Chapter sixteen
The day José finished work on the cabin Rick presented him with a new ford pickup as a bonus. Although José protested vehemently Rick stood his ground and eventually José capitulated. He explained to José about not wanting strangers on the property and how much both he and Sara appreciated him dropping everything and putting his life on hold to help them out. By the time he finished work on the cottage, José had fallen in love the crystal river area. He decided to move his lawn service business there. By that time, Rick had opened his real estate office and with his recommendations and word of mouth, José’s business was soon doing very well. He in fact was doing better than he ever had in Tallahassee although Chrystal River had a much smaller population. José expanded his business to include light construction and added two employees. He also made friends with other Spanish-speaking people in the area and found that he was much happier here than he had ever been in Tallahassee. Of course, to José, the major draw in Crystal River was that Rick and Sara were there.
As work on the cottage progressed they closed on the river house and prepared to move in. Sarah had fallen in love with the area surrounding the house on the river even before they had seen the house. The route the realtor chose in taking them to look at the property was along a curved street lined by giant Live Oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. Sarah oohed and aahed all the way to the house, and when they turned in the drive Rick thought she was going to pee her pants. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Every time you say ooh you add a thousand dollars to the price.”
“Oops. Sorry.”
They sat in front of a beautiful wrought iron gate festooned with enameled Great Snowy Egrets in full mating plumage. The agent got out and walked to the gate. He took out a sheet of paper, consulted it and punched a number into a key pad mounted beside the gate latch and the gate swung open. There was a stucco wall across the front yard and along the sides. The drive was made of multi colored pastel bricks and the front yard was filled with palms and live oak trees. There were azalea bushes along both sides of the yard and a plethora of multi colored bougainvillea covering the front wall.
The house was low and long made of stucco and painted a very pale peach with coins and shutters in coral. The roof was red tile and it was obvious that this was an older house even though the surrounding homes were fairly new. Beside the driveway gate was a smaller gate that accessed a walk made of the same pastel brick. They drove to the house, got out and walked up an enclosed entryway that was floored with the same pastel bricks as the drive and walkway. The realtor took the key out of a key box and opened the front door that was solid polished cypress approximately five feet wide and curved across the top. The large entry way was floored with the same polished cypress that the door was constructed of.
Sarah managed to hold her tongue as they were shown the rest of the house until they came to the lanai with its enclosed pool and patio area overlooking a magnificent dock. She let out a little scream and ran to the dock to look at the river. As a realtor himself, Rick was well aware of the bartering position his wife’s reaction to the house had put him in. He was also aware though that the price of houses in Florida had sky rocketed over the past five years and rightly figured that the present owners had paid only a smidgen of their asking price. Rick thought it possible that although the owner may be aware of what the market value was, he may also consider it ridiculously inflated and therefore may be in a little open to haggling. Rick was also aware that property wasn’t selling all that well right now and felt for that reason he may have some bargaining power regardless of Sarah’s reaction to the place. He also knew of course, that he was going to pay whatever he had to, to get it.
Not being on King’s Bay undoubtedly shaved at least a hundred thousand off the price although they were only about ten minutes from the bay by boat and that was a plus. They had sold the house in Tallahassee for twice what they paid for it but it still didn’t come near what this one cost.
The house had come with a boat and they could have bought the furnishings for a song. The woman’s husband had died and she was moving back north to be near her children. Sarah however, preferred her furniture so the woman had an estate sale. They did buy all of her appliances however. It seemed silly to pay to have the appliances in Tallahassee moved and they figured the house would sell better with them included.
The day they moved in, within minutes of the moving van leaving an alarm went off somewhere in the house. The alarm only sounded for a few seconds and within minutes there was a knock at the door. When Sarah opened the door there was a nice looking lady that appeared about fifty standing there holding a cake.
“I won’t keep you, I know you’re busy. I live next door and just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood.”
“Nonsense come in. We were just taking a break.”
As they walked in the kitchen Sarah said, “This is my husband Rick, and I’m Sarah.”
“My, what a handsome one he is.”
“Don’t I know it?”
“My name is Dolly, like the singer but without the boobs.”
Sarah liked her immediately. Rick said, “Would you like a drink, if it’s not too early?”
“I’ve never been a clock watcher. I’d love a beer if you have one.”
Dolly was five feet three and slightly over weight. She had been a very pretty woman in her youth and though no longer a girl, retained her good looks.
Dolly spent the next hour drinking their beer and filling them in on all the neighborhood gossip. She also told them that her husband and her were retired and were snowbirds. They also had a house in London, Ontario. They had decided on Crystal River because her husband liked to fish. Rick said, “You must have retired early. You don’t look a day over forty.”
“Well aint you the one? Sarah you’re going to have to watch out for me. I think I’ve fallen in love with your husband.”
“That’s easy to do.”
Well I know a lady isn’t supposed to divulge her age, but I never been accused of being a lady. I’m sixty-five years old and my hubby Oliver, is seventy. We’re the Hearst’s, not the ones with all those piles of money I’m afraid.”
Just then, that alarm sounded again and shortly after the doorbell rang. Sarah said, “Must be the day for company,” And went to the door.
“Do you have my wife? Beautiful girl about this high and will talk your arm off.”
“Guilty. Come on in we have her out in the kitchen. You must be Oliver.”
“Please call me Ollie every one does.”
Oliver was Five foot ten and still fairly fit for a man in his seventies. Although youngish looking for his age his hair was almost totally gone. He only had a slight fringe over his ears and on the nape of his neck which he kept trimmed very short.
Rick commented on the alarm and asked if they knew anything about it.
“The gates have an alarm that sounds for five seconds any time they’re opened. The side gate and the front gate don’t lock, unlike the driveway gate, but whenever they are opened, it sounds the alarm. It is a good system at that, if they had locks the crooks would just go over the wall and you wouldn’t have a clue. This way they go through the gate and let you know they’re coming. Besides, you’ll know when were coming and have time to get decent. We came in through the side gate.”
“That’s great, thanks for the info. We’re just starting to get acquainted with the place.”
“I think you’re going to really like it, it’s a beautiful home. We have always been somewhat jealous of it.
Around seven, they ordered in pizza and Ollie insisted on paying. The party broke up around eleven with promises to get back together soon and an invitation to Rick to go fishing. On the way to the front door Rick said, “Ollie, about this fishing, this place came with a really nice deck boat, but none of us have ever driven a boat. Do you think you could give us some lessons?”
“Piloted.”
“Huh.”
“You pilot a boat. You drive a car. I’d be more than happy to and I’ll show you how to use those boatlifts too. That boat of yours has a head so I will also show you where to empty your holding tanks. How about tomorrow?”
“That would be great. Our nephew John is home from college for the summer. I’m sure he would like to go along.”
“Good. We’ll take some fishing gear and make a day of it. You bring the beer.”
“Deal.”
Sarah said, “I’ll beg off this time. I have got shopping to do. Besides, you boys will have more fun by yourselves.”
Dolly said, “How about me going shopping with you? I can show you where everything is.”
“Great. See you tomorrow.”
The next day Ollie was there early and ready to go. Rick was ready but John was still in bed. Rick said, “Help yourself to a cup of coffee while I roust John out of bed.”
When he got back he said, “Sorry about that. You know how kids are.”
By the time they had finished their coffee and loaded a cooler with beer and ice John was ready to go. John took the wheel first. Rick and Ollie cast off the lines and John gave it some throttle and headed for the bay.
“The first thing John, the river and bay are no wake areas. That means you boat at idle speed slow enough that you don’t create a wake. You have a two hundred and twenty-five-horse engine on this boat and twin hulls. It wouldn’t be any trick at all to plane this baby out; however, this area is all Manatee winter habitat and breeding area. You can’t really get up speed until you’re in the gulf. This boat has enough power to water ski but of course wasn’t made for that, and like I said you can’t do that here anyway.”
He showed them roped off areas around springs that were manatee habitat and off limits to all watercraft. He explained the rules of the road, the buoy system, the boat lights and what the colors meant. He showed them how to raise and lower the prop and how to use the gears. By the end of the day, both John and Rick were competent at the controls and they had gotten in some fishing. Ollie said that the next time they took the boat out they would go out in the gulf for some real fish.
“Isn’t that a little dangerous with a boat like this? This boat doesn’t exactly strike me as an ocean going ship.”
“The ocean deepens very slowly in this area, about a foot per mile. You would have to go out a long way to get in very deep water. That’s not to say that you don’t get weather here. It behooves you to watch the weather very closely when your out in the gulf. You have a marine radio and a GPS device on this boat, so you shouldn’t get in any trouble, if you pay attention. Ocean travel isn’t nearly as dangerous as landlubbers imagine it to be, especially if you remain within a safe distance of land. You need to be able to get back in case of weather. Believe me, you don’t want to be out on the gulf on this boat in heavy weather.”
Ollie explained that there were boating classes put on by the coast guard if they were interested. He told them that the course wasn't mandatory but was worth the time. Like most people, Ollie loved to tell a willing audience what he knew. He started explaining nautical terms to them and they were both amazed to find that they understood most of them, although they didn’t say so. It was sort of like the Jeopardy show, when you gain an almost perfect memory it is amazing what you find tucked away in your brain. Rick knew more than John did, apparently, due to being around for an extra sixty some years.
John was kind of bummed out he had hoped to do some water skiing, maybe even get a ski boat, but with all the no wake rules that was out of the question. He had met some kids at the mall that talked about skiing and he later found that the inland lakes were open to speed boats and water skiing. John and his friends also used the deck boat on the gulf. He had also made friends with a girl that lived on Apopka Lake near Hernando so he wound up spending most of his time on the water. John had soon decided that he was going to spend his life in Florida.
Rick and Sarah spent most of their spare time outdoors, either at the cabin or on the dock in Crystal River. If they were not at one of those places, they were likely to be found on the river or bay in their boat. They both had been nature lovers all their lives, but even more so since coming to Crystal River. They had furnished the dock in Crystal River with some fairly comfortable outdoor furniture. One of their favorite pastimes was sitting on the dock watching the pelicans skim over the surface of the river. They had never seen such an abundance or variety of critters as they had there. Rick had even seen a twelve-foot alligator in the Crystal River. He decided right then that he wouldn’t spend much time swimming in the river.
In addition to the wild life, Sarah enjoyed cruising along the river just to see the mansions and the shanties scattered along the shoreline. Rick saw the eclectic mix of housing as the passing of an era. Rising land prices, along with the accompanying taxes would soon make it impossible for the smaller homes to survive. They would be razed and mansions would take their place, to the detriment of the river, Rick felt.
One day Rick was sitting in the lanai reading the paper when Sarah came around the house shouting for him. At first, he thought something was wrong, but as it turned out, she had discovered a turtle in the front yard.
“What kind is it?”
“I don’t know. It’s huge. Come and see.”
Rick put down the paper and Sarah literally dragged him around to the front yard. There was a nondescript turtle about twenty inches in diameter with a flat spot in the top of his shell. He was grazing on the front yard grass.
“What kind of turtle is it Rick?”
“I have no idea. I suspect it might be a tortoise. I’ve never seen a turtle eat grass.
Later that evening, over cocktails, they mentioned it to Ollie and Dolly. They knew all about it.
“It’s a gofer tortoise. They are considered endangered here because of all the construction. They live in burrows that can be up to thirty feet long. Yours has his burrow beside that big fuchsia bougainvillea next to your front gate. They usually come out to graze in the afternoon. The lady that sold you the house called him Quincy.”
“Quincy it is then. I wouldn’t want to confuse him Sarah said.”
Rick said, “Ollie, since you know so much about Florida’s flora and fauna, what’s with these fish we see jumping by the hundreds in the gulf?”
“Mullet.”
“Okay, what’s a mullet?”
“It’s a fish. They’re mostly about a foot long, maybe a little more and they jump out of the water around one to two feet. I have no idea why but like you said, when they’re jumping it seems like there’s hundreds of them. The natives swear by them, they used to have big fish boils, and people would come from miles around. Of course that was before all us snowbirds descended on them.”
“I Think I’ll have another beer.”
“Make it two.”
“Make it three.”
“Might as well make it four.”
When Rick returned with the beer he said, I’m not much on fish. It’s just not something we had growing up, we mostly ate cows…” Then he caught himself and dropped the subject.