Following The Voyage of Windbird
We are Mark and Judy Handley and we welcome you to the Voyage of Windbird. Join us as we experience the magnificent limestone karsts rising up out of the ocean seeming to touch the sky in Thailand to the lemurs of Madagascar, the orangutans of Borneo, the clownfish anemones in Indonesia, the fairy-like temples of Bali, the magnificent beaches in New Caledonia, the pristine reefs in the Indian Ocean, to the world's most friendly people in Fiji, we have enjoyed it all and share those adventures with you through this blog.
Day 88, Year 7: Arrival in the Carolinas
Date: Saturday, February 4, 2012
Weather: Overcast and Misty, Temp Around 50 degrees F
Location: Home of Tommy and Marilou Martin, Denver, NC
Spirit Airlines Flight 103 touched down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at 7:20 this morning. My brother-in-law Joe was waiting to pick up my nieces Lynn and Candi, as well as Mark and me, and drive us the few miles to my sister Patsy’s home in Calabash, North Carolina. We had planned to spend the day and night with Patsy and Joe and then drive to my nephew’s home near Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday morning to see my sister-in-law Conda. Conda is in the last few days of her battle with melanoma cancer that metastasized as brain tumors. But just before noon we heard from my nephew Tommy and his wife Marilou saying that they thought we should go ahead and come today if we were to have any hope of Conda being aware of our presence. Hospice started coming in late in the week and they estimate that she has only four to six days left. Unfortunately for us, she was already totally unresponsive by the time we arrived but it is good to be here to support the family and help with the 24-hour ‘watch’ over Conda. I am writing this log while sitting at Conda’s bedside doing the 2:15 to 4:15 am watch. Normally I would be writing my log to send to Conda who has been a faithful reader. So sitting here beside her writing the log and knowing that she will never read it is a strange feeling. And this watch is certainly very different from the watches on Windbird’s overnight passages, but it is comforting to sit here and to know that Conda is without pain and is surrounded by her family. Both of her sons and their families are here, as well as my sister and brother-in-law, their daughter Jennifer who lives close by, and my two nieces from Massachusetts. Another niece and nephew drove in today from Ohio and West Virginia just long enough to hold Conda’s hand and tell her in person how much she is loved. And good friends of Tommy and Marilou’s, Chris and Rick Ulrich, have been here constantly cooking, cleaning, and helping with Conda. They are as close as family and have been unyielding in their support. My brother Dickie died two years ago in February while Mark and I were in India and we were unable to be here. I guess I’m glad he went first and didn’t have to watch his wife of almost fifty years go like this, but I know he would smile to see that all of his family and friends here with her. Four of Tommy and Marilou’s five children and Todd’s three little ones and his wife Shelley who is due to have a fourth in early March are all here. Todd’s youngest is Kyler and we celebrated his second birthday this evening. So Conda has seven of her eight grandchildren with her, ages ranging from two to eighteen. The oldest grandchild, Josh, is doing an AmeriCorp City Year in New Hampshire and will be coming home for his grandmother’s memorial service. Conda is slipping away from us but in the meantime she is covered with a beautiful quilt which was a labor of love delivered this week from her church in Longs, South Carolina, and she is surrounded by a vibrant family full of life.
Our flight here was made easy due to the hospitality of my niece Candi and her husband Char. Last night we stayed at their home in Billerica near Boston. Then at 3:30 am, Char got up and drove us to Boston’s Logan Airport. We were able to leave our car at their house so we aren’t having to pay airport parking fees and Char will return to pick us up when we return just after midnight on Thursday morning. Great service. So thank you, Char. Last night when we arrived at Candi and Char’s, they were celebrating the fourth birthday of their only grandchild, Grace. Happy Birthday, Grace!
We are still amazed that we were able to fly down here so cheaply. By flying to Myrtle Beach on Spirit Airlines our tickets were under a $100 for each person. You have to pay for a carry on or checked bag, but not for a personal item. So Mark and I packed just enough clothes for one change in our backpacks and avoided the baggage fee. We did pay for assigned seats at the rate of $10 per person, but Candi and Lynn didn’t do this and had better seats than Mark and I. So we’ll skip that charge next time around. Spirit doesn’t fly to many places, but since Patsy and Joe had offered to let us borrow their van for the trip to Charlotte, we were able to take advantage of the Boston to Myrtle Beach cheap flight. Not a bad deal. The drive from Calabash to Charlotte is almost entirely on secondary roads, not interstate, and it took us just over four hours. I was driving and Mark, Candi, and Lynn were supposed to be navigating. Joe had written out explicit directions for us. But somehow we got into a discussion about the “one per cent” and Mark was talking to his Android phone asking it to search the internet to see how much money Donald Trump gives to charity. It turns out that he is the least benevolent billionaire in the United States. But during this lively discussion, we forgot to make a turn, and found ourselves on what seemed like never ending back roads in northern South Carolina. In the end, the trip took us no longer than if we had followed our directions. But we got a lot of laughs over the reason for navigational error. I think we thought we were on autopilot and that the van would find its own way!
Day 87, Year 7: In Boston, Ready for Take-off
Date: Friday, February 3, 2012
Weather: Sunny with Temps in the Upper-30’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
We are at my niece’s home outside Boston and will head to the airport at 3:30 am. We will arrive in Myrtle Beach at 7:30 am and decide whether we will drive on to Charlotte immediately or wait until Sunday morning. My sister-in-law is failing quickly and we hope to see her while she can still recognize us. So off to bed.
Day 86, Year 7: Six More Weeks of Winter
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2012
Weather: Overcast with Temps in the mid-30’s F
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
It was a little chillier today than it has been and we didn’t see the sun at all, but still it is not really what you would call frigid winter weather. Our weather predicting groundhog, Puxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow this morning which predicts six more weeks of winter. Well, if the six weeks of winter are like what we have been experiencing, that is fine with me. But if it means we are going to suddenly plunge into frigid weather I’m not sure I’ll be so happy. I think groundhog predictions are a bit like early primary results these days. I certainly wouldn’t place my bets on them. I’m dreaming of an early spring with warmer than normal temperatures and lots of sunshine. Selfish? Yes. But still hopeful.
We are preparing for our trip to the Carolinas. We drive to Boston tomorrow night to stay with my niece, and then at 3 am on Saturday morning we will get up and head to Boston’s Logan Airport for a 5 am departure for Myrtle Beach. If all goes well, we will be there by 7:30 in the morning. Not bad. We won’t get much sleep, but maybe we can nap on Saturday. But I’m going to sign off early tonight and get to bed. A good night’s sleep can’t hurt.