We finally had our first real encounter with Florida’s turnpike system. Well, we did have a toll to get onto Sanibel Island, but that was obvious and easy. The turnpike wasn’t that hard to navigate, but it is operated by a series of cameras strung across the top of the road at seemingly random intervals. The cameras read the toll card stuck to a car’s windshield. If there is no sticker, they take a picture of the license plate and send you a bill. Gotcha. The one we had to deal with yesterday was pretty busy. In fact we narrowly avoided a sideswipe, but Chris’ awesome driving prevented that from happening. After her masterful swerve, I asked if she was OK. She immediately replied, “No.” Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but at least she could talk.
We
finally got on track and headed to the Everglades National Park visitors’
center. It was right on the way to our
main destination of the day. Well, sort
of. It turned out to be a 30 or so mile
detour. But we found the visitors’
center, got Chris a stamp or two for her book (WooHoo), and then headed
further south to meet up with some good friends from our Arlington days, Steve
and Susan Jones, who happened to be vacationing as well. Oh, and before we left, I found a stray young
pelican who fell in love with Lil Mr. Bob.
Mr. Bob was intimidated at first, but the two of them are great friends
now.
Critter-wise,
we have seen numerous lizards. Some have
been pretty big. Not iguana quality by
any means, but big.
Before
heading to the Keys to meet the Jones’, we stopped for gas at a Shell station. But they didn’t want our money for some
reason. The pump wouldn’t operate. Kept telling me to see the attendant. I went inside to see him, but he completely
ignored me. So, we got back in the car
and drove across the street to a Chevron.
Their pump worked fine, and even though I had to go inside to get a
receipt (from the Guy Who Would Not Smile From Behind His Glass Barrier),
at least the transaction was completed.
We
missed the exit to where Steve and Susan were staying. I called to let them know, and she suggested
we just meet at the restaurant. It was
just ahead of where we were, so it worked well for us. We made our way to the restaurant located
next to a Crocodile Crossing sign and found a table. We talked for a few hours. Well, actually, Chris and Steve shared horror
stories of hospitals and ER’s and heart attacks. Susan and I sat quietly and enjoyed our fried
shrimp platters. Wait. What part of that do you not believe? It was really great to see them. Hope we don’t wait 20 years to do it again.
On
the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Biscayne National Park. Chris got three stamps there, but the tour didn’t
take long. The park is all water. We did enjoy the backwoods adventure back out
of there, though. we drove through
fifteen or twenty sites of nurseries. If
you ever wondered where the palm trees came from that you can buy in Galveston -
palm trees of every make and size - we were there.
Back
at the hotel, we walked across the parking lot to a Subway for some
supper. Interesting experience in
itself. The girl at the counter couldn’t
speak any English. None. She pointed at pictures and said the word in
Spanish. Most of the time I knew what
she meant, but it was a surprise that they didn’t have an English speaker. Last I checked, Florida is in the United
States …
Proverbs
22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they
are old they will not turn from it.”
Father,
thank you so much for our friends Steve and Susan. Please keep them safe on their flight back home
today. Give Steve’s docs the wisdom to
develop a plan of care for his quickly. And
give him – and Susan – patience as they walk through this cardiac valley. Amen.
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