A Florida State of Mind Quotes

“Cowboy took a child's delight in sneaking things into his dishes that people normally wouldn't eat -- squirrel, rabbit, possum, porcupine, even raccoon or muskrat meat. Often enough, these ingredients had been harvested from the side of the road. He'd wait until people were done eating, ask them if they liked it (they always did), then tell them what they had just eaten.”
― James D. Wright, A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State

“The shuttle would announce its arrival with the trademark double sonic boom-- Boom, BOOM!!-- and shortly thereafter you could see the bright silvery craft dropping from the sky. Space enthusiasm in the state has dimmed somewhat sine the final return of the Space Shuttle on July 21, 2011, but even now, there are traffic jams on the access roads whenever a launch is scheduled. If you are within five miles of the launch site, the sky lights up, the ground rumbles, the crowds cheer, and waves of unrepentant patriotism surge through your body.”
― James D. Wright, A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State

“For the better part of seven decades, watching rockets launch from Cape Canaveral has been a major tourist attraction, a favorite activity of locals, and a taken-for-granted part of Florida life. Few experiences in this lifetime are as awe-inspiring as watching a rocket launch not more than five miles from the launch site. When NASA lights the fuse on these babies, the solid rocket boosters blast the payload into space with several million pounds of thrust. Words cannot adequately describe the sight, sound, and feel of one of these events-- like the Grand Canyon and oral sex, it must be experienced to be appreciated.”
― James D. Wright, A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State

“One commentator, Allison Ford, writes, "Florida's reputation as a weirdo wonderland propels its news into the national spotlight more often. . . . We love to laugh at Florida, but we also love to go there and give them our money. That makes Floridians laugh, too-- all the way to the bank, where there's probably an alligator in the toilet.”
― James D. Wright, A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State

“Pedestrians have the right-of-way in all cases, but that is little comfort if you get run over.”
― James D. Wright, A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State

“Pickleball is a sport most people have never heard of but is a big deal in Florida's retirement communities. It is a geriatric version of tennis played with Ping-Pong paddles and a Whiffle Ball on a court similar to a badminton court...
Jeff Laughlin, a North Carolina sportswriter, visited a pickleball match and reported that "the absurdity of the name can only be rivaled by the absurdity of the sport itself." Because the rackets are pretty lightweight and the Whiffle Ball is, well, a Whiffle Ball, no on can hit the ball hard enough to get it past an opposing player. The result is a game featuring "long, arduous volleys" that seem to end mainly once someone gets tired of swinging the racket or it's time for lunch. Laughlin characterizes the sport as "incredibly easy and boring," but to aficionados, apparently, it is a great way to work up a thirst for an afternoon martini.”
― James D. Wright, A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State