Happy Birthday Liam!

Back to Wickford

August 27-August 31

After a whirlwind trip back to New Jersey, we headed our rental car back to I-95 and drove up to Rhode Island.  We were excited to get to Newport on Monday night in time to help celebrate Liam Armitage’s birthday (Lana and Dave’s son).

reunited: giggles and screaming included

We made it just in time. The kids jumped out of the car and Liam and Calan ran out of the house and there was a fair bit of screaming and hugging and carrying on, as if they hadn’t seen each other in months.  We inhaled Lana’s homemade dinner while the kids ran around and played.  It was fun to watch Liam blow out his candles, since we don’t usually get to celebrate with him.  It was an early night, as Liam and Calan started school the next day.  I wondered how our children would react to missing the first day of school back at home.

the kids realize that we saw everything on this travel bingo card during our first two months:)

We got back to the boat in the dark.  It was late so we only grabbed the necessities from the car and nearly collapsed in bed (after making all three up with clean sheets).  It had been a fun-filled, sleep-deprived 6 days.  Guess what I did Tuesday morning???  Even if you’ve only been reading every other word since July, you know that I slept, slept, slept!!!  It was so gloriously yummy to lounge around in clean sheets, checking my website stats (28,000 hits so far, 248 subscribers.  seriously cool. thank you!) and listening to music on my iphone.  I eventually got up and we unpacked the car, put everything away, and got our acts together.

At 1600, we drove to the Armitages again.  The kids played in the pool and jumped on the trampoline and Lana made another delicious dinner.  Chris and Dave went to West Marine and did not spend a full Boat Buck (BOAT=Break Out Another Thousand) so the day was a total success all around.  Until we stopped at the Newport Creamery on the way back to Wickford.  All we wanted was some ice cream.  Now I know our tastes have been spoiled after a summer of enjoying ice cream all over the New England coast.  But this…frozen dessert (I seriously can’t even bring myself to call it ice cream)…was a travesty.  Chris took one bite of his $5.00 cup of Peppermint Stick and pushed it away.  I ate my Buttercrunch, but I swear there was only one tiny piece of crunch in it.  We are convinced it was actually ice milk.  Remember that fad from the 1990’s?  Ugh.  We at least got to joke that their signature dish, the Awful Awful, was appropriately named.  So apologies all around for all of you who worked at Newport Creamery, dated the owner in the 1970’s, love their ice cream, went to school with the guy who invented the Awful Awful, etc, etc., but we will not be going back.

Lana goes for an unexpected swim

this was not in the brochure

On Wednesday, we really started feeling the effects of our weekend back in New Jersey.  The lack of sleep and constant motion of our trip home caught up with us.  So I….wait for it…..slept in.  And Chris worked on the macerator in the head.  Please don’t make me tell you again what the macerator does.  I’m trying to eat my ice cream while writing this (Coffee.  Haagen Dazs.  tempered to the ideal consistency. omg.)  The kids played nicely all morning, but eventually started to melt down.

our big boy carried the full propane tank all the way back from town

I pulled myself together and took them to town to fill our propane tank (first time filling it since we left on July 1.  Not bad.), shop at Kohl’s, and return the rental car.  We spent the evening swimming at Muriel’s pool while Chris raced in the Wickford Yacht Club Wednesday night races with Big Bryson (not our Bryson).  The kids and I barbequed sausages back at the boat and enjoyed yet another lovely Wickford sunset.  I wish I could really and truly capture the feeling in the air and the colors of the world with my camera.  That golden quality that is so fleeting is so beautiful.  And yet we can enjoy it without clinging to it because we know the sun will come back around tomorrow and maybe give us an even better treat, with a purple that is even more purplier, or a reflection on the water that is even more shimmery.

Wickford Harbor sunset from Chez Hall.

oh, it was sooooo pretty!

clowns in a car. i mean 8 people in a dinghy…

Our last day in Wickford was sunny and clear.  The kids and I swam in the pool while we waited for Marlene and Jack to arrive.  Marlene is my dad’s first cousin.  They live in Newport and come to Florida often.  We love to spend time with them.  They are the types of people who fill a room with their love of life, their great stories, their enthusiasm for your life, and always their laughter.  Marlene and I have an especially lovely connection to each other and I love how she is like an aunt and a friend all in one.

our new Quantum asymmetrical spinnaker! Nice work, Dave!

Marlene and Jack came out to the boat and we gave them a tour while the children enjoyed opening the gifts they brought for them.  Then Lana came to drop off Dave and take the kids back to her house to play with Liam and Calan.  Marlene, Jack, and I went for shopping and lunch in Wickford.  Dave delivered our new sails to us and went out with Chris to install them and test them out.

the remote control Lasers racing

Later, Dave and Chris raced remote-control Lasers with the Wickford Harbor Mudheads (a yacht club Bryson started: http://wickfordharbormudheads.com/).  Yes, you read that correctly.  They have a yacht club for racing ¼ scale Laser sailboats (big! 73” tall, 42” long) that operate by remote control.  It is a crazy amount of fun.  The members bring their boats out to the harbor on the club’s pontoon boat, which is complete with slots to hold the boats and more cup holders than you can count.  They set up a course, put the boats in the water, and stay nice and dry while they maneuver their Lasers around the tiny little course.  I’ll let Chris blog about it, but here are some pictures from last year.

our new sail with the nifty blue suncover

That night, Chris and Dave slept on the boat while Lana and I had sleepovers with the kids at their house.  The next morning, Chris and Dave sailed Patronus from Wickford to Newport.  Chris worked on the boat, Dave went to work, and Lana and I hung out with the kids at their house.  We had dinner together and slept at their house again.  We were excited about taking the Armitage family on a Labor Day weekend cruise to Bristol, Rhode Island…

See the kids making up “skits” in the pool and “Gym Class” for the conwaysailors…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGjC4iAMqNc&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SAzLa_NvJQ&feature=youtu.be

driving home to new jersey

August 23-27

Well, you aren’t here on our website to hear about our life in New Jersey, but I will share some thoughts about our trip home as it pertains to our journey.

Kristin and I get pedicures with our girls

There are two things that jump out at me as I think about our first time at home in two months.  The first, and toughest-to-share aspect is that being in New Jersey was so much more intense than being anywhere else we had recently visited.  The pace of life is faster, and the energy feels unsettled.  I found it difficult to breathe after being surrounded by the pure ocean air of Maine.  And I found the driving to be even more maddening than I had remembered.  I had expected to feel some security in the familiar surroundings, so I was surprised at how upsetting it was to be “back in civilization”.  I missed Maine, like I missed Sweden after moving back to the US after living there for six months.  I am much more suited to a less urban/suburban lifestyle and this experience has really opened my eyes to that understanding about myself.  Of course, being back in civilization meant that I could go to a real salon and spend half a day getting primped and poufed back to my presentable self!

back with friends from home

The second, and much more positive aspect about being back in New Jersey, was the opportunity to be with friends and family.  We were not in town for long, so we only saw a few people, and we had to focus on getting the kids together with their friends.  After being by ourselves for so long, it was lovely to be around the familiar and supportive energy of our friends and to hear about what they have been up to over the summer.

Reese visits with our dear babysitter Stacie

We couldn’t possibly see all the people we love and missed, but we did get to meet up with the Kuenzels, the Cecalas, the Grays, the Materetskys, and the Danzas at the school playground.  The kids loved seeing their friends, and I just soaked up my precious moments with my buddies.  I felt a little strange, knowing that I wouldn’t be there for all the things they were talking about, like the first day of school.  I had a creepy sensation, like I was a fly on the wall, watching the world go on without me.  I wondered if everyone would forget me by the time we got back.  Then I remembered that Porter said the exact same thing to me the day before we left in July.  I told him that his friends love him for who he is and will love him when he returns.  That physical distance between true friends doesn’t change the friendship, just the type of interaction between them.I forced Tracy to say goodbye to me again, which caught us both unexpectedly.   It was too cruel to have to go through another round of goodbyes.  It was tough to watch Bryson and Olivia say goodbye as well.  They hugged, fist-bumped, and smiled their almost-self-conscious 10-and-11-year-old smiles at each other and I could sense the sadness that they couldn’t openly express.  Luckily, we had one more day before Reese and Kelli had to say goodbye again.

Kelli Reese Chase

(BTW, I love that our friends are following along on our website and send comments on our blog posts all the time.  I wonder if you all know that when I post a blog late at night, the first thing I do in the morning is grab my phone to see if anyone posted a comment yet.  Thank you Steffanie and Lisa for making me smile within moments of waking up on those days!  Getting comments, emails, and phone messages allows us to hear what is going on in everyone else’s life as well!)

Bryson with Ryan and James

I told them to sit properly. Comedians.

Of course, Carolyn and Aaron’s wedding was wonderful.  We wouldn’t have missed the chance to watch Chris’ sister and her new husband Aaron start their life together.  There was a flurry of pre-wedding activity when we first got back: picking up tuxes, getting Reese’s flower girl dress pressed, and the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

The cousins catch up at the Ho Ho Kus Inn

Chris and I with the bride and groom at the rehearsal dinner

She wanted straight hair for the wedding so Cheryl blew it out for her.

Finally, it was Saturday, and it was time for the wedding.  Reese got to be with all the bridesmaids and Carolyn as they finished getting ready.  She got to go in a limousine to the church, which made her feel so grown up.  Bryson was the ring bearer and took his job very seriously.  Once he had the rings in his possession, he refused to usher any more guests down the aisle so that he could focus completely on guarding the rings.  Porter handed out programs with his cousins.

all ready to go!

Porter, Jenna, and Brandon hand out programs

Steve gives the rings to Bryson

Carolyn looked beautiful and radiant and Aaron looked like he could see Carolyn and only Carolyn.  Bryson and Reese were so excited to be part of the ceremony and did a great job delivering the rings and leading the way down the aisle.  We enjoyed a cocktail hour out on the patio at Indian Trail Club in gorgeous weather while the kids played with their cousins.  The highlight was watching Porter and Brandon walking around together holding hands.  Then Bryson, Reese, and Porter went off to sleepovers at their friends’ houses while we stayed to enjoy the reception.  Food, dancing, and spending time with Chris’ family ensued and soon it was time to say goodbye again.

The rest of the weekend was spent with Larry and Cheryl, our friends in Franklin Lakes, who generously hosted our circus of five the whole time we were in town.  They watched us come and go six thousand times and were there with big smiles and open arms whenever we landed for a few minutes and got to spend time with them.

SOMEONE has to take them to NYC…(not me!)

The kids enjoyed the loving energy of their log home, which was built with the intention of embracing the exuberant energy of children.  Their favorite was spending the day in New York City with Larry and Cheryl.  They went to the Museum of Natural History and were spoiled rotten by the Grogin’s love for them.

dinner at The Barn

We loved spending time with Larry and Cheryl, whose spiritual and emotional connection to us has changed our lives over the past few years. We rode bikes together, stayed up late talking and listening to music, made food together, and meditated together.  It felt like college all over again but better, because our time was not squandered nor spent in a haze and our conversations were about things that Matter.  Plus, Cheryl makes an amazing peach pie at 0130!  Oh, and did I mention that our acupuncture appointments only involved walking down a flight of steps???

yes, she made pie at 1:30 in the morning. yum!!!

Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit. –Khalil Gibran

Before we knew it, it was time to drive back to Rhode Island.  We drove “back home” to Patronus with mixed emotions, knowing it would be 10 more months before we returned to Ho-Ho-Kus but excited for the rest of our journey.  These images will sustain us…

more Reese/Kelli photos than you can shake a stick at…

at the playground…

at Matthew’s Diner…

eating breakfast and making friendship bracelets…

one more flower girl picture…

Chris dancing with his sister Kathleen

dancing at the reception

Frank being really mature:)

Chris and his brothers Tom and Frank

I got to borrow Cheryl’s Christian Louboutin’s (a far cry from the flip flops I’ve been wearing for 2 months!)

Reese and Daddy at the wedding

Wickford, Rhode Island

August 21-22, 2012

Whoosh!  Up went the anchor Tuesday morning after I swam another ¼ mile in the lovely, flat water.  It was great to be back in the water after several days of unswimmable harbors, but was still really hard to swim that far.  I also can’t swim a straight line to save my life, which must be hilarious to watch.  But I am so inspired by my friend Lana, who completed a triathlon last week, as well as my high school friend Ben, who became an Ironman this month.  So I am going to keep plugging away until I get back to New Jersey, when I will sneak in some cycling in between wedding festivities and visiting with friends.

Historic Wickford

We got underway, leaving Dutch Harbor for Wickford, RI and by the time I finished cleaning the dishes, taking a shower, and tidying up, Chris was pulling into Wickford Harbor and it was time to do the fuel/water/pumpout routine.  We grabbed our friend Bryson’s mooring and took the dinghy to shore.  Bryson’s mother Muriel lives right on the water, with a dock, a pool, and one of the most amazing harbortown views you could imagine.  We spent the day swimming in the pool, catching up with Muriel, eating lunch in town, and browsing some of the shops in this historic town.  Chris stayed back and pulled up all the floorboards to clean the bilge and attempted to locate the source of the odor coming from the forward head.  Isn’t that lovely?

the bilges are clean as a whistle, but the head smell remains…

Enjoying the colonial architecture of Wickford

In the evening, we went to dinner with Cindy and Bryson.  Bryson proceeded to scare the dickens out of me with his stories of ocean passages gone awry.  Bryson is an experienced sailor and I know his rough trips span a lifetime and were few and far between.  But it got me thinking that night and I wondered if bringing the kids along for some of the longer passages would be difficult and miserable for them, and thus, Chris and me.  Something to think about.

Wickford has amazing sunsets

The next morning, we packed for our trip to New Jersey.  The rental car came at 1600 and we loaded it to the hilt with laundry, clothing, and all of the gear we no longer needed.  We hoped there would be room to bring back all of the “Caribbean Gear” still stored in our house, included the school supplies donated by our amazing friends back in Ho-Ho-Kus (we will be donating these supplies to less fortunate schools down in the Caribbean).

The kids with Muriel, Bryson’s mother

We jumped in the car at 1800 and hoped that we waited long enough to miss the traffic on I-95 through Connecticut.  On the car ride, we talked about what we had missed about home, what we were looking forward to doing, our favorite parts of the first part of our voyage, and, of course, Aunt Carolyn’s upcoming wedding!  The trip was uneventful and we pulled up to our friends’ house at around 2230.

The Armitage clan comes to visit from Newport

more Wickford sunsets

moonbeams leading from Patronus to the sky…

The first part of our trip was officially over.  We had travelled to 27 ports in 52 days.  We had been together as a family almost 100% of the time.  We came to see Patronus as our home.  We met untold numbers of new friends and acquaintances.  We had seen a few storms and we had dealt with a few minor maintenance issues.  We had witnessed the beauty of Nature, the silence of the night, the strength of the sea, the grace of dolphins and whales, and the wonderful, wonderful Wind.  We had emerged different people, after such a short amount of time, and we look forward to what is yet to come.

“Cruising has two pleasures. One is to go out in wider waters from a sheltered place. The other is to go into a sheltered place from wider waters.” -Howard Bloomfield

swinging on the boom in the moonlight

see you soon, Patronus!