The Coolest Place in Hilliard, FL-Wendy's!

On a slow Sunday (Father’s Day-yesterday) afternoon, Bob and I found ourselves seeking four hours of air conditioning while two of my other grandsons, Ethan and Jonas spent the same four hours with their Dad in Hilliard, Florida. So Bob and I took a little tour of Hilliard and found out that the pool at the Parks and Recreation complex (used to be the YMCA) is closed on Sundays, the ball fields and playground were vacant in the heat too, and there were more cars in the two corner convenience store parking lots (Flash Foods and Kangaroo) than at any of the numerous churches sprinkled throughout the town. Finally we ended up at the Wendy’s by the Winn Dixie on the main drag through town toward Callahan. The parking lot was shady and the A/C kicking! We were the only customers eating (or not, since we weren't eating, that is) in the dining room, unless you count the employees taking their breaks. We joined in some conversation with some breakers and we saw how they store napkins and paper goods inside the booth seats. We did see a couple of people come in to order at the counter and others go through the drive thru but that was it. Bob read Ender’s Game (in anticipation of the movie) and I worked on my blog (specifically this post) and hoped my laptop battery would handle the amount of unplugged time I was putting into it. After about two hours of the two of us usurping the free A/C and not buying anything we were approached by a worker, not on a break. Uh oh, I thought scrambling to figure out an excuse that would preclude me from having to pack up and find coolness elsewhere. I decided that honesty was the best policy but before I could explain how I was saving gas money by spending four hours in Hilliard rather than spend the gas money making the trip back to Georgia only to turn around and return (and making better use of the drive time by writing), the girl offered Bob and I each a free Frosty. I am happy to say hospitality and simple kindness toward strangers is alive and well at the Wendy’s in Hilliard, Florida. As the time drew closer to the dinner hour the place got busier too and all the customers were treated kindly consistently across the board. The time for us passed oh so sweetly for us too, and since Bob always says, there’s always room for ice cream, and I agree. We really enjoyed our Frostys, and now I have a new favorite place to stop in Hilliard the next time I go there to pick up Ethan and Jonas.