[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by DianeM

This will be my first season for the snowbird arrival and everyone tells me that it is hell.

dianem - it is only really bad if one is not flexible and finds adjusting difficult - or has an entitlement attitude [snowbirds can have those, too]!

it is like summer on the jersey shore or leaf-peeping in new england. all of a sudden swarms of people are clogging hiways, byways and cart paths - and some have no idea where they are going; creating long lines at restaurants - where the locals were able to just walk thru the doors at any hour to dine [i think that's where the 'sr early-bird rep comes from - trying to beat the crowd and avoid a line]!; there is no place to sit in st tim's if ya don't get there for the next mass just as the last mass is exiting!; and the colony shopping plaza is jammed all time because folks don't take the time to head to sweetbay or southern trace plazas!

not to leave out - that golfers become exceedingly frustrated by the difficulty in securing tee times [and tee times at their favorite courses, no less] - rather than just be glad that they got a tee time! popular activities, pool time and work-out facilities also book up quickly!

it's another reason why i am so happy to live on the original historic side! 2 post offices nearby - one by cart, one by car; no golf cart paths thru our villages and mostly the only traffic there LIVES there; a quick ride by car or cart and i have the choice of 2 grocery stores, two chain pharmacies a reasonably priced gas station with convenience store [read lottery tix]; and easy auto access to several big box stores and aldi's!

we snowbirds really do take the complaining on the chin from some here in the villages - those who have little to no respect that we all pay the same amenity fees. some forget that most snowbirds only use those amenities for a short time rather than yr-round - which helps keep the cost of everyone's amenity fees lower than if each of us just paid for amenities for the months we are in residence.

so if you can modify your existence for a few months, you will see that when we all fly back to our northern nests, life in the villages returns to normal and folks have a hard time finding things to complain about! some locals even lament that snowbird friends have left again - they're the rare gems that we treasure!