What does a former president do when he wants to take a laid-back holiday vacation with his family? If he’s Jimmy Carter, he gathers up the clan and heads for the Florida Keys.

Former President Jimmy Carter grins delightedly as he holds a juvenile green sea turtle at Marathon's Turtle Hospital. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Actually, former President Carter, his wife Rosalynn and assorted family members spent a post-Christmas sojourn in the Middle Keys, staying at the lovely Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key. But while the visit wasn’t widely publicized, they didn’t hibernate in their Hawks Cay villas (which I can tell you from personal experience are casually elegant, pleasantly private and perfect for hibernation).

Instead, like other vacationing families, they immersed themselves in the Keys’ activities and water sports. They even did some light-tackle fishing, catching more than 70 fish from 12 different species (including about 15 snapper and Spanish mackerel that they took home for dinner). And according to their captain, Rich Tudor with the Saltwater Experience, the former commander-in-chief is quite an agile angler.

As president, Carter had experiences beyond most people’s wildest dreams — yet he seemed to be genuinely fascinated by one Keys experience in particular: helping Richie Moretti, founder of Marathon’s Turtle Hospital, and his crew release a rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtle named Danger into the Atlantic Ocean.

Former President Carter (right) displays a Spanish mackerel he caught while fishing off the Florida Keys with Captain Rich Tudor (left). (Photo by Derek Rust, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The 102-pound turtle had spent three months recuperating at the hospital, the world’s only licensed veterinary facility dedicated to treating and rehabilitating sea turtles, after he was found lethargic and floating off the Lower Keys.

The Turtle Hospital crew treated Danger with antibiotics, IV fluids and a healthy diet of squid, shrimp and fish. By Christmas, he was thriving and ready for release.

When the Carters arrived at the Turtle Hospital, they first took a tour of the unique facility. Jimmy Carter’s famous smile flashed out when he “met” the  patients, with Rosalynn by his side and family members gathered around, and then held a turtle with gentle hands.

Jimmy Carter and his family watch Danger, a loggerhead sea turtle, walk into the ocean off the Florida Keys. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“To see the care that’s given to the individual turtles, even those that can’t be released and are cared for all their lives, is really a wonderful indication of altruism in its finest form,” the former president said.

Afterwards, President Carter helped Richie and his crew carry Danger to the water’s edge in a special white container. When they set him down on the sand, with unerring instinct, the rehabilitated turtle headed straight into the water.

“It’s an exciting thing not only for the people that work [at the Turtle Hospital] but for people who can visit and see this relationship between human beings and nature that you don’t see often enough,” said Carter, who watched Danger swim away into his natural habitat.

The holiday vacation in the Keys wasn’t the first for Carter and his family. In 1996, they had New Year’s Eve dinner at the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, former President Truman’s “vacation White House” and Florida’s only presidential museum. The Carters returned there for a visit in December 2007 during a cruise ship stopover.