Salt On A Lime

Howdy, Neighbor. People have been telling Phil he’s a good storyteller for a long time… so we are trying something new and pretty-much non-sales Just sharing occasional sweet stories, tall tales, and life lessons learned around these parts.

Northwoods Notes are a new, semi-bi-irregular peek into the heart and mind of Phil Frasier… you can read or listen… whichever you prefer… and you are receiving a copy because you’re a current customer of Frasier’s Plumbing and Heating, Inc. We think you’ll like them, but you can unsubscribe any time by clicking on the link at the bottom. But we hope you give us a chance!

Listen:

Read:

Joanna and I once spent ten days in the Keys. I lost all sense of time… and that was okay.

We were younger then. Joanna was homeschooling five kids. I was intensely focused on getting and keeping the business off the ground.

We needed some time to get away, regroup, and not think about anything for a while. So, we booked a trip to the Florida Keys.

I just love, love, love the water down there. Those crystal-dancing sparkles put a soothing spell on a stressful soul. And the reef tranquilizes your troubles with its underwater wonder.

Joanna and I rented a fifty-two-foot Catamaran houseboat and just anchored wherever the sun set.

The boat had a little dinghy on the back that we’d take out to catch fish. It was incredible. Dolphins would swim alongside our boat and look right at us.

One night we took the dinghy over to the tiny island where Jimmy Buffett wrote the song “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” I signed a dollar bill and stuck it on the ceiling. I bet it’s still there.

One day we decided to sail the Catamaran to a little island out in the gulf. There we were, motoring across the gulf, when a bad storm suddenly kicked up.

Waves were crashing over the bow of the boat. I hollered to Joanna to keep the bow pointed right into the waves and to keep driving!

I had my foot planted on one of the 300 horsepower motors so I could secure the dinghy.

Had we lost power, we surely would’ve gone sideways and swamped the boat.

I felt bad for Joanna, I’d been in way worse situations up in Alaska and Canada. But Joana had never experienced anything like this before.

Finally, we arrived on the leeward side of the island and discovered a wonderful little community. Everybody waved at everybody. Nobody had a care in the world.

I’d take the dinghy out with a little cooler, three Coronas, and a lime. While I fished all day, Joanna stayed back on the boat to lose herself in the pages of one of her favorite books.

At night, I’d cook up my catch of the day, Joanna would make a delicious salad, and we’d wine and dine as the sun disappeared over the horizon.

That trip is definitely in the top three vacations we’ve taken together. We returned rejuvenated. Not just individually, but also as a couple.

Everyone needs some time off. To visit somewhere you’ve never been before. A place where hardware stores don’t stock snow shovels and flipflops are worn all year long.

Sometimes, ya gotta trade the salt on your car for some salt on a lime.

Take care neighbor. Take good care.

Oh, and P.S. – Did you know that Punxsutawney Phil, the official groundhog, used to be a badger? And according to lore, there’s only one real Phil. All those other groundhogs are imposters. Happy Groundhog Day, neighbor.