Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-13

for a shelter and walls of sufficient
thickness to secure a dry place to
sleep in at all hazards.
I was in Tampa when the biz
zard of four or five years ago came
along. There were also icicles, sew
eral inches long. talked about, but
L was not unhappy because [ was
in a hotel that sheltered me and
there was a big old heater in the
lobby which did good service after
it was overhauled and cleaned up by
the hotel manager. That was the
only place to sit during the daytime
and at night l doubled my under
wear and put on my heavy cloak to
prepare for bed. 1t was my first
experience of dressing up in all the
clothes I had with me to sleep -
anywise comfortable-in a hotel.
There was one small electric heat
err on the second floor that did its
little best, and was good to look at,
but it was not particularly satisfy
ing, even as a show piece, when the
whole country was wrapped in ice
and the bed kiver" was SO scarce
that there was no such a thing as a
blanket in the entire building to Of
fer guests.
A young lady nineteen years old,
born in Tampa, was immensely eX-
cited over the first iCicle she had
ever seen, and a bridal couple eX-
pected to wear summer clothes in
Tampa were in straits to keep from
shivering. The gallant bridegroom
gave his overcoat to the young lady,
and then they had to sit in the lobby
with the rest of us instead of seeing
the sights of the big Florida town
on the gulf side. So [ ruminated in
my mind, as Bill Arp used to say,
and write, and have been in no par
ticular hurry to live in an automo-
bile down in the land of flowers.
There is a commercial side to this
Florida travel, however, that real
estate men will catch onto, and the
first who take the chances will
doubtless make the money. Florida
is bound to rank high in the United
States as a winter resort. 1t is next
to California as a rival at this writ
ing. The billiards. are exceedingly
rare, as 1 am told, and compared
with the climate in New England
and the northwest, Florida is a para
disc to people who are easy to catch
cold.
Florida is so accessible to every
body on the Atlantic coast that it
will loom high, even with sick north
erners who have been in the habit
Of finding pleasure and health in
the south of France. And the tropi-
cal fruits in Florida are superb. A
Florida orange has a flavor that is
beyond comparison. I have not a
;..Eo 10 vfe,I,
did have enough to own a midwinter
home-for the months of January
and February in each year, but the
very fact that the winter climate is
so balmy as a rule that people can
travel from Minnesota or Michigan
in an automobile to Florida, at far
less expense than their railroad fare,
and can live for the hard winter
months in the same automobile, and
can return in April to the north
west in the same vehicle, without
any big coal bill to pay, will undoubt-
edly make Florida very popular as
the years roll on for a winter para
disc. Where [ live in the northwest
ern part of Georgia we have had no
snow, but very little ice up to date,
and unless it was pouring down rain.
almost everybody can work out of
doors the winter through. But we
must have regular fires to keep COM
Portable, and also heavy clothing
when exposed to the cold weather.
and those things Florida can do with
out as a general rule. Two years
ago some of my neighbors told me
that the automobile touring cars
from the northwest, also Kentucky.
averaged over 100 per day during
the early winter months, and a great
many OF these cars were arranged
for. the camping business during
their sojourn in Florida. That meant
great deal.