Landing in Longboat Key
My husband and I have never been snowbirds, rather the type to stay put, batten down the hatches and growl at the weather.
GLORIA RASKIN
Contributing Columnist
raskin@lbknews.com
I am not sure how I landed in Longboat Key. I think it was probably 10 years ago when I first heard about Longboat Key from a creative writing teacher’s class. For some reason, the name stayed with me. I liked the woman who taught the class and felt, somehow instinctively, that if she was going there, this had to be a good spot. The name remained in my memory bank, tucked away until recently in a short memoir there was a line about walking on the beach in Longboat Key, and again the name resounded with me. I want to go there, I thought. Why, I am not to sure, but with the combination of warmth and water, it has to be right for me. I loved the picture in my mind of a long, long beach that I could walk on, quickly for exercise and slowly, for my soul.
My husband and I have never been snowbirds, rather the type to stay put, batten down the hatches and growl at the weather while we stayed inside. Actually, my husband complains when the weather is too warm. Summer is not his favorite season, so the idea of going south in the winter would not appeal to him. Since I did not find this out when we were first married, I was destined to live with this slight character defect until this year. This year, things changed! Remembering the desolation I felt last year, the fear of falling on the ice, the barren landscape, dirty snow, and chapped hands, I suggested one month in the sun, to sort of try this way of life out, a way of life our parents had traveled and now so many of our contemporaries have chosen as well.
Longboat Key came immediately to mind and I quickly learned that two of my condo neighbors in Northern Westchester wintered there. They both offered to help me find a condo and eventually, with their help, we chose one at Beachplace and were on our way.
As our month here comes to a close, I must say that although the weather was not what we would have picked, we enjoyed this little interlude in our lives. This was a chance to meet new people from different states, get to know another part of the country, live in a rental apartment, cook in another woman’s kitchen, shop in a new supermarket, and adapt to a slower way of life where your daily plans are only shaped by your wishes and needs.
This year I tasted a sample of what Longboat Key has to offer. Needless to say, we loved the taste. Next year our sample will probably be slightly larger and even a little bit longer.
