I moved to California in March of 1976. I always wanted to live in a warm weather climate. The year before, 1975, we traveled down to Florida when the kids had a week off in February. When we left for the drive to Florida, it was absolutely freezing in New Jersey...the coldest I could ever remember in my 29 years of living there. My neighbor had just gotten a brand new Chevy wagon that was a company car, and when he leaned on the dash to get something out of the back seat, the dash split open. I had just gotten a new Mercury Capri, and when I picked up my son from school, just his leg hitting the back of the front seat make the vinyl split open. So you know it was really cold.
I liked to get an early start for my trips, so we loaded up the sleeping kids all bundled up up in their winter jackets and started out on the road to Florida. But I had been partying with my neighbor doctor friends that night, and had to stop for gas off the Garden State Parkway. After getting gas, my daughter woke up and had to go to the bathroom. So we stopped at a rest area on the NJ Turnpike. What a way to start a trip. I usually like to get going and not stop until I needed gas.
So we finally get to Rocky Mount. NC, and it was so hot, we had to remove all our winter jackets as we were starting to sweat to death. What a change in the climate. We were on our way to Orlando to go to Disney World. I was making such good time that we arrived in Florida a day early, and had to make a new reservation at a Holiday Inn on the outskirts of Orlando. Next day we check into the Days Inn Suites in Orlando. Wouldn't you know it, the temperature set a record when we were there hitting 90+ degrees.
After we got back, I decided that the warm weather was just what we needed. My son was getting so sick during the winter and missed so many days of school, they almost let him repeat a grade. So a warm weather climate would be the best change for all of us.
So we finally moved to California, and I've never regretted it. My son stopped getting sick, and was the healthiest he'd ever been. But it was quite a change from being in New Jersey.
For whatever reason, the weather always seems to be wonderful when it comes to Xmas time. I can only remember a handful of times that it has ever rained on Xmas. Sometimes we get a Santa Ana condition which drives the temperatures into the high 80-90s.
Like most Christmas days, I like to take a ride to the beach and park by the shore and watch the surfers do their thing on the ocean. Today was one of those days. I drive to the beach just to see what's going on, and how many people are out there doing the same thing. Since it was such a beautiful day many locals and visitors had traveled to the beach to do the same thing as I was doing. But, even though the surfers were out in full force, the ocean was like a lake....flat as a pancake. But they were all out there just floating on their boards hoping a big wave was going to come along. But that wasn't going to happen.
One thing I didn't realize before moving to California, was that the water was COLD, unlike Florida where you could swim all year long. I guess all the Beach Boys songs brainwashed me into thinking you could swim all year long in Calif. But while Florida has the Gulfstream that travels south to north, Calif. gets the Alaskan flow which travels north to south bringing cold water to Calif. So the water temperature doesn't really get any higher than 70 degrees even in the summer, and is usually 68 degrees or lower. That's why the surfers wear wet suits all year long.
But one thing you have out here is absolutely beautiful days where the sun is shining and not a cloud in the sky. What a wonderful way to spend Xmas. But the best part is, if you are from the east or midwest, and really miss the snow, you just have to drive a couple of hours, and you can be skiiing or snowboarding at Big Bear or Arrowhead. So if you really miss back east type weather, you can always rent a cabin or chalet up in the mountains and hunker down with some hot chocolate or a rum toddy and enjoy the weather. After you're done, you can always come back and enjoy the beautiful California sunshine.
I liked to get an early start for my trips, so we loaded up the sleeping kids all bundled up up in their winter jackets and started out on the road to Florida. But I had been partying with my neighbor doctor friends that night, and had to stop for gas off the Garden State Parkway. After getting gas, my daughter woke up and had to go to the bathroom. So we stopped at a rest area on the NJ Turnpike. What a way to start a trip. I usually like to get going and not stop until I needed gas.
So we finally get to Rocky Mount. NC, and it was so hot, we had to remove all our winter jackets as we were starting to sweat to death. What a change in the climate. We were on our way to Orlando to go to Disney World. I was making such good time that we arrived in Florida a day early, and had to make a new reservation at a Holiday Inn on the outskirts of Orlando. Next day we check into the Days Inn Suites in Orlando. Wouldn't you know it, the temperature set a record when we were there hitting 90+ degrees.
After we got back, I decided that the warm weather was just what we needed. My son was getting so sick during the winter and missed so many days of school, they almost let him repeat a grade. So a warm weather climate would be the best change for all of us.
So we finally moved to California, and I've never regretted it. My son stopped getting sick, and was the healthiest he'd ever been. But it was quite a change from being in New Jersey.
For whatever reason, the weather always seems to be wonderful when it comes to Xmas time. I can only remember a handful of times that it has ever rained on Xmas. Sometimes we get a Santa Ana condition which drives the temperatures into the high 80-90s.
Like most Christmas days, I like to take a ride to the beach and park by the shore and watch the surfers do their thing on the ocean. Today was one of those days. I drive to the beach just to see what's going on, and how many people are out there doing the same thing. Since it was such a beautiful day many locals and visitors had traveled to the beach to do the same thing as I was doing. But, even though the surfers were out in full force, the ocean was like a lake....flat as a pancake. But they were all out there just floating on their boards hoping a big wave was going to come along. But that wasn't going to happen.
One thing I didn't realize before moving to California, was that the water was COLD, unlike Florida where you could swim all year long. I guess all the Beach Boys songs brainwashed me into thinking you could swim all year long in Calif. But while Florida has the Gulfstream that travels south to north, Calif. gets the Alaskan flow which travels north to south bringing cold water to Calif. So the water temperature doesn't really get any higher than 70 degrees even in the summer, and is usually 68 degrees or lower. That's why the surfers wear wet suits all year long.
But one thing you have out here is absolutely beautiful days where the sun is shining and not a cloud in the sky. What a wonderful way to spend Xmas. But the best part is, if you are from the east or midwest, and really miss the snow, you just have to drive a couple of hours, and you can be skiiing or snowboarding at Big Bear or Arrowhead. So if you really miss back east type weather, you can always rent a cabin or chalet up in the mountains and hunker down with some hot chocolate or a rum toddy and enjoy the weather. After you're done, you can always come back and enjoy the beautiful California sunshine.
