He witnessed glaciers. In Iceland and Montana.
He rode a horse up into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. And camped for three days.
Then he white water rafted down the middle fork of the Snake River for another four days.
He saw the Aurora Borealis.
He went to the land of the midnight sun.
He parasailed in the Cayman Islands.
He scuba dived the Caribbean and Hawaii and Bermuda and Florida and the Bahamas and off the Eastern Coast. A few times at night.
He learned to surf.
He lived in Michigan and New Orleans and New Jersey.
He flew kites at Kitty-Hawk.
He saw lava flow into the ocean and form new land.
He ran in the NYC Marathon.
He hiked in the Grand Canyon.
He saw Meteorite Crater.
He saw the Petrified Forest. And Napa Valley. And Big Sur. And The Muir Woods. And the crookedist street in the country. And Monterrey Bay and Cannery Row. And the southern most point in the United States (Key West).
He visited Alcatraz.
And Acoma, New Mexico.
He stood in Four Corners.
He ate dinner in the oldest Adobe House in Sante Fe, NM.
He worked on an oil rig.
He flew in a helicopter.
He rode in a hot air balloon.
He saw a geyser.
He swam in a natural hot spring.
He sailed in a lagoon with icebergs. And drank vodka that was iced over a million year old ice cube.
He biked through the Normandy D-Day sights. And walked the beaches of Omaha, Utah, Sword, Juno, Gold, and looked over the precipice of Pointe du Hoc. He cried at the Normandy Cemetary.
He saw Paris. And London. And Mount St. Michel.
He collected shells in Sanibel, doing the famous Sanibel Stoop.
He saw 1,000 year old petroglyphs and traced them with his fingertip.
He crawled through Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.
He saw Stonehenge. And Big Ben. And London Bridge. And the Eiffel Tower. And Notre Dame. And The White House.
He dug for fossils in Wyoming and Nevada. And skied in Utah, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont.
He was an excellent skier.
He jet-skied in the Bahamas.
He saw whales breach off the coast of Maine. And learned to rock climb.
And camped on the beach.
He went sea kayaking and seals followed his boat.
He went to Disney World. And Epcot. And Universal Studios. And Sea-World.
He swam with dolphins. And giant sea turtles, in the wild.
He fed Manta Rays. And sharks. And he wasn't in a cage.
He won money in Las Vegas and Atlantic City and on a cruise to Bermuda.
He toured Hoover Dam. And went to the top of the Empire State Building. And The World Trade Center. And The Statue of Liberty. And Ellis Island.
He saw the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier.
He drank good wine and ate good food.
He attended The New York Academy of Film and made a movie short called "Dirty Water Dogs".
He did a geology talk every year at our childrens' schools. And brought unusual rocks for the children to touch.
He loved me.
These are some of the things he did.
Imagine that these are just some of the things he experienced and helped mold him into the man who was growing all the time and learning and then sharing what he learned. Most people are fortunate to do a couple of these things in their life.
ReplyDeleteTechno, he never sat still until the day was done. He never stopped learning and growing and stretching. And I will be forever grateful that he took me along for the ride.
ReplyDeleteAs was reading that I knew I was going to say "he loved you" in my comment. I am glad you did it for me. What an amazing man. I am sure he was fabulous entertainment with all the stories he could tell.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful man that had such a rich life and experienced so many things others only dream about. You were so blessed to be with him for the years you had. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOdie
A life very well-lived. We can only hope to aspire to a life like that.
ReplyDeleteHe never told his story. He was more interested in other people’s story. He was the most humble man I ever met. Jim was all about the people around him. When he made friends, they were friends for life. Like me. A wife for life.
ReplyDeleteI miss him so much it is a physical ache. He was my great adventure.
I was talking to a good friend of mine, a woman who I have known for 30 years and she said, “he lived and loved more in 52 years than most people do in 100”. And she was right. He just had this passion for stuff. I used to laugh and call him ADD. If it wasn’t one thing it was another – but what excitement!
I am just forever grateful he brought me along for the ride.
Odie - it is you I have to thank for reading and commenting. It is helping me in immeasurable ways. Blessings to you and yours.
Nancy - we weren't done. So many more adventures we had planned. But I am so thankful for the ones we had.
We can all only hope for a life like that.
ReplyDeleteWow, What a life he had! You two were very blessed to live and experience such things together. He spent many years sharing his zest for life with you. I know much of that zest will live on IN you.
ReplyDeleteHe lived a wonderful life and experienced so much...more than alot of people..and yes you were so fortunate to have met and loved him.
ReplyDeleteYou must be a very special person to have won his heart. Sending love your way.Marlene
I have to say that I love that you are doing this...writing down your grief, recognizing it, remembering him the best way you can at that time. It breaks my heart to read it and see your pain, but I think you are wonderful, and he left behind a beautiful legacy in you and your children.
ReplyDeleteTears and so much sadness for you right now. I'm SO SORRY I'm just now finding out. What an incredible man with an amazing life and a wife who got him, loved him, and celebrated him. I'm sure had HE been able to write this, loving you would have been the FIRST thing on his list. God comfort and bless you, sweet friend. I'm so terribly sorry for your loss and your pain. I wish I could do anything to help. (((((gentle, loving hugs to you.)))))
ReplyDeleteHe sounds amazing. Blessings to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds amazing. Reading this is a testimony of living life to it's fullest..I am reminded here how important it is to do the things you want to do now instead of putting them off...to love the people around me fully and completely. Thank you for sharing his story even though you are hurting like this. XX
ReplyDeleteSuch an amazing list of accomplishments and zest for life. Such an incredible man. It's like he had the Cajun "joie de vivre", without being a Cajun. Love and hugs, Marguerite
ReplyDeleteI realize while reading this your husband was a man of action and learning. I am married to a man like that and, if not for him, I'd never have lived all the places we've lived nor learned to adapt as well as we've had to. I was thinking of what life would be like w/o him the other night and it would be a terrible adjustment, like the one you are going through. But, I can only be grateful for his tutelage, insight and determination to always learn something new. That's a great lesson.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to list all his accomplishments. They are truly impressive.
He was wonderful...it is no wonder to me that you miss him terribly. I am so very sorry. So sorry...I cannot imagine the grief that you must feel for the loss of such an amazing man and husband. Love you...sending hugs, Janine xx
ReplyDeleteA passion for life that he shared with you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautifully rich life.
ReplyDelete