Now that it is the last day of July, I figured I should at least put a post on the blog, although we have not been sailing at all this month.
The month started with us settling at the marina in Edgewater, Maryland (near Annapolis). On July 3rd we flew back to Vancouver (separate flights, just like royalty). Our purposes were many: Paul to finish knowledge transfer at work, both to complete readying our old boat and get it up for sale, pick up items from storage that need to come to Blue Sky and with that came the rearranging of the storage locker, and lastly to pick up Charlie and drive to the boat. We’d also try to see family and friends (sadly we did not get to everyone, so we’ll promise to reconnect with those we missed on our next visit).
During our passage, Paul’s mother fell ill and is no longer able to live in her townhome. His siblings took turns helping out during her time in hospital and extended care, and we decided that Paul would fly to help with her move to assisted living immediately following the trip to Vancouver. This left Gwyn to drive the ~5000km across the country, stopping first in Edmonton to pick up Charlie (our dog). On Saturday, July 14th we went to storage and fully loaded car with the rest of our must haves for the boat (some things we just could not fit). By 4:30pm Gwyn left with grand-daughter in tow for the first leg of the trip. Arrived in Edmonton on July 15th, 8:30am and stayed for 48 hours. From there it was a 2 day trip to Custer, South Dakota where Gwyn and Charlie visited Paul’s sister and brother in law in their RV (we are not the first vagabonds of the family). After an evening of chatting and a good night of sleep we proceeded on. Next stop 2 days later, was in South Lyon, Michigan, to visit Gwyn’s son. Another 14 hours of driving and we arrived to Paul’s mom’s place in Burlington, North Carolina.
At the time of this writing we are still in Burlington. Paul’s mother is adapting nicely to her new apartment, and the home is slowly being cleared of things that she no longer needs. We spend time with her ensuring she is getting her exercise walking and swimming. Last Friday night she asked if we could take her to the weekly movie. What a joy to see her face when she met up with her friends that she regularly went to the movies with prior to her stroke. They insisted on sitting with her and did much chatting afterward. More visits with old neighbors followed on Monday at the ice cream social. It’s clear that when the family heads back to their respective homes, she will need these friends to help her stay engaged in her community.
Meanwhile, Paul was asked to be available for work through end of July as much as he is able. So today is officially his last day before retirement.
We’ll likely be here another week or so before returning to Blue Sky to proceed with the work needed before further open ocean travels (radar installation, more solar, add a watermaker and a washer). We’ve ordered a Sailrite sewing machine and Gwyn purchased some bargain fabric to start adding color and to recover some of the cushions on the boat. Even moving to a boat, requires decorating skills to make it a home. While we are both looking forward to getting back to our home and get ourselves settled, we are also cherishing the gift of time with Paul’s 92 year old mother. We take every moment spent with her and embrace it as part of our transition to this new life.