The Snowbirds

My grandparents always went to Florida during the winter months. They were what some people refer to as “snowbirds”. Living in western Pennsylvania has many advantages but also some disadvantages. Winter is considered a disadvantage to some people and my grandmother was one of those people. My grandparents first started going to Florida for a few months in the winter in the 1970’s. Winters in western Pennsylvania were much worse in years past. The snow would be like walls on each side of the road. I can remember there being many blizzards growing up. Today, western Pennsylvania winters are much milder.

My grandmother could not wait to get to her home in Edgewater, which is not far from the Daytona Beach area of Florida. I think my grandfather was excited to go too but not as anxious as my grandmother. I was always so sad when my grandparents left, which was usually around January and I counted the days until they returned in April. They drove by car both to and from Florida stopping to do a little sightseeing along the way. My grandfather lost his left hand in an accident in the coal mines where he worked so it always amazed me that he could drive that far with only one hand. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though because my grandfather could do pretty much anything with one hand. In fact, one year on their way home from Florida, my grandparents bought my sister and I a trampoline at an auction. It was the late 1970’s so it wasn’t like the trampolines of today. My grandfather had to build the frame for the trampoline, which he did with only one hand. We had many years of fun on that trampoline and I think all of our friends did too!

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit my grandparents in Florida for a week each year from the age of 12 until about 21. I’ll never forget my first visit, it was in 1978 and I was 12 years old. I didn’t even know I was going to Florida until the day we left. Only my father and I went on this first trip. Most trips included other family members but I think my father made the decision to go on this first trip at the last minute. My oldest sister just had a baby and I am sure my mother wanted to be home to help her since she was a first-time mother. So I was the lucky person who my father decided to take! I vividly remember sitting in history class when I heard my name over the loudspeaker being told to report to the office. I thought “Oh no, what did I do now?” I was so relieved to learn that I wasn’t in trouble but that I was going to Florida for a week.

This trip in 1978 included a lot of firsts for me. It was my first time flying, my first time to Florida and my first time away from my mother. I always loved my father but I was definitely a ”mama’s girl.” It was so wonderful when our plane arrived at the Daytona Beach International Airport and we disembarked. The palm trees and the warm breeze were great but the sight of my grandparents waiting to pick us up was just the best feeling ever. Just writing about this memory gives me such a warm feeling. My grandmother had a great sense of humor. When we arrived at their house she had a bedroom all ready for me and she had hidden on the walls little plastic lizards. Well, that really scared the heck out of me! I never had to deal with lizards in Pennsylvania. I was thrilled to have my grandmother all to myself, she was so much fun. I also went to Disney World for the first time on this trip. It was pouring rain that day but the rain did not dampen our fun one bit. We bought four raincoats and off we went. My father and grandfather went together and I went with my grandmother. She took me to all her favorite places, including “It’s a Small World” and “The Country Bears Jamboree.” And, of course, I went home with a giant stuffed Minnie Mouse doll!

All my trips to Florida were so much fun and I have such great memories of each and every one of them. My mother was terrified of flying but she even came on the trips. The trips over the years included different family members and even my middle sister‘s best friend. I was so happy to get a week off from school every year. But a week was never long enough with my grandparents and I was so sad to leave each year. Our trips were usually in February when I was in school and then whenever spring break was when I was in college. I would always wait patiently for the day when my grandparents would come home to Pennsylvania. When I was young I would even sit and stare out the window the day they were scheduled to arrive excitedly waiting for their car to turn into the driveway.

My grandparents eventually had to sell their Florida house because my grandfather had black lung from working in the coal mines and it was hard for him to breath in the humid weather. My grandmother was disappointed but she understood. I loved our times in Florida but I have to admit I was very happy to have my grandparents home in Pennsylvania year around.☺️