January 13 – Feb 7, 2012 – Tragic News Back Home and an Unexpected Trip

The night after Karen left we received a strange text message from my brother who was on a cruise in the Pacific Ocean…"Ma has fallen and dislocated her hip. She'll have surgery today or tomorrow. We're at sea but get updates from Sam". It didn't' sound too bad – a dislocated hip must be painful but nothing to cause alarm, although we didn't know hip dislocation would require surgery. This stirred in us mild cause for alarm. We texted back asking for Sam's cell # so that we could get more first-hand information. Apparently, Ma fell while in her apartment and shattered her hipbone. Oh my God! She was presently in the urgent care facility of Fairfax Hospital, sedated while the doctor attempted to stabilize her in preparation for surgery. Now we prickled with fear, because at her age a broken hip can be very grave. Over the next two days it was agony not knowing what is going on with Ma, although we texted back and forth with Samantha and Kevin the news was sketchy and erratic. Finally we were told that Ma was stable and would be having surgery on Monday morning. We phoned her at the hospital but she was so out of it we doubt she even knew who was on the phone. Meanwhile, Pauline had invited us to their beach house at Boomerang. We sat on the fence about that and after hearing Ma's surgery was a success and that she was recovering nicely we agreed to ride with Janet up to Boomerang. Just a couple of hours before leaving, however, we received word that Ma was in distress. We began looking for flights to Virginia. Back and forth it went like this for two more days, when finally on the evening of January 18^th we received word from Kevin that we might want to get there. She was asking for Frank. We immediately booked a flight to depart on Friday the 20^th – it was Thursday in Virginia.

We had no place in Sydney to leave Destiny for nearly 3 weeks. I had just been to Costco with Pauline and filled the freezer to near capacity. We had also a fridge full of fresh foods. We needed Destiny to remain plugged in while we flew home.We had no place in Sydney to leave Destiny for nearly 3 weeks. The closest and most affordable berth would be in Newcastle, some 50-60 NM up the coast. On the 19^th we sailed out of Sydney at daybreak, arriving Newcastle’s marina just before closing time. Thankfully, our flight to San Francisco out of Sydney wasn’t until 4 PM on the 20^th. We arose in the dark Friday morning, walked to the train station that fortunately is only about 500 meters from our dock, and rode to Sydney’s Central. From there we took the airport express train, arriving just in time to check our bags and get to the departure gate.

Our travel days to Virginia were wrought with frustration and delays. We departed Sydney on time, but arrived Friday morning in SFO just as our connecting flight to Dulles was to begin boarding. We rushed off the plane but could not clear US Customs before the connection departed. We were left literally standing in the terminal with our bags. United would not let us recheck them through, rather pointed us in the direction of the DREADED Customer Service Desk queue, where we noted a growing crowd of already distraught travelers. We joined the line and during our wait heard continual announcements that one flight after another was being cancelled due to weather on the east coast. Time ticked away as we watched the departure board flash "cancelled" next to one flight after another. By the time we reached the desk we were told we could be placed on a wait list for tomorrow at 10:00 PM, however, we were the lowest of the low on that list not being premier/elite class members of United's mileage plus program, or Business or First Class travelers. The best they could do for us was to confirm us on a Sunday afternoon flight to Dulles. We asked what would we do in the meantime? The answer, very clearly articulated, was: Not United's problem. This is an act of God. We appealed on the basis that we had a family medical emergency, but those appeals fell on deaf ears. We continued our appeal at two other Customer Service locations until Frank managed to get the attention of a kind-hearted agent who gave us a hotel voucher and a meal discount voucher, put us on a (Saturday) dawn flight to San Diego, that connected to a 10:20 PM flight to Washington DC, putting us into Dulles at 5:46 AM on Sunday. It was the best that he could do for us. We took it.

We boarded a transport bus from the San Francisco airport to the hotel at 7 PM. It had been a long and upsetting day. Halfway there I received a simple text message from Mary: "Ma passed about 8 this morning". We were devastated.

The next couple of weeks were a bit of a blur. Karen managed to fly in from Denver, Jen from Houston. Most of the grandchildren made it. We did all the things that family do, and thanks to Ma had a beautiful reunion, overshadowed by the pain of not getting to her in time. Rest in Peace Ma. We love you and we miss you.

August 3 - 26th, 2011 - Texas...Houston, Austin, Seagoville - Part 2

Tom and Kathy Stewart's home is so beautiful and perfectly designed I would buy it in a heartbeat, if we could afford it. Every bedroom opens out to the beautiful backyard pool area that is designed to be as livable as the indoors. All of the rooms are so well thought out and comfortably appointed that we immediately settled in and felt welcome. Oh I want a house like this when I grow up!

Lee and Cheryl Baumann were to arrive around 11:00 AM on Wednesday but then Cheryl canceled, leaving Lee to come alone. By some odd roll of the dice, Lee ran into one delay after another causing him to sit in airports for the better part of his day, arriving closer to supper time. Poor Lee! While waiting for Lee, the four of us set off to explore Austin by car. The weather was gorgeous and the day sunny blue and very warm. We stopped for lunch at their favorite Mexican dive and feasted on tacos, enchiladas, flautas, and every other fattening dish we could stuff into our guts. It was delicious! Some time during the course of the day, Kathy showed us her hand which was wrapped in a splint, explaining that she had sustained a fracture and was scheduled for surgery the next day. She was apologetic thinking she had let us down by ruining all of our plans. We told her that was rubbish because our plans were simply to visit them, and since  they and their home are so lovely, we are content to just be there. That night the 5 of us had a sumptuous bar-b-que feast, laughing cracking stupid jokes and lamenting the absence of Cheryl. Early Thursday morning Tom and Kathy set off for the hospital. Frank, Lee and I enjoyed the resort style living, going for a long walk along the lake, taking a dip in the pool and waiting for the return of the Stewarts. Tom sent us periodic updates...still waiting....doctor running behind....Kathy sedated but still waiting... By noon, she had still not been taken into surgery. Frank and Lee settled themselves in front of the TV to watch golf. I played games on Lee's iPad. Mid afternoon we received word that Kathy had finally gone into surgery. The surgeon soon discovered she had multiple compound fractures, and her surgery lasted several hours. They didn't get home until around 7 PM. Kathy was rigged up with some crazy looking bright blue foam pyramid that she had to wear to prop her hand up from the elbow. She was ordered to keep it upright for some 3 days or so. Clever Lee immediately began calling her "Smurfette", because the big foam pyramid was indeed Smurf Blue. She was still anesthetized and so weary that we left her to rest and set off to the local boat club on the lake for a good old fashioned homemade hamburger. We enjoyed live music and people watching as the young studs came and went in their power boats with babes hanging off the bows. Now our intended group of 6 had dwindled down to 4. Lee flew out after breakfast Friday morning, and sensing that Kathy was in serious need of peace, quiet and rest, we took our leave as well. The visit was truly enjoyable, and we left feeling so sad to be saying goodbye to these precious friends.

We enjoyed a nice drive back to Houston, stopping at the 290 Diner just on the outskirts of Austin for the famous Chicken Fried Steak. Heart valve cloggingly good!

We got a good laugh when we returned to Debra and Sandy's house. They had moved the television back into the bare-floored living room and were sitting on kitchen chairs, using their large Igloo ice chest as a coffee table. They greeted us with smiles and cold beer. It was great to see them, and we laughed and celebrated the circumstances that had somewhat forced this reunion. The next few days were spent socializing with Debra and Sandy in between their dealing with insurance issues and contractors. The wheels turn slowly unfortunately, and they continued to live in a home with plastic sheeting for a ceiling and bare concrete for flooring but it takes a lot to get these two down. They looked at it as a blessing, and so did we, that we had been there when this happened, that we ended up getting to see them while in Houston, and a further bonus that they would get the new floors they had been wanting. We did drive down to stay with Jen and Trace for a few days on her days off and then brought Trace back with us. My entire family was converging on Houston. We were planning to celebrate Mom and Dad's 60th Anniversary early (while we are here), which is actually in November, and Trace couldn't wait to spend time with his cousin, Tre. The party was set for Saturday at Mom and Dad's. The intention was for Mom and Dad to relax and enjoy the family visit and celebration while the rest of us did the work. The concerted effort yielded a splendid brunch buffet. Everyone was there but for Clint and Sarah. I think it was a lovely and love-filled event for Mom and Dad. It has been years since our little Johnson clan has been able to be together at one time.

By Tuesday, everyone had cleared out and were either back home or heading for home. Frank and I said our farewells to Mom and Dad, and made a sad departure from Jen and Trace. Every time I leave my grandson, a little piece of my heart breaks. We drove up to Seagoville on Thursday to spend our last night with Bev, and D. Our flight from Dallas to Sydney departed late Friday. My sister went into work late that day so that we could have coffee together and spend our last bit of sister-time before Frank and I set off for the land of OZ.

August 3 - 26th, 2011 - Texas...Houston, Austin, Seagoville - Part 1

A fair bit of our Texas visit was spent on the road and playing hopscotch with Fate.  We arrived in south Houston, spending several days with Jen and Trace, then on Sunday we moved up to northwest Houston. I attended a Lady Bobcats luncheon (my former Cy-Fair HS girlfriends), that lasted into the late afternoon; and then that evening we settled in at Debra and Sandy Sandoval's house. They were away in their camper exploring the western and mid USA and had asked us to house-sit and drive Debra's car that had been sitting idle. We were very disappointed that they were traveling and that we wouldn't get to see them on this trip, nonetheless, were quite happy to stay in their lovely home while they traveled. 

Wednesday morning we had planned to drive to Austin, but awoke in the wee hours to the sound of pouring rain. Uh, wait a minute...is it actually raining INSIDE???? I groggily made my way toward the sound of the downpour to find that, indeed, water was absolutely pouring from the ceiling, through every light fixture, A/C vent and the ceiling fan down into the Sandoval's living room, kitchen and guest bath. Lordy, Lordy! I ran to wake up Frank and then dove into the kitchen cabinets to fetch every large pot, bowl  and bucket I could find. After placing them I grabbed every towel I could get my hands on and began sopping up the pond that was forming in their home. Meanwhile, Frank ran outside to locate the shut-off valve to the main water supply. Having accomplished that he ventured into the attic to discover an arc of water shooting across the length of the house stemming from the hot water heater. He tried to stave the flow by shutting off the valve when he noticed the high-pressure hose had blown. Eventually he got the leak checked and we sopped up most of the water, got furniture moved and rugs taken outside to dry. Then we sat and pondered the situation. Should we cancel our trip to Austin? We hated to call Deb and Sandy but had no choice - their house was now a mess. When we phoned them they felt the same tug of conscience - they were clear up in Utah. Should they just come home? It would be a very long drive, but then after calling the mitigation specialists they realized they would not enjoy one more minute of their trip with this hanging over their heads, so they made a decision to make tracks and head for Houston. We phoned Kathy and Tom in Austin to tell them the disappointing news and then sat around to await the mitigation team. They didn't arrive until after 1 PM. They sequestered us to the master bedroom while they proceeded to literally demolish Debra and Sandy's beautiful home. It was heart-stopping to hear the pounding and wrenching and ripping and tearing out of the entire ceiling and wood floors. Me being the nosey Nellie that I am couldn't resist a peek outside the bedroom from time to time to witness the utter devastation and to snap a few action shots for Sandy and Debra in case they needed some photographic evidence for insurance. I was rewarded with scowls and shouted demands that I remove myself from the war zone immediately. After a while it got to be almost a game of me playing groundhog and them ridding themselves of my nuisance. Eventually, by 7 PM the team left with literally a semi-truckload of the Sandoval's disassembled home. What was left was a pathetic shell, littered with bits of insulation and sheetrock, dotted with large fans. We got out the brooms and the vacuum and set about trying to tidy up as best we could. It was a very sad and disheartening sight. We could only imagine how they would feel when they hit the door on arrival. We had been in touch with them the entire day, tracking their slow progress. In the meantime, Tom Stewart phoned imploring us to just hit the road, making clear to us that there was nothing for us to do but sit and breathe the dust until Debra and Sandy arrived. Debra and Sandy felt the same, so at around 9 PM after I had finished washing and drying the sodden towels we got on the road to Austin, arriving at Kathy and Tom's home a bit after midnight.

July 6 - August 3rd, 2011 - Colorado - good friends and good times

When Frank and I fly to the US, we say we are flying home. Home is comprised of Virginia, where his mother and sis, my brother, aunt and uncle live; then there is Texas which was my Home for over 40 years and where my little sis and her family reside, and where my daughter, grandson, parents, and one brother and his family live. Houston is my true Home. Denver, Colorado; however, is what Frank considers Home and where his two children live. When we are in Denver, we somehow consider it more of a vacation than any other "home" in the USA. The primary reason for this is that we have no familial obligations, and so are somewhat free to just kick back and enjoy a good bit of R & R.

Scott & Chris Morlan hosted us for dinner and a sleep-over our first night. We were joined for dinner by Lee and Cheryl Baumann who were in town visiting his kids and grandkids. The next morning, Frank and Scott left very early for the boys' annual golf outing (with Lee Baumann and Rick Rentschler) in the mountains. Jeri Lyn picked me up and swept me away to her house for our girl-weekend.

Monday kicked off with annual doctor visits, lunches, coffees and dinners with our various friends. Our social calendar stays quite full whenever we are in Denver. Frank played a lot of golf and I did a lot of shopping and visiting. Chris Morlan was kind enough to loan us her car for most of the time, and somehow between Frank driving Chris's car and my getting lifts form friends we did all right.

The weekend of July 22nd - the 24th, we were invited up to Jeff and Jeri Lyn's holiday home in the Winter Park area along with two other couples, the Marchants and the Stollers to attend the annual Winterpark Jazz Festival.  The Martin's "mountain" home is absolutely spectacular, is nestled into stunning acreage along the golf course. What a serene getaway they have there. The weekend was filled with golf, long walks, fantastic food, laughter of good friends and Jazz Music. I made two lovely new friends in Karen Marchant and Deb Stoller.

The next week was filled with more social visits and dinner. On the 27th, we were honored to be the only guests to join Jeff and Jeri Lyn for her birthday dinner, which was absolutely fantastic. The rest of the time,Frank tended to zig while I zagged. I drove up to Longmont to spend a couple of days with Tammi Bailey, and then the following weekend we trekked up to Greeley for an absolutely marvelous weekend with the Rentschlers. It was the first time that we were able to spend a good bit of quality time with our god-daughter, Naia. She is growing into a most beautiful, intelligent little girl. Frank and Rick played golf whilst Nina, Naia and I spent the day at a local Children's festival. We had such good fun watching Naia paint stained-glass pictures, make sand sculptures and get up to her elbows in all the arts and crafts available. All too soon the weekend was over it was time to head back to Denver.

For Frank's birthday on August 2nd, we invited Jeff and Jeri Lyn to join Karen, Bill and ourselves for dinner. It was a fine ending to our Colorado visit, for the next morning we flew to Houston.

June 14th - July 6th; Vienna Virgina and Ma’s 90th Birthday Bash

We flew nonstop out of Brisbane to DFW, thanks to Quantas Airlines' new direct service to Dallas, and spent one night at a hotel near the airport then flew on to Dulles (Washington DC) on the 15th. It is always a thrill to be back home with family, and this trip in particular was quite special. Frank's mom would be turning 90 on July 4th. We will be here to celebrate with her.

Frank spent his usual amount of time happily following Ma around like a dutiful son attacking all the chores she has saved for him which generally concern "Man's work". They are so cute together! She loves to show him off to her friends, who always find a special place for him at the breakfast table on those occasions. I do not intrude on this special time that they spend together and get my own thrill out of watching them savor one another's company. 

Friday, June 24th - We drove with Tom and Mary in a caravan of vehicles to Richmond Virginia, where Clint attends the university, in order to help him move out of his apartment. It was good hard work! He lived at the top of a 3-story walkup. Frank and I are not exactly in top form, which manifested in very sore, stiff bodies afterward. After we had emptied Clint's place we all went to lunch at a local diner that had fabulous burgers and milkshakes. Frank and I ate ourselves into near oblivion before we bid farewell to Clint, Tom, Mary and Clint's friend Alex. They returned to Vienna and we carried on into Pinehurst, NC to spend a weekend with Theyl and John Turner (Theyl and Frank are both former State Farm Ins. colleagues).

Pinehurst and the small towns around this area are set in a lovely, story-book setting. Pristine. There are probably more golf courses per capita here than anywhere else in the USA. Theyl had given us directions to the townhouse where we would stay the two nights while there. Gee whiz, it was 5-star beautiful! It turned out that we were actually staying in one of the homes of another couple of our friends who were away traveling. Theyl, being the ever-perfect hostess, had laid out a welcome basket of goodies fit for royalty. We snacked, unpacked and then phoned her to get the schedule for our visit. Because it was fairly late when we'd arrived, Frank and I supped at a local hang-out on the main road. Gosh it was loud and crowded - absolutely filled to the brim with golfers (go figure).  The next day we went for a tour of the area with the Turners, ending with a dine-around Pinehurst; eating little bites at 4 or 5 restaurants within walking distance in the main square. Frank was to have played golf with John, and as much as he hated the idea of coming all this way not to play, his shoulder was giving him problems. The weekend was lovely, and we left with promises to stay longer next time. We had a very long day of driving ahead of us back to Vienna, VA on Sunday, so we left just after breakfast.

Before we knew it, it was time to begin preparations for Ma's BIG ONE. Frank's daughter, Karen and I went to the party store to shop for decorations and party accoutrements. We had a blast blowing up balloons, adorning and decorating the party room with the clever collaboration of Clint, whose talents in art and creativity far surpass our own. Ma had  wanted to keep it to just family which included 8 of her 11 grandchildren (Bill, Sarah and Jen couldn't make the trip), 4 of her 6 great-grandchildren, her two children (Frank and Mary), her two sons-in-law, daughter-in-law, 5 spouses/significant others of the grandchildren and two of those spouse's parents. The total of attendees (just family) was 25. What a beautiful testimonial to familial love and fellowship. We held the party on the Saturday afternoon of July 3rd so that her celebration would not be overshadowed by the July 4th festivities. We had so much good food that we could have fed a small country. It was indeed a fantastic 90th birthday party, and one that we felt extremely blessed not to have missed!

On Sunday, July 4th, we all gathered at Jeff and Erin's home for their annual Independence Day block party - a massive blow out that ended with a spectacular fireworks show from the adjacent Lansdowne Resort. Ma got to celebrate her 90th Birthday once again and in grand style.

Our visit ended all too soon and on July 6th, Tom and Mary hauled us off to the airport for our flight to Denver.

Return to Oz; March 10, 2011

After spending 6 weeks with my daughter, grandson and my parents I was missing Frank and Destiny in a big way. My time with Jennifer and Trace was very special and I took precious memories with me back to Oz.

My biggest challenge on the return was lugging two 50 lb checked bags and two maxed out carry-on bags (I probably carried another 75), out of the terminal to the train.  It was far too much for me to handle without Frank, so I opted to pay the ransom for a cab. It was well worth the exorbitant fare to travel in comfort the last few miles of my journey.  Frank greeted me with the biggest smile and bear hug that he has ever mustered, and then led me to the dinghy.

We spent the first few days doing nothing but enjoying being back together again. Six weeks apart is a fabulous marriage counselor, whether you need it or not!

Over the next few weeks we socialized quite a lot; Frank introduced me to Mark Dent and Heather Heckenberg. Frank had been to dinner with them a few times during my absence. Mark is the IPY dealer for Australia. The four of us hit it off immediately! They live in a beautifully appointed penthouse overlooking Rosetta Bay, which is just adjacent to Blackwattle where we frequently anchor. They showed us areas of Sydney we had not yet enjoyed, and of course introduced us to some fabulous eateries.

Destiny was due to go back on the hardstand for a bit of maintenance work, so we planned a trip away while she was getting her facelift. Our first stop would be a drive along the Great Ocean Road, then a flight over to Tasmania and then on return we would spend a few days with our Melbourne friends, John and Loretta Wise. Hence, the fine-tuning commenced.

July 22 – August 17th – Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig! Part 3 (Final Leg - California, August 14 – 17th)

We arrived at LAX, picked up the rental car and were off to Long Beach as fast as we could possibly move.  We held confirmed reservations at Chateau Morning Light!  Yes, our friends, Jaime and Christine Tate were back in the USA. They actually have the boat up for sale, which made this an especially momentous occasion for us to be able to stay aboard with them and to see Morning Light quite possibly for the lat time.  It was wonderful and odd to be on board their boat at a berth in California instead of in an exotic South Pacific seaport.  We talked well into the wee hours yet again, and all fell into bed exhausted.

The next morning we took a stroll down the waterfront to a very popular breakfast spot.  For the life of me I cannot remember the name of the place, but the food was indeed delicious and within 15 minutes of our seating, the place was filled to capacity with a long line of hungry people waiting outside.  After breakfast we took a leisurely walk along the marina area.  It is a charming location and one that offers nearly every amenity one could want.  This is a place I could bring my boat and probably be quite content to nest right in. Finally Frank and I got on the road to San Diego.  Chris and Jaime were planning to follow us down and stay the night at the Kona Kai Marina aboard Dolce, Gisela and Erik Gosch's 2008 version of our IPY 485 – Destiny's younger sister with a dark blue hull.  Our plan was to first head to our hotel to drop off luggage, get checked in and then hit Costco.  Christine and Jaime joined us for our Costco adventure where Frank and I knocked items off our list and piled the basket conservatively, watching the weight and size of every purchase.  At the end of our spree we returned to the hotel to drop off our bounty, agreeing that we would join them for pre-dinner drinks on Dolce where we would also meet up with Sally and Glen of The Dorothy Marie.  We had last seen them in Fiji (last year).  Sally had taken a leave of absence from teaching to spend a few years sailing the South Pacific and was due to return to work this school term, therefore they sailed back to San Diego via Samoa, Hawaii and so on. There is a link to their blog on my page.

Our evening was full of laughter, hugs and tears. We all kept exclaiming how strange it felt to be together here in the USA. Now those three are there with their yachts and we are the only ones still "out there".  We feasted at Miguel's on Point Loma.  This restaurant is famous for many dishes, so I can't really choose just one, but amazingly it is the favorite of us all and a venue we try to hit every time we are anywhere near San Diego.  We parted after dinner telling everyone that we would be at Ricky's for breakfast the next morning if any of them could make it over around 9 AM.  And of course, who can pass up another opportunity to EAT?  We breakfasted with Glen and Sally, Jaime and Christine.  We talked about things that no non-yachtie can possibly understand or care to discuss.  Boat stuff; blocked toilets, watermakers, malfunctioning generators, pumps, engines and electronics, and guests on board which is generally the confounding discussion topic.

Finally we all went separate directions because Frank and I had some serious provisioning to get done.  We hit our favorite places: West Marine, Home Depot, Target, Downwind Marine and several other yacht supply places.  We returned to the hotel periodically to remove packaging, pack a bag and then weigh it before declaring each one full to capacity. When all four check-on bags were filled we looked at our carry-ons and scratched our heads. Oh boy, can we make this work? We always seem to and by the time we finished that night, we realized we had not eaten since breakfast. We threw on some clean clothes and took each other out for a nice dinner to celebrate our Anniversary a little early.  You see our flight departs LAX on August 17^th; we will cross the international dateline en route that will take us from the 17^th to the 19^th in a heartbeat.  The 18^th of August is our 9^th Anniversary and it will not exist in our world this year.

We awoke on the 17^th, and checked out of the hotel quite early because we had last minute items to pick up and then hit the road for LA.  Our flight was scheduled to depart at 10:40 PM, we had arranged to drive back via Long Beach for a final stroll and early dinner with Christine and Jaime.  It was a beautiful day and the perfect ending to our trip back home.  We strolled about charming Long Beach with the Tates and ended our visit eating big, fat juicy hamburgers at a place called Hennessey's.  Frank and I have tried to eat as much Mexican Food and as many really good hamburgers as possible while back home because we know that it will be a long, long time before we get these treats again!

And so we ended our whirlwind trip home with a final goodbye to our sailing friends.  We tumbled and juggled luggage up onto the baggage check-in counter, holding our respective breaths and praying that we made the cut.  Funny thing is our carry-ons did not!  Yes, we are the people impatient passengers see at the check-in counter repacking and unpacking bags, moving items from one to another until finally the exasperated attendant says, "Fine! OK! Just go on!" And that is how we spent our summer vacation.  Fiji here we come!

July 22 – August 17th – Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig! (Denver Leg, August 4th – 17th) Part 2

Frank and his son Bill met me at the airport in Denver. It was close
to 11 PM but we stayed up late talking and sharing our respective
experiences over the past few weeks. Bill had offered his guest room
for us probably not realizing how we can take over a place when we are
back home stocking up and making multiple trips to the various shops
and stores that are not found anywhere else. He was good-natured about
our friendly takeover. That was my only night to just sit around at
Bill's place. The next day, we both hit the ground running and often
going in opposite directions. Most days, Frank golfed and I shopped or
met with friends for breakfast or lunch.
I had a 7:30 medical check up on Friday morning, followed by breakfast
with another high school friend, Christy Lundstead (now "Warren"). As
Fate often intervenes in our lives, Christy and I had gotten linked
via Facebook while our 35th High School reunion was being planned.
Her FB profile states her home is now Parker, Colorado. I couldn't
believe that she lived in the same little community that Frank and I
had moved from. We had unknowingly been neighbors for nearly 3 years,
and yet had not seen one another since 1975. We had a lot of catching
up to do and so our breakfast lasted until mid afternoon. We rather
outstayed our welcome at "The Egg and I", so we moved over to the
Parker Library where I am a former volunteer. I ran into most of my
dear friends for and with whom I'd worked. It was a wonderful double
reunion for me. I returned to Bill's in time to get changed for
dinner with Kati and Dave Topolnicki and Scott and Chris Morlan at
Denver's oldest restaurant, The Buckhorn Exchange. The food there is
so good (they are known for their wild game and melt-in-your-mouth-
steaks), and the place is so popular that the only reservation Kati
could get for us was 5 PM. That is a good thing because by 8:00 I was
ready to fall asleep at the table.
Friday, Frank golfed. I met Molli (Halvorson) for coffee and of
course that turned into hours, then I returned to Bill's where he
prepared the most delectable crab cakes with Cajun lobster sauce that
have ever passed my lips! My taste buds danced the dance of bliss.
Bill is a closet gourmet chef. We never turn down an offering from his
galley. When Frank arrived home we hit the roadway to fight the
battle of I-25 N's Friday afternoon traffic. We were meeting Gail and
Mark Lewis and Pennie and Jim Galt for dinner. We had such fun; we
could hardly eat for the laughing and storytelling with these guys.
Saturday, we had a rare opportunity to see Katie Riley's girls, Quinn
and Taylor who happen to be at home just now. They and Quinn's beau,
Todd, prepared a feasty happy hour for us at their brand new
townhouse. My heart did not want to leave them, but we had dinner
plans with our Goddaughter Naia, and her parents Rick and Nina
Rentschler at Bones in the downtown area. Frank and I arrived with a
large gift bag packed with little puzzles, games, trinkets and
baubles, for Naia, whom we'd not seen in nearly 2 years. Rick didn't
make it, so Frank got to have a night with the girls. At just over 3
½ years old, Naia is one of the brightest and most engaging little
girls I think I've ever met. She had us laughing and eating out of her
hand the entire evening. Frank is completely enchanted and lost to

her charms. We enjoyed an all too short visit with them and promised
not to let so much time pass or Naia will be grown when we next see her.
Sunday, Frank was off again with his buddies and I got to spend the
afternoon and have lunch with my dear friend Jenn Williams. She took
me over to her new townhome in Parker and we just talked and talked.
By now my voice was in the gutter. I'd not talked this much to so
many people for so many hours at a stretch that my throat was on fire
and my vocal chords were fried. She dropped me off at Bill's in time
for me to freshen up for dinner at the home of our favorite super-hero
family, Mac and Pamela Buckland and their two kiddos, Shelby and
Blake. I say this with love and awe. If there is a super hero family
living on this Earth, they have morphed into the Bucklands. They get
our vote for mom and dad of the year and they do it all effortlessly
and naturally in spite of their busy careers. Mac follows our blogs
religiously and often queries us about the details that don't make the
blog. We dragged out the globe and had a little geography lesson with
the kids. We had a great night with the four of them.
Monday, more doctor appointments and check-ups and then afterward,
Frank and I went over to Karen's condo for a visit and Frank, being
the thoughtful father that he is, spotted a few little repair and
maintenance projects that are what we call "blue jobs" (men: blue,
women: pink), he wanted to take care of for Karen. She was overjoyed
that he could do that for her. I remembered how my dad would perform
these same little acts of love in my home when I was living the single
life. It really filled me with joy seeing Frank and Karen in that
role. Then Monday evening we finally got to have dinner with Bill and
Karen over at the home of Dick and Lee Miller. I guess their home is
as close as Frank can get to feeling back home. He and Dick are thick
as thieves and their friendship transcends time and space. Dick and
Lee are family. We love them and nearly cried leaving that night.

Tuesday, Lori Romero picked me up for morning coffee and then she and
I joined Jeri Lyn Martin for lunch and afternoon girl time. Later on,
Jeri Lyn took me back to Bill's, where Frank and I packed overnight
bags and shot over to Jeff and Jeri Lyn's house for a couple of days
with them. We figured Bill needed a little space by this time anyway.
Jeri Lyn cooked and while the boys drank some prized scotch, she and I
busied about.
Wednesday, Frank golfed with Jeff while Jeri Lyn and I shopped and
caught up with old friends, and then treated ourselves to an afternoon
of spa pedicures and manicures. We supped out at a forgettable venue
in the new Southglen area, but with these two it doesn't matter where
we are or what we eat; we just enjoy.
Thursday, Jeri Lyn took me for yet another doc. appt. (love all those
annual check-ups!), and then after soaking up another wonderful day
together she dropped me off at Bill's where we said our goodbyes.
That night we met some of our former tailgate friends, The Daleys and
the Semps over at the Morlan's home for a faux tailgate. The Daley
girls came along – always a pleasure to see them and always surprised
that they want to hang out with us old farts. The meal was a
"tailgate" extravaganza that included Scott's grilled-to-perfection
Tri Tip and a load of freshly picked Peaches and Cream corn that Tim
had brought from Brighton. As the evening wound down, Cara Morlan
arrived and regaled us with stories of her latest D.A. cases including
attending an autopsy! As my eyes drooped and my voice began to give
out we called it a wrap and headed for our little home at Bill's.
Friday, Frank and I took Bill over to The Original Pancake House for
breakfast. They have the best homemade breakfasts of anyplace on
Earth. I can't ever decide which of my favorites to have there, and
each time I go I can't wait to return to have another of my favs.
Frank left us to meet another group of buddies so Bill and I returned
to his place and just had some down time.
Our last evening was with Barb Frank and Larry Hill at De Luxe, one of
our favored dining venues in Denver. We started at De Lite the tapas
bar next-door, scarfing down several platters of Dillon's famous
Oyster Shooters, and after a while we moved over to the restaurant.
Barb has become such a regular patron that she was able to secure the
extra top secret, very private back room which she and Larry
affectionately refer to as The Bat Cave. Nice. We got very personal
treatment in there! Again, we found ourselves feeling quite exhausted
as our evening ran into late night and breezed far beyond our witching
hour. Frank and I decided that we would have to get back to Destiny
for a vacation from our vacation.
Saturday, we slept in late and then set about packing our bags for the
final leg of our stateside trip. We spent our last few hours with
Karen and Bill dining at the Cherry Creek Grill. Yummo! Bill

absolutely swears by their Prime Rib French Dip Sandwich. And now I
swear by it as well. I just don't know how they do it but it is, hands-
down, the best I've ever eaten. We lollygagged as much as we could
before the two of them drove us to the airport for our evening flight
to LAX.
Reading back over these journals of going home and the next part of
our trip in Long Beach and San Diego, I realized nearly all we did
back home was EAT! I also appreciate that we are incredibly blessed
to have so many wonderful friends and family in Texas, Colorado,
Virginia, California, and from other parts of the US who love us and
who made special arrangements to spend time with us while we were back
home. Frank often teases me about the amount of detail I put into my
journals and blogs, but then if I don't do that I won't possibly
remember it all in a few years when the memories fade. Then I
sometimes think I didn't put enough detail into my writings, in case
people are reading these and feel that I left them out or slighted
them somewhat in the story telling. Ah – it is a fine line to walk,
but at least I try. That's what matters most – the effort.
It is said, "It takes a friend to be a friend". I hope Frank and I
can live up to that definition.

July 22 – August 17th – Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig! (Houston Leg 7/22 – 8/4/10)

My flight into Houston arrived fairly late, and fortunately, my friends Debra and Sandy Sandoval live not too far from the airport and had prepared a room for me.  I had not seen them since their visit to Destiny while we were in Fiji last June.  We stayed up even later chattering away until none of us could keep our eyes open.  I awoke the next day at noon!  I had no idea how jet lagged I was.  They let me snooze away thinking I must have needed the rest, and they were right.  My body clock was way out of whack.  The entire time I spent in Houston I could not seem to get to sleep before the wee hours. 10 PM in Houston was only 3 in the afternoon Fiji time.  So you can only imagine how loopy I seemed to everyone who saw me.  I just ran around with big black circles under my eyes and feeling like I'd walked into a wall.  But that did not slow me down.   No sir-ee!  My time in Texas was a blur.

On Friday I drove over to my parents' house.  My mom always cries when she see me, so we had a weepy hug and a nice long visit before I got back on the road with all the crazed Houston drivers to negotiate my way the 60+ miles south to Seabrook. Jen was home from work by then and after I got settled into my guest room she gave me a tour of her new home. I can with good conscience say that her home is stunning! Impressive! Spectacularly larger than my starter home.  I am so proud of her I could split myself in two and not be able to hold all the joy I feel for what my little girl has accomplished.  It isn't just about the house; it is about her overcoming enormous obstacles, moving forward with a tenacious determination and working hard for what she wants, in spite of what she has endured in her short life.  She has achieved much but has only begun the journey.  Buying this home speaks volumes. She is my little fighter. And she is a delicate flower at the same time. My one regret is that I am so far away from her and from our precious grandson, Trace. My hearts swells not only with pride for her, but with an ache I cannot quell that whispers "You should be here for her and your grandson, not tens of thousands of miles away".  Yet I realize Jen is most assuredly better off not having me there to meddle and comment, suggest and urge her to do it all the way I would do it or want her to. But I cannot still the pain and guilt in my heart each time I see her and watch my grandson grow a year at a time in the minute that I saw him last.

My dear friend Sharon had flown in from Reno and on Saturday, she and Maureen drove down (from NW Houston) to visit us at Jen's. They toured her salon and her house and then we had a special afternoon and evening with them. 

Because Jen's salon is closed on Sundays and Mondays, we wanted to spend some quality time together and so on Sunday Jen, Trace, Jacob – Jen's fiancé - and I drove up to Mom and Dad's house.  We enjoyed a long visit, all had lunch together and then in late afternoon we stopped by Debra and Sandy's house where Trace was in Seventh Heaven! Debra and Sandy's home is filled with little boy delights.  They have a fully stuffed, standing bear in the office, toys and gadgets, and all sorts of interesting bits and baubles from all of their travels to various parts of the globe, and the piece de resistance is the blow-dart "gun".  Sandy has had this thing since Jennifer was a little girl.  She used to love to go blow darts at Sandy's house, and was so enthralled with it I bought her a smaller version for her birthday when she was around 9 or 10. Sandy's blow tube is nearly 5 feet long Jen's is only about 2.5 feet long. Trace has never seen Jen's set. And so he was hooked!  He loved it so much that Sandy actually sent it home with us.  We ended up staying at their house for hours while Sandy tempted Jacob with taste-testing several of his home brews and various other libations. Finally when I declared that I would be cross-eyed driving all the way back to Seabrook and that Trace was beyond his bedtime by a millennium, we bid the Sandovals good night (or was it morning?).

Monday was my day with my girl we spent nearly the entire day at her salon trying to strip the blue/black/purple/burgundy out of my hair that had been colored in New Zealand.  It was a bit of work, as whatever they'd used to color my hair over there was industrial strength and actually glowed, iridescent in the sunlight.  My poor girl stripped it three times and then tried to re-color it back to a more natural brown.  I think my hair will never be the same, until I just let it go naturally gray.  What is it with the female ego that won't allow us to age gracefully? Or ungracefully – I just wish that it was OK to wrinkle, gray, plump and jiggle without society telling us – "Oh, girl, you've let yourself go!"  I am very close and very tempted.

During the workweek, Trace normally attends summer camp, but I got to steal a couple of days with him – just the two of us. I have to re-introduce myself to him each time we are together because I am the grandma who always goes away.  I'm not altogether sure he understands where I fit into the picture but we give it a go sparring around measuring one another up and test the waters a little at a time.  I got to take him to Space Center Houston, and shopping for shoes and to the bookstore where he go to pick out a basket full of books and things.

I drove back up to the northwest part of Houston again on the 28^th not just to see my parents but for a reunion lunch with some of my classmates from 35 years ago.  My high school had held our 35^th year reunion in May (during our passage from NZ to Fiji), which I'd missed but being contacted about it had put me back in touch with friends I'd not seen or spoken to in decades. A couple of those friends arranged a lunch for us.  My girlfriends who were able to show were (former names) Karen Kleb, Melanie Angel, Luann Simms and Brenda Parks. We had a hoot catching up and my face hurt at the end of the day from smiling so much.  What a special day that was! Brenda and I actually stayed beyond the "lunch", on into dinnertime long after the others had left us.  I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to reconnect with them after all these years.

Friday was my day with Marianne and dinner with Sally.  And then on Saturday Jen, Trace and I drove up to Seagoville (south of Dallas) for a couple of days with my sister Bev, her husband D and their son Tre.  Trace and Tre were inseparable. Again, my grandson was a very happy boy getting to spend this very special time with his cousin and Uncle D. Bev, Jen and I just drank each others time up, and before we knew it we were getting back into the car Monday morning for the 6-hour drive back to Seabrook. That was a teary goodbye! My little sister is my best friend. We never seem to have enough time with one another.

The rest of my Houston visit was spent with Jen, Jacob and Trace.  On August 3^rd I hugged my baby goodbye, drove back up to my folks house to spend my final night with Mom and Dad.  It was much more difficult to say goodbye to my parents than to anyone else.  No matter how old I am, I am still their little girl about whom they worry and fret and spill tears.  I felt that familiar ache in my heart as I got into the car on August 4^th to head out.  I made one final stop at Debra and Sandy's house to check on Deb. She had just come home from the hospital after having a hip replacement.  Not surprisingly, she is getting along very well. More hugs and goodbyes and promises to see one another "down the way", and then I was off to return my rental car and board my flight to Denver.

2009 Thanksgiving in Virginia

Frank and I had not planned another trip home this year – especially during the winter months.  In fact we had not planned to go back to the States for at least another 12 months.  After some serious soul searching, however, we made a relatively last minute decision that we needed to at least see our parents.  Frank's mother, although amazingly spry is 88.  My parents, still living in Houston, are in their 80's, and are slowing down quite a bit.  And we missed our children and siblings too much to let another year pass without seeing them.  Here's the rub; we only had about 2 ½ weeks to make the trip if we did it at all, so we called everyone – my parents, my sister, our children and my cousin Darlene who is like a sister to me.  We pleaded with them to meet us in Virginia at Tom and Mary's home.  We gave them the dates we would be there and then sat back and prayed and crossed our fingers.  Everyone made it except Frank's son Bill, and my brother Scott and his family. We found a fantastic airfare on V-Australia airlines, but soon realized why it was so fantastic.  From the time we left the Auckland airport, it took us 41 hours to arrive in Washington's Dulles airport.  41 hours is a long time to travel.  I don't know if we will ever do that again.  It was worth it though, to have the precious time that we did with our families.  There were 24 seats at our Thanksgiving table, plus Tom and Mary's 2 infant grandsons.  I hogged my cousin Dar because she was only there for 2 days and although I had not seen her in nearly 10 years, it was like yesterday.  We always pick up right where we left off the last time.  Frank and the guys, and my sister of course, spent most of the time overdosing on football games on the big screen and you know the rest.  My daughter, and grandson flew in the next weekend, and we spent 3 treasured days with them.  Trace has grown so much!  Can't believe he is 6 years old already. We had many tear-filled goodbyes over the course of our visit and left wondering when our next trip home will be.  Leaving VA, we flew into Los Angeles, spent one night there and then 2 in San Diego filling the spare duffel bags to the brim with items for the boat.  We upgraded our tickets for the flight home, for two reasons: one was comfort for the very long flight back, and the other was for the extra baggage allowance.  Sadly, while in San Diego we suffered two disappointments.  One was that it rained like the devil the whole time we were there, but at least we hadn't been planning time at the beach.  The other came in the form of information.  We hooked up with Erik and Gisela Gosch, whom we had me in Fiji through Christine and Jaime (Morning Light), when they crewed with them on the passage from NZ.  Erik and Gisela are IP 485 owners as well.  We met them on their yacht over at Shelter Island and then went for dinner.  During dinner, Gisela asked us what we thought when we heard that Jaime and Christine were shipping ML back to the States in January 2010, and had asked Gisela and Erik to secure a berth for them at the marina.  WHAT?!?!?!  This was the first we'd heard of that.  We had not been in touch with them since leaving for this trip home, and were blown away by the news.  When they left New Caledonia for Brisbane, in October 2009, we thought we would be meeting up with them again in the next cruising season.  We never imagined they were hanging up their life preservers.  The thought of not seeing them out here anymore was enough to make me cry.  We knew this was a very big and difficult decision for them, but selfishly we are wishing they were sticking it out. So, we suffered the return trip, and to our delight, Earl and Marsha (Mahurangi), met us at the airport to give us a ride back to Opua.  We spent a frivolous night at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Auckland and supped at our favorite Italian restaurant on Parnell Street, and then moseyed back to Opua and Destiny.