December 2003

Dear Ones,

To paraphrase an old song, "What a difference a year makes!" Last year at this time we were looking forward to finalizing the purchase of our new boat, Wand'rin Star .. now she's our home! After we finished all the paperwork, Gary and two friends took the boat to Ensenada, Mexico and left her there until April. During spring break, we flew to San Diego, arranged for a slip in Chula Vista, (8 miles south of SD on San Diego Bay) and moved Wand'rin Star to her new home. It was exciting to finally be able to spend time on the boat and to begin making her "ours." All too soon, we headed back to Michigan to finish up the school year---sort possessions, decide what we were going to move to California, what would go into storage, and what would be sold or given away---and to sell our house in Royal Oak. Needless to say it was a hectic couple of months!

My retirement from Stoney Creek High School was bittersweet. I was excited about my new life, but it was also hard to say goodbye to my students and colleagues. The staff arranged a wonderful tribute to me at the end of the year and requested that everyone bring me a single flower to create a bouquet. (I was known for always having fresh flowers on my desk and for putting them on the tables in the staff lounge.) I was overwhelmed by the number of flowers and good wishes that came with them as people personally delivered them to my room throughout the day. There were 5 huge bouquets by the end of the day. I feel that I was truly blessed to have had such a rewarding and enriching teaching career, but am looking forward to continuing my life-long learning at sea!

The summer was spent having garage sales, selling the house and saying goodbye to folks. Finally on August 8 th , we headed south on I-75 with Murray in his cat carrier.tears in our eyes.and excitement in our hearts. Now, you may be scratching your head and saying how were they going to get to San Diego on I-75??? We were taking a detour to Durham, NC to sell Gary's beloved Saab to our brother-in-law, Dennis, before heading west. After spending a few days with them we turned toward the setting sun and began our journey westward. We enjoyed our trip as it took us through states we'd never been to; we even spent our 4 th anniversary in Las Vegas, (New Mexico, that is!) Santa Fe, NM was our next stop & we really enjoyed the art galleries there.

We arrived in Chula Vista, CA on Aug. 19 th and delighted in seeing Wand'rin Star . We quickly met our new neighbors and acclimated to marina life. Liveaboards are an interesting, eclectic group of folks and very welcoming to newcomers. We had our first visitors in September when my sister & brother-in-law, Diane & Den, spent a week with us. Ten days later we were heading to Hawaii! I had signed up for a Passage-making class through Orange Coast College and would be sailing on a 65' sailboat from Honolulu to San Francisco with 10 other women. I had seen an article in a local sailing magazine describing the trip and mentioned to Gary that it would be fun and he said, "Why don't you go?" I didn't need any more encouragement and signed up the next day. The boat is called Alaska Eagle and you can read about our trip on line at occsailing.com. We were out of sight of land for 13 ½ days and traveled 2,480 miles. It was an incredible adventure and I learned much about sailing and myself. Sailing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with 20 knots of wind on a clear night is indescribable! Alaska Eagle left Honolulu on October 15 th and sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge at 1:00 a.m. on October 29 th ! What a glorious sight! Gary drove to San Francisco to pick me up and we enjoyed driving down the coast through Big Sur country to Chula Vista.



Unfortunately only a few days after we got home, my Mom went into the hospital with atrial fibrillation and at 3:00 a.m. on Nov. 10 th I got a phone call saying she was in CCU and her heart had stopped. Luckily it started again and I was at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital by 5:00 p.m. that day. I am very thankful for cell phones, jet airplanes, modern medicine, and the power of prayer/positive thought!! She eventually had a pacemaker implanted and after 3 weeks in a rehabilitation center, she returned home on Dec. 13 th . I returned to California for about 10 days while she was in rehab and then back to Michigan on Dec. 10 th as previously planned to celebrate Christmas with our families. Gary joined me on the 19 th and we're looking forward to being with loved ones for a few days.

Gary is working part-time at West Marine and enjoying a great employee discount on much of what we need to refit the boat. He calculates his pay based on how much money he saves, not on his hourly wage. In October he took a Ham Radio class and earned his General License. He's looking forward to his new SSB radio and making new radio buddies. Living on the boat definitely agrees with him and he's the one who knows all the gossip in the marina!

We're busy getting Wand'rin Star ready for her first long trip as we plan to leave the safety of San Diego Bay the first part of April, heading up the west coast toward Seattle and eventually farther north to Alaska. Our goal is to spend June, July, and August exploring the Inside Passage of Alaska. After that we're not sure in what direction we'll point the boat. We will be making a trip back to Michigan for my daughter Kate's marriage to Damon Williams on July 17 th . I'm excited about that and welcome Damon into our family.

We are both thoroughly enjoying this stage of our lives and invite anyone heading west to give us a call! We'd love to hear from you and hope to soon have a website so folks can follow our progress & travels. We do send out periodic email updates & pictures, so if you're not receiving them & would like to, please email me and I'll add you to the list!
As we close, please know that each of you is thought of at this wondrous time of the year and we send our best wishes & hopes for a peaceful, healthy, happiness-filled 2004! Peace & Joy!

Dorothy, Gary & Murray the Cat

© Copyright 2004
Last updated on January 15, 2005