The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-01-07
BIRMINGHAMERS TAKING
A PLAY DAY LIZ FLORIDA


dropping down toward the re-
! frigerating polar regions and freez-
ing Birminghamers one day and
encouraging them with hope of
summer time the next, it gives one
a sort of fairy land thrill to hear
Mrs. c. P. Beddow relate that the
flowers are brilliant and gay in
! Florida, and that folks are going in
bathing, cutting up and acting like
it was August.
And they're not worrying about
boar frost and grim winter giving
them cricks in the necks and den
que.
Mr.. and Mrs. Beddow returned
from the Ponce de Leon country
last Sunday, having been away two
weeks.
The most soul satisfying and
unique portion of their trip, which
! included many cities was that made
by auto bus. Sorter getting old
fashioned in Florida now to ride the
trains!
And instead of these buses being
: the break back sort that shiver you
! from one station to another and
warn you at every ward if the cob
blestones get much rougher, you'd
F, better not rely on the driver to save
your life, but call on your own
jumping ability, they're like easy
ambulances.
"Wasn't any more tired on them
than I get riding the trains" said
this visitor from home, land they're
not half so dirty. In addition, /
loved the way we travelled all day,
and then, just as in old western
stage coach days, we would draw up
and stop at little hotels TO spend the
night.
Everything in such hostelries
was so clean and fresh and bright,
and such good little country food
they served! The air we breathed
was so clean, and, of course, you
know how fresh the wind always Is,
blowing from across forests"
On their trip, Mr.. and Mrs. Bed
dow visited st. Petersburg, where
they went first, and where the
greatest pleasure was to sit out on
! benches and in rocking chairs along
the grass plats at the sidewalk and
watch the crowds go by. Most ev-
erybody in Florida sits outside.
Zone night Mr.. Beddow wanted
ame togo to a show with him, :"
laughed the Birmingham matron.
"But I flatly turned him down. l
told him I'd rather rock and see
the crowds passing. They were a
show themselves.
TRAFFIC going south is jammed,
and it seemed queer to see the win
! ter hotels Just beginning to open up
| for the season. For instance, the
Poinsettia hotel, where we stopped,
had Just thrown its cafe doors open
two days before we got thereto
care for the Christmas and New
Year throngs.
"How odd to leave Birmingham,
where only the pines, hedges, ivy
and evergreens show life, and get
down where rows and rows OF scar
let poinsettias waved as if they
never expected chilly moment.
How uncanny, while the sun was
shining, and everything warm and
bright, to have porters call out:
Merry Christmas! y"
One thing / couldn't understand
was how many of the St. Petersburg
folk, with all these thousands of
hedges of glorious, blooming poin-
settias at hand, persisted in hang
ing such artificial flowers at their
doors a1-l windows 1t is said that
st. Petersburg is city which never
has day without sunshine, but |
can testify it poured rain all day
two days we were there.
"Our next stop was at Tampa,
and then by bus to Orlando. This
was over 100 miles. The second
picking of the orange crop was just
being done, and it was a glorious
sight as we rode along to see the
/ thousands of acres set with dark
green trees upon which cleaned the
millions of oranges that indeed ap-
peared as proverbial apples Of
gold At Orlando. Lake Lucerne
satisfied my heart so that | can
scare ~ think the lake of the same
name in Europe can equal its love
! illness. Leaving its brilliant pastel
colorings and shadows, we departed
to Daytona. and here was our one
! tedious wait. For after our bus
reached there. we were compelled to
sit in the station from o'clock
p. m. until o'clock a. m. on our
way to Miami.
1.-The train was late, for it seemed
everybody from everywhere was
headed south into Florida, 1t was
no trouble travelling northward to
/ find room in the trains-but south!
1t would be like going to an Ala
bama state fair on free day when
everybody was to be given $40
i bill.
Miami is very beautiful, but
missed most of the city's sights
because | couldn't keep my eyes
off gorgeous and colorful georgette
waists the women were wearing
and the sportive Palm Beach suits
and summer hats the gentlemen al
fected. We got to Miami Christ
mas Day.
"The Birmingham folks we met
! but, of course, there were lots more
\ there-were' MIR. and Mrs. Hal
Z Copeland and their friends, MI
and Mrs. Warner. | saw them and
gossiped with them in st. Peters
burg.
But l was making hay while the
sun of Florida shone in talking
about Birmingham to the northern
ers | met, boosting the city. ]
inquired of them why they didn't
come to Birmingham for their win
ters-that it wasn't much colder
than Florida. For | flatter myself
Pm as good as any Albanian in
| Standing I'M for ny, hama nit,r /