The sunsets were incredible and we didn't have to leave the porch from our condo to watch them each night.

It was a much-needed break from what turned out to be the nastiest winter in my lifetime. Before last week, I had never been to Florida, but I have to say the trip was worth the wait. We stayed in a nice beach-front condo with Angela’s parents who regularly vacation in the area. In this case, her mother Molly’s 50th birthday was being celebrated, which was the driving force behind our trip. We were excited that they invited us.

Catching a spring training game at McKechnie Field was a highlight of the trip.

Although I’m obviously a northern woods kind of guy, I have to admit that I can see the attraction to Florida during the winter months. I could count the number of people I encountered in a bad mood on one hand, and I can promise you that we didn’t see a hint of a snowflake. I got to golf, go to a Pirate’s spring training game, and walk along the beach each day looking for shells. Molly is an expert shell collector and she seemed to know something about all of the shells we collected. Her and Angela were up at the crack of dawn in order to beat a woman we affectionately called “Yellow Bag,” to the punch. We also ate a lot, and then we ate some more. From excellent barbecue ribs to overwhelming pizza buffets, our bellies were always full (and now a bit bigger).

Angela and I enjoying an evening on the beach.

Now it’s back to the regular routine at home, except the weather is finally changing. With temperatures in the 50’s over the next several day, I expect we’ll be losing several more inches of snow. I can see several areas of bare ground in the woods already, which the animals seem to be taking advantage of. This evening we took the dogs for a much needed walk, and I retrieved a trail camera from the woods that I placed there prior to the major snowstorms. As bad luck would have it, it only took about 20 pictures the entire time so there must have been some type of malfunction. We did see three nice longbeards on the way out, so it looks like the turkey made it through the toughest of the weather.

Hurricane evacuation route signs are part of the culture in Florida.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be able to get out and look for antler sheds. In the meantime, I hope to get my hunting room reorganized, and my treestand gear all winterized before it’s fully stored for the summer. The cycle continues!