After almost 6 years of traveling, we sailed into Woods Hole on Cape Cod. We continued living aboard for the next five years and I wrote about that, adding ‘and Beyond’ to the title of the blog. Then shortly before Mark’s death in 2016, we sold our beloved Windbird and my travel logs became land logs. At this point, I had written a daily account for each and every day for 11 years. I fully intended to end the blog at that point, but when I wrote that news in a log, I got many responses saying that I really needed to keep posting. At the same time, I realized that I couldn’t stop writing. Summarizing each day had become a permanent part of my life and I will probably continue writing until I can no longer. These postings reflect the ordinary, and sometimes the extraordinary, days in my life and I would like to invite you to join me on my journey.
2017 Life Logs, Day 41: Soooooo Much Better
2017 Life Logs, Day 41: Soooooo Much Better
Date: Friday, February 10, 2017
Weather: Mix of Clouds and Sunshine; Daytime 80’s, Nighttime 70’s F
Location: At Home with JJZ&C, Finca Maravilla, Aguada, PR
Justin is soooooo much better today. He can now get into and out of bed on his own and that is a major improvement over last night. Hopefully each day will be just a little better than the last. The challenge now is to make sure Ziggy, Coco, and the exuberant six dogs respect the “no jumping on daddy” rule.
I spent my day helping out around here and made another shopping run in the afternoon. Most of the people who work in the stores here speak limited English which makes buying the simplest things a challenge. Yesterday it was a ½ inch dowel. People in the hardware store had never heard the term ‘dowel’. They took me into the lumber yard to try and figure out what I was talking about and when I saw stacks of rebar, I said that a dowel looks like that, only wood. That worked. Today it was hydrogen peroxide at Walgreen’s. Jo had asked me to get a bottle to replenish their supply. When I couldn’t find it, I asked for help, but the woman had never heard of it. She did know the word ‘antispetic’, so she took me to the section with alcohol. And as is usually the case, the hydrogen peroxide was in the same area. Unfortunately, hydrogen peroxide was on sale and there was only one small spray bottle on the shelf. So at least I didn’t go home empty handed.
I fixed tacos for dinner and then Jo, Ziggy, and Coco headed out to a work-related beach party. At his invitation, I pulled a chair into Justin’s bedroom and we talked about my aspirations to write a book. He really wants me to get a little more serious about this and gave me some great suggestions. He then took a little rest while I cleaned up the dinner dishes. When Jo and kids got home, Justin came out to talk to them. Coco immediately shared with her dad that she ten marshmallows at the beach. He reminded her that her mama had told her before they left that she could have only three. Coco looked him directly in the eye and said, “I know that, but I don’t listen.” Then she marched toward the bedroom muttering, “I don’t listen to anyone.” Ouch. I dread to think ahead to the teenage years! Then Ziggy shared that he not had any marshmallows. When Justin started to congratulate him on his good choice, he went on to share that he had not had any marshmallows. Just when Justin was getting ready to congratulate him, he shared that he had not had any marshmallows but had ten miniature Snicker’s bars since momma had not put a limit on those. Of course, Jo had no idea they had Snicker’s bars. It’s hard to stay a couple of steps of these little ones!
The weekend should be a quiet one, but I am hoping to slip away with the kids for a couple of hours at the beach each day. I’m loving the warmth and sunshine, especially when I check the weather back home and see that it is cold and snowy. I think I picked a perfect time for a little tropical escape.
2017 Life Logs, Day 40: Justin’s Surgery Day
2017 Life Logs, Day 40: Justin’s Surgery Day
Date: Thursday, February 9, 2017
Weather: Mix of Clouds and Sunshine; Temp in the 80’s F
Location: At Home with JJZ&C, Finca Maravilla, Aguada, PR
Today was the day of Justin’s umbilical hernia operation, so Jo went with Justin to the hospital and I manned the home front with Ziggy and Coco. The laparoscopic surgery went smoothly, but the pain is way more than Justin, or any of us, anticipated. He went in for the surgery at 10 am, but he wasn’t released from the hospital until 5:30 pm. He was shocked at how difficult it was to get dressed and walk to the car and he knew there was no way he was going to be able to lay down on his bed at home which is a mattress on the floor. So as soon as Justin and Jo got home, Jo grabbed a futon from the living room, moved it to the bedroom, making a slightly higher bed for Justin. He drank some beef consume and talked with Ziggy and Coco before going to sleep. Then he rested until just now, when it took all the strength and ingenuity of both Jo and I to figure out how to get him out of bed to go to the bathroom. We ended up using towels that we get under him as a hoist. This is one of those cases where staying in the hospital for a day or two with a hospital bed would make more sense than sending the patient home. The doctor explained that the mesh that had to be placed behind the stomach muscles causes the stomach muscles to contract and then spasm at the slightest movement and that is the cause of the pain. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, but better or not, I am so glad that I am here to help. And thanks to all of you who sent those positive thoughts Justin’s way. He might be in pain temporarily, but the surgery was a success.
Coco and I took Ziggy to school and then had a morning at the beach. Coco is becoming quite the swimmer, but she swims like a synchronized swimming competitor. She dances and twirls through the waves rather than attacking them. When we got out of the water, Coco set up a restaurant and served up sand dishes. And then all of a sudden, we were celebrating Christmas. I love the imagination of four-year-olds. As we were leaving the beach, she talked me into taking her to lunch at the little food bar on the beach and then we went back to town to the meat market. After that we headed to Aguada to the beach near the yellow house where Justin and Jo lived the last time I visited, but Coco didn’t make it. She was worn out from all that dancing in the water and fell so fast asleep nothing could wake her. I changed plans and headed home to do a few chores before we had to leave to pick up Ziggy. We went to the park to play and then spend way over an hour driving in circles looking for the farm stand where I was supposed to pick up a box of organic veggies. We finally found the place, but it was locked up tight. We got home just a few minutes before Justin and Jo. Once we got Justin settled, Jo and I realized that we definitely needed firmer pillows. Since someone was going to have to go back into town to pick up Justin’s pain meds, I volunteered to do that and to drive the extra 30 minutes on to K-Mart to buy pillows. That little rental car of mine has sure come in handy this week!
Jo usually teaches on Fridays, but tomorrow is parent-teacher conference day and she only has to be at school in the morning. I’ll stay home on Justin duty while Jo takes the kids to school and meets with parents. She’ll be home in the afternoon but will then take Ziggy and Coco with her to a school social. She’ll take Ziggy and Coco to that and I’ll spend the evening with Justin. We haven’t dared to think ahead to Saturday, but I think it will just be a quiet day at home. Just what the doctor ordered.
2017 Life Logs, Day 39: Having Fun
2017 Life Logs, Day 39: Having Fun
Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Weather: Mix of Clouds and Sunshine; Temp in the 80’s F
Location: At Home with JJZ&C, Finca Maravilla, Aguada, PR
I did it again. It’s late and I’m too exhausted to write a proper log. But that’s because I’m having so much fun with Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco. And the fun is just doing the everyday, normal things. It is the little things that are so special. Last night I walked by the light of the moon with Justin and kids to go put the duck in his cage on the lower part of the property. This morning I went shopping at Home Depot to buy a few things needed to work on the TO DO list on the refrigerator. I took Justin to work at the ‘orange house’ and picked him to bring him home for lunch, back to work again, and picked him up this evening. The ‘orange house’ is the rental they were living in until they could move into their new home, referred to as the ‘white house.’ You can figure out the exterior colors of the houses. They have the rental until April, so Justin is still working in his office there. And taking him back and forth gave me an opportunity to help move some things from there to here. They still have a lot of things there, so I’ll be working on this the whole time I am here. And this evening when the kids came home from school, I walked around the property with them as they were trying to find the perfect place for ‘personal’ gardens. Ziggy wants to plant vegetables and no one can convince them that they could just have one garden together.
And Coco entertained us with her modeling skills. Her first outfit was priceless. She put on a t-shirt that belonged to Justin when he was four that says, “Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.” The t-shirt mostly covered her frilly pink skirt. But it was the accessories that were so interesting. She was wearing the dress-up heels I brought to her with a torn-off leg of a pair of tights on one leg only. Quite an outfit.
And when we came back to the house after our walk, she changed clothes again.
Her grandparents from England, Phil and Margaret, just left last week after a two-week visit. Phil sent me some photos of the kids and one of Coco was labeled, “Always the model.” That is certainly true. But in addition to her princess tendencies, she does take ample time to romp and play with Ziggy.
She’s a great mix of princess and tomboy. And Ziggy is an incredibly patient and loving older brother.
Justin’s umbilical hernia repair surgery is tomorrow. Jo will take him to the hospital at 7 am and I will do the morning routine with the kids. Coco and I will deliver Ziggy to school and then we are headed to the beach for the morning as she doesn’t have pre-school on Tuesdays or Thursdays. We will spend the day together, pick Ziggy up at 4 pm, and go to a park in Rincon to play before we come home to fix dinner. Justin’s surgery is supposed to be in and out, but it is difficult to know what time they will get home. My earliest estimate is 3 pm if everything goes perfectly and on-time. But we all know that things going perfectly is usually just a pipe dream. Jo says nothing in Puerto Rico is ever on-time. But we will all be elated if the only hitch is timing. I’m so glad I can be here to help with the kids and to see first-hand that Justin is fine. This should be a simple surgery, but because moms to worry, send your most positive thoughts this way for a smooth operation and quick recovery. That positive energy will be greatly appreciated.
2017 Life Logs, Day 38: Arrival in Puerto Rico
2017 Life Logs, Day 38: Arrival in Puerto Rico
Date: Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Weather: Partly Cloudy with Afternoon Rain Showers; Temp in the 80’s F
Location: At Home with JJZ&C, Finca Maravilla, Aguada, PR
I have had a wonderful day but am so tired due to the lack of sleep last night that I’m not sure how much I can share with you before falling asleep. It is wonderful to be here with JJZ&C and we had a great day together. I arrived here at Finca Maravilla at 5 am with Justin out on the road to show me the way down the steep driveway. Miraculously, the barking dogs didn’t wake Ziggy and Coco and we all managed to get three hours of sleep. I slept for an hour on the plane, so that gives me a grand total of four hours of sleep in the last 24. Ziggy had school, but Justin, Jo, and Ziggy were here this morning and I was given the grand tour of the property.
After lunch, Justin headed to their prior house to get some work done. He still keeps his office there and will do so until the contract is up in April. When we picked Ziggy up from school at 4 pm, we all headed to the beach to jump the waves and play in the sand.
And then we came home to enjoy a great dinner cooked by Jo—roast beef, broccoli, fried plantain, and salad. Great dinner to top off a great day.
2017 Life Logs, Day 37: Boston to Fort Lauderdale
2017 Life Logs, Day 37: Boston to Fort Lauderdale
Date: Monday, February 6, 2017
Weather: Partly Cloudy; 80 degrees F
Location: Airport in Fort Lauderdale, FL
The first half of my trip to Puerto Rico has gone smoothly. Dealing with the multiple bags was not the issue I thought it would be. I drove up to the bus stop at the Park & Ride, took out the luggage and found a nice woman who said she would watch it while I went to park the car. At the airport, the carts you can rent curbside at the airport solved the problem on that end. I had a bit of trouble getting through security. I travel TSA with prior approval, but today I was the person that had to completely empty my carry-on bag and my backpack and be patted down front to back, head to toe in Boston. That didn’t happen in Fort Lauderdale, and I’m not sure why I was the chosen one. Interesting experience that I hope I don’t have to go through again, but if having these kinds of checks makes us safer, I’ll not complain. Now I just have to wait until 11:55 pm for take-off from Fort Lauderdale to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to complete the trip. I made the decision to fly to Aguadilla instead of San Juan because Aguadilla is close to where Justin lives. But it is a small airport and is only open from 3 am to 7 am. Thus, the late flight leaving Fort Lauderdale. Not sure I’d do this again as it is a very long wait, but I have had a good day despite the wait. When I arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 2:30, my sister-in-law Sue and her husband Brad picked me up at the airport and we headed to area of town where Windbird is docked. I had offered to take Dawn, Windbird’s current Admiral, out to dinner with us and she invited us down to see Windbird. It was such a special moment for me to see Windbird for the first time since we sold her.
I thought I would feel a bit sad, but I didn’t at all.
Sam and Dawn have made so many improvements to the boat and it makes me feel nothing but joy to see that Windbird has new owners who are learning to love her as much as Mark and I did. They are living aboard and preparing to sail her to the Bahamas soon and that is so exciting. In a previous log, I mentioned a future trip but didn’t provide the details. Dawn and Sam have invited me to fly to the Exumas in the Bahamas in mid-April to sail with them on Windbird for a couple of weeks. It was a very generous offer, but I asked them to think about it again before making the final commitment. Today Dawn said that they discussed it again and that they really do want to put up with me for a couple of weeks. So I’m Bahamas bound on April 17th. Woo hoo!!!
But now back to this afternoon and a story with a bit of drama. After sitting and chatting in Windbird’s cockpit,
we walked next door to Coconuts to have dinner. As we were finishing up, Brad excused himself to walk about on the deck. In a few minutes, a young woman came to find out if we were with the man out on the deck. She said he was having trouble speaking clearly. Sue immediately went out and I asked Dawn to sit and watch our things at the table while I went to see what was going on. It appeared at first glance that Brad was having a TIA, but almost immediately he recovered and seemed fine. Various people who were waiting on the deck for seating were so very helpful and the restaurant staff had called an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, Brad told the EMTs he was fine, but they looked to Sue and she asked if they might just check out his vitals before leaving. Brad has been having vertigo issues and he felt this was just a vertigo episode. I sure hope so, but it was obviously time to get him home. I wanted them to head home immediately and said I would take the bus back to the airport. But since they had to drive back to the airport area to get on the interstate, Sue suggested I drive them to the airport and then she would drive home from there. I talked to her a bit ago and found that they got home just fine and that Brad insists there is nothing wrong. Let’s all hope he is right.
2017 Life Logs, Day 36: Never, Ever Give Up
2017 Life Logs, Day 36: Never, Ever Give Up
Date: Sunday, February 5, 2017
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High Temp 42, Low 28 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, NH
I spent part of my day doing the final preparations for my take-off for Puerto Rico tomorrow. I talked to Justin to get directions to his new house. Then I drove over to Heather and Jed’s as I had an appointment with their neighbor, Sarah Caruso. Sarah is a potter and for Christmas H & J gave me a ‘gift certificate’ for a set of Sarah’s soup bowls. I went today to pick out the shape and colors. Sarah does beautiful work, so I am very excited to see the final product. Thank you, Heather and Jed. Ollie came home with me to play while I finished my final travel preps and then we went back to his house to have dinner and watch the Super Bowl. The boys had been promised that they could watch the first half and the half-time show. Tomorrow is a school day, so there was no way they could watch the whole game. Disappointing as the first half was for us Patriots fans, I think the boys enjoyed the game as well as the commercials. But I wish they had been able to see the second half. It was a great lesson in what it means to never, ever give up. The Atlanta Falcons put the Patriots to shame in the first half, but the Patriots came back to win. Don’t know how Tom Brady and team pulled this one out. Unbelievable.
I have an early take-off in the morning and a long day ahead of me. I leave here before 7 am and don’t arrive at Justin and Jo’s until 5 or 6 am on Tuesday morning. Arrival there will be way too early, but nonetheless, I can’t wait to get there.
2017 Life Logs, Day 35: Just a Day, but a Good One
2017 Life Logs, Day 35: Just a Day, but a Good One
Date: Saturday, February 4, 2017
Weather: Partly Sunny; High Temp 33, Low 25 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, NH
Today was one of those days when there is not a lot to report. So I looked back through my photos for the past twelve years to see what I was doing on this day through time. I thought maybe I could share some exciting things from the past. But what I found was that I don’t have photo albums for most February 4ths, and when I do, they are not something that anyone needs to see. I was in some interesting places on this date, but not doing something interesting enough to take photos. Evidently February 4 is not a big day in my life . . . just a day.
I should have started my morning with a Zumba class, but I have once again done something to my knee and thought it best not to further aggravate it. So I stayed home. Even though I say I don’t love it, I am going to miss going to the gym for the next five weeks. But hopefully I will find other ways to exercise. I did a few things around the apartment, ran some errands, and then went to Heather and Jed’s. I had hoped to work on organizing storage in the basement, but Jed was working on re-wiring. The light in the laundry room stopped working last week and it is not a problem with the fixture or the light bulb. There is a problem with the wiring and Jed is really struggling to track down the problem. So it was best to stay out of the basement today. Instead, I worked with Heather to do a total clean-out of the refrigerator and other such exciting jobs. I had planned to come home for dinner, but Sam asked me to stay, so I did. As he gets closer to those teen years, I can imagine a time when asking his grandmother to stay for dinner won’t be a priority, so I shall take advantage of any such invitations between now and then. Jed made calzones that were delicious and the boys put on a pre-dinner dance show that was most entertaining! I was really glad I stayed. Tomorrow I will return for Super Bowl Sunday and then Monday morning I’ll be headed to Puerto Rico.
2017 Life Logs, Day 34: Packing for Puerto Rico
2017 Life Logs, Day 34: Packing for Puerto Rico
Date: Friday, February 3, 2017
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High Temp 32, Low 19 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, NH
Sitting in my hallway are suitcase #1, suitcase #2, suitcase #3, and a carry-on bag. There is one very big bag, a middle-sized bag, a small bag, and an even smaller carry-on. But don’t get worried. They are not full of clothes for my stay in Puerto Rico. There are actually almost no clothes. The suitcases are full of things that need to be transported to Justin and Jo in Puerto Rico . . . a set of Bavaria china dishes that belonged to Mark’s great grandparents and was brought to this country from Germany, two very heavy speakers that belong to Justin but have been in storage for years, a set of sushi dishes that Heather and Jed are giving to Justin and Jo, paper lampshades (flattened) from IKEA, and on and on. Because of luggage weight restrictions, I knew the speakers would have to be packed in two different pieces of luggage, so my first job today was to drive to Hyannis to buy another suitcase. At the end of the day, I think I have everything packed with the weight distributed to meet airline restrictions. There are still hurdles. I plan to drive to a Park and Ride parking lot where I will leave my car and get on a bus to Logan Airport. I guess I’ll drop my bags at the bus stop and leave them while I park the car. And then when I get to the airport, I’m not sure how one person can get three bags moved from curbside to inside check-in all at one time.
The challenges of traveling alone are new to me, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
The happy news is that packing is done, so I can spend my weekend having fun. Well, my version of fun. After Zumba class in the morning, I’ll go to Heather and Jed’s to work on organizing things stored in the basement. I’m not sure what I’ll do on Sunday morning, but on Sunday afternoon I’ll join the Goldstones for a Superbowl Party. Go, Pats!!!
2017 Life Logs, Day 33: Groundhog Day
2017 Life Logs, Day 33: Groundhog Day
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2017
Weather: Sunny and Colder; High Temp 39, Low 22 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, NH
I saw this on the internet and just had to copy it here: “Happy #GroundhogDay!! Today a fat rodent with weird hair will decide our future for us. Oh, also something is happening in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.” Sorry about that. I just had to pass it on. But Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow today which indicates we will have six more weeks of winter. Since I wouldn’t count what we have had to date as winter, then I guess six more weeks won’t be so bad.
Today I went to the gym, went to Heather and Jed’s to can chicken bone broth and to do a couple of loads of delicate laundry loads (my machine just doesn’t do ‘delicate’). Then I came home to start packing for my trip to Puerto Rico. I also made more progress in my backlog of communications and continued to deliberate over travel plan decisions. The most immediate decision is that on Monday during my 9-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale, my sister-in-law Sue and her husband Brad will pick me up at the airport and we will drive over to where Windbird will be docked to see Windbird and take Dawn out to dinner. Sam and Dawn are Windbird’s new owners. Sam will be out of town on a flying mission on Monday, but Dawn will go to dinner with us before Sue and Brad take me back to the airport to continue my flight to Puerto Rico. I also found out this evening that Justin’s umbilical hernia surgery is next Thursday, so I will be ‘on location’ in a support role for that event.
I return from Puerto Rico on Monday, February 20, and leave again on Friday, February 24. I’ll be here to help-out with child care during February vacation week and then I leave to visit with my sister who lives just outside Nashville. I’m still deciding whether I will fly or drive for that trip. And then there is one more trip in the making, but you’ll have to stand-by for details on that one. Don’t you just love suspense?!
2017 Life Logs, Day 32: Trip to IKEA, Dinner with Friends
2017 Life Logs, Day 32: Trip to IKEA, Dinner with Friends
Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 41, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, NH
Welcome, February! By the time I got up this morning, the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was already in the 40’s and was melting yesterday’s snow. I decided to make a trip north to IKEA and Costco to buy a few things to take to Puerto Rico and that took most of my day. I made it back in time to pick Sam and Jonah up from school and then this evening I went to Olivia and Terry White’s for dinner. We wanted to get together before we head out for our winter travels. I will be leaving for Puerto Rico on Monday and the following Monday, Olivia and Terry will leave for a month-long road trip to visit with friends. It was a fun evening, so thanks to Olivia and Terry for making sure we had this get together. When I got home, I talked to Ed and Lynne Kirwin. They are still on their boat, Constance, in southern Georgia, and have really enjoyed their visit. But they start the drive home to New York on Friday so Ed can have his Monday chemo treatment. But they plan to travel back down in the next couple of months for another visit. And then finally I talked with my sister Patsy about my visit to Nashville in late February, early March. That was my day and now I just have to get ready for all this travel!