Mid-Winter Trip to Florida

The dark days of Winter are starting to lengthen now, but we were ready for a break in the dreary days.  We did a mini-home exchange with our friends, Tony and Aleja, from Lake Placid, Florida, and spent the last week enjoying their lovely home in the middle of Florida.

We used our airline miles to fly to Tampa, and then used miles to rent a car so we could drive and explore central Florida.

Aleja, like me, loves plants, and I'm green with envy for the plants she can grow in Florida.  This Papaya tree was dripping with nearly ripe fruit.  The temperature was 80ish the entire week, with a light breeze that made sitting on the patio to eat all our meals wonderful.

Orange harvest is in full swing - even though Lake Placid is the Caldium capital of the world, it has it's fair share of orange groves also.

It is also known as "Town of Murals" - with interesting murals on many buildings.

An example of a Lake Placid mural

Lake Placid, located in the center of the state, is close to many places of interest.  Lake Okeechobee is truly spectacular.  One of the premier birdwatching places in the country, it is also the largest fresh water lake totally inside the United States.  From this viewpoint, it looks like the ocean, with no end in sight.

On the West side of the state, about 80 miles from Lake Placid, is the Gulf of Mexico. We stopped at the Sky Bridge Park on our way back to Tampa to catch our plane home.

Sitting in the sunshine on Tampa Bay, it was hard to imagine how different things were at home.  

We came home in time to enjoy the winter wonderland that the snow had brought, and to plow the driveway to allow everyone to get out. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so it won't last long - thankfully....