We were staying at a really run down campground in Homosassa, FL, Betty Long's Campground. Betty was the only one who picked up the phone when I was calling to make a reservation. I wish I got a picture of Betty, she is cute as hell. She is an older woman who runs her own campground and drives around in a beat up old Dodge with her old dog riding shotgun. I also have to mention the work boots and tool belt she was wearing, what a hoot. Betty is my kind of lady, for sure. Anyway, the day started off with chores around the camper, putting things away and getting reacquainted with everything. We ran out to grab a few more things from the store and stopped at a road side produce stand. The woman gave me two pounds of free strawberries because they needed to be used up (good thing #1). We were feeling really productive by early afternoon. Then Brian received a call from his captain on the ship and he said that they were in Tampa and if we wanted to come for a visit, this would be the time. We made the executive decision to take the drive back to Tampa because I probably won't get the chance to see Brian's home away from home again and Brian also had to get fitted for a tux and there isn't another Men's Warehouse in the area.
We called ahead and ordered pizzas to bring on the ship for the crew. This is where things could have gone really wrong. The ship goes to two docks in Tampa and there are a number of the same pizza places throughout the area. We ordered from the right pizza parlor which was right up the street from the correct dock the ship was at (good thing #2). This dock was also easier get through the port security and we drove right up next to the ship. I met a lot more of Brian's co-workers, got to see where he lives, sleeps, eats, works and exercises for the other half of the year. The Chief Engineer gave me an awesome tour of the engine room and I also got to mock drive the ship from the bridge. It all was very cool. Brian not wanting to spend too much time back at work while on vacation, we said thank you and good bye and headed down the gang way.
Everything went smoothly at Men's Warehouse (good thing #3) and was a big check off our to-do list. Now here is what really made the day for me, a real God-punch story (good thing #4). We were on our way back to Homosassa and were sitting at a red light before getting on the highway. There was a man sitting in the shade on the roadside holding a sign that said "just hungry". I reached back in our snack bag and pulled out a box of Little Debbie's Nutty Bars that Mary Lou gave us and Brian rolled down the window to call him over and hand it to him. He was very thankful and as the light turned green and we started to pull away, I heard him say a prayer out loud before tearing into the box. Even now, I am emotional thinking about it. I am always thinking about how I should eat less and healthier and this guy was just trying to stay alive. We were happy to help but it left me wishing we could have done more. It really just put the whole day in perspective. Brian and I are very fortunate and we know that, but sometimes it is just easy to forget how fortunate we really are.
We stopped at the small bar up the road from the campground for a couple of $1 drafts (good thing #5) and toasted to a great day.
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