the years, and there is definitely a line there. Plus we must count all of the bow hunters who have already been searching for some time. Somehow it all works out.  We have lots of people whose meals consist more of venison than you can imagine.  At one time that was true of my household also, and I could cook it in a dozen varied ways. Now I am just reminiscing about bygone days, and remembering how good it tasted.

Florida is looking great.  A  little foggy this morning, but it will clear very quickly and the sun will appear again. It has been a little warmer than I like, hitting in the 80s and 90s but cooler today and a colder front will be showing up next week. As we were walking in the park after dark I could see that all of the snowbirds are not back yet and many homes are dark. But soon lots of our residents will return,  the streets will fill up, and the restaurants will become very busy. By next month we will see many retirees sitting on their front patios greeting us as we go walking by. There will be golf carts everywhere, and two and three wheeled bicycles carrying their owners all around the park.  We have many  flower gardens and ponds with swans and ducks to enjoy.

So there is a lot to look forward to.  I am looking forward to telling you of our adventures as we visit in the south, but still keep the north in our hearts. Living down here is a great experience for us, and I hope that someday all of you will find your place of enjoyment in your future.