buckle-up

It comes as a bit of a surprise when we tell our friends about the temperatures we encounter primarily living, as we now do, along the Florida panhandle. Having decided on taking up residence in an over-55 managed facility, Latitude Margaritaville Water Sound (LMWS), paralleling the magical Emerald Coast, we are often held to ransom by cold fronts descending from wintery Canada.  To be honest, we didn’t do our research, thinking all of Florida enjoyed the same weather conditions as we have enjoyed in the past whenever we visited the Florida Keys. However, leaving our former home on Sanctuary Drive in Windsor, Colorado, we were apprehensive about how easily we would adapt to the potential of less warmer days. Just as we were initially confused over Florida spanning two time zones – yes, we live within Central Standard Time and not the Eastern Standard Time – the state is split into two geographical zones what else might we would find that would be different:  “Florida has two...

Margo and I like to celebrate milestones, even as the numbers keep on getting bigger. January is always momentous as it is the time when we celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversaries. However, when it comes to March it kicks off the start of almost two months of celebration as the rest of the family catches up. It is my sister Judy who is the outlier, celebrating her birthday in February but we love her all the same. Alright, yes, this post is more than just celebrating anniversaries and birthdays as it is about the “one more house” we have always thought we just had to build. We did not know how and where or indeed, when, but creating a new home is so much fun! It truly flexes what little braincells we have left. As we come to terms with our new home town, we have come to understand that there are many miles to cover and where, at times, it seems we have crossed a state line at some point. Anyone who looks at a map of Florida will soon realize that up in the panhandle, not only...

Formula 1 gained an enormous boost to its popularity with the Netflix, made-for-television series: Drive to Survive. It gave insight into what makes an F1 team tick even as it shone a spotlight on some of the drivers. Who could argue that before this program, few would know who the Honey Badger was or how popular celebrating a win with a shoey is. No driver benefited more from all the attention than Australia’s own Daniel Ricciardo. For much of the year, Margo and I couldn’t say we spent time behind the wheel of our car with anywhere near the same level of intensity as an F1 driver or that we tried drinking champagne from our sneakers but then again, there were times when we might have been tempted to do so. Many days driving beyond 600 miles only to see the next couple of days requiring us to drive an additional 500 miles, both days. We can now attest to the fact that the US is a big country. Now that I have made that statement it should come as no surprise to read that we have not ...