#18 Cruising along.....

I remember sitting in a restaurant on the intracoastal waterway in Palm Valley, Florida.  It was a clear pretty day and the sun sparkled on the surface of the water like diamonds.  There were several boats tied to the dock.  I told Jimmy that if I ever had a boat it would be like one of them.  Big enough for us to go out for a day or two with others and even camp out on the water.  Not long after that we bought one.  We had so much fun.  We would trailer it and launch at various ramps along the St. John's River.  We went downtown to watch fireworks or the Blue Angels soar overhead from NAS  Jacksonville. We cruised all the way south to Lake George or north to Cumberland Island, GA. where wild horses roam the beach.

Waking up on the boat on a chilly January 1st morning anchored at Collee Cove was a serene sight.  The light mist on the water hovered just above the still surface.  I held my coffee mug with both hands to keep them warm.  The long strands of Spanish moss dripped from the old oaks that stretched out from the shore.  The sun was coming up and there was a golden glow in the air that made the cove appear as though it was an old sepia photograph.  In moments like that your New Year resolutions were simply to enjoy each and every day.

We took the boat to the Keys a few times.  We named it "Sunset Cruz."  Many times we would meet up after work at the marina change clothes and just go out a little way drop the anchor and watch the sunset.  

There were other excursions that were not so pleasant when we got caught out in some of the thunderstorms that roar up the river in the heat of the summer.  Or the time he ran out of gas and drifted across the river and tied up to a abandoned dock while our friends David and Kathy came on their boat and brought him gas.  The girls were with him and it was already dark.  I was home with mom.  Scary!  When our second boat sank in one of the hurricanes I cried.  Jimmy was glad!  We had the boat covered at full purchase price so in the long run that worked out ok.  The replacement boat was fun, too, but, by then gas prices were outrageous and we pulled it out of the water and in the side yard until we sold it. You know what they say.  The best days are when you buy a boat and when you sell it!  I often look at marinas and see the masses of various vessels just sitting idle.  Hardly any of them can be taken out and enjoyed.

Life after mom was happening after March, 24, 2007. He loved her, too.