Welcome New Floridians
This site started on the Tenth Anniversary of our moving to Florida. Ten years came and went pretty quickly. We have learned a lot in those years and have made some mistakes along the way. Our goal is to try to help new Florida residents, and those thinking about relocating here, profit from our experience.
The articles are set up with a variety of categories, so you can look for whatever interests you. We are open to suggestions to improve the site and will try to answer any questions asked.
Our Articles
Barbershops
In most of the US, barbering seems to be a craft in decline, Florida is no exception. There are fewer neighborhood barbershops around; those that are still open, seem to do a pretty good business. I guess it is hard to make a good enough living cutting hair these...
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Love Bugs
Spring love bug season is here. This year, it seems like it will be a short season, with not too many of the pesky critters. For all of you non-Floridians, love bugs are a small insect, about the size of a lightning bug. Typically, the fly joined to a member of the...
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Ouch! Florida plants can hurt you
Many new Floridians are surprised to find how many plants, bushes, vines and trees in the state can hurt you. Stems, fronds, leaves or other parts can inflict pain or injury if not handled carefully. When we first moved into our home, we hired a landscape service to...
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I can’t believe I ate the whole thing
I returned to the Venice Rookery three days after I photographed the two gator lovers. I arrived about 1:00 PM; there was not much activity on the island. I did see three great blue heron doing a bit of a dancing competition, complete with lots of noise. My field of...
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What’s up with a Lanai?
A lanai in Florida can be any covered area outside of the house
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A visit to the Venice Rookery
Venice Rookery South of Venice Florida, is a very small rookery where hundreds of birds nest every year. This little island measures about 100 feet by 75 feet at its widest points. As you can see in the photo, the pond it sits in is also very small. What is really...
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Love is in the air
Courting Pair of Florida Alligators Mother Nature never ceases to amaze. When we were new Florida residents, we were like kids at an amusement park as we explored nature in this state. As time has gone by, we have become more used to the Florida environment and...
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Egret Displaying Feathers
The male Great Egret will display his feathers to attract a mate. Once mated, a parent who was foraging for food may not recognize the other parent who stayed behind to mind the nest. The bird on the nest will put on a display to identify home. FOG sez:...
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House Finch
This poor little guy looks a bit ragged. The birding maps all say that house finches are not supposed to be in Florida. We have had some strong winds the last several days and the birds are being blown off course. Despite his difficulties, I am glad he dropped by for...
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Gulf of Mexico Warming
The Sarasota newspaper reported today that the temperature of the Gulf of Mexico reached 81 degrees. Why would we take notice of that? Sure, it’s more comfortable to swim at the warmer temps but that’s not why we care. Hurricanes are the reason. In order for a...
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Super Moon – not so super
The news reporters said that this year’s Super Moon would be even more super than usual. The phrase, Super Moon, was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. The term is used to describe how the moon looks when it is closest to Earth. This one was to be even better...
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Rays of Color
This looked to be just a so, so, sunset. Then the rays appeared. Glad Mrs. FOG had the camera handy FOG sez: Do you know how hard it is to come up with fancy words for sunsets? We have one almost every evening, can’t we just say, “Ain’t dat...
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