We enjoyed the Keys. Life there was easy going. Five o'clock somewhere
behavior! Sunset cruises, crystal clear ice blue and green water. Miles of beauty everywhere. Atlantic on one side and Gulf of Mexico on the other side of the road. Every single island like a precious string of gems on a necklace strewn across a pale blue piece of satin.
There is a little island just off to the left of the seven mile bridge heading south on US1. We used to take the boat or jet ski out there and hang out. It was deserted with a small sandy beach on the west side and it's east side had a rocky tidal pool. It was the perfect little place to wade out from the shore before the deep drop off. We named it " Our Little Island" as if we were the only ones who knew it was there!
No matter where we stayed in the Keys we loved it.
We took our nieces, Savannah and Catherine and our grandson Jackson down there when the girls graduated High school. Wendy got married there. We stopped in Key West on a cruise to the Bahamas. On one trip we took both our mothers. They were flabbergasted! We snorkeled, para sailed, drank rum runners and beer. We enjoyed taking the sunset cruises, too. One of the best pictures of him I took was as he came to a stop on the jet ski and raised his fist the air before jetting off in a huge spray of water toward the dock!
We got too much sun but never had too much fun.
Jimmy wore a mustache for years. It suited him and he said he needed it because he thought his upper lip was thin. Others thought and even had the nerve to complain to his police Sergeant that it made him, " look mean!" Ok, I know one thing and that is, if Jimmy acted mean to anyone they usually deserved it! Off came the mustache.
He really had a heart of gold reserved for those he loved and genuinely cared for. For instance, there was an elderly man who used to eat at the diner with the guys he went to breakfast with. This guy didn't have much, made his living collecting used old appliances fixing them up and reselling them. He had leased a pick up truck. When the lease was up he couldn't afford to buy the truck. Jimmy knowing that this truck was this mans livelihood took out a loan, gave the man the money to buy the truck and took payments from him when he could pay him. This old gentleman died during that time.
We had the loan and his family was not able to buy the truck. To Jimmy that did not matter. He got it worked out to acquire the truck and was able to sell it and pay off the loan.
Here is another for instance. We have a guy who mows our lawn. This guy works hard at another job during the week and does this on the side for extra money to make ends meet. One day the industrial mower this guy used broke and needed replacing. Guess who bought a new one for the man to work off in exchange for lawn mowing? Yep, Jimmy!
During a hurricane he brought an elderly man to our home instead of to a shelter. This man was driving and got lost in Jacksonville in the terrible storm. When Jimmy saw that he was confused and ran his driver license information he found out that there was a Missing Persons report out from Valdosta, Ga. and the man had Alzheimer's. Jimmy contacted his family and they drove to our home in that hurricane to get him. They had been beside themselves with worry. Over the years, he constantly was doing kind things for others. This was the true Christian in him.
One evening we went to visit Danny in the hospital in Green Cove Springs.
I had not told mom we were going as we would be back soon.
On our way home along the tree lined road that runs parallel to the river a beer truck turned right in front of our pickup truck. All I remember is seeing the truck turning across our lane and somehow Jimmy maintained control and was able to narrowly avoid being hit. I screamed a noise I had never made before! We were spared being killed that night. You couldn't have passed a piece of paper between the two vehicles by the time the big truck stopped. Thank you, Jesus!
It was the most afraid I had ever been in my life. Later Jimmy told me it was a miracle, too. He had quick reflexes and hazardous driving training with the police department that made all the difference. God blessed us. Lucky again.
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