We drove straight to Colorado on the way north, about a 15-hour drive, and stayed with Julie in Denver for a night. Then we headed to Gene and Jo’s for two nights. We made a side trip to Estes Park as well. The family get-together was very special.
On the way back south we had another nice visit with Julie.
Dinner and desserts with Julie in Denver.
Then we broke up the long trip home into a couple of days including stops at two national parks.
Great Sand Dunes National Park – snow on the dunesWhite Sands National Park – a truly unique place
We stayed in Ft. Davis for a night with a reservation to attend one of the McDonald Observatory’s star parties. The skies were not cooperative for viewing at the observatory, but we had fun.
McDonald Observatory socked in with clouds.
We left Ft Davis on Wednesday well before dawn, and on the drive up to I-10, I noticed that the clouds parted, opening up a clear, starry sky. So we pulled over in the middle of pitch-dark range land with coyotes howling all around and enjoyed a full-sky view of the Milky Way.
We enjoyed the view for a few minutes and then resumed our drive. A few minutes later the skies were filled in with thick clouds again. It was a treat to get that brief moment of star gazing.
A successful road trip, but it’s always nice to get back home.
Well, it happened! Monte and I went on a road trip together for the first time since before COVID. We drove to Colorado for a family gathering of Gene and Jo’s entire posse. It was really a treat to be there. Lots of special people. Many laughs, stories, and hugs.
We are rooting for Monte’s school in the College Men’s Basketball Championship. We watched them at a local watering hole. Florida Atlantic made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Fingers crossed!
We had a fun, busy week. Noreen came to town. We visited with some of her family here in Austin, and some of our family in San Antonio.
We enjoyed an evening at Lori & Mike’s for a Super Bowl party.
Some of us were more lucky than others.
Then we enjoyed a visit to Donn’s Depot to listen to Danny Britt and his band Grouchy Like Riley.
Valentine’s Day snuck by this week, as well
Noreen returned home after a fun-filled visit. Some orthopedic care and a pedicure happened. Then focus turned towards the upcoming 5K race this coming Sunday.
Today Lori and I left Port Washington and took Trident down the East River to an anchorage near Sandy Hook, NJ. I have been to Manhattan many times but today got a really unique view of many of its sites from the water.
The most meaningful, to me, was going close by Ellis Island and the Status of Liberty. In 1951 my father sailed into New York Harbor from Ireland and saw them for the first time. He was just 21 years old.
The surrounding views have changed over the years, but the promise remains the same.
Patrick and Nga sent us a beautiful ship’s clock that they found. Monte made a stand for it out of white oak and it now graces the mantle on our fireplace in the great room. I love it!
Whew, what a busy week! Julie is moving out of her apartment and moving on to the next step of her career and life. This girl can make things happen in a hurry. I was only there to help. She ordered a Pod. We loaded it over 2 days. They took it away. We cleaned the apartment and took things to Goodwill and the food pantry. Celebrated a birthday in between. Some wine might have been enjoyed. Buon viaggio, Julie! We miss you already.
I visited my family in Washington State last month. I had planned to get my first ever amazing pics of the tulip fields in Skagit Valley, but it was a tad too early.
Here’s a lovely field of daffodils in bloom instead. 💛
I cooked mussels tonight in a light white wine sauce and woowhee was it good. 2 lbs of fresh mussels from Canadá was a bit more than I wanted but we ate every one of them.
A year ago, it was anyone’s guess how 2021 would roll out after the cluster that was the year 2020. Today I paused to reflect on a few of the memories I captured from the last twelve months.
January – I started to direct my energy towards making things and sewing. I asked Monte to make me a rack for my growing collection of spools of thread. It turned out perfect, as usual, and has been well used by me over the last 12 months.
February – The deep freeze descended upon Texas. We were incredibly lucky to not have lost power during the prolonged freeze. So many people were really hurting during the weeklong outages. I can’t deny that I loved the temporary snowscape around the house. But I was happy to see it go.
March – The power across the state eventually came back on. The weather warmed up. Things started to bloom. The leaves fell and were raked up. I think we set a record for leaf bags set out on the curb. The City of Austin yard waste collection crew even took a picture of our curbside menagerie.
April – Incredibly, a year after this shit-storm started, COVID vaccines were available to the masses, and we got in line. For both of us, the reactions were pretty mild. The worst thing I can report is a temperature of 100 degrees F.
May – I flew to Charleston to help Lori take Trident north to Annapolis. We had some great days and nights on the water, including several legs on the outside. Sadly, my precious little Keeto died while I was away. Nearly 10 years old, it was still too soon. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for my sweet baby bird. And I’m sorry Monte had to go through it alone. It still brings a tear to my eye. He was just the best bird ever.
June – Nirvana received lots of TLC. A prolonged bottom job. New batteries. Scheduled maintenance undertaken by me and Monte. Inverter replacement. Cushion repairs. Some new running rigging. And many hours with friends and family spent on her this year.
July – We had fun family visits this month; the first since the pandemic descended. And, as we do every year, we took a boatload out on Lake Travis to watch the July 4th fireworks.
August – Monte and I continued enjoying Nirvana and the lake throughout the summer. One week, we spent several days sailing 30 miles upstream, anchoring up around mile marker 44. Our goal was to watch the Perseids meteor shower. We did see some meteors. It was just nice to be out and about on the boat so much this summer.
September – We crewed for Kurt & Kevin for the Austin Yacht Club Fall Series Regatta on Camelot. We helped them nab 2nd place for their class in the end. Huzzah!!
October – I flew up to Baltimore to join Lori on Trident for the Annapolis Sailboat Show, my first. This was more of a for-fun trip than a move-the-boat trip, and I really enjoyed the two day trip we took sailing to St. Michaels and back across Chesapeake Bay. After the boat show, we drove back together to Austin, stopping at 4 US National Parks along the way. Amazing!
November – We enjoyed more time out and about this fall. Monte took me curling for my birthday. We both had loads of fun. And I think we’ll do it again!
December – Wow, the year flew by. Again. We took another boatload out for the Christmas boat parade. Unfortunately, COVID fears are starting to seep back into our lives. But I really hope that by this time next year there are many more fun outings and visits under my belt. I just can’t take another lockdown.
Time flies. We are immensely blessed. It’s easy to complain about the events swirling around us, but I’m focused on celebrating the small day-to-day good times that we spend together and with friends and family.
I wish you all an amazing, healthy, and happy 2022.
We celebrated Thanksgiving a day early here at the chez, since Julie works tomorrow. Monte grilled up another awesome bird. The sides were fantastic. The pie was wholesome. Time together was really nice.
Julie and I headed downtown for the Junior League of Austin’s “A Christmas Affair.“ Lots of gifts on display. It was held at the Palmer Event Center. The view of the Austin skyline from there was lovely. My how this town has changed in 25 years.
Sheila365 