Putnam patriot., 1928-03-22
Letter From Florida


Miss Mildred S. Jones, who is So
journing in Florida. writes this inter-
esting letter from BPS 3rd avenue,
South. Apartment 5, st, Petersburg:
The address tells lot, and ! feel
like a lady of leisure. with my own
apartment, which is large enough Tor
two, with sitting bedroom. Kitchen
diningroom, nice bath, and big clos
ct. MY good fortune was due 10 my
friend, Miss r., who found this un-
expectedly vacant and so cheap. Ny
landlady is neat as wax, consequently
my impressions Of the city are de-
lightful. There is no business here
except providing for tourists, and
that is down to a fine point. Everyone
exclaims over il, from park and daily
hand concerts, to settees everywhere,
so one can rest and visit, read the pa
per, or just watch the passersby.
There are splendid hotels and
churches. great beautiful ones, and
they are crowded Sundays so we have
TO go early 10 get a seat. One great
Methodist has two masses at $50
and IL. Sunday morning. 1t is the
best church-going crowd | ever heard
of in my life. and might well be follow
ed by our northern resorts. Cafes
abound and the food is excellent and
reasonable. Oranges 20 cents dozen
and grape fruit is cents dozen, and
the trees are in blossom for another
crop. Vegetables are abundant and
this week Miss X. and | are on a diet
of fruit and vegetables. No milk, eggs,
meat. salt, except vegetable salt, sug
ar, coffee, nor any Of the good things.
This is our fourth day and when the
next three days are over ! expect 10
be 100 per cent. In fact | am already
much better for the treatment and we
have DIR. HIS assurance that We may
eat anything we want afterward.
I've met some pleasant people and
one talks to ones neighbors regard
less" ] met one lady who was from
the north" and ii turned out to be
West Virginia. | guess she thought
we came from the North Pole. It's
cooler today after an early morning
thunder shower which came down in
tubsfuli. but most of the time since |
came il has been wise to keep on the
shady side of the street and the pave
ments burned ones feet through the
shoes.
EALlt one Oh ltbiin OpttAc WIN a
glass door on porches, and nights i
leave them open, just hooking the
screens, and the windows are wide
open too, but it cools late in'the night
so | draw up the extra blanket.
The city is surrounded by water,
only just one little neck of land con-
Meeting il with the main land, and the
soil is white sand. Grass here would
make our northern farmers properly
scornful. Still they have fortified
and managed TO make a certain coarse
grass grow so the effect of lawns and
parks is green and beautiful.
| found the Carnegie Library and
all round ii between the asphalt walks
were flower beds where calcndulas, pc
tun.as, nasturtiums and geraniums
were in full bloom. To us northerners
this seems like summer, but it's only
their late winter and they are busy
putting in seeds and raising chickens.
They certainly do il under warm con-
ditions, but wouldn't want TO live
here, too much sameness in climate
and too awfully level country. There
are lots of trees, great rubber trees
like our northern oaks, and palm trees
besides others which give lovely shady
streets and make the parks pleasant.
The house across Bird avenue where
Miss r. Is is embowered in Turk
Head" beautiful vine with millions
Of scarlet flowers, reminding me Of the
trumpet vine on Mr.. Davis porch.
The house next mine is covered with
carmine lowered vine called Bogain-
villies. but il isn't nearly so lovely as
our honeysuckle and the flowers here
are not fragrant only just brilliant.
II was cold nights on the sleeper even
in Jacksonville. and when | woke Sat
urday and went into the station for
breakfast | shivered, but after that
we came right down across the state
and the weather warmed up and my
spirits rose also. Probably May LIST
will see me willing to get into my
warm coat for the home trip.