Life after Black Friday?

I went shopping on Black Friday. I wasn't after any deals … well, maybe a few. I read all the ads for “Doorbuster Sales” and “Black Friday Specials”, but they didn't really interest me. The local Salvos (that's Salvation Army Thrift Store to you non-thrifters) was having a 50% off everything in the store sale. I like rummaging around to see what bargains I can find. There are two Salvos close by and I visited both of them. I netted six gold and white coffee mugs (Pier 1) to go with our eclectic gold and white china set (previously purchased at a thrift shop) plus six dessert plates, lots of holiday faux-greenery for house decorating purposes, a very stylish Abercrombie & Fitch pull-over sweater and a New York & Co. zip-up jacket. Total cost: $12.67. I didn't feel guilty in the least.

When I got back to the house, I found David and Paul busy in the back yard finishing up a rather elaborate planter project they've been struggling through. They were in need of a heavy-duty stapler and staples, so I went back out to Walmart of all places … on Black Friday. Oh, my! It was bedlam. Merchandise piled high in the aisles. Kamikaze shoppers raced around with carts crammed full of stuff. Children, obviously high on sugar, screamed and ran around unsupervised. Boxes torn open. Stuff laying on the floor, long-since trampled by frenzied consumers. Interminably, long lines at the registers. What had I gotten myself into?

I fought my way bravely to the tool department which was remarkably empty. There was the Stanley Heavy Duty Stapler I needed … behind locked glass doors. As luck would have it, I spotted a Walmart employee immediately who (you'll find this hard to believe) had the key, opened the door and presented me with my stapler and appropriate staples in two minutes flat. Flabbergasted by my luck, I stumbled in a daze to the front of the store to confront the check-out lines. Lo and behold, midst all the turmoil, I spotted what appeared to be an empty line. Could it be? Without skipping a beat, Mae checked me out in a flash and I was on my way back home in record time. I might add … cost of stapler and staples $24.46. Let's weigh the enjoyment factor of each purchase. Hmmmm … I win, hands down.

So what comes after Black Friday? Why, Cyber Monday, of course. That's today, but we're not shopping on-line nor otherwise. And after that? Countdown to Christmas. We're heading to Boston in the next couple of days. We will not participate actively nor willingly in the madding crowds of consumerism. No family gift exchanging this year for us except for trinkets in our stockings. We'll indulge in family time, good wine and fine dinners at home and leave the buying and subsequent credit card debt to others and feel no regret.

Celebrating Hallowe'en

Getting dressed up and costumed for Hallowe'en was not originally in the plan. It took some convincing on Mary's and my part to get Paul and David and the folks at Rebecca's assisted living place into the Hallowe'en spirit. It's been awhile since we donned costumes and tried to scare anybody. Once we decided and got everyone on board, however, the costume train left the station. Mary had decided on her costume early and hit all the key shops while the selection was at its best. She took Paul shopping one day and they came home with a costume for him, as well as Hallowe'en decorations for the front yard and inside the house, too. Mary also did some shopping for Rebecca and Rebecca's friends, Darrell and “Aunt Mary”, so everyone had a costume on Hallowe'en day. David and I kind of dragged our feet deciding on our costumes, but once we did we hit all the local thrift stores and managed our costumes and all accessories for under $15 for the both of us. Parsimonious are us!

Paul, the hardest to convince about the whole dress-up thing, ended up being the most excited and it was contagious. He started early on Hallowe'en morning with his make-up and the results were appropriately frightening.

Rebecca decided to be a “flapper”, very much in keeping with her age. Mary applied her make-up and we helped her with her costume. Rebecca acted the part without difficulty. She was stunning! Darell won the best costume prize however, with his Charlie Chaplin costume and imitation. It turned out, he'd been practicing the Chaplin walk and the cane twirling all week.

The family portrait looked a bit different than usual.

Though a fine time was had by all at Rebecca's place, we drove home feeling like we should be enjoying our costumes more. Mary and Paul shouted “Boo!” out the car window a few times, but most folks ignored them … after all, this is Las Vegas. We don't know our new neighbors or anyone else in Las Vegas well enough to have a party at the house. We settled on trying to scare trick-or-treaters at the door (very unsuccessfully, I might add) and watching The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on the tube. We were in bed by 10pm. Sigh!

Early the morning after, we collected all the Hallowe'en paraphernalia from the yard and gathered up all the costumes and accessories and packed them away till next year. We've got to get better at this celebrating thing. Maybe next year.

Back to Nine of Cups - Chesapeake, VA

We're back! We left the dry heat of Las Vegas at 11 am (PDT) and arrived in Baltimore at 6:30 pm (EDT). After a 4-1/2 hour direct flight, a 3-hour time change and 2113.6 mi (3401.4 km), the humid heat of Baltimore smacked us in the face as soon as we walked down the jetway. We had reserved a one-way car rental to get us from Baltimore to Chesapeake, VA another 3-1/2 hours away where Cups was waiting patiently for us. Wimps that we are, we managed about an hour of road time before we opted for a picnic lunch from Safeway and a cool room for the night just south of Washington, DC.

We were back on the road by 8 am enjoying the scenery. Signs for crab and shrimp began appearing. Thick, green forests lined two-lane roads. There were antique shops galore. We passed through Windsor, Virginia … peanut capital of the world, they claim. Historical battle sites and markers were common and the Civil War iconic split-rail fences snaked along the roadside. And then there was the smell of salt and we were getting closer.

After a quick stop at Wal-Mart for some basic provisions and new pillows, we arrived at the Atlantic Yacht Basin. There was Nine of Cups gently bobbing in the water right where we left her. Inside, she was musty and had that closed-up smell, but there was no mildew nor mold to complain about. We opened all the hatches and ports, lugged all the duffels and gear aboard and began getting straightened away.

She was looking a bit forlorn with lots of pine needles and tree debris on her decks, but all in all, she was in fine shape. We washed the decks and got rid of a few new liveaboards … namely spider webs in the rigging and mud wasp nests in the cockpit. In no time at all, she was looking shipshape.

A day and night aboard and it was as if we'd never left … that is except for Hurricane Hermine which was quickly approaching. By the time she reached the Chesapeake, she'd lost some of her oomph and we only saw heavy rains and winds at about 30-40 mph.

There was significant surge and flooding along the coastal areas, but the Atlantic Yacht Basin is snug and secure and we experienced nothing beyond discovering a new hatch leak and a bit of rocking and rolling. We checked the lines and adjusted the fenders a few times, but otherwise neither we nor Cups were any worse for the wear.

So … now that we've weathered the hurricane, what's the plan? Well, David's brother, Paul, is hopefully heading our way in the next week. While awaiting his arrival, we have plenty of chores and repairs to catch up on. We're making plans for the few weeks we have on the Chesapeake, but mostly … it's just good to be home.

Happy Labor Day!