Lasley holiday letter - 2023

The new year started quietly, with the usual rhythm of soccer and band practice.  We scheduled a few gigs with our new drummer (again!).  Laura’s knee was still giving her trouble, so she sought out recommendations and got some treatment.  The docs all said she was doing great for a 60+ woman who does too much.

Our family website, which Ben created back in 1999 had become difficult to update due to changes in the web editing tools, so we had a friend convert it to this blog. 

In February, we went to Texas to see the kids for Super Bowl weekend.  We had hoped that the Bengals would be playing, but it was a good game anyway.  Laura taught Tristan how to make dumplings, and we had her traditional egg rolls as well.  Jasnah had just turned 1, and was almost walking.  Her side-eye was becoming more deadly.  

Back home, we went to see “Six” which was clever and energetic.

We RETIRED!

March 31 was the last day of work for both of us.  Laura had 65 people in her video-conference send-off, while Dan repelled many attempts to get him to stay on longer.  This was the start of a whirlwind of travel.

First stop - Texas, for Tristan’s 5th birthday.  Lots of fun, and a bit of carpentry was involved.  Tristan is very energetic, while Jasnah is mischievous.  Both are scary smart.  We also caught up with friends from CT who now live nearby.

Then we went on a 3-week sailing trip from the top of the Chesapeake to the bottom.  We bought a dinghy (Boji) and an electric outboard motor, which allowed us to explore harbors and gunkholes.  See the blog.  It was still a bit chilly, but the winds were good - sometimes too good, as we were wind-bound for 3 days in Hampton VA.  This was the farthest south we had gone.  Found new places, and returned to a few favorite anchorages.  While we thought 3 weeks would be enough, we want to do it again with even more time.  We had to get back, as Jacqui was coming to visit for Laura’s birthday.

Next, we went up to Exeter for our 45th reunion.  We had a great time as always, and Dan was tagged as the class president for the next 5 years.  Along the way up and back, we had dinner with some friends from CT.  Barb came up to visit the following weekend.

In June, we drove out to Chicago to celebrate Laura’s Mom’s 90th birthday.  Spike came into town, and the Texas clan flew up, making for a large party across 4 generations.  It was a lot of fun, especially the Family Olympics!  After they all returned home, we took Laura’s parents out to the Peninsula for a fancy Chinese dinner.  We also had a chance to meet an online friend in person one evening.

Returning home, we got ready for our long voyage.  The first leg required 3-4 days of good weather.  This shouldn’t have been a challenge for mid-June, but the weather had been strange all Spring.  We ended up having to delay our departure for 2 weeks, finally leaving on July 3rd.  One good aspect is that we saw fireworks for several days.  See Laura’s posts on the baji-naji page, which covers our 10-week sailing journey to Portland ME and back.  We met up with friends new and old, including a family that had been sailing around the Atlantic for years with 3 teens, to a delightful couple from New Zealand.  Laura has posted details about harbors, marinas, sunsets, and food - lots of food.  Strangely, we both lost a little weight on the trip, despite not getting much aerobic exercise.

When we were almost home in mid-September, we learned that a serious criminal had escaped from the jail near our house, and was hiding in the woods.  We decided to extend our trip a few days, returning when it was confirmed that he had left the area.  He was caught two days later.

After doing lots of laundry, we were itching to sail one more time before the season was over, so headed out to our favorite harbors nearby.

At the end of September, we headed back up to Exeter for the Leadership weekend, which included a dinner with the senior class, which is always encouraging.  On the way up, we stopped in a seaside town on Cape Cod where Laura had enjoyed the most amazing pedicure. Before we left, we had dinner with Dan’s most recent boss, followed by a pick-up soccer game the next morning.  We met another online friend for lunch on the way home.

In October, we kicked off our driving trip to Florida with a stop at the Annapolis Boat Show.  This was followed by stops to see friends and explore various seaside communities as possible retirement locations.  We learned a lot, but didn’t make any decisions.  While in Florida, the Texas clan joined us to introduce GG (GMa Laz) to Jasnah, who she had yet to meet due to Covid and hurricanes.  While it was great to see family and friends (some of whom we hadn’t seen in 50 years!), we realized that traveling by boat is much better, as you sleep in your own bed, and the schedule is more flexible.  10 hotels in 14 days was a bit much.

When we returned, we restarted the band with another new drummer, but this time, it is a guy we’ve known for over 10 years, and he’s both good and dependable.  It’s not easy to get gigs after 6 months off, but we are confident that we’ll be playing in bars soon.

In November, we drove back to Chicago, as we had been gifted tickets to the Panthers-Bears game on a Thursday night.  One of the worst games ever played (later replaced by the Bears-Vikings game), but we had good seats and a great time at the game and staying in the Loop.  We had dinner with some Exeter friends, and then a late-night dessert with Dan’s very first co-op boss back during college.  We hadn’t seen each other since then, and it was great to catch up.  We spent two days visiting Laura’s parents, and then went to Kalamazoo to see more old friends.  We then drove to Kitchener Canada to make music with a buddy from the Riverside Jams.  Stopped for a moment at Niagara Falls, which both of us vaguely remember from our childhood.

Back home, we went to see the Taylor Swift movie, which was impressive, and then went to visit the gang from Dan’s last job.  This coincided with a late-night watch-party for the Eagles-Chiefs game, which was a lot of fun to watch with a group.

One last trip, this time to western Massachusetts for Thanksgiving with 3 other couples from college.  We played some music with a small set of Jammers, and then came home.

Whew - this has been fun, but exhausting!  We plan to be home from now until April, though the over-under is late-February.  We’ve got the band, soccer, and 30 years of “stuff” to sort through.  If you’re ever in the Philly-Baltimore area, let us know, as we’re likely free for dinner.

Throughout the year, we have had the chance to reconnect with many friends from different eras.  It has been wonderful to share stories and hopefulness for the future.  As we continue to figure out this retirement thing, we will be reaching out to more of you.

Enjoy the Holidays with your family!

Peace and Love,

Dan & Laura