Holidays 2024

 December 2024

Felix ano novo (Happy New Year in Portuguese),

2024 started off well. I flew to Colorado in early January to have fun with my great niece and nephew. My favorite thing to do with them is the lazy river at the rec center. At seven and five years old, it won’t be long before they’ll be able to do this on their own.  

I scuba dived in Thailand and the Philippines in late January. A dive shop invited me on a live aboard boat at a discount to one of my favorite dive places and in my favorite way—on a liveaboard. Liveaboards have everything right there—the dive sites, your dive gear, cabin, meals, snacks, dive buddies, etc. Realizing I’d be flying through the Philippines, a country I’ve always wanted to experience scuba diving, made it that much more appealing. This is the first time I’d seen thresher sharks, known for their long tails. Thanks to generous underwater photographers I can lose myself in my dive and still reminisce on what I’d seen afterwards.

Back in Minnesota, the warm weather was conducive for training to walk the Portuguese Camino. I trained and celebrated my 70th birthday in March. (How did I get to be this age, and when will my mind catch up to this age?) I’d read Shirley MacLaine’s book about the Camino over 20 years ago, then Paulo Cuelo’s The Pilgrimage and El Camino years later. When the movie, The Way with Marin Sheen, came out I was hooked. A friend, also named Vicki, was to join me on this bucket list experience. We committed by booking our plane reservations based on the advice of pilgrims, aka hikers, from the Minnesota chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino. A mentor from this group who had walked the same route offered invaluable advice. 

We chose to start the Portuguese Camino in Porto, meaning I’d be walking at least 165 miles to the Santiago de Compostela Basilica with the recommended 10% of my body weight in my backpack. I overpacked. Ugh. We stayed in albergues, large rooms with bunk beds and communal bathrooms. Those that included towels and linens became my choice early on as I hated the my sleeping bag liner. There was little advice on trying out your bedding, unlike that about footwear. Previous walkers stressed training in your shoes to avoid blisters. Typically it was younger pilgrims who had their feet bandaged from all their blisters.

Thinking we’d be walking about 15-20 miles a day, my training commenced. Six to eight-mile days strengthened my Camino legs, with several longer days of 15 to 16 miles, in addition to my normal workout classes. People would stop to ask if I was training for something. One was curious because she intends to walk the Portuguese Camino at some point. Another had just come back from Porto. It’s a small world.

We met people from all over—Germans, Russians, Croatians, English, Ukrainians. We were halfway through before I met any Americans. In the afternoons and evenings, we’d visit with people we’d seen on the Camino. My Minnesotan friend developed a knee problem after the second day so she took a train to just before the 100 kilometer distance from Santiago to ensure she’d get her Pilgrim certificate. That meant I was on my own, giving me the opportunity to walk by myself and with others I’d meet along the way. I walked with Josie from England for several days. Our conversation flowed, exactly what I’d hoped for.

I dedicated my Camino to my sister, but hoped my purpose for walking the Camino would surface along the way.  When I finally stared up at the Cathedral, I asked myself why I was there. Why had I done this? The answer surprised and dismayed me. Apparently my purpose is to reveal itself when I walk the Camino Frances, the 500 mile Camino I’d read about that starts in France and crosses the Pyrenees. Maybe you’ll read about that in my 2026 missive.

Instead of walking all the way to the ocean, Vicki and I took our “vacation”, bussing to the seaside towns of Muxia and Finisterre, sometimes spelled Fisterre. How nice to relax, imbibe the waves on the beach, and walk with a lighter load. Back in Porto, we learned about port wine, toured an elegant, historic theater, and enjoyed a Fado concert along the water. 

My transition back to life in the US was short, one day, before heading to Cleveland to speak at a Safety at Sea seminar. So much for the meditative mood of the Camino. At least I’d prepared my presentations prior to walking the Camino. It was a busy weekend of learning, setting off flares, and paddling in the water with inflated life vests and emergency life rafts. I stayed another couple of days to enjoy time with my sailing friends and got in some hiking.

May was spent catching up with home town friends and attending to my neglected townhouse before heading up to Bayfield Wisconsin for another season of sailing instruction. I split my time between teaching for an American Sailing Association school and local charter company for which I might simply be a tour guide for the 22 Apostle Islands. I’ve made so many friends at the marina over the years that I decided to host an impromptu dock party on Labor Day, a celebration everyone agreed is to become an annual event.

In September I planned to swim with dolphins and scuba dive in the Red Sea. I aborted the trip at the last minute, literally. I was at the airport to check in when I decided I just couldn’t go. I’d been in Boston helping my sister who was at an all-time low, suffering from severe depression and general anxiety. It was more important to me to support Chris and and my brother-in-law, Rick, than travel. I’ve learned a lot about the mental health industry this year. It has a long way to go, even in Boston. At the Massachusetts General Brigham Women’s Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic patients are only seen once a month, not helpful for someone suffering. Hearing a psychiatrist say most anti-depressants drugs have suicidal ideation as a side effect made me question the whole industry. All her former psychiatrist wanted to do was give Chris more meds. It took time, but we found a psychiatrist who owns a small practice and is able to see Chris several times a week. She has been depressed and anxious for years, the result of being brought up in an alcoholic environment, and spiraled down when my brother-in-law was diagnosed with prostrate cancer over three years ago. Fortunately that is under control.

I spent most of the fall in Boston, leaving to take care of my great niece and nephew at the end of October while their parents took a short anniversary trip—15 years! It was great to enjoy the Halloween festivities, experiencing a haunted house, watching a magic show and each of us dressing up as an Inside Out character for Trick-or-Treating.

On Thanksgiving Day I flew from Boston to Cape Verde. I thought long and hard about taking this trip but I’d committed to help former sailing students, now friends, sail their 40’ Leopard catamaran from Cape Verde to Barbados months ago. Four people, 2100 miles, 13 days across the Atlantic. Another bucket list experience. We spent several days preparing, provisioning, having a part made for the boat, and seeing a bit of Sao Vicente. Cape Verde is its own country with a very African feel. Our days of sailing were spent reading, doing puzzles, watching movies, writing, i.e. my annual missive and watching the spinnaker do its job. Our view was sky and sea, seldom other boats. We had perfect weather for which I’m eternally grateful to my weather angels. Our trip was uneventful, my favorite word when sailing.

From sand to snow, I arrived in Boston just before Christmas to celebrate with family. I hope you have had a happy and fun-filled holiday season which continues throughout 2025.

Lisbon to Fatima to Porto

After a big birthday this year, and maybe because of it, I’m in Portugal to walk 200 miles from Porto to Santiago de Compestella on the Camino and on to Finesterre. 

Delta took us from Minnesota to New York and on to Lisbon. Though I’d been to Lisbon for a short weekend in 2005 I didn’t recognize anything. All I could remember was our car had been broken into. Lisbon is a huge city on the water, which we first saw and smelled thru an ancient archway . We walked along the cobbled streets, toured the main cathedral, enjoyed a trolley car ride to the fortress for amazing views, and after wandering the shops took an outside elevator for dinner to watch the sunset. We ran into a couple from Canada we’d met in the elevator after dinner after dinner, who regaled us with stories of their five weeks in Portugal. That ended our first day in this country  

Fatima was our destination on day 2. Its economy was formerly agricultural but now it’s tourism thanks to sightings of the Angel of Peace and the Blessed Virgin Mary over 100 years ago by three children. When asked what to do with contributions to the area the Angel of Peace said to build a chapel. There are 2 huge basilicas and many church’s. Services run throughout the day, as is religious music and church bells. People of all religions were crawling on their knees to worship.  

On Day 3 we first boarded a tuck-tuk for the bus station but the driver let us off at an un-mannned taxi stand because he couldn’t get on the highway. No probleml though in getting the noon bus to Porto, our starting place of the Camino in 2 days. Porto has a more positive feel than Lisbon, maybe because we were entertained by a patriotic Porto taxi driver. We walked down steep steps to the river, walked across the lower portion of the picturesque bridge, saw a fado show, took a gondola back to the bridge in time for a non-existent sunset from an old fortress, walked across the top part of the now lighted bridge and returned to our hotel. 

Christmas Letter 2023

 

December 2023

Holiday Greetings,

 

What a year (actually 14 months) this has been. I’d written my last missive prior to traveling to Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. Maybe that’s the reason it seems Minnesota has been like a magnet, keeping me home this Fall. I think I’ve only been home for six months in the past 3 years so there’s much to do at home.

 

How wonderful to be scuba diving in Fiji after a several year hiatus. What do I remember most: staying at a resort a 3 hour drive from the airport, a fun roommate, meeting the partner of a friend I met traveling when in college, traditional Fijian customs of dances, waterfalls and a horseback ride, and of course, 9 days of 2-3 dives per day. Oddly most memorable of being in the water was the 50+ long armed Blue starfish I counted snorkeling near the resort. 

 

I met up with my Minnesota friend Amy in Auckland. We traveled from the bottom tip of the south island to almost the top tip of the north island. I now understand the reasons people recommend seeing the South Island. The scenery is more varied than its sister to the north. We hiked around Queenstown, searched unsuccessfully for kiwi on Stewart Island, took an overnight cruise and kayaked through Milford Sound, were besotted by Little Blue penguins near Christchurch, rode horses on the beach at low tide in Abel Tasman National Park, and toured Marlboro Sound by boat before being ferried to the north island.

 

Traveling on the north island from Wellington, we gazed high up at glow worms in the Waitomo Caves. It was like thousands of strands of Christmas lights hanging straight down. We saw Christmas lights strung from hundred year old redwood trees from California, seemingly the only thing not indigenous that’s not trying to be irradiated, like lupine or “wilding trees”. Not to be forgotten was the sulfuric smell of the nearby natural hot springs, taking in the sun at the Bay of Islands on the north end and kayaking between the islands in the Coromandel Peninsula.  Being on the water, by islands is my happy place. And happy I was to see Lord of the Rings’ Hobbiton movie set.

 

My two weeks in and around Auckland were on the waterfront. A day at the Maritime Museum, an afternoon at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron helping the race committee judge the race, and another racing, a third day bussing to the suburbs to meet a friend from Minnesota who was building sails. A bike ride and picnickers on Christmas Day felt more like our 4th of July.

 

2023 was celebrated in Australia, a second chance to see Little Blue penguins, the smallest in the world in Melbourne. Fun, too, to meet up with a former colleague “under the clock” at the main train station. Then up to Cairns to scuba dive and reconnect with a dive friend on my final night down under.

 

Another whirlwind back in the States—seeing family and friends that I missed during the holidays in Colorado and back home, cruising on a trawler with a friend in Florida—before heading off to Greece. Favorite Grecian memories: visiting the pinnacle-high monasteries in Meteora, sailing around the Cyclades, meeting up with former students from Lake Superior at anchor on Paros, the food, the ruins everywhere, and seeing Madame Butterfly at the Pantheon. A very different experience than my first visit in 1975.

 

Time to re-pack for a summer sailing again out of Bayfield on Lake Superior. Good students, great concerts at the gazebo and at Big Top Chautauqua, and now Wednesday evening Open Mics. How do I have time to teach!!! Though the teaching season on Lake Superior wraps up at the end of September, I still got out one more time in San Diego for another team building experience with executive MBA students.

 

My home was calling for me. With all this time away, there were lots of dust bunnies in the house and a garage demanding my attention. That might not sound good to you, but it’s been nice to reconnect with my home and be able to foster a cat again. But if course this didn’t last for long. I was off again to go trawling with my friend Lee in Florida, finally/hopefully getting to the Dry Tortugas, after several failed sailing attempts.

 

Florida during an El Niño apparently isn’t the best time to try to go from the Tampa/St. Pete area to the Dry Tortugas. We didn’t make it but had fun along the way watching boat parades, street parades, Christmas tree lighting and shopping strolls, and a Winter Wonderettes musical. In addition to meeting up with “loopers”, those going around the eastern half of the US by water from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, I met up with a friend I hadn’t seen since I moved to Minnesota in 1985. How easy it was to reconnect after all that time.

 

Now I’m off to Boston to spend a quiet Christmas with my sister and brother-in-law and back home to celebrate New Year’s with good friends.

 

My wish for 2024 is to share love and light with the world and to make it better.

Cliff Notes of Dry Run from Bradenton to the Dry Tortuga

 Tuesday Nov. 28. Flew to Tampa. Lee Ganz, owner of Elba, a 36’ Monk Trawler which we were to take to the Dry Tortugas. Provisioned at Costco, Detwilder’s, and (unfortunately) Wal-Mart. 

Wed. Nov. 29  Picked up Lee’s meds. Starter malfunctioned on Jeep after pool noodle stop. Had early dinner at Riviera Marina. 

Thurs. Nov. 30. Jeep got repaired but not soon enough to start our journey south. Went to Myakka River State Park. Plenty of deer, spoonbill cranes, Rosetta birds that are the color of flamingoes but on much shorter legs and a number of alligators.

Fri. Dec. 1. Departed Bradenton. Headed to Venice. Stayed at Crow’s Nest Marina, which is managed by a very helpful and attentive Rick. Met Gregg and Joan on Lady Joan, a Ranger Tug, and Pete, the local resident parrot.

Sat. Dec. 2. Biked/Scootered into Venice. Shopped at the Saturday outdoor market. Had ice cream. Watched the small town Christmas Parade from back of boat with cocktails.

Sun. Dec. 3. Anchored outside of Fisherman’s Village. Took the dinghy in and tied up to Lady Joan. Walked the mall, ate at a waterfront restaurant and then chatted with Gregg and Joan. She was a former travel agent, he flew leer jets. 

Mon. Dec. 4 Onward to Cayo Costa State Park. Park closed at docks due to Ian hurricane damage 15 months ago. Took the dinghy several miles down to Cabbage Cay. We walked the sandy trail, saw gopher tortoises, Harry the egret, and many small geckos. Had to eat at the “Cheeseburger in Paradise” restaurant where I downed a bacon cheeseburger and margarita. Margarita was very good, burger just ok. Met people on Puffin (Tony and Shirley) and Rock ‘n Roll (Pat and Teresa, an independent financial advisor). 

Tues. Dec. 5. Left the anchorage at 8:30. Headed maybe to Marco Island, could stop at Naples depending upon speed and weather. Now planning on round counter clockwise around the bottom of Florida instead if the Dry Tortugas based on weather—strong winds against us. Just outside of Naples we made a sharp left turn and went into the  City Marina. Starboard tie up, slip D4 for the night.

Wed. Dec 6. Moved Elba to a mooring ball. Attended the musical, Winter Wonderettes. Actually it was wonderful. A musical that is the Christmas party for hardware store employees with back stories of their lives. Lee, aka Bob, had his moment on stage and bowed as the audience congratulated him on his onstage performance afterwards in the lobby.. 

Thursday Dec 7. Dinner with Shirley and Tony Lucchino on Puffin, along with Pat and Teresa Clemons from Rock ‘n Roll. Puffin is a 42’ Nordic Tug. Short for under bridges, steering is all in the pilot house, 3 stories down is the master cabin. Very nice.

Fri. Dec 8. Lee replaced the “Snuffer”, the coal-filled filter to the head vent which didn’t seem to lessen the odor when flushing the electric toilets. He then exercised some thru-hulls and unfortunately left the one to the generator closed so now we can’t start the generator. Went to a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and stroll, where Lee lost the kill switch to the dinghy. It wasn’t his day. 

Sat. Dec 9. Necessary shopping. Naples Christmas Boat Parade from the dock. Boy are these boats decked out. Some must hire techno squads to do the lighting.

Sun. Dec 10. Departed for Moss, though stayed on a mooring in the afire Myers area which we hadn’t legally secured and got reprimanded for it the following morning. Met with Kathy Hermann for lunch at Rude Shrimp. Hadn’t seen her since I moved to Minnesota in 1985. 

Mon. Dec 11. Cruised up the Charlotte River to Sweetwater Landing Marina, part of Fort Myers. Met with Lee’s friends Tim and Laurie. Had a nice lunch then went to their home. Learned about Advent Puzzles!

Tuesday Dec. 12. On to Sanibel. Went to Captiva Island instead, which joins to Sanibel to the south. Strong winds predicted for the next several days. SCA—that’s small craft advisory. Good thing we didn’t go to the Dry Tortugas considering all the red on the wind maps. 

Wed. Dec. 13.  It’s back to Venice to outrun the high winds and SCA. But Elba was sitting on the bottom in 3.1’ at the dock. Finally left Captiva at 11:08. Called Mike to get a slip at Crow’s Nest Marina in Venice. He said we could stay thru the week but to leave by Saturday due to the wind shift coming out of the southwest. 

Thurs. Dec. 14  Started back to Bradenton ahead of the big low cresting on Saturday. Motored up to learn the 91-year old swing Blackburn Bridge had just shut down. We turned back towards Venice but got stuck on a outgoing tide. 2.5 hours later, after pushing with the dinghy along with using the bow and stern thrusters, and putting out both a bow and stern anchor to prevent us from being pushed further into shallower water, the tide rose from 3.1’ to nearly 4’, the draft of Elba, we were able to motor off. That saved $1300, the cost of SeaTow coming to pull us off. We motored back at Crow’s Nest, where we had happy hour with Loopers Sasha and Graham on Live de Life, Patrick and Leila on Grand Life (a Grand Banks), Sue and Dan on Carpe Diem, and Rick from R&R, Ruth Ann didn’t join us because of a soaking her leg. They had a cute dog I befriended named Sally. 

Fri. Dec. 15. Struck out again for Bradenton. Called the Blackburn Bridge multiple times to make sure it would open. With several men using ropes to maneuver it sideways, it did. Most of the ride was relatively smooth, with current helping push us northward. It was windier in the more open spaces. In one of those open spaces, we felt a shudder as if we may have caught something on our prop. We considered turning in to Sarasota but pursued on 26 miles, reaching  our home port in the dark because of motoring at a slower RPM. 

Sat. Dec. 16. Because of the winds, rain, small craft advisory, and potential flooding, and assuming the Crystal River Boat Parade would be cancelled as well as other outdoor activities, i decided to curtail my visit and headed home, giving me a bit of breathing room to prepare for my holiday visit with family.

Queenstown, Known as the Adventure Capital of the World

 The views from the plane set our sights high for what we were to experience, and we weren’t let down. After renting the smallest Prius I’ve ever seen, an on-the-spot upgrade when the agent realized we were driving all the way through the country from south to north, we started getting familiar with driving on the left side of the road, constantly turning on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signals. Good thing the accelerator and breaks aren’t switched. 

On this our first day, Amy and I did our first touristy thing—had lunch at the popular Fernburger. Good thing we split the burger. They are huge. We walked around town amidst all the other tourists. New Zealand’s borders are definitely open post COVID. Having regretted purging my luggage of my down jacket given the colder temps than expected, it was a good thing Macpac, the local version of REI, had the perfect jacket. We could have spent all day shopping, but we were here to see New Zealand. We walked  along the waterfront peninsula, the Queenstown Gardens, and then up Time Walk.  

 

A local we talked with had recommended we have Fae at I-Site schedule our upcoming adventures in the south land.  I-Site had been the country-wide government-run tourism office pre-COVID, but has since gone commercial. We didn’t know that when we booked our next few days to Milford Sound and Stewart Island, but wouldn’t have changed a thing. Now that we had tickets to Milford Sound and Stewart Island, Amy and I set off for the Gondola for lunch and the luge.Three trips down were fun, faster each time.

Even though we’re on holiday, errands are still a necessity.  We returned to Snap Rentals, the car rental agency to exchange our car for one with better tires. Having passed a K-Mart, yes one of the many American brands here, along with McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and Domino’s, we stopped in to get some essentials—a knife and cutting board for all the apples and cheese we’d have to snack on along the way. A quick trip to the grocery store and we were set for our trip to Fjordland National Park. You never know what you’ll find.

New Zealand Charm

How kind to have a Trusted Housesitter host pick me up from the Auckland airport and then let me know I’ll still stay at her place over the Christmas holiday even though, as she said “there is a slight change in plans”—I won’t be taking care of her dog, Benji because he’s had some health issues. Tania’s beautiful place is right downtown, overlooking the bay filled with sailboats. I knew from emails she was a vibrant person, and she’s proving to be a fun-loving host. We walked a bit with Benji. She directed me to a place to get a Spark SIM card for my phone. She pointed out places to eat and shop, and is even open to me using her e-bike. I’m just flat out amazed at how kind she’s been, especially still letting me stay at her place. She even drove me to the hostel so I could meet up with my traveling companion Amy. 

Amy and I went out to dinner (which I promptly told Tania about, a place she’s not been, but now plans to go to after looking at the menu). We bedded down early for the night in preparation for a dawn departure to Queenstown for the start of our adventure. 

The first views of the South Island from the plane didn’t even prepare us for the spectacular sites we’d be seeing once our feet hit the ground. I never took pictures with Tania. Pictures of Auckland will follow when I spend more time there in December. 

Holiday Letter 2022

December 2022

Kia ora Friends,

Kia ora, pronounced KYOH-ra, or ki-AW-ra, is Maori-language greeting. As you read this missive, I am in New Zealand, mostly likely the southern island. I visited New Zealand for the first time in the 80’s. Some say the south island is more beautiful than the north island. Because I thought the north island was so beautiful, I had to check it out after booking a scuba diving trip to Fiji. And because I have scuba gear and am so close, I can’t miss diving the Great Barrier Reef.

My fall was a whirlwind, planning a trip to Fiji, New Zealand and Australia in between a work trip to San Diego, getting prepared to drive to Colorado to take care of my great niece and nephew and skiing, and meeting up with friends in what is now becoming my third “home”. I consider Bayfield WI where I teach sailing all summer my second “home”, while St. Paul is still my legal residence, though I seem to spend the least amount of time there. Having an actual home grounds me, so until something unforeseen happens, or the task of moving seems much less onerous than my recollection of 1985, it will stay that way.

It’s nice to have family in Colorado, where I spent the first part of the year dodging snow storms which hit with a vengeance then quickly disappear. Inevitably that’s when I’m visiting friends in Denver, sometimes getting stuck there rather attempting to drive back to Longmont on unplowed roads. Because the sunshine melts the snow by noon the next day, the 80 or so snowplows I’ve heard Denver has don’t seem to get much use.

Luckily when I skied in the mountains, the roads were clear. I skied midweek, avoiding the massive Sunday afternoon traffic congestion back to Denver I observed from the west bound lanes. My Minnesota connections allowed me to ski with a friend and stay at another friend’s condo in Beaver Creek. How nice is that? I also skied with a friend from Colorado, whom I met in 1975 while touring Europe. We skied at Vail and Keystone. And I finally skied with my brother-in-law for the first time ever, and niece.

Season ski passes are now the norm. It seems strange that I was able to use my Epic Pass (the one I bought to ski at Vail, Beaver Creek and Keystone) at Afton Alps in Minnesota. This year I’m renting ski equipment for the season rather than use my 20 year old skis which this past season I referred to as “conversation starters”, because they did spark conversation. I’m looking forward to skiing with my great niece and great nephew this winter.

I happily dog sat and kid sat for family in Colorado in the late spring. How fascinating to see the differences in child development at their young ages of 2 and 4. How happy to be remembered from my previous visit several months prior, and how heart-warming to have the kids running up to me and jumping in my arms. But it wasn’t so fun when family members came back from a wedding and presented me with COVID. Yes, my sister and brother-in-law did just that. Not such a nice present for taking good care of their cocker spaniel, even as much as I love Lucky.

 

What I learned after the fact was that it wasn’t a good thing to get on a plane within 24 hours of exposure to COVID. Apparently that’s when I was most likely to give COVID to someone else. I’d never heard that. So I spent the Memorial Day weekend in isolation instead of touring Boulder by e-bike with my family.

Face masked as is protocol was how I taught my first sailing class of the season in early June. I taught almost non-stop all summer. I still love sailing in and among the 22 Apostle Islands out of Bayfield and the occasional 180 nautical mile round trip to Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior WI. Visiting lighthouses, listening for bears or moose while hiking, viewing the northern lights are just part of the magic that keep me in love with Lake Superior.

It is nice to have a work gig in San Diego with executive MBA students focusing on team building in the winter, spring and fall. It has its fair share of challenges. Most students have no sailing experience, and some are afraid of being on the water. Teaching sailing, helping effect team building and asking students to think of sailing analogies to the work environment is challenging and certainly keeps me engaged in a different way than my normal teaching.

These last three COVID years have been my busiest ever. I recall a three-day break at the end of July, then an easy first half of August. Other than that it was long days, so when asked if I work full-time or part-time, I don’t know how to answer. When working, it is full time. When not working, I certainly enjoy hiking, picking berries, kayaking or paddle boarding if weather permits when in Bayfield. Back in the Twin Cities, I tend to cocoon, catch up on reading, crocheting, spending time with friends, hard-core exercising, and planning for my next travel adventures.

Instead of spending time with family this holiday season, I’m spending Thanksgiving diving in Fiji with a special feast for us Americans, Christmas dog sitting in Auckland, and New Year’s cat sitting two beautiful felines in Melbourne. How can you be that far from home and not take in as much as possible? And when you’re that close and realize you know a local in Cairns, getting reacquainted has to happen. I’m hoping to check a few things off my bucket list with this trip—as much scuba diving in the Pacific as possible, including the Great Barrier Reef, the south island of New Zealand, culture in Auckland and Melbourne, and loads of nature everywhere, especially the nightly parade of little/blue/ferry penguins. Who knows, maybe I’ll even find someone who will take me out on a sailboat . . .

Having been in Australia twice before during the December holidays, I know it will be more like celebrating the 4th of July. I may even be at the beach, rather than shivering in snowy Minnesota or Colorado or Massachusetts. Who knows? I may even update my blog.

I hope your holidays are filled with warm cheer, love, and family and friends.

Vicki

vstaudte@gmail.com 651-452-5422 nauticalnomad.blogspot.com

Diving with Phantasea Divers from Denver

 I heard about this dive trip from my long-time traveling friend whom I met on our first trip to Europe. She and 38 other people from the Denver area have come to Volivoli Beach Resort. The:group was split between 2 large and one small boat. I started on the large boat the first day, then switched to the smaller boat the rest of the time which allowed me more time in the water. The diving here was wonderful, albeit visibility was about 30’. Moses/Mo, our dive guide moved slowly in the water, which gave him the opportunity to see such small stuff as an almost invisible spider crab, razor fish and tiny nudibranches, but we didn’t miss seeing the Bumphead Neapolitan wrasse and White and Blacktip sharks. Most exciting was playing with several octopi, one very sizable on top of the reef. 

We enjoyed a village visit with a welcome ceremony, horse riding, and a water slide and diving hole. We were treated to a show offering insights into the local customs, with dancing and singing and feasted on fish and pumpkin for Thanksgiving. Of course, we feasted every day on two and three course meals. I didn’t get the recipe for the Volivoli Reef dessert, but I did get a couple of recipes—of a ceviche type soup with coconut milk and a pumpkin stew. 

The Fijian staff at Volivoli was fantastic. They were so friendly, knew all of our names from the start and went out of their way to make us happy. Tua, Esa, La, Va, Mo, Tina, Peter, and so many more that it’s embarrassing I didn’t get to know all their names. They all spoke English, that being one of the three official languages of Fiji, but the communicated with each other in Fijian. All signs were in English, another official language, with Hindi being the third.

The island of Nadi was very beautiful.  Lush green, mountainous from the volcanic activity with nice waterfalls. Birds sang right outside our patio, goats were heard on our forays off the resort, and I saw my first mongoose crossing the road. But of course, my focus was on the water. We snorkeled and kayaked on our last day post diving.

Kudos to my roommate, Torie. She and the other divers on the boat— Tom, Lucy, Bob and Adele, we’re all pretty chill and made for a fun time even off the boat. We may even dive together at Lucy and Bob’s new home in Cozumel. Nice.

I now can say I was halfway around the world from Greenwich. The longitude is 178 east, latitude is 17 south. That might come up in next season’s sailing classes.