Tomorrow's weather forecast is bleak for most of the northern hemisphere. Temperatures in the single digits with wind chills in the negative double digits. Some are up to their knees with snow and ice.
To be honest I love snow... In fact, I miss snow! We don't get to see much of the fluffy fun white stuff here in Asheville. When I was in college I voluntarily enrolled in a night ski class for PE credit; and I did not need the credit (sorry Mom). Yes, snow brings cold weather, ice, treacherous driving conditions, and worst of all the dreaded empty milk and bread shelves at the grocery.
So when it gets cold I try to suck it up and look forward to the fun part... but it rarely comes our way. We just get the cold and high heat bills. Hopefully tomorrow I will get to build a snowman, power slide with my mountain bike and use the chains for my car tires! Or maybe even go to the mall parking lot and push the Toyota past it's traction limits while listening to Megan scream and watch Abby grip for dear life in the back. In any case the bird feeders are full, the pantry is stocked and the kerosene heater is ready to go.
Last year Megan and I traveled to Florida in May and spent some great time visiting relatives on the way down and back from our ultimate destination - The Keys! We both have loving family members all over the wonderful state of Florida and especially enjoy reading about their wonderful home through the eyes of Serge Storms and his trusty sidekick Coleman. Sometimes while driving through the Sunshine State we listen to Tim Dorsey and watch the live oaks and palm trees whiz by the windows. This year we will be visiting relatives in the end of March to witness the last of Megan's generation to tie the knot. Usually, we plan some sort of fun along with our family adventures; Disney, Universal, Cape Canaveral, The Beach, and The Keys to date. This year Megan is lobbying heavily to visit Harry Potter World or swim with the Manatees.
Even if we only visit family I know we will enjoy ourselves immensely.
One of my fondest memories is from last year's trip to the Keys. Megan's aunt and uncle have a beautiful condo in Islamorada that they let us use for one whole week. We had a great time living in the Keys for a week and spending our days at various beaches. I took a particular fancy to snorkeling. In fact, we took a day trip on a catamaran and visited two sections of the reef off of Islamorada called Cheeka Rocks.
The picture I posted here reminded me of that amazing snorkeling experience. Megan went back to the boat while I continued to circle the reef. So many cool and interesting things to observe on the sea floor! I could have spent days and weeks snorkeling. At Cheeka Rocks I was swimming along, taking in the sights, when all of a sudden something caught my peripheral vision... a giant sea turtle was swimming right next to me!
What a treat to swim with and next to one of the great giants of the sea!! He kind of smiled and waved at me and then started to swim away. I tried to follow him, but he was too fast and I did not want to get too far away from the boat if you know what I mean.
So on these cold winter days I try to remember the great warm ones to help take the chill off!!
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