Catching Up is Hard to Do

Sorry I have not posted for over a month. Due to an illness in my family I have had to come north to the last of winter and do the love work of a grown-up. No play baby for awhile.

What an oddesy. I got a phone call from a friend of the family about a life threatening illness in my family, the sister I love, had been hit with systemic septicemia. Big time sick fifty fifty chance. Had they tried to call 48 hours later I would have been out of contact for four days. Providence shines on what you all know as my clean living ha.

Jumped in a rental car and came home next day for a week. Only transportation available for this remote area. nearest major town is two and a half hours away. I returned to the lake and started making plans for a return trip that would probably last into late April.

Did go sailing two days before I left. The weather was mid seventies and clear. I went out on 2/26.

Two days later the boat was packed up and on “the hard”. I had arranged to have the trailer brought down from Ohio. Got it hear 36 hours before pulling the boat.

Above was a sad day. Tripus Interuptus.

How did I return home. Had to do it on the cheap and quick. I let Grey hound do the driving. Two and a half hours to the Memphis bus station for a 16 hour ride to Toledo. I got a ride from Capt. Jeff.  We had some time to kill so we went to Beal street. Jeff bought a hat;

I had two “Big Ass” beers and explored the three block tourist trap;

The bus ride was memorable.

Learned the ins and outs of bus riding etiquette. On the first leg to Nashville I sat across the aisle from a woman with frontal lobe dementia and in front of a group of Rwandan refuges who had spent 14 years in a UN refugee camp. Very moving story.

The Nashville bus station was country western wannabe ready. No fourteen year old runaways but good chicken salad sandwiches. The best leg was from Cincy to Toledo. The bus driver a 60 year old black man and a retired UAW organizer also black discussed the old days in the south and I just listened. One of the best history lessons I will ever have. I would have loved to have taped it.

Now for the last week. My sister is on the mend and after a month in the hospital and four surgeries to remove encapsulated infectious pockets she is in rehab probably for the next month. Yesterday she actually sat up on the side of the bed for the first time. The first step in total “learn to walk all over again” therapy.

I am living at her place, taking care of 6 cats and putting back the 15 pounds I lost on the run down the river.

Believe it or not I miss  that rough ride through the worst winter in southern history.

All Ya All be sweet. I’ll be in touch. Don’t forget to check those archives if you are new to the blog. It won’t be about sailing for a while but let’s see what trouble I can get into around here.