Florida is flat so many houses are built on mounds with drainage lakes and canals designed to help manage the impact of hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions. None so far for us. We have been in 20-30 mph winds, but even "on the hill" in NC we experienced 45-60 mph winds occasionally. So, we are taking it all in stride at this point.
There are small oddities here...to us. For example, there are "fake" birds as exterior decor in some ponds. This picture is the one at the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Melbourne. Can you tell which birds are real and which are "fake"?
Another odd observation is that two gas stations on the same corner will have dramatically different pricing. If you saw a station advertising their gas for $2.69 a gallon and the opposite one is priced at $2.78, which would you choose? To me, if they have 87 octane at each, it is a no brainer. Here I come, $2.69 gas station!
Swimming seems to be confined mainly to the ocean (very nice), swimming pools and springs. The ponds are more likely to have water amoebas, or amoeba Naegleria fowleri, in the sediments which can enter your body through your nose and, in rare cases, kill you if you don't recognize the severe headache or stiff neck symptoms in time. Early antibiotics evidently stop these amoebas in their tracks! We do need to get Skipper a vaccination for this. He is NOT allowed in the water at this point.
Flinching...a common body language oddity especially among the senior citizens. Many older people flinch when they see dogs as they evidently fear being toppled or lovingly licked! These flinching people can also be found cowarding at the ends of grocery aisles - preparing themselves for the onslaught of a runaway shopping cart or a crazy cart driver. Fraility seems to be the root of this common issue in Florida. Do I see this oddity in my future? I hope not as I love animals and shopping!
Perhaps one of the most interesting oddities to those of us who still have cellphone area code 828 is that the area code for this part of Florida (maybe all of Florida for all I know) is 321. Like in 3-2-1 blastoff !!! Good going, Space Coast!
