My husband and I recently moved to Florida, so our kids like to refer to us as snowbirds. They can’t call us that! I have the “Sunshine State” license plate and driver’s license to prove it.
I thought we knew all about snowbirds. Afterall, we’ve been visiting our kids in Florida for years and we grew up in Arizona, so we’re not amateurs when it comes to people trying to escape the frigid north country, but we were wrong.
Florida is in the heart of the snowbird flyway. We began seeing a few in the fall around the holidays, but after the first of the year is when the flock really begins to arrive. They call it “The Season” around here. Suddenly it was rush hour all day! At first we thought there was an event we failed to hear about, perhaps an accident, or the dreaded blight of America, road construction! But what we thought was unusual turned into a daily routine and then like a light bulb it struck us…Snowbirds!
The next shock and awe came at church. Normally you expect standing room only during the two big Christian holidays, Christmas & Easter, but Saturday evening Mass was suddenly packed! Saturday afternoon Mass was packed! Ash Wednesday was standing room only! Ash Wednesday! Seriously! But, the final invasion has proven to be a little too much. The beach!
We attempted to go to the beach at 10:00 in the morning. It was a beautiful day. We hadn’t been to the beach in weeks. Really looking forward to it, but it was not to be. Every parking spot taken! Overflow parking full! Street parking non-existent! We retreated to the pool and planned a strategy for the next day. We would be smarter & arrive earlier.
Prior to 9:15 seems to be the sweet spot. There were people already enjoying the sugar sand, calm waters, and blue sky when we arrived, but there was plenty of parking. By the time we left at 11:30 things were getting dicey in the parking lot. People trying to jockey for position to claim a spot that might become vacated. It looked like vultures circling. An argument taking place in the park between family members. One reprimanding the other for not being there earlier, “I told you we had to be here early if you wanted to park! Don’t pretend I didn’t!”
As we readied to leave a woman wanted to hold our place for her friend. Another woman saw us leaving and waited for us to pull out. In our mirror we could see a battle dance taking place between the woman standing in our vacated space and the woman attempted to drive into it. I was morbidly interested in learning the outcome, but at the same time wanting to wash my hands of any involvement. A woman in her 50’s standing off against a woman in her 70’s. You knew it was going to get ugly!
Snowbirds are as much a part of life in Florida as alligators and humidity. Ontario, Michigan, Ohio and New York make a strong showing. We’ve even seen Montana and California, though I think that last one might have been an anomaly. After this past winter we’re placing bets that Massachusetts will be the number one snowbird to winter over next year. You just have to accept and adjust. You leave a little earlier to get to where you’re going. Sitting in church a little longer didn’t hurt anyone. Getting to the beach early in the morning keeps you from burning so badly and frees up the rest of the day for other chores…like dodging snowbirds in the grocery store.