After a thunderstorm the humidity can become oppressive even if it drops the temp, Still living on the coast in South FL it never was as hot as here in SC or GA. Winters hardly required a sweater. It was nicer too because the beaches weren’t crowded and there weren’t condos all in a row along the coast. Heck the population was much less too. I like the SC coast because much of it isn’t as built up with high rise condos. I am going to let a secret out, but don’t spread the word. We have the longest stretch of undeveloped Atlantic coast line in the USA.
We base camp a lot with the RV
AC in the summer , furnace in the winter and cold drinks in the fridge . It works now that I’m so over 50.
Today wire screens are taken for granted, but before they came into use it was smudge pots burning to keep the bugs away. Even after screens were developed you had to paint them with oil to keep the no-see-ems out.
@castoff said:
Today wire screens are taken for granted, but before they came into use it was smudge pots burning to keep the bugs away. Even after screens were developed you had to paint them with oil to keep the no-see-ems out.
The first settlement at DeLeon Springs was abandoned because of the bugs. It was before screens.
I have heard tales of the mosquitoes being so bad that they killed cows back in the early days. Many folks don’t think of Florida as a cattle state, but during WW2 my Dad won bets with guys that FL produced the most beef in the USA. He would pull out the current almanac to prove it. When fence laws came into effect there were range wars fought over grazing rights. Wild cattle roamed the state and so did hogs (the hogs still do). They were a legacy of the Spanish settlers. The term Florida cracker comes from cracking whips to drive the cattle, and some Native American breeds of dogs were used for herding.
Growing up on the east coast I always wanted to find a gold doubloon. They were found washed ashore after storms along the beach we swam at. I didn’t know at the time, but you looked for an encrusted round rock because the coin was inside. I was looking for shiny gold coins. Not many years ago they found the wreak these came from.
Then during a drought a number of years back they found many old dugout canoes on the exposed bottom of a central FL lake. I have also found very old arrowheads in the sand. I was so jealous when a friend found a Clovis point. Used no doubt to kill mammoth and giant sloths. I use to love exploring the phosphate pits and have found many fossils. south and central Florida was a great place to grow up in the 50s and 60s for a young boy interested in everything.
What FL is known for today is sunny beaches, and Disney World, Burmese Pythons, Green Iguanas falling out of trees ( had one escape when we took it outside and then got distracted so I guess I helped seed the population in the early 60s), but it has a fascinating history and unique subtropical zone for the US mainland.
I should add watching the birth of the Space Age and the rocket launches was a real plus for this young fan of SiFi!
As kids we could fish off the seawalls of still vacant lots and water ski where condos and marinas now occupy.
At 14yo we were licenced to drive motor scooters. A cool place to grow up in the late 50’s.
Of course there are the snowbirds. Here’s three that are just too close
Down the street there are twenty at the boat ramp. We are the winter location for buzzards.
In the panhandle the Robin’s came through. I liked them better.
@castoff said:
I have heard tales of the mosquitoes being so bad that they killed cows back in the early days. Many folks don’t think of Florida as a cattle state, but during WW2 my Dad won bets with guys that FL produced the most beef in the USA. He would pull out the current almanac to prove it. When fence laws came into effect there were range wars fought over grazing rights. Wild cattle roamed the state and so did hogs (the hogs still do). They were a legacy of the Spanish settlers. The term Florida cracker comes from cracking whips to drive the cattle, and some Native American breeds of dogs were used for herding.Growing up on the east coast I always wanted to find a gold doubloon. They were found washed ashore after storms along the beach we swam at. I didn’t know at the time, but you looked for an encrusted round rock because the coin was inside. I was looking for shiny gold coins. Not many years ago they found the wreak these came from.
Then during a drought a number of years back they found many old dugout canoes on the exposed bottom of a central FL lake. I have also found very old arrowheads in the sand. I was so jealous when a friend found a Clovis point. Used no doubt to kill mammoth and giant sloths. I use to love exploring the phosphate pits and have found many fossils. south and central Florida was a great place to grow up in the 50s and 60s for a young boy interested in everything.
What FL is known for today is sunny beaches, and Disney World, Burmese Pythons, Green Iguanas falling out of trees ( had one escape when we took it outside and then got distracted so I guess I helped seed the population in the early 60s), but it has a fascinating history and unique subtropical zone for the US mainland.
No tale. One summer the mosquitoes were so bad in the swamps near Houston , cattle were dying from exsanguination. And we took the Scout troop camping.
@Overstreet said:
In the panhandle the Robin’s came through. I liked them better.
We have Robins all over the yard right now.
I see two year round suburban residents in your photo. They are the ever present Flamingos. B)
@grayhawk said:
As kids we could fish off the seawalls of still vacant lots and water ski where condos and marinas now occupy.
At 14yo we were licenced to drive motor scooters. A cool place to grow up in the late 50’s.
Yeah we would fish off the sea walls too. My Dad had a boat and it was just a mile off shore to the Gulf Stream. We would run out through the Palm Beach Inlet, and fish for Kings, Sailfish, Dolphin (Mahi), Wahoo, and anything else that would hit the Ballyhoo bait. Never did land a Marlin though. I remember Dad pointing out the Kennedy mansion on Palm Beach when JFK was President. The ocean water was so clear you could see 20 feet deep in the ICW at high tide. Y’all have me paddling down past memory’s stream.
@castoff said:
@grayhawk said:
As kids we could fish off the seawalls of still vacant lots and water ski where condos and marinas now occupy.
At 14yo we were licenced to drive motor scooters. A cool place to grow up in the late 50’s.Yeah we would fish off the sea walls too. My Dad had a boat and it was just a mile off shore to the Gulf Stream. We would run out through the Palm Beach Inlet, and fish for Kings, Sailfish, Dolphin (Mahi), Wahoo, and anything else that would hit the Ballyhoo bait. Never did land a Marlin though. I remember Dad pointing out the Kennedy mansion on Palm Beach when JFK was President. The ocean water was so clear you could see 20 feet deep in the ICW at high tide. Y’all have my paddling down past memory’s stream.
My brother does those things now.
My friend grew up in Miami. As kids they’d take a skiff through the flats off the Kennedy mansion. The CG would chase but defeated by the shallows. The kids were confident untill the CG brought in an early version of a flats boat.