June 2022 – February 2023: Ending our second long-term travel, we flew back to the USA at the start of June 2022. While back in the States, we enjoyed our newly remodeled apartment home in Jersey City, shared with our daughter Brittany, her husband Benny, and three grandchildren — Bea, Beck, and Baxter. When remodeling their 4-story home, Brittany and Benny created a 1BR apartment on the lower level for us to return to and to Air BnB when not in use by us or another friend or family member. The opening photo overlooks Jersey City, near Hamilton Park. I took it from the rooftop of the temporary apartment Britt and family lived in for a year while the construction and renovation was underway in their home.
When school resumed in the fall, Sara worked with Baxter again and Evan worked with Beck after school, to get homework done and improve reading. It was also great to visit more often with our other daughters, Tauren and Lindsey, and Lindsey’s wife Margarita, since they all live nearby. Our time with family was precious.
But we also got out a bit. We spent a summer month in Port Orange, Florida visiting with our best buds, Ann and John, and with our son Brendan and his fiancé, Jule, in Jacksonville. We missed our friends Linda and Michael because they were in New York. However, once again, they graciously let us stay in their Florida home while they were away. Florida summers are hot, but we enjoyed our visit.
Many of our plans while back in the States were changed. In July Sara started having problems with her “good left knee” and had great difficulty walking. After many trips to an Orthopedic doctor, weeks of physical therapy, and a cortisone shot with no relief, an MRI revealed a torn Meniscus. Surgery was quickly scheduled in September to allow enough recovery time to attend Brendan and Jule’s wedding in October. Instead of traveling to Seattle and Ashville to visit family and friends as well as other adventures in and around NYC, our summer and fall included doctor’s appointments and physical therapy three times per week. We LOVE to walk and explore, but it just didn’t happen this summer and fall. Sara’s left knee is much improved, but now she’s struggling with her right knee. To prepare for our travels she had gel injections in both knees in November and December to cushion the joints. A big shout out from Sara to the team at Spine and Sports Center in Jersey City and to Sam at Total Orthopedics. “You made this travel possible for me!”
In October we returned to Jacksonville to celebrate Brendan & Jule’s wedding. Lindsey and Margarita were there, all the B’s made it down, and even Melissa came all the way from the northwest coast. Unfortunately, Tauren couldn’t be there in person because of a show, but she attended remotely. It was a lovely and lively wedding, officiated by our dear friend Rev. Kathy Rickey, to whom we are so grateful. The service and reception were held at a Jacksonville craft beer pub, the Hyperion. Our best friends Ann & John, Linda & Michael and Luci & Matt were there too. And we met many of Jules family who also traveled quite some distance. We are so happy to welcome Jule as part of our family. We absolutely love her!
Dear Berry: We’ll miss you. In December, we made one more trip to Jacksonville . This visit was far less happy, as we said goodbye to a beloved friend. Brendan’s loyal companion through the years, “Berry the dog” was getting old and sick: time to say goodbye. Brendan & Jule were really grieving. We were glad we could be there to support them and help a little bit.
In January, we took a road trip up to the Albany area to visit with some old (like us) high school friends, Sue Runkel and Linda Stevens – regular participants in our CCHS online Chat group. (CCHS = Colonie Central High School, class of 1970). We were even there for a significant snowfall. We also spent a lovely afternoon with Evan’s niece Beth Comley and the whole “Comley Clan.” Beth “requires” that her grown children, their spouses, and their grandchildren all show up for a shared dinner every Sunday afternoon. We were very excited to join them for their Sunday afternoon gathering and to meet the grown-up kids. What a lovely family!
On February 19th, we left New Jersey on our way to Bangkok via Seattle. We headed to the east by flying west, first toward Seattle to visit Melissa and family in Bremerton. It’s been nearly three years since we’ve seen Donny and the kids. Back then little Myla was just approaching one year old. We enjoyed a great visit, about eight days to spend time with Melissa, her husband Donny and their children, Devan (age 8) and Myla (almost 5). It was winter in the great northwest, cold with occasional snow, so we hunkered down and didn’t go out much. But we know it’ll be much warmer as we head off to Southeast Asia.
