SUMMER HAS GONE AND THE LEAVES ARE TURNING

Hard to believe I was swimming in the ocean and pool just a few weeks ago.  The weather has turned cold, rainy and the sky is mostly grey.  Summer 2019 has come to an end and I am planning my departure and route south.  Summer in Westhampton has been full of friends, MaryAnn and Melissa, Tim, Bruce & Lydia, and Mary.  Melissa brought Alaskan salmon and halibut, yum!  These are all friends I met in Alaska and have known going on 30+ years.  There is something about Alaskan friends that last.  Possibly because Alaskans did not have extended family, in the 1960s we were all pioneers in the Last Frontier. 

MaryAnn, Melissa and Mary are all children of village schoolteachers, their parents came to Alaska from the lower 48, and taught in native villages, moving to Anchorage after high school graduation.  What an amazing upbringing to grow up in a native village where your family was the minority race.   Alaskan villages were more like 3^rd world countries, far different than what most of us experienced in elementary or secondary school.  They have great stories about village life.  We spent our visit bobbing in the pool, walking on the beach, eating yummy dinners and playing cards.

Summer extended all the way to the end of September, and Abby and I went for our last ocean swim on September 22.  While we bobbed in the waves we laughed that “Indian summer” was no longer the correct term, but we were very glad for indigenous people’s weather that allowed us to swim late into September.

Robin’s house was under construction most of the summer, but the two remodeled bathrooms and replacement of deck is now complete.  Scout has a new bathroom fan, and a new dent.  Backing into Robin’s driveway I was careful to watch the tires and missed seeing the tree branch scraping along the top.   

Parking in Robin’s driveway all summer allows me to pull everything out and sort.  It is amazing how much stuff I can get in a 20’ travel trailer, so purging of clothes and other unused items in addition to a deep cleaning, has been my summer activity for Scout between house guests.

She is now road ready and we will be leaving on October 21, heading to West Virginia to take in the fall colors, and then onto North Carolina for Mom’s 90^th Birthday and Thanksgiving. 

Winter 2020 will be spent on Hutchinson Island, FL.  I have rented a lot for the entire winter December 7, 1019 – May 7, 2020.  Hutchinson Island is a barrier island on the Atlantic side, with wonderful walking access to miles of beach.  I hope friends will come and visit Florida this winter.  I plan on making some trips around the state, but will leave Scout parked for most of the time.   Stay tuned.