I certainly didn't earn a vacation; I haven't worked since mid March (per Rona) but am sure glad Ole Jed let me tag along on his much deserved week off.
Bonus points it was the first time in several years that we've spent any significant amount of time around our two grandkids.
Juniper
Our our oldest son and his family moved from Orlando to Charlotte several years back.
They first drove from Charlotte to Orlando and spent the night with us before we all traveled on to the Keys the next day. It was the first time any of them had been to our new/old house.
What made me happiest was how both girls wanted to spend every second outdoor in our yards...from the first moment they got here. They were enthralled with the lizards, flowers, huge palms and sand hill cranes cruising the streets. I love me some girls who loves Mother Nature.
Then the youngest skinned her knee, and the drama card was immediately played.
Let me add, she is an excellent player.
As her mom washed her scrape and applied Neosporin, Juniper looked down at her (barely) skinned knee and slowly, solemnly said, while shaking her little head,
"Worst... Vacation... Ever."
Juniper Vera Lane Cotton...born April 23.
We used her term the entire week. Every time something (especially minor) happened, our first response would be "Worst vacation ever."
Our family loves beating a dead horse.
For the next week, Mother Nature showed us something new and wonderful every single day.
Often right off our own dock.
We saw nurse sharks aimlessly cruising by. They allowed us to spend quality time in their world and never bothered us once.
We saw barracudas, swimming right alongside the sharks.
Luckily they left us alone as well.
The water was so crystal clear you could see absolutely everything within your line of sight.
Bonus points you could do it all from a beach chair if you wanted to.
I've never even seen a stingray, and I've been going to the beach since 1962.
Bahia Honda is only a few miles from the house and I spent a couple of hours walking the beaches one afternoon, collecting shells...one of my favorite beach things to do. (besides drinking on the dock)
My favorites are these teeny tiny five perfect little, itty bitty shells.
How spectacular are these?!
I've decided to use some of them to make a few Christmas presents.
What a view to wake up to for a week with loved ones.
We snorkeled, canoed, paddle boarded, kayaked, floated, swam and soaked up all the fun in the sun we could.
I stayed out on the front porch most nights until the wee morning hours, after everyone went to bed.
I'd star gaze, listen to the water lapping against the shore and drift in and out of sleep, with a warm but soothing breeze keeping the bugs away.
It was a great think tank.
Tim's a huge Braves fan and watched the playoffs right behind me inside the French doors with my brother. At least I could tell how the Braves were doing just by looking at his face through the glass, from my chair.
Tim worked awfully hard the past five years to get our family back on track; not only financially but emotionally and spiritually as well.
He deserved to do exactly what he wants for one (this) week... whenever he wanted to do it, and I encouraged him to do just that.
Being married to me is hard enough.
Everything (for us) takes on a new meaning when you're in the Keys. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but finally found our Go To vacation spot.
The house is big enough for anyone to come, that wants to.
If you can't make it, we'll miss you and Facetime with you, and hope you can make it the next year...because every year, this is where Tim and I will be for the second week in October.
This was the first year.
This was the second year.
This was the third time.
I hope God lets me do this again next year.
You gotta love when a nurse shark paints the perfect Van Gogh.
Lucky for me I was there to see it painted.
I've never really thought about it before now, but have (realistically) realized at my age, I don't have a whole lot of years left to play with anymore.
If I want to get Life right, I'd be best to focus on it right now, while I still can.
I'm such a flawed person that I almost (mostly always) feel embarrassed whenever I look in a mirror.
It's one reason I avoid them at all costs. (my current hair non-do is the other)
I constantly try and pay it forward. Sometimes I falter but I never forget.
It might take me a while. but I'll get around to you.
The world is more than tumultuous right now.
People are taking the word of politicians over scientists... during a pandemic, which has (to date) killed almost two hundred twenty thousand Americans, with no end in sight.
Our current president is a Bully...and's absolutely putting it (beyond) mildly.
It's not political for me anymore.
It's an issue of morality.
Scream and rant for him all all you want...but he is more than far from being a Christian...yet has evangelicals clamoring to endorse him.
Who calls it Two Corinthians?!
God don't play.
He'd better take some serious sunscreen with him downstairs when he gets there.
He's promoting his NAME, his BRAND.
He couldn't care less about us.
I'll play the devil's advocate.
Biden?
Not a huge fan. Liked him okay as a VP.
But at least he isn't vile and doesn't disgust me every time he opens his mouth.
Trump makes me gag.
A lot.
He incites all kind of haters, they take the bait, and run with it.
Not a good thing. Especially now.
Surely there must be two more credible, intelligent, savvy and reliable people to choose between.
...and THAT'S our problem.
We are limited by our choices because they are controlling us instead of us controlling them...
and collectively, they couldn't care less about us.
I'll continue to fight for what I believe to be right...equality for everyone.
No ifs, ands or buts...
EVER.
The USA can do better than this.
We can be better than this.
We are so broken, that this will be hard to fix (without a possible civil war) if the current president is re-elected.
I sincerely don't know if it will be fixed in my life time, but sure hope it is for my kids and grand kids.
And for the Love of God, take care of the planet!
To end on a brighter note, at least I'll always have these pictures:
Tim's fishing his chair out of the water on the dock with a hook. It took him five minutes to fish out. He could have just jumped in and had it out in ten seconds.
In the words of Jed Clampett, "Pitiful, just pitiful."
We had all gone back up to the house for lunch on the last day when a storm began to brew. It was over by the time we all finished our sandwiches so everybody headed back to their (by this time) self assigned chairs on the dock.
He was the last one to get down there, looked around for his chair and said "Where'd my chair go?"
*Dock Rules*
*You gotta tie your own chair down when you leave the dock.
*Your chair, your responsibility to tether.
*Your responsibility to fetch.
Meanwhile we all lazily filmed him fetching his chair...from our own chairs.
Yes we've always been a brutal bunch.
We're a crazy family, but a good family.
And just like that, sixty years have flown by.
It's been a great flight with limited turbulence.
Once again, my glass is half full.
Till next time...COTTON
No comments:
Post a Comment