A band of neighbors, and more

last updated 8 January 2015

A band of neighbors

Montana farmer Joe Becker broke both his legs when he fell while building a cabin this summer, leaving him unable to harvest his wheat crop. While he was still in the hospital convalescing, a neighbor called Becker to tell him not to worry about his farm. Sure enough, 14 neighbors and friends brought their own combines and trucks to Becker’s fields and harvested his crops for him, free of charge. “They wouldn’t take no for an answer,” said Becker. “You really find out what kind of neighbors you have in a time like this.”

Diana Nyad's triumph

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Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage this week, a feat over three decades in the making. Nyad, 64, completed the 110-mile journey in just under 53 hours. It was her fifth attempt to cross the Florida Strait, after three aborted swims in 2012 and 2011 and an earlier attempt in 1978. The swimmer battled through jellyfish stings, sunburn, and dehydration before staggering ashore in Florida to embrace members of her 35-strong team. “You’re never too old to live your dreams,” she said.

Treasure hunters strike gold

A family of treasure hunters from Sanford, Fla., has finally struck gold after more than a decade of searching. Rick Schmitt and his wife, Lisa, along with their children Hillary and Eric, discovered gold off the Florida coastline worth up to $350,000, having scoured the state’s waters for 13 years. The gold came from a 300-year-old Spanish shipwreck, and most of the proceeds will go to the state and the company that owns diving rights to the site. But Lisa Schmitt said the time spent searching was worth more than the bounty. “The greatest treasure is time with the family,” she said.