I once worked at an evening newspaper just north of Manatee that made this promise every day to readers: If the sun doesn't shine, your paper is free.
Turns out, the offer wasn't all that bold or risky. Only twice during my 3½-year tenure was the paper given out for free. According to my own rough calculation, that's about once every 638 days without the sun.
Sunshine? It's something we can bank on here. It's said - and who can question it? - that living on the beautiful and enticing west coast of Florida provides more opportunities for sunshine than even sun-splashed Hawaii. It's a big reason why many of us choose to live here.
Ol' King Sol.
Just as the folks up north are storm-proofing their homes, winterizing their vehicles and bracing for another unpredictable winter, we're inviting the weather through our screen doors and rolling down our car windows to catch a breeze.
A kid with a baseball glove quickly realizes that the game here is a year-round pursuit, not just a summertime fling. Boys of Summer? Sure, and you can add Boys of Fall, and Boys of Winter, and Boys of Spring as well. If you live near G.T. Bray park - or any of our public playgrounds - you'll hear laughter, game chatter and the crack of the bat all year long, from November to November.
It's no wonder we produce top athletes such as New York Mets outfielder Lastings Milledge, who grew up here and led the Lakewood Ranch High School team to a state championship a few years back before turning pro. You don't have to park your mitt for the winter. And you never have to shovel the driveway to shoot hoops.
Old and young alike embrace the benefits of our tropical climate. Sometimes, together. This is going to sound like a joke, but I get fleeced regularly on the golf course by a retired photographer, a retired urologist and a retired heart surgeon. Obviously, these gentlemen have for years taken full advantage of the great golfing opportunities here. They still have game, and the confidence that comes with it.
There is much to be learned from participating with active seniors, and one of the first lessons is this: Don't bet against them. The dollar bill pinned to my office wall represents my meager but proud earnings from an all-too-rare victory over an 83-year-old golfer. He doesn't hit 'em far, but he sure does hit 'em straight. And putts lights-out. I wouldn't think of letting my son play in this group. They'd eat him alive.
It's a terrible misconception to say that elderly people move to Florida to die. They move here to enjoy the weather like the rest of us! And you see them everywhere: riding bicycles, taking brisk walks, pitching horseshoes, playing golf, tennis and shuffleboard, swimming at the beach, you name it. And while sports like horseshoes and shuffleboard may seem more geared to the retirement set, our local organizations encourage youngsters of all ages to participate.
Just don't make any side bets with the seniors.
Golf, swimming, bowling and shuffleboard are just a few of the recreational activities shared by Manatee's young and old. There are great walks to be taken along nature trails through our beautiful county and state parks. Can you explain why grandpas always seem to find the best shells on the beach? And are the only ones to be trusted taking a fish off the hook?
Who ever imagined that kids in Manatee could strap on ice skates and glide like Michelle Kwan - or Martin St. Louis. Come to think of it, ice skating at the Ellenton rink is one activity some of us will leave to the younger set. Same goes for skim boards at the beach. And the skate park.
Still, you can never underestimate the heart of a senior. I once knew a Florida retiree who maintained a pole-vaulting pit beside his house. Two or three times a week, he would chug down the runway, plant his cane pole in the box and soar, ever so briefly, toward the heavens. And more times than not, he would clear the crossbar cleanly before landing in the sawdust pit. A 66-year-old who could clear 9 feet in the pole vault!
His advice: "If you rest, you rust."
It doesn't matter if you're young, old or somewhere in between - those are great words to live by. And there's no better place to live them than right here in Manatee, where Ol' King Sol shines every day.
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