Summer ‘96
June 1, Saturday
Not too exciting cause I forgot!
Goon took Sam to her house for the night.
June 2, Sunday
Jacque said we can stay at the trailer while we’re here. So we cleaned.
Talked to Shine.
June 2, Monday
Had our physicals. John raked all day at the trailer – looks better already. I moved some things up – washed the curtains – boring.
I wanna go home!
June 6, Thursday
Just working on the trailer; we have the awning put together, but need lots of helping hands to put it up.
Goon comes and goes, Samie wants her to stay and doesn’t understand that she’s 17 and wants to be off with her friends.
Chelle and Faron are up.
We went to see Mac and Kay Eddy. Her lung cancer has gotten so bad they don’t expect her to be around too much longer.
June 11, Tuesday
Happy B-day Captain John.
Well we started back to work on Monday – the work is not as bad as just being here in the States with all its craziness!
We feel so lost, empty and out of place here and want the time to pass quickly so we can go home to the Wandrin’ Star and Mexico on the ocean.
*In all honesty - I still feel this way quite often. I keep thinking I’ll find my people and my place, but nothing has fulfilled me in the way cruising life did.
June 16, Sunday
Last Thursday Samie had the stomach flu, Peg stayed here with her Thursday and Friday.
Sat we did laundry – cost $4.50 for 3 loads – jeans weren’t dry and I had to fold ‘em myself. Oh – poor, spoiled me!
Danielle came up for Saturday and Sunday. Good to see her but she doesn’t stay around long enough.
Shine called – he flies into Phoenix on the 29th for a week.
*My sis always loved spending time with me and taking care of me. Lucky me! 🥰
June 24, Monday
Wow – a payday! So over the weekend, John painted the trailer.
We found a $50 washer at a yard sale – brought it home, hooked it up and it won’t drain – so back it goes. What really pissed us off is they said “yes it works”. Bullshit!
John and Maryann were up this weekend.
Hurricane Alma hit between Zihuatanejo and Manzanillo – lots of rain and mud slides, and 3 deaths that I’ve heard of.
There’s a fire in Pinedale. Started from lightning on Friday – which no one put out and it really started burning Sunday at noon. They have evacuated all of Pinedale and surrounding areas. As of noon today, still no homes are lost, but it’s still out of control.
Peg said at one point it was only a mile from the highway and crossing to Clay Springs.
Samie’s had a cough and sore-throat – she said “Let’s go home where we never get sick”. Last week she asked “why everyone in the U.S. complains and gripes?” I think it’s pretty amazing for a 9-year-old to pick up on these things!
June 27, Thursday
Chelle, Faron and Schyler moved up today. We helped unload the U-Haul after work. They rented a nice 3-bedroom house on Peterson off of Porter Mountain Rd.
June 29, Saturday
Shine flew into Phoenix and Mom picked him up. Andy drove him to Payson where Peg went to pick him up. We all had BBQ burgers at Chelle and Faron’s.
During the week, Shine worked with his Dad.
June 3, Wednesday
Goon started at KFC in Show Low and hates it. She says there is no organization, everyone is in everyone’s way.
Last night, we copied our cruising tapes onto a big tape. When we get to the part where Renegade leaves for Hawaii, I was teary-eyed again. Realized how much I’ve missed her. So I got a letter in the mail to her today. Just as I was going to lunch – Janice called, we talked for about 15 minutes.
They are in Sitka, Alaska. It took 19 days and 13 hours to make it from Hawaii, they had 4 days of 35-40 knot winds – 10-12 foot seas! Arne is now convinced to get a roller-furling jib! They had their storm jib up most of that time.
It has been 2 weeks since they’ve seen the sun, but it’s out today. She said last night she stayed up late to meet me under the moon. I know we were together, she was so much in my thoughts the last few days.
Next they go to Petersburg, Alaska and on the Vancouver around August first.
It has been 50°, rainy, windy and so cold she said.
The first of November she is flying to Puerto Rico for a high school friend’s wedding.
It was so, so good to hear her sweet voice.
*What are the chances Janice called the same day Mom was thinking of her and sent a letter? I love it! Here are some photos they sent from their trip to Hawaii. The photo of Arne would have been his birthday gift we sent along with them to open while at sea. We also got letters from Nanamuk that summer, with photos of Alan and Jelly clamming, I believe.
July 5, Friday
Mom, Andy and Janet all came up and we had a BBQ at Jo’s.
July 6, Saturday
Shine drove back to Mesa with Andy after the rodeo in Taylor and flew back to Colorado Sunday at 7 am.
July 7, Sunday
Shine called from Mom’s to say goodbye.
Lillian Deo had bought some ribs to BBQ because Faron rotated her tires, so we had everyone over for dinner.
Samie had gone with the Jones Saturday a.m. to Greer and Taylor for fireworks. She came home today.
Next weekend I sure would like just the 3 of us – no company!
Too many people around all the time.
*lol, Mom and I can be quite the introverts sometimes! 🙈
July 12, Friday
Happy B-day Daddy.
July 13, Saturday
The week went pretty fast – I was up in the front [at Navopache] most of the week, more action.
The insurance is finally settled on the car, so we bought the van from Barb Flores’s sister Saturday; John cleaned, waxed and tuned it up. Also put new tires on it at Faron’s Big-O.
Samie, Peg and I all drove to Snowflake and Bonnie trimmed our hair.
Samie and I got letters from Sonya and Sue from Hot Toddy. Sue sent me a Are You Being Served? tape.
*Awe, the arrival of our van! I lovingly called it “The Clunker” - I believe it was a late 70’s Dodge, brown and white with lots of windows and a sliding side door. There was so much more space to pack our belongings to and from the boat and took those trips like a champ. I got my first “driving lessons” in this van - just steering on a long stretch of road between Marina Real and San Carlos where not a lot of mistakes could be made and Dad was in control of the pedals, anyway.
July 20, Saturday
Danielle is up for the weekend.
Shine called, he’s moved out of the apartment and away from his not-so-great roommates. Right now he’s staying in a travel trailer at the work yard. He got a $1 raise and is learning how to splice the cable. This week he’ll be working in Glenwood Springs.
We kept Schyler again Saturday night and most of Sunday.
*I remember Schyler staying with us sometimes during the summers. We’d play ball in the yard and he did the cutest thing when we told him to keep his eye on the ball - he held the ball up and literally put it up to his eye - the way he understood what we were telling him! He’d say, “eye on ball?!” as if to ask, “like this?!” - it was adorable. You can also see The Clunker in the background of the last photo!
July 22, Monday
This morning Samie asked me if what she was wearing matched because she didn’t want Rane to say that it didn’t. I told her it was fine and didn’t matter what anyone else thought. She responds by laughing and saying “I’m caught in the middle of all these Americans that have to have everything perfect and you and dad saying it doesn’t matter.”
Her perspective on life has grown so much in being able to see and experience a different way of life. Lucky girl!
*Ha, sometimes I still feel this way! Deep down, I know it doesn’t matter - but people sure do like to tell you how you should be and live and do!
July 23, Tuesday
Happy 22nd B-day Shine.
July 24, Wednesday
Janice, Renegade, called today, they are in Petersburg, Alaska. They were anchoring and the transmission froze up so they had to be towed in 20 miles alongside the towboat in very strong currents. They have “dock to dock” service in the marina. Just call for a ride, they get you to the markets and back. It’s a fishing town and cannerys and not a lot of sail boats. Needless to say, they will be in Petersburg longer than planned.
It sure was good to hear her sweet southern voice.
July 27, Saturday
Samie is spending the day and night with Rachelle, way back from Ehmkie’s days. Wow, what a treat, a day to just John and I!!
We bought 2 inflatable kayaks to take back with us and have fun.
*I think it was Rachel, not Rachelle, but we were best buds in preschool. I remember spending the night at her house.
July 29, Monday
We got Janice’s letter today along with a couple pictures. They finally got a new motor for their dink.
It was their main engine that crapped out, not the transmission on Renegade.
August 2, Friday
Janice called today, they found some box had blown apart and fallen down into the gears, so $1,000 later, they’re on their way to Ketchikan.
I’m doing Eva’s job for the next week, keying payments, running reports and printing bills. It’s kinda fun – and one more job I know at NEC.
Shine called.
Maryann gave us their old washer and dryer – they brought up new ones. John hooked ‘em up in the shed – yeah!
August 19, Saturday
Shine took a bus from Greenlee, Co and moved back here.
I haven’t kept up the happenings too well lately.
*Below are some photos from that summer: me and my younger sister, Regan, who would have been 3 at that time. Rane took us to the library down the street all the time, so we were always renting books and I read a lot to the kids, we had fun! Then there’s me and my best friend Caris. We lived in the same neighborhood and would always hang out and ride bikes whenever we could. She had a trampoline and we spent A LOT of time jumping around! I remember one really fun time when it had snowed and we were slipping and sliding all over the place on it - back in the days where you could be sopping wet in the cold and not even notice because you were having so much fun!
September 2, Monday
Danielle, Oralee, Ben and his cousin Brian all drove over to San Diego in a car Brian Nador rented. On their way back, about 60 miles out of San Diego, Brian was driving too fast, cops estimated 90 plus, they ran off the road and rolled the car 4 or 5 times. Brian was killed, Ben has a few cuts, Oralee’s foot is cut around the heel and on top it cut into her nerve, so they had to do surgery.
Danielle has stitches in her foot, cuts and bruises everywhere and tore all the ligaments in her left knee. They spent 2 nights in the hospital and flew home. Within 3 weeks, once the cuts on her leg have healed some and the swelling has gone down, they’ll do surgery on her knee.
The 3 of them are so very lucky to be alive.
*I remember everyone being real shook up after this accident, naturally. I was still pretty young and didn’t really grasp the full gravity of it all, but I do remember everyone’s energy around the situation. We were so grateful Danielle was ok.
September 13, Friday
We have been watching Hurricane Fausto for the last few days. Today it hit La Paz, B.C. Mexico with 85 mph winds. Brent (OAH) found out via the ham radio that yes, Nanamuk is OK! Two boats did fall off the jack-stands up on the hard and six boats were up on the beach, while a couple were blown out to sea! We called Rob and Grace to let them know all is well. It sure was good to hear Rob’s voice – I needed a “eh” fix. Grace was not there at the time.
*It was nerve-wracking to see our beloved ports of call being bashed by hurricanes each summer and hoping our friends and their boats made it through ok. Especially anyone on dry dock - you never knew if it could cause a domino-like affect, being next to each other up on stilts and such.
September 23, Monday
Danielle is doing fine. Her knee was only bruised – no surgery. Lucky girl.
John and Alice Roach came up and brought Christmas cards from last year. Also a note from Steve and Sheri from Valiant Lady, they are in Santa Fe, NM working until December – small world.
