The Last Days of Summer

Aug. 19th

Returning from Colorado we were generously hosted by our old friends, Jim and Mary Ann Sanders, at their beautiful home on Beaver Lake in Sammamish, WA. Jim used to crew for me when I had my 26 ft. Thunderbird sailboat, Phoenix. He is probably one of the smartest sailors/tacticians I'd ever sailed with.

Unfortunately, about a month before we arrived Jim took a rather bad fall off a ladder and cracked a number of bones. By the time we got back we was fairly mobile, rolling back and forth in house with help of a walker.  His spirit and sense of humor were still intact and he took injuries in stride.

Mary Ann, always the consummate hostess, made us feel at home and cooked some great meals. Most of the time we just enjoyed sitting on their deck and getting caught up with each other's lives. We took Jim's canoe out for a spin on the lake to get a little exercise and see how the other half lives. What an incredible place to live.  We also got a chance to talk with their daughter, Megan, who now works with our son at Concur Technologies.

Maya leading the way.

We then spent a few days dog-sitting Maya at our son's house in Sammamish while they were gone to a wedding. We miss having a dog and enjoyed taking long walks in the near by Hazel Wolf Wetlands Park. At night we finished off the season of House of Cards. Can't wait for the next season.

Anita, Marilyn, and Meryl

 We also had a chance to get caught up with two of Meryl's high school girl friends, Marilyn and Anita. They are all fairly statuesque and gorgeous. I imagine they were somewhat intimidating to boys in high school (including those of us who are vertically challenged). It was fun to get caught up with everyone's careers, retirements, and families.

We also had dinner with Patsy (former Pan Am) and Steve, and Steve's sister Georgia and her friend John. Fun to go out to a hip Queen Anne area restaurant and have a great meal and conversation.

Lena, Meryl, and Liz.

Rounding out our visit home, Meryl met her former Pan Am stewardess (that's what they called them then) friends during lunch before we left. Even though we had two months this year it seemed there just wasn't enough time to touch base with everyone. That's one of the most difficult aspects of our cruising lifestyle.

In a couple more days we head back to Trinidad, which we're not looking forward to given all the work we need to do. This is coupled with the joy of living on a boat (on the hard in a boatyard) without use of our sink, toilet, air conditioning, or refrigeration. Should be fun.