It’s 1999 and I have been in Norwell since before Christmas, organizing the move from the old family home to Hansville. Geddy, who has been in Isla Mujeres, arrived on January 5th. We have a crew of friends helping to prepare for an estate sale. Knowing that we would be deluged with people for this one-day event, we had a signup sheet outside on the patio since we planned on only letting 25 people inside at a time. We advertised a start time of 8 AM. At 5 AM, the first sign-up sheet was full, and there were people looking in windows trying to get a glimpse of items for sale. We had a friend stationed at the door to monitor people coming and going, as well as friends in each room to help with the sale. It was amazing! By mid-afternoon, most of what was for sale was long gone, and we could take a breath.
Dad had closed his electric and building businesses. His inventory and tools were all sold off earlier. His right-hand employee, Anthony, pictured to the right with his wife and my Dad, organized a surprise going away party for my Dad at the parish hall of our Unitarian Church. It was tricky getting my Dad to the event without his knowing what was to happen, but I did. He was truly surprised and delighted. Dad had also been the electrical inspector for the town of Norwell. He was well-known and liked. Anthony was the happy recipient of my Dad’s beloved backhoe.
We packed up a U-Haul truck trailering Dad’s Honda Accord. Geddy and Starr drove across the country while I got Dad, Spirit, the cat, and I ready to fly to Seattle on January 16th. We sent Dad’s Ford truck by train. We all left with a huge sigh of relief, having accomplished this enormous task. When we arrived at the Hansville house, Spirit, who was still wearing a halter, was let loose by mistake and ran off into the night. Spirit had originally lived with us on Bainbridge Island, but this was new territory for him. My Dad was grief-stricken. We searched, put up flyers, looked at the Humane Society, prayed, and lit candles, all with no results. Three weeks later, I was out in a back building with a feeling of being watched. I looked up at a shelf, and there he was, staring at me. He was a bit thin but otherwise just fine. He settled in after that. And Dad was elated to have his buddy back. Now, our menagerie included Starr and four cats: Coco Kitty, Jasper, Tibet, and Spirit.
My Dad had his own little apartment downstairs while Geddy and I lived upstairs. Because our view of the Olympic Mountains was stunning from the upstairs deck, we located the kitchen near the deck. Dad joined us for lunch and dinner daily.
Geddy and I started an LLC, Sailing Opportunity, offering a charter out of Isla Mujeres to the protected island of birds, Isla Contoy. Isla Contoy lies 18.5 miles north of Isla Mujeres. It is a lush, uninhabited island with secluded white sand beaches, boosting 152 species of migrating and resident birds. It is a nesting site for sea turtles. Whale sharks abound here as well. Geddy loaded an old van and our trailer with goods to go to Isla Mujeres with Starr and Jay, a guy from Hansville who wanted to work with him. They drove off on 2/27, teetering down the road with a very full load.
They were close to Mexico City at night when a tractor-trailer truck passed them on the right too close, forcing Geddy to the left. The trailer started to fishtail. The trailer went too far left, started to roll, and broke free of the van. The van went across the highway and rolled three times. Jay told Geddy he was alright, and Geddy crawled out of the passenger window, also OK. Starr, in shock, ran away. The trailer had burst open, spewing its contents all over the road. Geddy and Jay went looking to find Starr, which they did. Meanwhile, people came from everywhere, raiding the goods on the road. Jay and Geddy had to gather what they could in a mound beside the road and defend it. I have a video of this! The trailer and the van were totaled, with no hope of repairs. In the morning, Geddy managed to flag down an empty truck. The driver was willing to take them and their salvaged goods onto Isla Mujeres...for a fee. They were all so lucky to survive as well as to continue the journey. Geddy believed that Mother Teresa saved them. When the van settled after the last roll, he found the famous picture I took of him and Mother Teresa in Calcutta facing him on top of the steering wheel. It had been in a briefcase in the back seat!
My neighbor, Leanna Whisperinghorse, and I have been good friends for years. She had two horses, Jessie and Honey, that we rode on the trails behind our property. These extensive trails led to Buck Lake. Honey was beginning to have issues, and I couldn’t ride her anymore. Leanna and I practiced animal communication together and had been praying for more horses to ride. One day, walking on the trails alone as I came out from the woods to a field near the lake, I saw a beautiful blonde woman wearing a cowboy hat riding one horse, ponying a paint horse with two dogs frolicking around her and a pot-bellied pig. She was such a vision! When I stopped her to chat, I discovered she lived right there with several horses who all needed to be ridden….an answer to our prayers. Her name was Roberta, but all these years later, I call her Robbi, and by the way, she is one of the clothing models on my website.
My Dad loved the horses, especially Honey. Honey, who was allowed to roam free, would frequently walk in front of Dad’s window by his desk...he thought that was just great!
I went to Isla Mujeres for 5 weeks in March and April. Geddy had rented a small house in town where Jay was staying, and we stayed on Opportunity with Starr. After repairs were finished, we sailed her from the North to town. Such a charming island. It's very quaint, with no high-rise buildings or chain restaurants. We were close to a Yacht Club where I swam every day for exercise, but the beach was breathtaking in town. We walked into the village daily for coffee and croissants.
We discovered a special hotel with cabins on the beach where we stayed for a few weeks, Su Casa. Here, I wrote a short story about the International Dog Starr. We went to a small Mexican circus performance, sitting in the front row. Starr was allowed in and sat on my lap, but when she barked at the first circus animal, I had to curtail her. There were zebras kicking beach balls into the crowd and giraffes taking leaves out of blindfolded, unsuspecting audience volunteers. Some of their stunts seemed a bit dangerous to the audience, making it that much more fun! I found this turtle skull on the beach and smuggled it home...it’s huge! On the far end of the island was a turtle sanctuary that we so enjoyed visiting.
I exhibited at the Juan de Fuca Festival in Port Angeles instead of Seattle’s Folk Life this year and found that this event brought an appreciative crowd to my booth. This was the first time showing the barn board furniture from Sante Fe.
Geddy decided to get a captain’s license to augment our charter business. He enrolled in a program with the NW Merchant Marine Training Services in Seattle. Geddy was extremely dyslexic, making it nearly impossible for him to master this course. He asked me to audit the class to tutor him, but instead, I got my 100-ton Captain’s License with towing and sailing endorsements. I loved being a student, and I found it easy to do the navigation and learn the rules of the road. Geddy stayed in the class even though he never tested for a captain’s license. He was the one with years of sea experience. I relied on him for the practical aspect of sailing. GPS was not readily available then, making it necessary to be able to plot courses on charts. We both took CPR and Red Cross medical training as well.
Geddy acquired a Subaru Outback after a fender bender on I-5 near Everett. He drove it to Isla Mujeres at the end of the summer, just after I passed my Coast Guard exams. I flew to Maui to work on a website for our charter business. Geddy’s first wife, Betsy, living in Maui, connected me to a web designer friend. While there, we had an opportunity to do Iowaska with a group practicing Brazil’s Santo Daime religion. Santo Daime incorporates South American shamanism in their practices. The religion promotes the values of harmony, love, truth, and justice. We were required to take this seriously, singing their hymns while experiencing the effects of the medicinal brew made from the Iowaska vine, or vine of the soul, wearing only white clothing. The event started at dusk and lasted until dawn. I met my higher self that night...it was extraordinary. I never felt the need to repeat this, however, although other opportunities occurred.
I also visited my friend from Kauai, Susie, now living on the Big Island in Ookala on the North Hamakua coast. We visited the Hawaii Tropical Gardens, found mules to play with, and had lunch with Heather from Hansville in charming Hawi, the Northernmost town on the Big Island.
In October, I drove to Sacramento to attend my niece Sharon’s wedding to Chris. Sharon had left her life in L.A. to live in El Dorado Hills. I enjoyed collecting wild turkey feathers there and had fun buying a huge assortment of gourds, which I later turned into gourd art to add to my I Am Collection. I had time to visit with a lot of relatives there for this wedding. I also met a new friend, Giselle. Being a carpenter, she was intrigued with our charter business in Mexico.
She wanted to join Geddy there to help with our woodworking needs. However, when she and Geddy started working together, they were like oil and water. She was in Isla Mujeres for a nanosecond. Geddy and Jay returned for just two weeks in November for Thanksgiving before they went back to Isla Mujeres. I had an opportunity to learn Feng Shui from Nancy Pietro, who first came to practice at our house. I was fascinated with this technique.
I spent time reading and learning about Feng Shui. This eventually led me to practice Feng Shui in local businesses. Susie came for the Holidays from the Big Island. We traveled to the Skagit River to view eagles who feed on the salmon. There were times when there were too many eagles to count!
Next up, 2000...
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