Goodbye David

 

David left to return to Australia a couple of days ago. His flight left at “way too early” o'clock out of Boston and Lin, Nick and I drove him to the airport. We dragged ourselves out of bed in the middle of night and braved the icy cold, dark night to make sure we got him to his flight on time and to hug him goodbye.

He'd packed two huge duffels crammed full of boat parts that he lugged behind him. A burgeoning backpack on his shoulder and a jammed-full carry-on on the other shoulder completed my last image of him as he disappeared through the Virgin Australia departure gate. My heart skipped a beat and then an overall sadness took hold. Lin made small talk on the way home; I was already missing him.

Now, in all fairness, we talked about his leaving before Christmas before he booked his ticket. We had never planned to spend this much time in the States and getting back to the boat and our lives is a priority for us now. David's argument for returning early was compelling: the flight was considerably cheaper than after Christmas; he could get a head start on finishing up the fridge and galley projects; and most importantly, he wouldn't have to listen to me complain about the fact there was no sink, no stove and no fridge in the galley. All valid points with which I agreed … then. But now, watching him walk away and knowing we'll be apart for the holidays makes those arguments less compelling.

On the positive side, we'll Skype daily and he'll apprise me of his progress. I'll get to celebrate Christmas with my sister and my mom which I haven't done in years. And I'll depart just after the New Year to join him on the boat … which will have a working galley again. It'll be a long couple of weeks.

Meet the Grand-dog

 

The Urban Dictionary defines a grand-dog as “baby boomers whose kids have pets instead of kids”. That's us … at least for our oldest son and his wife. They adopted Olive, a pit bull puppy, over a year ago, but we had yet to meet her. Now almost two years old, Olive is fairly well-mannered (for a two year old) and very loveable despite having to overcome abuse as a puppy and the social stigma attached to being born a pit bull. She had no problems meeting her grandparents for the first time and showed her pleasure with lots of licking, tail wagging, ball fetching and gnawing of rawhide chews (provided by said grandparents).

Having family spread across the USA makes getting together for the holidays difficult. We take what we can get and this weekend Brennan, Hannah and Olive managed a quick 3-day trip from Washington, DC to Boston for a pre-Christmas visit. Olive does well on car rides and unbeknownst to us, because we don't own a pet, many hotels accommodate four-legged guests most graciously. Since Olive goes pretty much everywhere her “parents” go, that's a good thing.

I saw a van the other day with an “I love my grand-dog” bumper sticker on it. I'm not thinking we'll get one for the boat though.

On Turning 96 - A Q&A with Becky Haynes

 

When you're getting close to 100, you've experienced more life than most of us ever will. David's mum, Becky, turned 96 on 19 October. We thought it would be interesting to turn over the proverbial microphone to her for some words of wisdom and thoughts on life.

What do you think about being 96?

It's not much different than being 93, 94 or 95, but it's certainly different than being 19 or 20.

Do you feel old?

I do now, but I didn't until I broke my hip about four years ago.

Why do you feel old now?

It was the first broken bone I ever had in my life. I started feeling old when my body wouldn't do what I wanted it to do. My mind is getting dull. Sometimes I can't think what it is I want to say. I see the words in my mind, but they don't get to my tongue. It's frustrating and makes me angry. The hardest thing is having to face the things I used to be able to do, but can't do now.

What's your best childhood memory?

I was a little girl in Marinesco (Michigan) and my Dad came into the house and took me by the hand outside. We walked over the hill and he pointed to a mother turtle with several baby turtles following behind her. It was a special moment with just me and my Dad.

You've always loved traveling? What's your best travel memory?

I've gone so many places and done so many things, I can't think of a “best”. I still enjoy traveling.

What 's your philosophy of life?

Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you... it's held up through my whole life. I've always tried to give as much as I could, but I've always received so much more.

What are your thoughts …

On life in general – Be happy with everything you have and always reach for more … with your whole heart. I don't mean money. I mean if you want to go to college … go. If you want to be an actress, be one.

On family - I have four kids, 11 grandkids, 21 great-grandkids and 1 great-great granddaughter. Family is and has always been so important to me. I love my family and they know it.

On death - I don't think about death much. It'll come when it comes. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm wary of it. It's the unknown. As much as I'd like to believe in an afterlife, I just don't know. I watched Dan (my husband) die and it seemed simple and easy and peaceful.

On longevity - I don't advise it for everybody. I think I'm handling it better than many. Coming to terms with old age is difficult.

What's the secret to a long life?

Good genes … and I don't mean Levi's!