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If you've been following the adventures of Gola di Montagni, our advice columnist who took an unexpected trek to Florida back in February, then you also know that we went down to Florida last month to meet her. {If you'd like to catch the latest and last on that score, then you have to check out this month's installment of Ask Gola.} ... But this piece is about something a little different. It was my first real trip out of a Vermont winter in 25 years, and my first trip ever to Florida. And I have to confess, with the snow piled up past the window sills, I was looking forward to it. After the Nor'easter, the snow up here in the Bristol Notch had to be about four-feet deep, with drifts up to six or more. ... We left to meet Gola in West Palm on March 17th. We took an evening flight out of Burlington and into Pittsburgh where the weather was borderline, with a front coming in, so that they had to de-ice the wings before we could leave there. But soon enough, we were on our way and by that night, we were in West Palm, with temps in the upper 60's and a little overcast. The overcast actually turned to rain the next day, for which the residents of Florida, at least the few of Gola's friends that we met, as well as some family of our own and their friends, thanked us, since they'd been having a drought for some months. But even with the rain, the daytime temps were in the upper 70's, with nighttime lows in the upper 50's and low 60's. The next days, on the other hand, were nothing short of perfect. The sun was out all day, every day. But instead of temps that might've felt too warm coming out of the North Country, the thermometer hovered around that 80-degree mark, with night temps falling back to comfortable sleeping weather. And the whole time, a steady breeze blew. It's easy to fall into the comfort of air like that. Instead of the still-cold air and wind, warmth. Instead of the dry heat of the house, a nice humidity in the air. We basked in it, literally and otherwise, until it was time to come home. ... When we got back, another Nor'easter had dumped an additional two-feet-plus up in the Bristol Notch. I spent the first day trying to plow out, though it was next to impossible to find a place to put all that snow. I spent the next two days shoveling snow off the shed roof, where it was up to my chest now. I figured, somewhat obsessively, that it was about 3000 cubic feet. For all that, though, it was good to be home. The next day, I put on some snowshoes and decided to make the most of it. ... Of course, now, the snow is melting. Down in the Valley, there's not much left, though up here at 1600 feet, we still, as of this writing, have about two to three feet. But that's less than half of what was here just a week ago. ... Someone once said a taste of wine is worse than none at all. And so it is that images of turquoise water and the faint recollection of warm breezes keep coming back to me. I keep telling myself that, soon enough, Florida will be unbearable with heat & humidity. But, at least at this point, my 52-year-old bones don't seem to be finding much consolation in that fact. ... On the other side of things, though, I've been grateful for this winter. It's been a long time since the snow has come around Thanksgiving & stayed with us right on through. Not only that, but it never got bitterly cold. The fact is, it's been a beautiful winter. But as another old timer once said:
So, n that light, let me cry it out, plain and clear: "Uncle!" ... Enough. ... We took a few pix while we were there, some of which you can see in this month's Ask Gola. ... But the following photos were taken from the air on our return trip. ...
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