Holiday Greetings 2018

Holiday greetings from Minnesota,                                                                          December 2018

Believe it or not, I’m in Minnesota this fall, having turned down an invitation to spend another couple of months sailing around Mexico’s Baja and land south as I’ve done the past two years. My thought was to do something productive, like get a job. I did work as an Absentee Ballot Judge and Election Judge but obviously that was short-lived, and then got absorbed in the holiday season. Given how cold it’s been in Minnesota this fall I’ve questioned my decision more than once and every time I heard a commercial for Black Friday, realizing how many stores are now open on Thanksgiving Day. 

Last year I smirked when I heard the weather forecast for Minnesota. Guess it would have been a good idea to recall those moments before I decided to stay in Minnesota. The invitation has come back around to sail in the Baja region in the Spring. You can imagine my response.

I only used my passport a couple of times this year, hoping this is not indicative of a declining wanderlust. There are still quite a few places on my bucket list—Iceland, New Zealand’s south island, the El Camino, St. Petersburg, Nova Scotia, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef before it dies completely and anywhere else in the Pacific. Now that these are on paper, my mind is churning for where and when.

Winter sailing took a turn this year due to Hurricanes Irma and Maria. As much as I wanted to support their economy, I didn’t go to the British Virgin Islands. Too much destruction, too few sailboats floating, and too many still submerged as obstacles. Instead I taught in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands. It’s good to explore new areas, to find new favorites and to re-appreciate the old favorites. Sailing in the Keys was on the cool side, and when it did warm up, the Man-O-War jellyfish surfaced, the ones that can have tentacles over 20 feet long, displaying their fuchsia-accented translucent backs. Overhead lines kept us from mooring in one place in the Keys. We sometimes searched for hospitable places to anchor and adequate depth. Adequate depth to sail in was even more of a concern in Bahamas’ Abaco Islands. Shoaling, tide and current also provided great learning opportunities.

I spent a fun week with a friend in Florida who was dog sitting for her sister. We ate, shopped, toured the local haunts, and just hung out. My two extra-large dark chocolate bars added vet and emergency vet visits to our itinerary. So much for a dog who I was told was too old to jump up on a bed. She could, and did in fact jump up to the top of a 4.5’ tall chest. Luckily she’s okay. Coincidentally, a woman I was helping put on a Crew Overboard seminar in Bayfield winters in the area so I was able to observe first-hand the on-the-water training.

Wondering if I was getting burnt out of teaching sailing, I decided to take a sailing class in the Channel Islands off the coast of California. Though there wasn’t much wind to sail, it convinced me I am not burnt out and led to teaching for the school in October, with more classes scheduled in 2019. The real benefit of teaching sailing in the LA area is to see family, and key to family is spending time with my great niece, Luna, and seeing how wonderful and loving her parents are with her.

My time in the Channel Islands gave me instant rapport with the instructor of the Safety at Sea class I took in June, whose home base had been in the Channel Islands. One exercise was to don all our foul weather gear and get into the water (pool) in order to learn how to get back to safety. This proved advantageous for the Crew Overboard Training I co-lead the following weekend. Summer sailing then continued again out of Bayfield WI and the 22 Apostle Islands. I taught, pleasure sailed and raced on a Melges 32, a true race boat with a bowsprit. This year I had the time to drive to the Red Rock Folk Festival, something I’d heard about for years from sailing friends. A wonderful outdoor event.

Being in Bayfield allows me to enjoy sailing, hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, biking, snowshoeing (in Winter) and hearing music in town or at the Big Top Chautauqua, a local treasure that brings in talent from all around the US and beyond. There’s one thing I haven’t done in Bayfield that I’m contemplating this next year. I’ve sailed, kayaked, taken the ferry, and walked, snowshoed and driven over the ice between Bayfield and Madeline Island, a three-mile stretch. I’ve not participated in the annual swim that takes place in early August. Stay tuned. Or maybe see if I chose to paddleboard, or watch instead.

The much-anticipated wedding of the year was of my nephew Justin to Alie Caro. The events took place over Labor Day Weekend. The bride and groom worked up until the wedding in order to enjoy a two-week honeymoon in Hawaii. Being on the groom’s side, I helped my sister Chris with the Rehearsal Dinner preparations but was free to enjoy the history of our country’s fight for freedom between Lexington and Concord where Alie’s parents live and the site of the wedding. My responsibilities were taking care of Chris and Rick’s beloved cocker spaniel, Lucky, a true joy.

The Rehearsal Dinner was at Alie and Justin’s favorite restaurant in Boston. Lots of people and lots of toasts. The Wedding Day turned out as beautiful as was the outdoor setting. My niece, Laura, officiated a very casual and humorous ceremony, per the couple’s instructions. She offered some inspirational “(Seven) Ways to Actually Love Your Marriage” advice. The afternoon gave way to socializing with cocktails, appetizers, and yard games. Dinner was family-style, with many toasts, followed by much dancing to a live band. At least one tradition held—father/daughter and mother/son dances.

My brother-in-law’s mother passed away when I was in California in April, giving him another insight into the fragility of life. With this in mind, Rick and his siblings were kind enough to invite me to a memorial weekend in September with their family. We toured places she’d lived throughout her life, some of which coincided with the Staudte family. I spent a few extra days visiting friends and family and was able to tour the house my grandparents built in 1933 thanks to the current owners.

I feel grateful to have been asked to take care of 13-month old Luna when my niece led a yoga retreat in October. Laura conveniently scheduled Luna’s first birthday party close to the time I needed to be there to teach a sailing class so I was able to enjoy Luna in her Luau outfit and get her first taste of cake. Yum.

The next two weeks were wonderful, bonding with Luna on walks--to the park, the beach, the library--every day in such wonderful sunny weather, swinging and sliding in the park and even a music class for babies. Brian would feed her breakfast and dinner, and I got to control the food she tossed at lunchtime. I saw some plays, shopped at the local Sunday market, biked, tried an electric scooter for the first time, and enjoyed “living” in my sister’s west coast home. Luna’s such a happy baby it was hard to leave.

While in winter-cold Minnesota I relax, crochet, catch up on my reading, spend time with friends, go to plays, foster cats, plan for the next outing, attempt to normalize my exercise routine, and enjoy life.

I hope this year has been kind to you and that you enjoy a joyous, relaxing and peaceful holiday. s for making it this far. I think I write this as much to go into my Christmas cards as I do for me. They might just all be compiled into a book as a legacy, and it’s been useful more than once as a reference as to what year I did something.

My best to you for 2019.

Vicki