January in Florida has been very interesting. The weather has been mostly cooler than normal, but nothing like the severe weather the rest of the country has been experiencing. It warmed up into the low 70s the last few days. We were even sunning at the beach today.
We are staying in the Sebastian/Vero Beach area, which is about halfway between St Augustine and Miami on the east coast of Florida, in Indian River County. This is where those wonderful ruby red grapefruits come from, and there are groves and fruit stands that have a wide variety of fruits and vegetables at great prices. The area is pretty nice and about ten degrees warmer than St Augustine, but St Augustine has more things to do and is a bit more fun and interesting. The campground in St Augustine was fantastic and the one we are in now is just ok. Even though Sebastian is not ideal, staying a long-time in one place has its advantages. Mary has been able to find a great local fitness club where she is able to participate in strength and fitness classes. She is even doing Zumba!
We have been able to ride our bikes a bit, and explore some of the parks, beaches and natural features of the area. The Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge was actually the first in the country (established in 1903). The pelicans, herons, egrets, sandhill cranes, ibis, vultures, wood stork and shorebirds have been very plentiful and fun to watch. Florida is also home to a huge population of osprey. We have seen them every day in each part of the state we’ve visited. We’ve also seen dolphins along the beach, but haven’t yet gotten to see any manatees in the wild.
We spent a day at Lake Okeechobee (the second largest lake in the US). It was very surreal. The surrounding area is totally flat, like all of Florida. When you get to the lake all you can see is a very large dike. The entire lake is surrounded by a 112-mile dike with a paved walking/bike path on the top. The elevation of the lake surface fluctuates with rainfall and the lake is connected to the in-flowing and out-flowing rivers by locks. In fact, you can boat from Ft Myers on the west coast to Stuart on the east coast via rivers, canals and Lake Okeechobee. Yes, the lake is over 100 miles in circumference, and you cannot see across it from one side to the other, yet it only averages 9 feet of depth.
We got a chance to see a friend of Mary’s from England who was visiting the Tampa area, and we met up with a couple in Winter Park, Fl that Mary knows from Australia.
Housing prices are very low here right now but property taxes and insurance are pretty high. We have been scanning the housing markets on both the east and west coasts, and it seems very possible to get a nice house with pool for around $200k. It’s something to consider.
Right now we are getting ready for a trip to Key West. Mary is teaching an animal communication workshop there in cooperation with the local SPCA, and then we will spend a few days relaxing and playing in Key West.
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