I hit the road again a couple of days ago, after an absolutely wonderful and long visit with my friend Wendy in Wilmington, heading south to Florida. I was very much tempted to stop in Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, but I sailed on through non-stop to Florida. My first stop in Florida was Gainesville, to visit my good friends Jack and Sally, who, like me, are Canadians in exile. Unfortunately, I brought a cold front from Canada with me, which threatens to linger for a few more days. I hope the front heads back north; I don’t need it following me south when I pull up stakes tomorrow.
Gainesville is gator country. There are gators that’ll eat you alive, but I’m talking about Gator sports. Gator football and Gator basketball, college style. It’s a big college town, with a huge fan base. Wednesday night saw the University of Florida men’s basketball team hosting University of Alabama in a game the Gators won handily. I was cheering for the right team. Not as volubly as Jack and Sal, but I gave it the good ol’ college try. Sports are a family affair – their son, John, and grandson, J.T., were also in the stands, and I don’t think any of them would miss a home game if they could help it.