Sunday visiting :)

I'm so pleased with how the teaks look all warm and cozy :)  On our way this morning to church in Islamorada....so excited to be worshiping with our former pastor, Bob Pavey and his beloved, Marcia.

So there are times in your life when you are reminded that there IS a God.  Sometimes He works quietly behind the scenes, and sometimes its an in-your-face God moment. There is a back story to our former pastor from Mt. Zion Wesleyan Church in New Castle, Indiana, being lead to the Florida Keys.  We felt so privileged to be intercessors for Him one day in late spring of last year.  Donnie and I had just been up in Miami, taking my mom to the airport for her return to Indiana.  We were driving down through the Keys and Donnie's cell phone rang.  It was Pastor Bob.  Now, he had not been our senior pastor for some time as our home church went through some changes the year before that.  We missed him terribly.  Missed his preaching.  Missed he and his wife singing.  Missed his teaching.  Missed his leadership.  When Donnie's phone rang, he was excited to see that Pastor was calling.  He was looking for a church and wanted to know if we knew where Matecumbe Key was.  Well, we just happened to be two miles away, getting ready to enter in to the town of Islamorada, which is on Matecumbe Key.  Weird, right?  While we were on the phone, he asked if we might drive by and take a look at it. At this point we weren't but TWO BLOCKS AWAY!  He asked if we could stop in and take pictures of the place...we were intrigued, so we gladly obliged.  It appeared that no one was at the church, except a gardening crew was there tending to the property.  In talking to the landscapers, the church treasurer just happened to be drop in at the church to leave a check for the lawn crew.  So we walked in a side door called out a "hello?" and introduced ourselves to Donna, the church treasurer.  We tried to explain what was a providential situation, A GOD THING, no doubt.  It was a goose-pimpley, hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck, celestine prophecy kind of moment.  As Donna walked us through the sanctuary and showed us all around the property, I literally felt like I was in a movie set and it was that point at which a golden heavenly light bathes the entire scene.  It all felt surreal. and exciting. and heavenly.  The church's story was that their senior pastor's father had taken ill, and though she was planning to work another year until her retirement, she felt the need to leave earlier to tend to him.  The church had been through several changes there, and there was room for growth, and revival,. If anybody could do it, it was Pastor Bob and Marcia.  Marcia has an infectious personality, she will liven up any room she ever enters :)  This was no coincidence. I learned years ago that there is no such thing as a coincidence.  If every you catch yourself saying, "Wow, what a coincidence!" Nope, look closer. It's the hand of God orchestrating things in your life in that moment.

Donna then took us by the parsonage, and the beautiful beach at the end of the street, and I KNEW the Pavey's would be calling this place home...a beautiful place for them to spend their years before their own eventual retirement.  I snapped at least a dozen pictures on my phone that day, and sent them to his phone, and we prayed.  Prayed for His will to be done.  Though it was eventually summertime before all of the pieces fell into place, it felt like a done deal before we ever got back to Banana Bay that spring afternoon.  Cool story, huh?!  God is good; ALL the time.  He knows what is best, when the timing is right, and I am so happy that Pastor Bob and Marcia are being rewarded for living and faithfully serving Him, through thick and thin.  It's just beyond cool.
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It was so good to hear him singing from the pulpit again....it had been too long.

There was a carry in dinner following the service, and who was the first person I ran into as I carried my dish into the kitchen...the treasurer, Donna, who immediately remembered us from last year.  As we all laughed and hugged once again, I felt God smiling, as we all were :))))

Something I forgot to add from our first meeting....Donna asked if Pastor enjoyed fishing.  We knew his family loved to vacation at the beach, and he always attended the men's fishing retreat at our home church, so we said yes, but we weren't sure about saltwater fishing.  She said it would be written into his contract that he would be taken fishing once a week- guaranteed!  How about THAT for one of the perks to the job? lol  After the service, we went back to the parsonage and visited the afternoon away.  It was so good catching up.  Late in the day we decided to walk to the beach at the end of the street.  Ms. Marcia often takes her morning tea down there to enjoy the morning sunshine.  Perfect.  I am so happy for her.

I would say the Keys suits them well, don't you?

Me and Cap'n Donnie, the only man for me.  I lead such a blessed life.

The wind was still crankin' today so it was fun to watch the kiteboarders.  It looks like so much fun!

This is where Ms. Marcia enjoys her morning tea.  The parsonage is next to a resort area, so the neighborhood has beautiful homes with landscaped gardens.  It is really lovely.  There's some name droppin' that could be said for celebrities who have homes here on this island.   Often times they see trucks of film equipment and models and such doing shoots on this beach.  I think on those days Pastor probably joins Ms. Marcia for her morning tea ;)

The bougainvillea colors are coming on, just in time for Mom's arrival this week :)

a gorgeous double bloom hibiscus

I don't know what this is, but I love, love, love anything that is purple and blooms :)

...and squirrels....I love them, too.  Ellie was my 'bug' growing up, and Emily was my 'squirrel'.  I actually wrote a children's book years ago called Baby Sal- The Not So Sleepy Squirrel.  I only got about sixty rejection letters, lol. Random fact.

After we bid our goodbyes to Pastor Bob and Marcia,with plans to see them next Sunday, we stopped across the street at the WorldWide Sportsman which is the sister store to Bass Pro Shop, but this store is all things for saltwater fishing and water sports.  This is Pilar, the half sister ship to Ernest Hemingway's Pilar that he hunted big game fish on in the Gulfstream all the way to Bimini.  It was commissioned in 1933 and after a season of fishing, Hemingway ordered one to be built for himself in 1934.  Both 'Pilars' came to the aid of the Key West Navy in WWII, armed to the hilt and chasing German submarines off the coast of Cuba, another favorite haunt of Hemingway's.  (In fact, there is a marina named after him just outside of Havana.) Hemingway even changed her home port to Havana, but eventually left in 1959 to return to the Keys.  This boat appeared in a couple of movies in its hey day, "Key Largo" and "The Blue Heron" though under a different name.  It's a beautiful boat that now sits in the center of the showroom floor at WorldWide Sportsman.  Hemingway's 'Pilar' is at Finca Viga, his old homestead on the island of Cuba.  I want to visit her someday.  soon. 

On our way back to Marathon, we drove by my 'dream home'.  I was determined to stop the Jeep and go exploring for a closer look. It sits on it's own island with a private lagoon, near MM72 and the Channel 5 bridge.  It is the only other 'tall bridge' in the Keys (65' up from the water line) for sailboats to pass from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. 

Shhhh, be very, very quiet....my honey led me through a path in the mangroves (in heels, no less), past the locked gate for a closer look-see.  I just HAD to.  We were trespassing, I know.

I have had my eye on this home for 10 years, ever since we first started coming down to the Keys.  It was abandoned mid-construction, but, oh the things Mr. and Mrs. Fix It could do with this home.  Every window has a view of the Atlantic, the Gulf, the Channel Five bridge, or the lagoon with a 100' cement dock.  The island is big enough for three or four more homes to be built.  I fell IN LOVE with it.  For this, I would sell the log cabin and live here permanently.  What a beautiful place for the kids and grandkids to come and play.  Marquesa would be docked in our own backyard.

Welcome to MY home in paradise, would you like to come in?!

My kitchen sink faces the Gulf of Mexico!  The main floor has two large bedrooms, one with an en suite bathroom, a formal dining room, a breakfast area, kitchen, laundry, a half bath, and a HUGE living room that runs the entire length of the back of the house facing the Gulf.  All the electric and plumbing is roughed in, it simply needs finished.  Over the next half an hour I designed the stain glass windows, selected tile, cabinetry, light fixtures, furniture, paint, and wall art.  I was in heaven, I tell you, where do I sign?

This one of two balconies on the second floor which is all the master suite.  It faces our own private lagoon.  One the other side of those mangroves is a 100' dock, complete with utilities and the plumbing for a fish cleaning station.  The dock is on two levels- the lower level is for the fishing boat and jet skis, and the other is for our much bigger sailboat :)

This is the view from our bed :)  The morning sun is on the Gulf side, too.   We also have a sitting room/office area, a walk in closet and master bath all on the second floor.  Perfect for Cap'n's quarters.  He deserves it.

The view from our balcony.  There's a set of double french doors at the end of the bed that opens out to another private balcony.  On the left side I can sit in our hot tub and view the Channel Five Bridge, where we can easily take Marquesa out.  If you turn left after going under the bridge, you'll head for Bimini.  If you turn right, you'll head to Key West or on down to Mexico.  And if you continue straight on your course from the bridge, you will end up in Cuba.  An easy overnight sail.  Only 90 miles away.  Perfect for this adventuresome couple.

And when I tire of the hot tub, I will get out and sunbathe on the lounge chairs on the right side of our balcony with a good book.  I have a perfect view of our private lagoon where I can watch the kids and grandkids snorkel and play on the jet skis.  Late in the day I will come out here with my binoculars to scan the waters for my beloved coming home from a day of fishing with a mess of yellowtail, mangrove snappers, and hogfish for our dinner. *sigh*  I can see it in my mind's eye...

The best news of all?  IT'S FOR SALE!!!  I hate to even look it up or give Kelly Shaw a call.  I probably can't even afford the hurricane insurance on it.  This is why KEN NEEDS TO CALL ME...so I can get on Survivor, win the million bucks, and at least have the down payment for my dream home!  I have watched this home for nearly as many years as I have been applying to the game of Survivor. I started applying when I was 38 years old, and I turn 50 this year. Ken, you need to call me, DANG NABBIT!!!!

When we got home, Willis was being a faithful guard cat...

But, he had to give me lip though about us being gone all day.  Such a sassafras.  I explained that we had been looking at our dream home, on our own private island, where he and Simon could have the run of the place.  He piped down when he found out he could have his very own iguanas to chase. Whenever he wanted.  That shut him up.

Cap'n got busy with a few boat projects since he lost yesterday to being a shirttail auto mechanic.  He rebuilt our main halyard winch which saved us a hundred dollar bill (for a used one).  He also painted a flange in the engine compartment in anticipation of our new Bessie coming home to roost in the next day or two.  Just about that time Bryan called him to go play guitars, and he jumped at the chance. 

At about 9pm, I got a hankering to go for a run.  I ran for thirty minutes and I wasn't even being chased by a bad man!  I stumbled into the cockpit when I got back, but by golly, I did it!

And this is how I find Sassafras most evenings...so very, very curious about the dinghy tied to the stern of Marquesa.  I think this is how he fell in the water a few nights ago.  Dern cat.

And while I worked on the blog and checked the flight times for Emily and Mom's arrival this week, Willis had to be right there, tail swishing on my keyboard.  Such a good helper, he is. And a sassafras. I can't help but love him. That dern cat.   G'nite, y'all!