There's an Alligator!!!!!

We got a wonderful text today from Pastor Ralph of Alva UMC.  He had received an offer from a church member to pass on to the ‘retired Pennsylvania pastor’ who had helped him out Christmas Eve to join this afternoon’s Manatee Tour in Fort Worth Shores on the Caloosahatchee Waterway and Orange River. It just so happened the parishioner who called was none other than Captain Steve himself and it was his tour boat.

Ralph drove us to the marina about 8 miles west on the Caloosahatchee and assisted Captain Steve with the launch, then he went to his nearby ‘West side satellite office, Beef O’Brady’s, and did some church business from his office booth till our return two hours later.

There were several other families on the tour, including one from as far away as Naples, Florida. Of course others were FROM farther away but were staying closer to Fort Worth.

The day was dark and in the mid seventies instead of the predicted eighties and sunny, but we saw manatee, several kinds of birds, and an alligator.  

It was a small alligator, about 6 feet maybe.  But its our first wild gator since coming south at all, four months ago!

Captain Steve kept up a running commentary on the sights of nature we were observing, and did a pretty good job over the 30 minutes of screams of the three year old who wanted to go home pretty much as soon as she boarded the boat.

But the cute little sweetie settled down just fine once we began seeing manatee, and she loved taking over as driver of the boat as we were headed home.

I believe her parents and grandmother are still planning to take her to Disney World tomorrow, though she was threatened time and again with losing that trip if she didn’t behave. I think they already own their tickets.

Ralph took us home and we parted good friends as he prepares to fly north to see his kids in the Pittsburg, PA area tomorrow.  In fact, he once more told us folk were asking him to find a way to get us to stay.  And I must say, the river side homes we saw, where good fishing and manatee watching is off your front yard, and at a price we could afford, did look appealing as we floated by them.  And there’s a park on the waterway just half a mile from the church!

Then, as Ralph was getting in his car he turned to me and said, “We’ve got to expand the worship space as soon as we get our mortgage for the other properties we’ve bought recently down a bit.  And I’m going to need a good assistant pastor since we’ve grown now to over 200 attenders.” Wink, wink.

We closed up the coach and I drove it over to the UMC Riverside Retreat Camp to dump and fill while Mona drove around the Alva Oak Park Riverside modular home park to check out their pool (clean and heated to 85 degrees all year long), community building (getting ready for a community party), and the riverside homes.

I returned with the discouraging news that I had finally done what I hear all good RVers do. I had left the TV antenna up as I drove away and broke the ratchet on its drop mechanism.  I crawled to the roof of the coach while the water tank was filling and dropped the antenna manually. But another repair is not something that encourages Mona to live forever in an RV.

We stay here through Sunday and into Monday, believing we are called to explore further south.  But when we come back north in a few weeks, Ralph says, “Don’t even call ahead.  Just come into YOUR spot on the golf course and settle in.

Who knows.  We may just.

Facebook has all the pics from today!

-Ken

Our First Christmas Day Afar

Yes, Mona once wore faux hair. And I once forgot to zip.

In 1968 Mona and I met on Labor Day Weekend Saturday, and on our very first Christmas Eve we became engaged. That was 46 Christmas Eves ago. 

Tonight that’s 46 Christmases ago.  46 amazing and wonderful years.  Some of them I would call miraculous, for the struggles we had, and the ways God blessed us through them.

Today was our first Christmas away from family and a lifetime of friends.  And God blessed us through it well.  We pray those we missed seeing today prayed for Him to do the same for them.  For He answers prayer.  Amen!

At 10 am this morning Martha pulled her car up beside our coach and took us to join her in her Christmas Day traditions.  They began at 10:30 am at Christ Church of Lehigh Acres, Florida.  This was our first ever Christmas Day Church Service ever. And Pastor Ralph, of Alva UMC, was there as well.

Thank you Pastor Lia for welcoming us ‘home’.  And Thank You Pastor Tom (Lia’s husband, who serves a church in North Fort Myers) for your story and music leading.

Martha has directed the Riverside Retreat UMC Camp for 15 years and retires this April to Northwest Tennessee.

  

She drove us to her camp, and home, just 5 miles east of Alva on route 78 from Alva to show us where we will take the coach to dump tanks and refill our fresh water tomorrow.

 

Then she showed us a bit of her camp.

Built along the quiet Caloosahatchee Waterway the camp offers all sorts of water craft and everything you’d expect from a well run Christian camp.

About 5 miles further east is Martha’s friend Patty’s home.  Patty attends Carlson Memorial UMC in LaBelle, Florida, maybe 5 miles further east on 78. Martha used to as well. Every year Patty invites friends, new and old, to a potluck dinner at her home. 

Every Thanksgiving Martha invites Patty and some of the same friends, and more new ones, to her home for Dinner.  These folks will dearly miss Martha when she heads for Tennessee come April.

 

This year Patty’s son’s family drove in from Omaha, Nebraska.  Their two boys and Maida’s children received Legos for Christmas from… who else?

Please keep Maida’s mother in prayer.  She has just suffered her third stroke and is in the South Miami Baptist Hospital. Maida is getting a ride to visit her tomorrow (Friday).

 

After the meal and the presents were handed out to the kids, Baby Jesus’ birthday cake was cut.  Followed by Patty’s reading of a special nativity story for the kid in each of us.

How my memories of Christmas Eve birthday parties returned as I remembered my own father’s reading each Christmas Eve from the big family King James Bible our daughter Jenn now has, of the Christmas Story. “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed…”

Martha drove us home and we promised to call her when we bring the coach over for our weekly chore.  The camp has a very nice RV park and all year long they have some who pay to camp here, and others who work-camp (exchange time and skill around the camp) for the hookups and space.

Martha tells us there are more work-campers now than ever before.  Mostly retired, but some not, who just need a rent free place to live, and are happy to work for it.

The sun set on our first Christmas Day as simply man and wife, mother and father, Grandad and Grammy. Wonderful phone calls had been made, or messages left, between the many we have missed seeing.

And with darkness, we watched the wonderful late 1970’s ‘Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ starring Loretta Swit through Youtube, 

and the DVD we carry with us of that 1983 classic, ‘A Matter of Principal’ starring Alan Arkin.

Memories of Christmases past came floating over us, and the loving bond we share through all of them with our kids, grandkids, relatives and friends.

God has blesses us, when we ask Him to, even when we can’t get together for Christmas, everyone (per Tiny Tim).

-Ken

Merry Christmas Eve in ALVA

Christmas Eve in Alva, Florida, AND Alva United Methodist Church leads her community in celebrating the birth of Christ. And for newbies to the south at Christmastime like us, we can’t get over the climate.

The temperature is in the mid eighties, and a bit unseasonably humid today. The Ibis’s, after feeding on all the ground bugs they care to eat perch high in the trees to get a cool breeze.

But the Alva UMC Drive By Live Nativity rocks on!

 

Today Mona played Mary in the stable with me. We had new angels also. Amy and her son Riley and her 1 1/2 year old daughter Hannah- the cow.  I called her Chick-fil-a.

But they got back at me when they caught me goofing between cars.  Mona says I’m a ringer for Marty Feldman as Igor (not Egor) in Young Frankenstein.

The Nativity ran from 1 until 3pm and we had over 30 cars go through. Over 60 went through on Saturday from 5-8 pm.

Then we went home to shower, rest, and prepare for the Christmas Eve service at 7 pm.  Pastor Ralph came over to let me review the part in the service he asked me to take. And Mona and I looked over our book map, reminiscing of the places we have been, and reviewing the places we may go.

Pastor Ralph told us over 125 persons came to Alva UMC tonight. But the church only seats 100, and I stopped counting people in folding chairs, steps and laps at 50.

What a blessing to be with these wonderful people, and especially to be allowed to serve at Christmas time once again. Ralph had me read the Scriptures for each section of the service.

How many other churches will we worship in, assist in, as God brings us together?

Seems like He’s our primary navigator on this journey. Seems like that’s the way it should always be.

-Ken