Vaca Key or Key Vaca?

While reading The Florida Keys, A History Of The Pioneers, I keep coming across the mention of Key Vaca. Going through my memory of the keys between Key Largo and Key West, I could not recall an island by that name. I figured it was one of the really small ones that are rarely mentioned. When it finally got the better of me, I looked it up.

Amazingly we've been there--or through there, several times. It is located between Duck Key and Marathon and is actually a part of the city of Marathon which sits on Key Vaca according to some of the information I read. On the Google Map, to the north of it is a Dolphin Research Center and to the south, the Marathon Aquarium Encounter.

The name of the key dates back to the 1500s when it was first mentioned on a Spanish map. The Spaniards named it Key Vaca. Vaca meant "cow" and the speculation is that it was named so for the manatees in the area which are called "sea cows".

Along with Key West and Indian Key it was one of the first settlements and catered as did the others to the wreckers (salvaging companies) who needed supplies and a safe harbor for ships.

When Flagler's railroad was built connecting the mainland to Key West, Marathon grew with the many workers who settled there as the building took place. Later it would become a center for fishing and tourism when the hurricane destroyed the railway and a road was built instead.

Wordless Wednesday

Key Largo Pineapples?

Right by the elevator in the condo building where we stay in the winter is a planter that is on the outer wall. On one end is a bougainvillea. One the other end is a pineapple plant. I don't know who lays claim to it but it is fascinating to watch it grow and mature into a pineapple fruit. This year we were able to see that it actually blooms with little bluish flowers before forming the fruit.

I was surprised to learn that back in the late 1800s, Key Largo was known for pineapple production. There were acres and acres of pineapples on fields that were cleared and burned. The pineapple slips for planting came from Cuba originally.

Unfortunately it was difficult to get them to market in the northern states before they would spoil. The pineapples had to be shipped by schooners and the wind and weather was not always cooperative. About 25% of the fruit would spoil before getting there.

Life was made a little easier when the railroad extended to Miami and pineapples could make a shorter schooner journey and a faster trip to their markets by rail.

In 1906 a devastating hurricane hit the keys and destroyed much of the pineapple fields. It was followed by a blight which did in the pineapple farming business.

The Floating Lighthouse

Today's Carysfort Reef Lighthouse

Reading along in the book about the early Florida Keys (The Florida Keys, A History of the Pioneers by John Viele) my interest was piqued by a place called Garden Cove just at the northern end of today's John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and where the Overseas Highway (US 1) makes a sharp turn and heads south through Key Largo and on to Key West. The way Garden Cove got its name was very interesting.

The reefs along the east coast of the keys were disastrous to ships who were unfamiliar with the area. Lots of shipwrecks brought about the big business of wrecking, the term in those days for salvaging from shipwrecks. The government decided to commission a floating lighthouse, a ship that would anchor on the reef and warn ships away with two lanterns and a bell.

The first ship that was sent fell victim to "dry rot and fungus" and had to be replaced. The replacement was called the Florida and was made of rot resistant live oak. But that was not the only problem John Whalton, the captain of the ship would have to deal with.

Supplies were not only hard to come by, they were very expensive so he had the crew go ashore and establish a vegetable garden on the shore. This is where Garden Cove got its name. Unfortunately it would eventually be the end of Whalton and one of his crew.

There were several uprisings of the Seminole tribes in Florida in the mid 1800s and during the second Seminole War, Whalton and his men went ashore to find themselves ambushed by the natives who were armed with muskets. Whalton and another crewman were killed immediately and the others ran for the tender and rowed for their lives back to the ship.

The floating lighthouse, the Florida, served until 1852 when it was replaced by the present day Carysfort Reef Lighthouse.

The Wrecking Profession of the Florida Keys

Yes. You read the title correctly. Back in the early days of the Florida Keys' history many of the natives and the non-natives were in the wrecking business. That didn't mean they went around wrecking things actually the things they were looking for were already wrecked--ships with valuable cargo.

Way back in the day before GPS and smartphone apps with directions, the ships would set sail to travel from one side of the globe to another and often went through the Florida Keys. The area was strewn with reefs, dangerous ship eating reefs that set many a sailor scrambling for shore in a life boat. Needless to say there probably wasn't much time to save the gold and jewels so those went down with the ship.

At first the Spanish hired natives to help salvage what they could from the Spanish fleet that sunk there in the early 1600s. Many of the natives were good divers and could help out especially with those ships that sunk rather than just ran aground.

Along came the industrious wreckers, the guys exploring the coast line looking for where ships, most Spanish, went down and they would salvage what they could for resale or ransom. While many of them came out of Cuba, they needed a place in the Keys to put ashore. Key West had a beautiful natural harbor and it became a perfect place for a small colony of settlers to set up a town and trade for supplies and, I'm guessing, get a little entertainment as well. After all it was Key West!

Now some of the wreckers just anchored off shore and waited to hear of a ship run aground. They would not only salvage cargo but also crew and of course it was all for a price. This was a business after all--excepting the pirates though. I'm sure they had their own agenda.

Eventually courts needed to be set up to judge disputes over property rights and the like. Laws needed to be made. Hmmm. I'm wondering who the early lawyers were. Back to the history book. . .

The Early Floridian Keys Diet

Sea Grape

Last year we visited the Florida Keys History and Discovery Center and I was intrigued by the history of the Keys. I purchased a book and have just now gotten around to reading it. The first chapter struck me when it mentioned the early diet of the natives that inhabited the keys early on. I assumed a diet of food from the sea and I was right but didn't think about it including manatees. According to the author though the manatees were reserved for the chief and other bigwigs.

But what did they eat with it? After all a good healthy diet needs some fruit and veggies. The paragraph went on to say that they also ate coconuts (a given) and a variety of wild fruits that included sea grapes, coco plums and palm berries. Now you can't take an Ohio girl and put her in a tropical climate and expect her to know the plants so I began a little search for knowledge.

Coco Plum

Sea grapes are a familiar plant seen often near the shore line in many southern beaches. I remember seeing warning signs in several places telling people that sea grapes are a protected plant in Florida. The plant can grow quite large and offers a lot of shade to areas where other shade trees may not be able to grow. They produce grapes similar to those we find to make wine from or eat as a snack. The sea grapes I learned are not particularly palatable on their own. They have a sweet acidic taste. You only eat the dark purple ones and apparently they are more seed than flesh.

People who do harvest them for consumption usually make a jelly from them. Just be aware that in Florida you can only harvest from plants grown on private property and you absolutely need the owner's permission.

Another fruit that apparently should be made into jelly for eating is coco plum. I didn't realize how prevalent this plant is in the landscape. One report said that the fruit tastes like "astringent sweet cotton." I'm not sure what that means.

I have seen palm trees that have berries rather than large coconuts but never knew that they were acai berries. Where have I been? Acai is one of those fruits held in high esteem for curing all sorts of things and slowing aging. I used to buy them in the store because I liked the taste of them covered in chocolate. (If I found a good recipe for chocolate covered broccoli I might start eating more of that).

Acai Berry

The trick with all of these is to know what is a good berry and what is not which makes me wonder how many natives died or got really sick before they discovered the difference. Oh, and wash them down with good water. There were several places in the keys where there were actually fresh springs or pools of water.

Well, now that I've learned all that it's time to go back to reading. I'm to the part where the Spaniards and the British are skirmishing over the rights to the Florida Keys. And let's not leave that close neighbor Cuba out of the dispute. Then there's that upstart country called America. I hear they won out.

Wordless Wednesday

Dolphin Mania!

Each night about fifteen minutes before sunset people at our condominium gather together to watch the sunset. It's a great way to make new friends, catch up with others, share how the day went and often where the best places to eat are.

Lately the sunsets have not been the greatest since there have been several fronts that have moved in at the wrong time. (Not complaining. No snowy Nor'easters) Sunday night was another bust as a wall of clouds covered the sunset and all we got were gray skies. There was however a lot of entertainment.

A pod of dolphins (we think there were five) were spotted. A couple of them were coming close to shore and I went out on the dock to get a closer look. I tried taking a couple of stills but couldn't catch the dolphins surfacing. Guess my finger just isn't quick enough on the trigger and it was hard to tell where they would come up next.

So after several misses, I decided to video the action. Was I glad I did! We were entertained by a dolphin who'd caught his dinner but instead of eating it was tossing it in the air, catching it, swimming in a circle then repeating the whole thing.

I think I could have labeled this "Stop playing with your food!" I left the sound on the video because I think it's neat to hear how excited and in awe we all were.

Books For The Road - The Other Einstein by Marie BenedictA

Not sure what to expect, I began reading The Other Einstein with great curiosity. I had never thought about Albert Einstein as a husband or father and so I'd never really wondered about his wife or if he even had one. Marie Benedict has taken her research into the marriage of Albert to Mileva Maric and created a fascinating look at what their relationship may have been like.

Mileva was a brilliant physics/math student at Polytechnic in Zurich, Switzerland, when Einstein met her in the early 1900s. A romance blossomed albeit a little quirky with two such great minds centered on science and the most pressing theories of the day.

In the 1980s, some correspondence between Albert and Mileva was discovered that began to stir a controversy in the scientific world. In it Albert refers to several of his theories. Some he refers to as "my theory" and others, "our theory." It all sparked speculation that perhaps Mileva had contributed heavily to his theory on relativity.

Benedict plays off of that discovery of the letters and explores the possibility that Mileva had a lot to do with the theory. She also delves into what it must have been like to be a woman in a scientific world of men and the choices that a woman had to make between family and career--not terribly unlike what we have today although today's woman is not looked upon quite so unfavorably when she chooses to juggle family and career. Still daunting, then and today.

This is a great read although Albert does not win any great accolades for husband or father of the year.

ARK - Give Me A K!

Most people get off of a ship after a rough journey and kiss the ground. Those of us on that 8 day tour of China in 2007 got to the cruise ship and kissed the deck. I wonder if Mrs. Noah kissed the ground on top of Mount Ararat where the ark came to rest? The Bible tells us Noah’s family worshiped there at an altar they built. And what final advice would Mrs. Noah have from that mountain top?

 Know that He is God wherever your journey may take you.

Lots of good things happen on mountain tops. That’s why we call them mountain top experiences. My literal mountain top experience came on a trip to Alaska.

We were in Denali National Park and halfway up a mountain when our tour bus made a rest stop. By the way, even the porta-potties there were better than the squat toilets in some places in China. There were cups of hot chocolate passed out and I took mine and stepped away from the people surrounding the buses to take in the beauty of the landscape before me.

As I stood in the stillness of that moment and took in the valley below me filled with gentle streams and lush green grass and tall fir trees and caribou grazing quietly and then looked up to the rugged mountain that was before me to its snow capped peak that rose to the sky as a tower of strength, I heard the word “majesty.” And I suddenly understood. When we are asked to worship God’s majesty, it is his strength, his beauty, his watchcare over us, his touch of love, that calls us to give our hearts and our lives to him.

He calls us to “Be still and know that I am God.”

The journey God has put me on has not only included the wonderful opportunities of traveling and writing and speaking but also of being a Grandma. I've told this story before but it is a favorite:

When Tyler was three, we arranged to meet him and his sister and our DIL, Lori, for lunch one day halfway between our house and theirs. Bob and I arrived a little early and so we were waiting for them at a table when they arrived.

Now Tyler, being the self-confident young man that he was, always entered a place as if everyone was poised, waiting just for his appearance. It wasn’t any different this afternoon. He strutted up to the table, nodding at people as he went along, then made his announcement to us.

“I’m gonna be a daddy.”

“You’re gonna be a daddy?” I asked hoping for clarification.

“Yup.” He shook his head and sighed as if it were a heavy burden. “Mommy will tell you.”

Well, you don’t mention becoming a daddy and not perk up a grandmother’s ears. I immediately looked for my daughter-in-law to confirm what I suspected.

“Tyler’s gonna be a daddy?” I blurted out as my DIL finally caught up to him.

 “You can thank your son for the daddy idea,” Lori said. “Tyler noticed the hair on Ron’s chest the other day. Ron told him it was daddy hair and when he got hair on his chest, he could be a daddy, too. The other day in the bathtub, he noticed he had hair on his legs and he figured that was good enough—he could be a daddy.”

It wasn’t the answer I was expecting, but there was no disappointment. Ron and Lori haven’t planned past two and those two promise to provide a lifetime of entertainment.

“Well, if we shaved the hair on his legs, does that mean he could be a mommy?” I asked.

To her credit, Lori politely asked me not to plant that idea in his head.

Whatever lies ahead for Tyler—daddy hair and all—I hope he will learn:

A -- Adventures of a spiritual nature often come in unusual and unique ways.

R --Remember God’s grace in all the storms of life and take refuge in Him.

And  K-- Know that God is God wherever the journey may lead. 

ARK - Give Me An R!

If Mrs. Noah were to continue to reflect on her ARK cruise she might say:

Remember, as you sail on in your spiritual adventure, to ask God to calm the storms.

Jesus often used boats to preach from and to journey back and forth across the Sea of Galilee which was actually a lake much smaller than Lake Erie. The disciples were pretty used to these boats and the sea. Most of them were fishermen. But as they traveled with Jesus, they often forgot to pack their sense of adventure.

On one particular occasion, they were in the middle of the lake when a great wind blew up. Apparently this was a problem in this area and even though the lake was small, a gale would really toss those boats around. It started to get swamped.

Let’s get the full picture. The sky is dark. It’s probably lightning and thundering. The rain is whipping them in the face and the waves are washing over the boat. But there’s Jesus—sleeping in the back of the boat.

Finally, someone gets his nerve up to quit bailing and wake Jesus up. I’m wondering if the disciples woke him up to get him to help bail.

Someone pushes a cup in his direction and yells, “Don’t you care if we drown?”

Jesus gets up, looks around at the wind and the waves and yells out, “Quiet! Be still!”

For just one moment, I’ll bet those disciples thought he was yelling at them.

But then the wind calms and the waves recede and all is at peace again. And Jesus asks them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Faith is key to any spiritual adventure. There was a time when I, like the disciples, was asking God the same question: Don’t you care?

The year was 1984. Like Mrs. Noah life had been pretty good to me. Sixteen years earlier I had married the man I love and we started a family. We enjoyed our church activities, his career took off—as did mine as a homemaker, a PTA activist, and a mother. After three boys, we decided to adopt to get our girl. She came with a brother and that brought the total of little mouths to feed to five. We were a happy group.

And then life happened.

It started with the sudden death of my mother then my infant niece. Like the disciples, I questioned whether God cared. It took a long journey of faith building before I finally realized that I needed to turn to him and ask him to calm the storms of life. It was a hard lesson to learn but when other storms came, I remembered to turn my face to him and ask for calm.

In all of your trials, your journeys of life, in all of your spiritual adventures, remember God’s grace and in all the storms of life, take refuge in Him.

Wordless Wednesday

ARK - Give Me An A!

If you were to ask Mrs. Noah about her cruise aboard the ARK she might start by telling you that:

Adventures of a spiritual nature often come in unusual and unique ways.

I've blogged about our trip to China. It was part of a cruise we took through the South China Sea in October of  2007. The first 8 days were spent on land exploring Bejing, Xian, and a few other cities before boarding the cruise ship to sail to Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The terra-cotta warriors, the Great Wall and the panda bears in China were all fascinating to see and I don’t regret for a moment the opportunity to have experienced China’s culture and tradition. But the food and the restroom facilities were truly something else. This is where that sense of adventure was supposed to come in that our travel agent had told us to pack.

Our first night in Bejing, we strolled up to a pedestrian mall dodging traffic at a few streets we had to cross. There are no traffic rules it seems and pedestrians are low on the food chain. The best advice we got from one of our guides was to close our eyes, step off the curb, and keep walking. If you stop you disturb the flow of traffic and there will be an accident.

At the pedestrian mall, there were lots of nice shops and then off to one side was an alley that led to the “real” China. Food booths lined the cramped and crowded alleyway.  There was all sorts of weird foodstuffs on a stick—bugs, snakes, seahorses—if you’ve ever watched the fellow on the travel channel who eats all the weird things, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The smell was enough to put you off of wanting to sample anything.

From Beijing we went to the Yangtze River. There for three days we cruised down the Yangtze River on a Chinese river boat. On board, the river boat food looked a bit more appetizing but much of the time was unrecognizable. Our China adventure was the only trip I’ve ever taken where I actually lost weight.

Before we left for China, I knew that we would be experiencing some tough days of travel, different foods, and cultural shock. Overcrowding. Trust me, our western style toilets are a luxury. So I had asked God to get me through it by showing me God Moments where I could see Him at work in this Communist country where people worshiped Buddha and gods of other Eastern religions.

One afternoon we transferred from the river boat to a smaller tourist catamaran that was to take us down a tributary of the Yangtze and through what they call the Lesser Gorges area. It was a beautiful area even though we saw most of it through a cold drizzly rain. We listened as our Chinese guide told us about the history, and pointed out the monkeys and other wild life that we met along the way. When we got to the turn around point and headed back, our guide began to tell us about local customs and traditions. Then she sang us a Chinese folk song. When she finished she asked that we help her to learn a song in English that she liked. She asked us to sing—Amazing Grace. One hundred voices rang out in the middle of the river in the middle of Communist China. It was the most beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace that I’ve ever heard.

Adventures of a spiritual nature often come in unusual and unique ways. But wait! There's more from Mrs. Noah. . .

My Ship's An ARK!

How many of you have ever said, “I’m waiting for my ship to come in?” I used to hear that term a lot when I was growing up. Every time my dad was dreaming of getting something big or doing something special he’d always dreamed of, he would say he had to wait for his ship to come in.

Have you ever wondered what that ship would look like? Perhaps a big yacht? Or an oil freighter? Or maybe a cruise ship?

I think Noah’s wife was thinking cruise ship when Noah started talking about his ship coming in. Mrs. Noah, was probably very excited when she heard her husband talking about a cruise—a forty day cruise no less! I can see her sitting at her kitchen table, sipping coffee and turning pages of the latest cruise brochure.  Dreaming of exotic ports of call, warm sandy beaches, chilled fruit smoothies.

And then Noah handed her a hammer and said he needed her help building the ship.

Well, wives are pretty resilient. And I’m sure Mrs. Noah after a bit of negotiating with Noah, decided it was better to help build the ship than to not get to cruise at all. The ship began to take shape. Of course then she had to endure all the gossip about what was going on in their backyard. She took to telling people in the grocery store that their ship had come in—it was just in pieces and they had to put it together.

They finally put the finishing touches on the ship, oiled all the teak, and were ready to begin embarkation. Mrs. Noah got all her cruise wardrobe packed and set the suitcases out for the porters to take on board. She happened to see the porters as they picked them up and she wasn’t happy with the way they handled the luggage. The only way to describe them was: they were gorillas!

She boarded the ship and took her welcome aboard drink from the server who was decked out in bright feathers and kept squawking “hello.” Something seemed odd about this cruise already but she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

The cabin was a bit small but comfortable and with a window. She’d wanted a balcony but Noah had insisted it wouldn’t be necessary. When her luggage arrived in the room, she tucked away all the clothes in the bureaus and closet and then went up on deck to watch the other passengers board the ship. 

She was appalled! They were real animals! Some were hairy and loud. Some were rather large and clumsy. Others, well, it was just not the kind of company she’d expected to have dinner with in the dining room.

Mrs. Noah sighed and took out the book she brought to read, found a deck chair and then slathered on her sun block. She sat back and closed her eyes to enjoy a few rays of sun only to be interrupted by her husband.

           “What are you doing?” he asked.

           “I’m relaxing a bit,” she told him. “I think I’ve earned a little rest and relaxation after all this ship building.”

           “I think you’ll want to get your rain gear out,” he told her.

           “Rain gear? What are you talking about? The sun’s out. I want to get a tan.”

           Noah took her to the side railing. “Honey, take a look out there. Do you see any water?”

Mrs. Noah looked out on a dry sandy soil. There wasn’t even a backyard creek running through the yard. Now she realized what had been bothering her. How do you cruise on a ship when there’s no water?

           “What kind of a ship is this if there’s no water to cruise on?” she asked Noah.

           “It’s an ark. God’s gonna provide all the water we need and we’re going to save all the animals of the world and have a wonderful cruise as well. You did remember to bring your sense of adventure, right?”

Now when anyone tells you to bring your sense of adventure on a trip, you know you’re in for something unusual. Trust me on this. That’s what our cruise company told us when we were going to China. It truly was a unique adventure.  

For the Noahs, this was a real Do-It-Yourself cruise. How many of you have ever gone camping with the family or taken one of those vacations where you rent a condo for the week? If you are like most wives and mothers, you packed, you cooked, you picked up after everyone, and you may have even had to clean and do the laundry. Can we imagine it was any different for Mrs. Noah?

First there was all the rain. That at least floated the boat but there wasn’t much opportunity for lounging in the sun on the deck. And incidentally, all those passengers needed looking after. What do you do with a seasick elephant?—give him lots of room. And what about those rabbits that seemed to be mathematically precocious? Where was she going to put them all?

Yes, it was a real adventure and I’m sure Mrs. Noah was happy to see the top of Mt. Arrarat appear in the distance as the sun broke through once again. Incidentally, the forty night cruise turned into 150 days before they set foot on dry land. That’s an around the world cruise today!

I’ll bet she was glad to see the cruise end but at the same time, what an amazing journey—an adventure unlike any other. Something to tell her grandchildren about for years to come—As a matter of fact the story is still being told. It was truly an adventure of faith.

Now if you asked Mrs. Noah about that cruise what do you think she might tell you? Stay tuned. . .

A Look Back At The Everglades

[Haven't had a chance to visit this year. Where did time go? We'll be back! This is from 2013]

A trip to south Florida isn't complete without some time spent in Everglades National Park. Over 1.5 million acres in size, it is an important habitat for many rare and endangered species. Originally, water flowed freely, albeit very shallow water, from the Kissimmee River south to the Florida Bay which is just at the top of the Keys.

When development in Florida took its toll on the land in the early to mid 1900s, an area was set aside to conserve the natural landscape and prevent more damage to lands, plants and animals. In 1947 the Everglades National Park was established.

Today, there is still a threat to the eco system with further development based on Florida's popularity as a vacation or winter escape destination.

While we have visited the Everglades often on trips to Florida, this latest trip amazed us with what seems like a population explosion of vultures. At Palm Court, they line the Anhinga Trail we love to explore and hop out of the way as you walk through them. Need I mention they have a face only a mother could love. Worse, they have a taste for the rubber gasket that runs around the windshield, the wiper blades, and anything else vinyl and rubber on your vehicle. The park provides tarps that you can use to protect your vehicle. We didn't use a tarp but parked in the sun which works too, according to the sign.

Apparently the vultures are one of nature's "snow birds" migrating south to Florida for the winter which probably explains the increased population when we visited in February. I'm a little more familiar with the turkey vulture which, in our neck of the woods are called "buzzards" and signal the coming of spring with their return to Hinckley, OH, every March.

Once you realize the vultures aren't interested in you--after all, you are still alive and moving, their presence isn't a deterrent to enjoying the other flora and fauna along the Anhinga Trail which is mostly a boardwalk that runs through a section of the park. Along the way you'll see plenty of alligators and all sorts of other interesting and prettier birds, many who will put on a demonstration of their fishing skills.

We paused at several places long enough to see a wood stork and several cranes and herons of different sizes as they worked their way along the water's edge, wading and waiting and making a lunge to grab a tasty morsel of fish. All the while keeping an eye on their own predator, the alligator.

Wordless Wednesday

Fort Lonesome--Lonesome But No Fort

Back in March of 2008 we found Fort Lonesome, Florida, on a side trip we took after spending a few days at the Indians spring training camp when it was in Winterhaven. It didn't take long for my mind to kick into gear and begin to map out a storyline for a novel. What I came up with though would be put aside for other projects--until now.

I did some looking into the history of Fort Lonesome which has never been or had a fort there. The name came from a problem with a Mediterranean fruit fly outbreak in 1929. An inspection station was located there to check on all the fruit coming from the south. Now even today Fort Lonesome is in the middle of nowhere. One of the inspectors, obviously feeling a bit lonely, hung a sign out that said "Fort Lonesome." The name stuck.

Fort Lonesome became a "boom" town for a short time when a sawmill established its business there. Two grocery stores actually opened (there is only a convenient-type grocery there now). The boom didn't last long. The sawmill burned down and with it the hopes of any growth for the town.

The information came from a site that lists ghosts towns. I guess if you don't have a housing boom, you are considered a ghost town. The ghosts of the past will plague my characters though as their story unfolds set in the out-of-the-way town of Fort Lonesome.

Got the T-shirt And The Novel Idea!

[Almost ten years ago we made the trip I describe below. It was the catalyst for the novel I am now working on. I still have the T-shirt.]

Recently we made the trip to Florida to see grandkids and catch a couple Indians' spring training games. While in the area, there was an extra stop I wanted to make. About a half hour out of our way was a small area know as Fort Lonesome. There has never been a town there to my knowledge, certainly not a fort, and the most I could find when I researched it was that it had two grocery stores--one of which has since met the wrecking ball.

In my internet search I also discovered that it was considered a ghost town. Well, now isn't that just the juice a novelist needs for some ideas? We arrived mid-morning at the Fort Lonesome Grocery--the only building in sight other than a shed on one corner of the intersection. A couple of large trucks were parked in the gravel lot when we pulled in with our rental car.

Walking inside the store was like walking into a movie scene out of the 50s--the one where the unsuspecting tourists make a stop at the wrong place. We stuck out like sore thumbs. With a half-dozen truckers (all standing with drinks and sandwiches in hand ready to checkout) as an audience, I asked the lady behind the counter if she knew anything about this place being a ghost town. Her answer: "We got live people here and we got dead people here. . .and that's all."

I bought the T-shirt anyway.

Not a SAHG

[Rounding out the grandparenting week of posts with this story from a few years ago. Talk about creative solutions!]

       

   The other day I heard a woman describe herself as a Stay At Home Grandmother. She cared for her grandchildren while their mother helped to make ends meet in this economy where two incomes are almost an essential to survival. While her job description brought a smile to my face, it also reminded me of a lady who has solved this problem for her grandchildren in a unique and selfless way.

            We call the hotel we use in the city where some of our grandchildren live our “home away from home.” Since several other family members, my mother-in-law included, live there as well we can move freely from our “home base” and visit without feeling obligated to stay longer in one place than another. On one occasion, we were checking in to our hotel and a glimmer of recognition spread across my husband’s face as the lady behind the counter took his credit card information.

            “Blythe Ann?”

            “Yes,” she answered. “How are you?”

            Blythe Ann was the daughter of the pastor from the church where Bob grew up. We hadn’t seen her in quite a while so it was time to catch up a bit. When we told her we were there to visit our grandchildren and shared the obligatory information on number, ages, sex, and where the grandkids lived, she smiled and said, “Well, I’m here because of my grandchildren too.”

            I thought that a strange remark but then she explained. Her son and daughter-in-law had gone over their finances and determined that there was a need for two incomes. They looked into day care for the little ones and decided it wasn’t a financial option since the fees would eat up most of what Mom could earn. They turned to Grandma.

            To their surprise, Grandma said no. She hated to see her grandchildren separated from their mother in those young years. And equally, she disliked the idea of her daughter-in-law missing the opportunity to see her children reach the milestones in their young lives that pass so quickly. She did have an answer to their dilemma however.

            Blythe Ann proposed that she get a part time job and give the check to her son and daughter-in-law. There would be no need to pay day care and the children would not miss their mother’s care and love during the day. It also allowed Blythe Ann to be Grandma—not another parent or caretaker to her grandchildren.

            There was another little perk to her gift as well.

            “I really enjoy my job,” she told us. “It gets me out of the house and among people again. I’m having a great time.”

            While not all of us have this kind of opportunity to give to our children and grandchildren, I thought it was an idea worth sharing. Call it a creative solution for the modern-day world of grandparenting.

Is Grandpa Still Dead?

[As I post this article from a few years ago, the mass shooting in a Florida school is still fresh. So much more difficult to understand than the passing of someone who has led a full life. May God give peace to those who grieve.]

The finality of death is a difficult concept for any of us to understand and especially so to a youngster. When her great grandpa died, Danielle, age 3, understood most of what her mommy told her but it was hard for her to believe that this gentle man who loved her would not be around to give her a hug again—at least not on this side of heaven.

 "I can't imagine how difficult it would be to explain death to a child if you didn't believe in Jesus or Heaven,” said Danielle’s mommy, Lori. “Through a sad event, we were able to share with our kids the joy of Heaven and God's promise for those who love him.”

As grandmothers, we may be called upon to help our grandchildren deal with the loss of a loved one. “Grandparents can be tremendous role models for accepting the trials and triumphs of life,” says Brenda Nixon, a recognized expert in early childhood parenting and author of Parenting Power in the Early Years. “Show your grandkids that grief and pain cannot be avoided as a part of living, in fact they need to see your rollercoaster of tears and smiles. This teaches them to grow up accepting the emotions to respect their own reactions.”

Here are a few things we can do to help our grandchildren through the stages of grief:

·       First, be truthful. Let them know why you are sad. “Grandpa died.” You can then go on to explain that when people die there is a part of them that goes to heaven to be with Jesus. My son is fond of using food in his explanations of spiritual things. He uses an egg to explain how God can be Father, Son and Holy Spirit and still be one. In explaining to Danielle about Great Grandpa dying, he used a banana. The inside part was gone but the peel remained.

·       Encourage children to express their feelings. They will experience a range of emotions as well—guilt, anger, confusion—all a part of the grieving process. Let them talk about it.

·       Recall fond memories. Talk about the loving, fun and/or funny things you remember about the person. Let the children add theirs and affirm their recalling of the events. Remember, it’s their version, their cherished memory.

·       Remember that children will react differently according to their age. “Young children often think death is temporary,” says Nixon, “and it isn't until the age of 11 years that they're able to comprehend its finality.” While preschoolers may think that Grandpa will wake up again (resurrection aside), elementary age children may want more detailed explanations of death and dying and teens may react in ways that seem silly or be withdrawn as a means of coping with such strong emotions.

When teachable moments arise, use them to prepare your grandchildren just as you did your children. Our soon-to-be four year old granddaughter was fascinated with the fact that I have a “little” brother like she does. Hers is only seven months old. Mine is fifty-five. But she suddenly realized that if I have a brother, I must have a mother.

“Where is you mommy?” she asked.

“My mommy lives in heaven,” I answered.

“Why?”

“Because she got very, very, very, old and died. Then she went to live with Jesus in heaven.”

“Oh, why?”

The conversation continued for a bit, each response countered by “why?” That’s what soon-to-be four year olds do. But when the time comes, perhaps she will understand that this Grandma is happily with Jesus in heaven and, although she will miss me, I will be still be in her life as a cherished memory because we love each other so very much.

Wordless Wednesday

A Praying Grandmother

[This was written quite some time ago. It was neat to read how some of the prayers have been answered since then. And grandchildren added. More on my prayer list. More joy in my life.]

My friend, Trish Berg, author of Rattled, Surviving Your Baby’s First Year Without Losing Your Cool (Multnomah Books, 2008), says in her book that the only place she often finds to do her devotional reading and praying is the bathroom. She’s the busy mom of four young children including a teenager now. I can relate to that. It seemed with five kids at home, there was never any private time for me to set aside for spending some time with God. Now there is just me and hubby. Guess what? There still doesn’t seem to be uninterrupted time.

With this new phase of life comes a new perspective on prayer time. While my children were growing up, I was growing up along with them. I learned how much better life could be if sprinkled with prayer. Now as a grandmother, I realize that I can be one of the greatest helps to my grandchildren if I am more dedicated to remembering them and their parents in prayer.

Those young moms and dads are juggling their time between jobs, parenting, and lots of other distractions that often keep their prayer times minimal. Maybe it is a little leftover guilt on my part but I’m thinking that a praying grandmother just might help to make life a little easier, a littler richer, a little more peaceful, joyous, enriched if I spend time remembering my children and grandchildren each day in prayer.

Here’s a couple of suggestions to help you find that time to ask God for his blessings on your family:

·       Pick your best time of the day. Are you sharper in the morning, afternoon, or evening? I do best with prayer time in the morning. Right after breakfast when I’ve had my cup of coffee and am finally awake.

·       Remember that you don’t need to relegate prayer to only once a day and at the same time every day. If you experience a personal relationship with Jesus, you know that you can talk with Him any time, any place.

·       Try praying in the laundry room as you’re putting in a load of clothes. Or maybe while you are doing the dishes. I don’t think God minds you multi-tasking. We talk with each other as we do chores. Why not with God as well?

·       Include your grandchildren in some prayer time when they visit with you. As they grow older they will learn to appreciate that they have a grandmother who prays for them.

What to pray for? That depends upon the individual needs of each. For grandkids, certainly health, growth both spiritually and physically and those little milestones in their lives that become bigger as the years go by. Right now I’m praying for Annalise to catch on to her potty training and Tyler to make good choices during his school days in the first grade. Caleb needs protection from being too curious and Danielle could use a little more confidence. Kotomi could use help with learning patience and TJ with learning two languages (Japanese and English) and their little baby sister, Emiko, well, she needs God’s touch as she grows. Then there is the little one developing that needs prayer for a healthy entrance into this world.  

Pray that moms and dads will have patience, will make time to be good parents, will be kind and will be good guides for their children in this world. You know your children and you know where they may need extra prayer as parents. And even if you aren’t sure, God knows. Just ask him to supply their needs. And know that with those prayers, you are making a difference in all of their lives.

Grandma's Journal

[This is a story from when I wrote a column on grandparenting. Lots more things have been added to these fond memories including the more recent conversations my granddaughter had with each fish she caught. "Sorry, fishy. Here's a little bait to take on your way." And back into the water it would go.]

Do you keep a journal? Journaling is one of those things that I toy with now and then. I used to be a diary-keeper when I was a teen and young adult but life got busy with five kids and I fell out of the habit. Now, with all the writing I do I find that I have a kaleidoscopic journal that is in colorful pieces here and there. I keep a blog and journal on many of my trips—especially if it is to an interesting place like China.

Here and there in my writing I am influenced by my grandchildren. Usually it is because they have provided a good laugh. Case in point: One night we got a 1-800-Grandma call from our oldest grandson, Tyler. It went something like this:

"Tee-hee. Grandma? Can you come and give my Daddy a spanking? Tee-hee-hee."

"A spanking? Why? What's Daddy doing?"

"Well, he's your son and he keeps teasing me."

"Yes, he's my son, but what's he doing?"

"He flipped me with his sock. And it smelled, Grandma! Tee-hee-hee."

"Tyler, is this a 1-800-Grandma call?"

"A what?"

"Never mind. But if your Daddy needs a spanking, you better call 1-800-Grandpa."

Guess I still subscribe to the just-wait-until-your-father-gets-home threat. Tee-hee-hee.

And then there was the time when Kotomi, who was about four, walked up to Cinderella at the Disney World Castle and asked, “So, where’s the prince?”

I could go on but then I’d just be taking advantage of your listening ear—or make that reading eye. The point is that these are precious memories worth noting somewhere because along the way, they are often forgotten and too soon these little people will be grown up with little people of their own. What fun to be able to share the memories of their young lives with each other and their parents who may not have the time to write it down. And what a precious treasure for the future generations.

Journals come in all sizes, shapes, and price-points. When I was younger, I used a diary with the lock that had a one-key-fit-all to open it. Then I advanced to a seventy-nine cent spiral notebook when I figured out anyone could get into the locked diary.

Whatever type of journal you may choose, a clothbound fancy parchment-papered book with a raffia ribbon or a spiral notebook, put it in a place where you will see it often and remember to record those warm fuzzy moments with grands. And even if they aren’t so fuzzy, it may help you to see them in a different light. A journal is a map of a journey. Not necessarily where you are going but where you have been. It’s nice to look back once in a while.

FIshing?

Growing up in a family that was fanatic about fishing, I had a fishing rod in my hands as soon as I could hold one. It has stuck with me even though I don't get to fish as often as I did growing up. I married a guy who doesn't mind fishing as long as someone baits his hook and takes the fish off.

Some of my grandchildren though have inherited the fishing gene and I do get to indulge in the sport on occasion. Some of our Florida grandkids enjoy fishing so this past couple of weeks I've gotten to sit with them and drop a line in.

From the dock at the condo complex, there's not a whole lot to catch that has much size to it. Grunts, the occasional snapper, maybe a small barracuda and even a needle fish. I always tell people we're catching appetizers. Although they are too small to keep, they are still fun to hook and reel in.

Shark fishing (excluding hammerheads) is legal in Florida and one night a friend invited our grandson to bring a couple of fish heads and fish for shark with him. Both the friend and the grandson were ecstatic when he hooked into a sand shark about 35 inches long and reeled it in. A couple of pictures and it was released.




One morning though I had quite a time with a small needle fish. I had caught a good sized one a few days before but this one just kept swimming up on top of the water. He would follow my bobber as I reeled my line in and nip at it. Then as if he knew it, he would hustle after the line as I brought up whatever might be left over of my bait on the hook. If I hung the bait over his head, he would swim in circles waiting for it like a puppy dog waiting for a treat. Yes, I was teasing the wildlife.

When we were done fishing, I tossed in what was left of my bait and he was rewarded for his patience.

It's okay, fishy. I'll have the hook
out in a minute.

Oh, about the question of fishing. I was fishing. My grandkids were catching. They certainly had me beat by numbers.

The Great Keys Hurricane

While Irma tore into the Keys with a fury, she in no way came close to the devastation and loss of life incurred in the Great Hurricane of 1935. The hurricane was unnamed. Hurricanes did not receive names until the 1940s. It earned its title as the Great Hurricane due to its Category 5 designation with winds that reached near 200 MPH and a storm surge of 18-20 feet.

At the time the fastest way in and out of the Keys was by rail, ferry or boat. A railway ran from the mainland to Key West. A large group of World War I veterans were encamped in the area working on various government projects. When it was finally determined that the hurricane would hit the area, a train was sent to try to evacuate the workers but unfortunately it arrived at the wrong time and was derailed by the surge. It was reported that 269 of the veterans perished.

All in all over 400 died in the storm that hit in the night on Labor Day weekend. Tourists as well as residents were swept away in the wind and surge as buildings and landscape around them were torn apart. It must have been really frightening.

The railway was gone. The track and much of its supporting facilities were damaged so badly that there was no way Flagler could afford to repair it all.

The town of Tavenier was completely destroyed. Islamorada devastated.

But the Keys are strong. Over the years they came back. Thankfully as years went on hurricane predictions became more accurate and evacuation procedures in place have saved lives.

Wordless Wednesday

The Keys Post Irma

A foot of sea grass carpeted the floor of the Snappers dining room
after Irma destroyed the windows and let the water in.

The hurricane season of 2017 devastated many. Texas. Florida. Puerto Rico. Several Caribbean islands. While we had heard reports of the damage in the keys, we didn't know quite what to expect when we arrived in early January. It was three months post Irma. How much would be recovered? How much lost?

Beginning restoration of the Turtle Club at Snappers.

While Key Largo where we rent a condo was touched by Irma, it was not as devastating as the swipe Irma took through Islamorada and Marathon to the south of us. The condo complex where we stay had not been severely damaged. The condo buildings were intact. The only structure sustaining damage was one of the boat storage units that lost its metal roof. A lot of the landscape had changed though. There were obvious spots where trees were missing and leaves were stripped from other trees and bushes.

Along the Overseas Highway there were still large piles of debris, mostly of large tree bottoms with huge roots but also couches, tires, pieces of wooden structures, etc. Some of which we would learn was being carted to the area from other places and dumped.

Snappers' temporary kitchen.

The saddest things we learned were of the hotels and restaurants that were still closed and needing repair. Along with the "No Dumping" signs were signs warning of the illegality of unlicensed contractors. We would also hear of the shortage of contractors and crews. They were stretched thin which made progress slow.

Our favorite restaurant, Snappers, was featured in a CNN story just before and after the hurricane hit. According to reports the restaurant was flooded with four feet of surge and battered by waves as high as ten feet. It sits right on the ocean side where the category 4 hurricane came ashore. The outdoor bar area known as the Turtle Club was completely wiped away.

An aerial shot of Snappers before Irma.

The restaurant was one of the first to begin serving the area again but did so by cooking on outdoor grills at what they could restore quickly of the bar just outside the main building. The restaurant itself  was a mess and its kitchen destroyed. The owner said he was mainly trying to provide a place of respite for the few who were just returning to their homes.

Eventually Snappers put their cook in a food truck and began serving from an "Irmageddon" menu. There is no dishwasher so everything is served on disposable wear. Tables are still set up on the outdoor boardwalk area and patrons are supporting the owners efforts. Still it is difficult as they cannot serve as many as before so staff has been reduced.

Carmelitano used to play from a floating platform dockside.

That is the case with many of the jobs in the area. The reduction in hotel space because of closings reduces the number of people coming to the keys which of course leads to a reduction in staff.

If there is one thing the Keys are though it's resilient and things will begin to take shape and hopefully be even better than before. Meanwhile, we will eat our Sunday brunch and Snappers and enjoy the music of Frank Carmelitano and the weather and the food that is still amazingly good despite the small portable kitchen it comes from.