LASLEY HOLIDAY LETTER - 2024
2024 has been quite the roller-coaster for us. Retirement is treating us well. We kicked off the year with a gig! This started a chain of several gigs at this venue, though we had trouble finding others. We also continued playing soccer, avoiding major injuries throughout the winter.
We continued to attend English soccer viewing parties at a pub in downtown Philly. Very high energy, especially when playing our rivals. We also had dinner with Fitz and Tina, and Will and Emily, sailing friends from our marina. The latter couple headed off for a yearlong meander through the Caribbean.
Super Bowl weekend coincided with the Lunar New Year, which we spent with the kids in TX. It was a lot of fun teaching the grandkids how to make dumplings, and then cheering for both SF and KC, not caring who won. Laura ended up with a bloody nose that wouldn’t stop, so we had a trip to the ER and some treatment that delayed our return to the cold North.
Our friends Kathy and Nick visited for a long weekend of food and music. They came back again later in the Spring and played a couple of songs during our gig. Later in March, Laura took her first girls’ trip to the Broadmoor in CO with her best buddies from college, Julie and Debra. Rock climbing and Falconry were highlights. She went on a second trip with Pam to The Lodge at Woodloch in the Poconos. Hard to say which location was more beautiful and luxurious.
For fun and memories, the band went into the studio to record 4 of our best songs. We recorded the raw tracks in 12 hours, and Dan mixed down two of them into reasonable songs. The other two need some tweaks.
As we began to prep for the coming sailing season, we were dismayed by the collapse of the Key bridge in Baltimore. Crazy circumstances. Later in the summer, we sailed past the remaining structures - very spooky.
In April, we needed to take the boat down to Annapolis to get work done from 4 different providers. Laura piloted baji-naji solo for 6 hours with no sails or auto-pilot, her first solo voyage. The work was completed over a couple of days, and we reversed the trip together.
For her birthday in May, the kids got Laura a fantasy life-map kit. Imagine a map of Middle Earth, and substitute the names of the continents, rivers, and mountains, with events and places from your own life. She had a lot of fun working on it (with an excellent coach from the vendor) and the result is enchanting.
Next we went to Chicago to visit Laura’s parents, before setting off for our long sail down the Chesapeake. The trip started great, and it was very exciting to sail up the Potomac and see the Washington Monument from the cockpit at the beginning of June.
Unfortunately, just as we were pulling into the marina on the Wharf, sister Barb called to say that Dan’s mom was in the hospital and not looking too good. Barb had just started chemo for a cancer that has been lurking for a few years, so she couldn’t help out. The call went out, and Ben, Jacqui, and cousin Stacie got there promptly as we abandoned ship and drove down to FL. The rest of the family arrived quickly to provide support and say their goodbyes. It took almost two weeks, but Mom sent us home feeling better; she had lots of professional assistance.
We got back to PA and then DC to get back on the boat, and decided to return to our home port to regroup. This gave us the chance to attend Uncle John’s celebration of life and spend that nasty heat wave in our house.
By mid-July, Mom was doing really well, reducing the hours of her home health aide and attending cocktail parties, so we decided to restart our trip. We set a more leisurely pace and explored some new spots in the upper half of the Chesapeake. On July 23rd, as we motored slowly up a serene river, we got a call from the ER in Florida saying that Mom had passed peacefully, with a friend by her side. It was a bit of a shock for a minute, and then there was calm, knowing that she had lived a very full life, and that she would rejoin her husband Jerry to sail the heavens.
That same day, we learned that a good friend had a serious heart attack, and that Laura’s Mom had breast cancer. Not a good day. There was little we could do, so after discussion we decided to continue our trip. Every pretty sunset reminded us of Mom, as she was a boater her entire life, and she understood.
Last year we had hoped to explore Mobjack Bay and then Cape Charles, but weather and other commitments foiled those plans. This year we made it to both places, as well as anchoring in new creeks and seeing different friends along the way. We also met new friends, cruisers from away sailing the Chesapeake for their first time. It was fun to play leapfrog with them, sometimes going in different directions, then meeting up semi-randomly for dinner.
On the way back north, we turned west again and headed up to DC, this time spending a couple of days as real tourists. We did the entire monument loop, as well as the Spy and the Air & Space museums. Plus we saw the Arsenal women play against the Washington Spirit - exciting match.
We returned home in mid September, and turned around to go to Chicago. Laura’s Mom (91) had a lumpectomy and her prognosis is excellent. Although everyone else was healthy, Laura caught a nasty cold/flu which delayed our return. On the way home, we had planned to visit a friend near Detroit, but did not as he too has cancer.
In October, we went on a short sail (short for us), meeting up with friends and exploring Baltimore a bit. The aquarium there is still wonderful. Along the way, we tried to see the comet, but it was still too low. A week later, we saw it from a hilltop near home. Very cool. Unfortunately we lost our spot on the soccer team roster, but we’ve been asked back to sub a few times.
Later that month we went back to Punta Gorda to clear out Mom’s condo. Over the years she had discarded a lot of her “stuff”, but there were still things to sort, redistribute, and discard. Digging through the files, we found all of their tax returns since they got married in 1956! The history of the IRS as shown through the evolving 1040. The Texas kids got a few items of furniture, including the ship’s wheel chandelier and the ornate writing desk. We grabbed 2 prints by Carolyn Blish, and other small items.
On the way home, we stopped in Charlotte and saw two sets of friends and went to see the lowly Panthers (NFL). They won! We took the interior route home, up I-77 and I-81, to enjoy the autumn colors along the Blue Ridge.
In November, we had our annual dinner with our friend Bob. November also means prepping the boat for winter. We removed all of the food, linens, cushions, and mattresses. We decided to try a UHaul this year, which allowed us to get it all done in one trip, with nothing tied to the roof of the car. We have a few updates planned for the offseason.
We played our first autumn gig of the year at a new venue. We added a few new songs, and the show went well. Playing 7-11pm is weird, but nice. We have more gigs planned for 2025.
It was our turn to host Thanksgiving, setting the table for 12 friends from near and far. This was followed by our usual Black Friday Jam, with 10 musicians playing in a circle. Good times, but we’re glad to let others host for the next few years. Kathy was able to stay longer, and we experienced the newly renovated Longwood Gardens and Longwood Christmas with her.
We will finish off the year with a trip to Cincinnati to meet up with the kids for a Bengals game, then drive to Florida (with a stop in Atlanta) for Mom’s celebration.
2024 was a challenging year. With Mom passing and several others fighting for their lives, we are reminded of how precious life is, and that time spent with loved ones is very important. There have been some very sad days, and there have been some wonderful sunsets. For us, sailing is a sanctuary, calming and allowing us to reset from the turmoil around us.
Next year, we plan to sail up to Maine again, with a farther target of Acadia. Hopefully, the band and soccer will survive our unusual schedule. We will do our best to see as many friends as we can.
Enjoy the Holidays with your family!
Peace and Love,
Dan & Laura
