Long Drive, Beautiful Sunshine

Aunt Maggie's House - ain't it gorgeous?!

Palm trees instead of hedges outside the window. I'm not in Pennsylvania anymore!

Aunt Maggie must be a bird lover. Check out the statuary!

After a long drive (10 hours the first day and 7 hours the second day), I arrived in Florida for the Space Coast Bird and Wildlife Festival sponsored by the Brevard Nature Alliance. Driving the 30 miles from my aunt's house in New Smyrna Beach to Titusville to pick up my registration materials and explore the campus of the the Brevard County Community College from where the field trips will be staged, I was enjoying the 65 degree weather, bright blue skies and even brighter sun when I realized how sun-starved I was. Now I know why people travel south for the winter. I used to snicker at the "snowbirds", but as my mood considerably lightened and the problems of the past few months drifted away in the breeze, I became a convert. Sunshine, blue skies and birds in January - the cure for all ills. More to come on the Space Coast Festival-my first field trip begins tomorrow at 4:30am and one of the trip leaders is Jeff Gordon. I am anticipating lots of life birds and sunshine.