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Here is the house that I lived in when I was a kid in Vero Beach FL. You can see the "stunted" live oak over the house, and their is another of the same size at the far end of the back yard.
And our house in Altamonte Springs had two laurel oaks about 60 ft tall with big crowns.
Vero Beach is loaded with lots of really big old live oaks while Central Florida has a combination of live and laurel/water oaks. In all my years there, I never thought of them as being stunted.
Jean, I had a reminiscing chuckle at your line about “follow the shade.” When my folks moved from Michigan to a condo in Clearwater years ago, I flew down to visit. We drove out one day to their grocery store. A few dozen cars were clustered right up front, but another few dozen were parked in far flung locations in the vast parking lot, far from the entrance. I asked my folks what was the deal with the odd parking pattern. They pointed out that every one of these distantly parked cars was under one of the small trees spaced throughout the lot. “Follow the shade.” After that, I noticed it in any parking lot that had an object big enough to cast some shade.
Here is the house that I lived in when I was a kid in Vero Beach FL. You can see the "stunted" live oak over the house, and their is another of the same size at the far end of the back yard.
And our house in Altamonte Springs had two laurel oaks about 60 ft tall with big crowns.
Vero Beach is loaded with lots of really big old live oaks while Central Florida has a combination of live and laurel/water oaks. In all my years there, I never thought of them as being stunted.
It's relative. Compared to those in western NC, they do look stunted and less vigorous.
And compared to the forests in Oregon, Washington and California all these trees are stunted. Should have known this was going to turn into a bash Florida thread.
Some people thrive in heat and humidity, some don’t. If it’s not for you, don’t move there. I hate snow, but I don’t take the opportunity to trash places because of it, I can appreciate the beauty and diversity of those states that get a lot of it, I just wouldn’t move there.
Jean, I had a reminiscing chuckle at your line about “follow the shade.” When my folks moved from Michigan to a condo in Clearwater years ago, I flew down to visit. We drove out one day to their grocery store. A few dozen cars were clustered right up front, but another few dozen were parked in far flung locations in the vast parking lot, far from the entrance. I asked my folks what was the deal with the odd parking pattern. They pointed out that every one of these distantly parked cars was under one of the small trees spaced throughout the lot. “Follow the shade.” After that, I noticed it in any parking lot that had an object big enough to cast some shade.
LOL! The counterpoint story-
West of Ft Lauderdale was the last remaining Shoney's in the area. One of the cooks there was good, and we used to visit it from time to time. We always tried to sit near a window for the floor show, as the uninitiated would park under trees as you describe. However, there was a huge resident flock of starlings that would swoop in, land on every available branch on those trees, and pepper the cars underneath with bird poo. Watching the reactions of those who had their windows and everything else covered in the mess was entertaining. (BTW, we learned early on not to try to warn those people against parking under the trees. They already knew everything and could be quite rude.)
This thread sound as if Florida is dangerous and a precarious disaster area waiting to happen. It isn't.
Humidity is not toxic--unless you mean air pollution?
If you would never live there---what if you suddenly was given a totally free cool home near the coast. I would go, wouldn't you?
I'm assuming you have never had head exhaustion which is just a step below a heat stroke? I've had it twice, once during a North Carolina heat wave and once here. Plus the humidity does make it hard to breathe for anyone with respiratory issues. And for those who say the heat doesn't bother you as you get older, how old are we talking here? I am 65 and just walking my dog last night at 7:30 p.m. and hanging with a neighbor for about 30 minutes outside I was soaking wet because of the humidity even with the sun already setting.
I have never had a problem with crime or bugs and I live in a very nice, friendly neighborhood. I just really miss the seasons. It's pretty much the same all year round here as far as the scenery. I had a friend who lived in Hawaii for a few years. People might think that sounds like paradise but the monotony of everything looking the same all year long got to her and she was happy to move back to North Carolina.
Yeah, I wouldn't say I'm miserable here; I just don't like the long, hot, humid summers. However the beautiful weather we have from November through April (most years) makes it worth it. Would I like to live somewhere else? Of course, but all my family is here for now and I'm at an age where I don't want to pick up and move again. My oldest may be moving to Colorado so maybe I will visit him for a month or so in the summer.
I'm assuming you have never had head exhaustion which is just a step below a heat stroke? I've had it twice, once during a North Carolina heat wave and once here. Plus the humidity does make it hard to breathe for anyone with respiratory issues. And for those who say the heat doesn't bother you as you get older, how old are we talking here? I am 65 and just walking my dog last night at 7:30 p.m. and hanging with a neighbor for about 30 minutes outside I was soaking wet because of the humidity even with the sun already setting.
I have never had a problem with crime or bugs and I live in a very nice, friendly neighborhood. I just really miss the seasons. It's pretty much the same all year round here as far as the scenery. I had a friend who lived in Hawaii for a few years. People might think that sounds like paradise but the monotony of everything looking the same all year long got to her and she was happy to move back to North Carolina.
Yeah, I wouldn't say I'm miserable here; I just don't like the long, hot, humid summers. However the beautiful weather we have from November through April (most years) makes it worth it. Would I like to live somewhere else? Of course, but all my family is here for now and I'm at an age where I don't want to pick up and move again. My oldest may be moving to Colorado so maybe I will visit him for a month or so in the summer.
I had to check the name on the post. It sounded like me. It's not that I'm miserable, it's just that most people in Florida are so happy not to have snow, that they have convinced themselves that heat and humidity for most of the year is better than maybe four days of snow in NY.
Not clear to me whether the OP has experienced the kind of humidity they will see daily in Florida. Those who have not experienced it should do so before moving across the continent.
For me, it's not a problem. But I have seen "people from afar" suffer more than they thought they would.
And compared to the forests in Oregon, Washington and California all these trees are stunted. Should have known this was going to turn into a bash Florida thread.
Some people thrive in heat and humidity, some don’t. If it’s not for you, don’t move there. I hate snow, but I don’t take the opportunity to trash places because of it, I can appreciate the beauty and diversity of those states that get a lot of it, I just wouldn’t move there.
I don't think anyone is 'trashing' FL. They are simply giving their opinions and offering their perspectives, which is what this forum is about..
Anywhere warm works for me. FL, socal, whatever. Hot is so much better than cold.
I'm just the opposite. I can always wear warmer clothes in the cold, but I can't just "not sweat" in the humidity, regardless of how little clothing I wear. I get quite literally dripping wet even here in TN, where the humidity is only too high for me in July through August. I golf in the early mornings or last tee time of the day in the evenings here in the summer because I can't take the heat/humidity in the middle of the day. CA gets hot in the interior, but as they say "It's a dry heat".
Last edited by TheShadow; 09-03-2020 at 09:03 AM..
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