Snowbirds

Over the last several years, the winters here in New Jersey have become so unpredictable. One year, we get the proverbial “100-year storm” that hits us all hard with the cold, lots of snow, and a prolonged loss of power. At other times, the winters are so mild, one can walk around with just a heavy sweater on. Whatever the case may be, winter is the season that causes people the most grief. 

Here at the Jersey Shore, there are a group of people – usually retired – who have found a way to avoid the Jersey winters, either partially or all-together. They’re the “snowbirds” – people who head south, either for the winter holidays or for the entire winter. Some snowbirds stay down south for so long that they have even taken up changing their residency to the states where they reside in the winter. 

The first snowbirds in my family were my dad’s parents. When Big Grandpa retired from the A&P in 1968, he and Big Grandma started heading down to Florida for a few weeks at a time. It was good that they got away so they could recharge their batteries, and it was good for me as well, too. Every time they went to Florida, I got to work Big Grandma’s part-time job, cleaning the inside of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church on Second Avenue in Long Branch. 

Big Grandma and Big Grandpa started going down to Florida so much that, around 1974, they went and bought a place of their own, splitting their time every year between New Jersey and Florida. Of course this was a great move for them. They were both going down so often at that point that the place practically paid for itself in just a few years. 

Soon after, some members of my grandparents’ families followed them down to Florida. One of Big Grandpa’s sister moved down there, followed by Big Grandma’s brother and both sisters. They all moved into the same development, too. Florida was starting to feel like Franklin Terrace in Long Branch, where most of my father’s relatives lived back in the day, only without the cold weather. 

I can remember staying at my grandparents’ place in the spring of 1979 and 1981, my sophomore and senior years in college, to join fellow Glassboro State College students at spring break. I would borrow their car and head to The Button, the iconic club along the Fort Lauderdale beach circuit, for a whale of a good time. 

When my grandparents passed, my mom and dad took over their house and have used it extensively since they both retired in the mid-1990’s. First it was a month or two here and there; then it turned into 5 months in Florida, 7 months in New Jersey. Now, my parents spend 7 months out of the year in Florida and 5 months in New Jersey. They get to miss the New Jersey winter altogether. 

Florida has always been a great vacation destination for my whole family. When I first started going there in the mid-1960’s with my parents and two younger brothers, we drove down, taking us almost two full days to get down there and two days back. Now when we head to Florida, we all take a four-hour plane ride down. 

We stayed in some of the more well-known towns in Florida, especially along the east coast: Riviera Beach and Singer Island, Dania Beach, and Fort Lauderdale to name just a few. When Disneyworld opened up in 1974, we would drive up from where we stayed in Fort Lauderdale for 4½ hours on the Florida Turnpike to get there. 

So why do I bring up memories of Florida? At this point in life, as my wife and I enter into the “back nine” of our professional careers, the idea of following in my grandparents’ and parents’ footsteps and retiring down south is intriguing. It’s definitely something to think about. 

Back here in New Jersey, I started shoveling snow during the wintertime when I was about 10 years old. Now as I enter my mid-fifties, shoveling snow is getting old fast. 

(The entire Jersey Shore Retro Blogography can be found at http://longbranch.patch.com/blogs/kevin-cieris-blog .You can also follow Kevin Cieri's blog on his Facebook page, "Jersey Shore Retro" as well as on Twitter @jsretro).