The Sunny Side of Life

It’s January in northern Illinois, the dreariest place on the planet, and I have the winter blues.  Last Friday while driving in the car with my husband I looked at the sky and said to him, “Is that not the ugliest color in the world?”  There is a gray pallor that sits heavy over the land this time of year that causes me to slip into a cold funk and crave sunlight.  The landscape has lost its color and is half covered in dirty snow, and to add insult to injury (or perhaps that should be vice versa) there’s just enough ice on the sidewalks to make them treacherous. But honestly, I don’t care if it’s cold, I don’t care if it’s snowy, I just want the sun to shine.

There is hope for me though.  In February my husband and I are hopping on a plane and flying off to the “Land of Sunshine” to attend a friend’s wedding.  I’ve been to Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean so consequently Florida is not my favorite tropical paradise.  I’ve had some nice vacations there but I always go back to the two weeks that I spent in Fort Lauderdale one summer with my Mother and my Aunt Ginger and I distinctly remember it being like the devil’s sauna.  There was also this snake in the rest room incident that I try not to think about.  However, I keep reminding myself that it will be the middle of winter and the prospect of the warm sun on my face and sand between my toes is giving me the strength to hold on.  I’m looking forward to long walks on the beach and watching the sun set over the ocean.  I’m not much for tropical drinks but a little pink umbrella in my glass of merlot would definitely put a smile on my face.  It will be a pleasure to only wear one layer of clothing and not my usual February two or three.  And believe it or not, we are staying at a hotel on the beach called the Postcard Inn. The sunny postcard possibilities are swimming in my head!

In the not so distant past I did a research request for someone looking for tourism images of Florida in the mid twentieth century. Looking to put a little sunshine in my life I dug up that request and pulled the Florida postcards from the file to share with you as well.  These postcards make Florida seem like the perfect place for a little respite from Old Man Winter’s wrath. Whether it’s boating, fishing, sunbathing, or cavorting on the beach with a bevy of beauties there’s fun for everyone in the Land of Sunshine.  I’m thinking that a trip on the “Streamliner” through the orange groves would really set my mind right. February cannot get here soon enough.