Water, greenery major features of Florida

We’re back home in Clovis after another 3,600-mile car trip to the American Southland.

The Lady of the House and I decided to drive because we wanted to take our time to enjoy the land of humidity, hurricanes and beer or barbecue joints with names like “Bubba’s,” “Scooter’s,” “Hammer Time” or “The Big Hat Club.”

It’s also a lot cheaper than flying.

I figure it’s important to tell you about our spring road trip because I got the impression most New Mexicans stay home; I didn’t see any New Mexico license plates after we left the High Plains.

Our destination was Florida. We decided we’d hurry going east and take our time coming back west. Via interstate we zipped across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and on in to Florida.

I say “zipped” now, but while we were in transit the road seemed to go on forever; especially crossing Texas.

Once we got to “The Sunshine State” The Lady of the House hung out with her sister; the two of them going off on their spring shopping marathon. They went to mall after mall, “Tar-jey” to “Wally World” and on and on. I took the family car and proceeded to far south Florida; land of palm trees, humidity and supermarkets with wine sections as large as our grocery stores.

The Southland in the springtime is alive with things greening up. Flowers are working their way out to be seen, too. I was glad I got to roll through central Florida during one of my favorite times, just when the orange blossoms are out. The wonderful aroma of a sea of orange blossoms is one of my favorite fragrances.

Surely in paradise orange trees are blossoming all the time.

The main reason I went to south Florida was to visit my mom. By long-distance phone she didn’t sound well, but when I got there I found her in great shape. I took her for a drive along the Atlantic Coast with its shimmering surf, miles of beaches and water that stretched over the horizon. She may not have said much but I told her a lot. She liked that.

One of the things that strikes a New Mexican arriving in south Florida is water. It’s pretty obvious the folks there aren’t hurting for H2O. This occurred to me as I went on a morning walk. I saw lawn sprinklers running everywhere; a PVC pipe discharged a small river of water from someone’s home, maybe they were flushing their Jacuzzi. Lawn water, the water from the imaginary Jacuzzi, it all ran into the street gutter and down a drain.

Then it was time to leave. We packed up the car with the good stuff we had picked up in Florida. The Lady of the House had a bunch of stuff for her kitchen. I had a few record albums I scarfed up at some flea markets. We also had new shells for the family hermit crabs that came back from Florida on last year’s trip; like all children they’re getting too big for their old clothes.

Next week I’ll tell you about the trip home to Clovis. It’s a story that includes crawfish etouffe served by a drunken waitress in Louisiana, a visit to a Piggly Wiggly and something devastating that left me almost speechless.

Grant McGee hosts the weekday morning show on KTQM-FM in Clovis. Contact him at:

[email protected]