August to October, 2006
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CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE: HOWLETT FAMILY REUNION (Nancy Murdock) Click MOVING AND MOVING (Margery Aukstikalnis) Click SUMMER VACATION ENDING (Valerie Davidson) Click HOW I SPENT MY 52ND BIRTHDAY (Colleen McKay) Click LIMEKILN MEMORIES (Meredith Murdock) Click REUNION AND WEDDING (Tom Howlett) Click UPDATE FROM HIGHLEDGE (Charles Frost) Click TRIP TO NH (Nancy Murdock) Click VISITS (Nancy Murdock) Click A WATERSHED EVENT (Nancy Murdock) Click Part 2 BEATING THE HEAT (Darrel Murdock) Click NEW ENGLAND NOTES (Bob Murdock) Click MY BRAVE ADVENTURE WITH GODSON #2 (Jim Slivka) Click TALLAHASSEE UPDATE (Bill Hiscock) Click POPPING SOUNDS AT 3 AM (Margery Aukstikalnis) Click SUNFLOWER SUMMER (Nancy Murdock) Click |
Photo by Kay Edwards
"Sunflower Summer" Gallery photo Quilt index |
Galapagos Tortoise
the equator with one foot in each hemisphere. |
Colleen "Hatlady" McKay After waking up at 9313 feet in Quito Ecuador, I went down to breakfast at the Hotel Dann Carlton dining room. It is always interesting to see what other countries put on the buffet table. In Quito it was popcorn. I took a few kernels for a taste. It was good. The tour company picked me up along with others staying at this hotel and the Hilton for the flight to Guayaquil (the largest city in Ecuador, on the coast, south of Quito) on our way to the airport on Baltra Island of the Galapagos. There were two surprises: first that the plane was a Boeing 727, and second that food was served on the 40 minute flight to Guayaquil and the 600 mile flight to Baltra. The landscape at the airport on Baltra looked like the Arizona desert with prickly pear cacti, but instead of seeing sand, the ground was covered in grey twiggy grass. The guide said that during the rainy season the ground cover turns green. We were loaded into a bus for a short ride to a ferry across the channel between Baltra and Santa Cruz. We loaded onto a different bus. As we drove on a southern course to the other end of the island the landscape changed as the elevation changed. It began to turn green and lush and as we neared the top it was misting. The tortoises roam the entire island, even the 3% that is private land. The Galapagos are a National Park The farmers and ranchers build fences where the tortoises can go under the bottom barrier. There were tortoises in the road. We stopped at a private ranch,which set up an eating area for humans and a small gift shop. Since the land was cleared for horses which we saw, it was easier to see the tortoises. Our guides walked us through the pastures, explaining about the tortoises and letting us take photos. Next stop was a walk through a lava tube. The Galapagos are volcanic islands. Not everyone made the trip, since there was a place about four feet long where you had to crawl since it was less then two feet high. I went, even though I was wearing shorts. There were mats in the crawling part. After we exited the other end, the bus was not there waiting for us. It turns out the bus was delayed due to tortoises on the road. Our next stop was the Charles Darwin Research Center, where Lonesome George lives. He is the last of his species of tortoise. The scientists have not been successful at breeding him to closely related species of tortoise from a different island. We saw where the young tortoises are hatched and raised to about age five prior to being released into the wild. Then tragedy stuck: my camera battery died and I could not retract the telephoto lens. We had another launch ride to the dock and a short stroll along a boardwalk to the Bay Finch ECO Hotel. I gave my battery to the desk clerk and she called into the little town to see if a battery was available. Someone from the staff obtained the battery. I got a replacement Kodak 123 lithium battery for $6.80. Ecuador uses the US dollar for currency and has some US coins, and then it mints Ecuadorian coins in the same sizes and denominations. I mentioned to the desk clerk that this was my 52nd birthday present, finding the reasonable priced replacement battery. After dinner I was presented with a thin cheesecake birthday cake. I went back to the room to get my camera, which now worked, to have a photo taken. I shared my cake with the other members of the tour. I found out later it was not the hotel who gave me the cake but the retired schoolteachers from Chicago on the tour. At dinner we mentioned to the tour manager, Tito, that at the hotel we wanted to see stars. It was overcast and no stars. Tito said maybe later after dinner the sky would clear. When I finally left the dining room I yelled out, “There are star!” Tito came over and walked with three of the tour members to the beach. He pointed out the Southern Cross lying on its side because of our position near the equator. How am I going to top this next year? |
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Meredith Murdock [Sr. Editor Nancy sent this message July 11 to Meri, Ian, and Becky.] These are the pictures I took at the CA state beach that used to be Limekiln Beach Redwoods. It doesn't look quite the way it did years ago. No jasper or green jade rocks, not even little ones, as far as we could see. But certainly the memories were there! I took shots of all the key spots, except we didn't have time to walk up the river to the falls or the old limekiln area. Meri's response, July 11: I am so happy you went to Limekiln. I have such fond memories, and think of it often. When people go camping in movies, they never show such a pretty place. The best part was the path to the falls. Scariest part was crossing that dumb log bridge - hee, hee. Pancakes for breakfast and Spaghettios for lunch, both cooked on that tiny camp stove, were fun, too. Oh, and hot Tang to warm up on the cold mornings! And the best treat? - marshmallows cooked over the fire pit, of course. Well, I am having a really nice evening. First I had Ramen chicken vegetable soup with lots of carrots and zucchini and a sourdough English muffin while I watched All My Children. Then Becky knocked on my door and invited me to the Library! Well, it being one of my absolute favorite places (and having finished my last book today) I threw on my shoes and left. After that we went to Sees Candy where Becky treated me to a chocolate chip truffle. The clerk offered me a free mint truffle to taste as well! My chocolate chip dark is waiting in the fridge for later. But that's not all - then Becky brought her book out to by pool and I swam and did some pool aerobics. Now I'm watching Big Brother All Stars, and as soon as I'm done typing I'll go exercise some more in front of the TV - Last Comic Standing comes on next. Then it's a relaxing hour of reading in bed with the cats before it's time to sleep. None of these are earth shattering events, but they all add up to a really, really nice time. Tom Howlett It was fun to be at the reunion and see all again for the first time in many years. I only saw part of the July 4th concert but agree that Rockapella was outstanding. I went to bed shortly after their first series of songs and rested up for this past weekend's trip to Ana's wedding. The wedding was beautiful as were all those involved. Keith's kids were starred as flower girl and double ring bearers. It's the first time that the boys wore suits and leather shoes. Maria also bought a dress for herself and a first time sport coat and attendant duds for Keith. The travel for me was uneventful, which pleased me greatly. So glad to hear that your boxed plants survived their flight. Next year I'll send you some Patio tomato seeds that you can start to grow on St.Patrick's Day , transplant to small pot in April and set out on patio in May. You only need a sunny window and reasonably warm environment to kick start them. I think you and Bob will probably enjoy the process of life bursting forth. Maria and I will grow basil and flowers as they have been deemed to be shippable at later stages and I'll deliver them to you in NH next summer. I'll also send you a couple bush type cucumber seeds for May direct sowing in your warmer climate. [Ed. Note: Tom started a fine batch of basil and other plants for us to bring home by car, but when we had to use the plane, John suggested we ship the plants. We brought them as checked luggage, and they are doing really well! We had to leave the patio tomato plants, since they were already over 3 feet tall, but Polly was thrilled to receive them! There was also enough basil for her to add to her deck garden, which worked out well after the deer had eaten all of hers from her groundlevel garden.--NAM] Charles Frost Hearing from you reminds me of something mundane but funny that I wanted to share with you: When I'm called to substitute at the high school, I'm often tasked to work with the special needs kids. One of our duties is to accompany a kid to his/her mainstream class. I went with one of these kids to her domestic arts class. Well, as it happened on this occasion, the lesson was on quilting. This girl had done her homework and really needed no assistance. The teacher talked about the different subjects or themes for quilting. Esoteric as this subject might be for me, I felt I could contribute something. I got her attention and told about the great variety of subjects seen in that exhibition you took me to on one of my last visits. [Ed. Note: May 2004 quilt show for Nancy's guild.] Also told how Rosalind had used ballet costumes to make a quilt for a Ballet New England fundraiser. Colleen graduated from York High School Thursday evening. Her grandmother Miriam Clark, with her eldest son Les and his wife Vicki, came up from Baltimore for the occasion, guests of Colleen's proud parents Richard and Pam. Nancy Murdock It almost didn’t happen. I was on crutches and didn’t really know what was causing the problem with my left knee, or whether it was possible it would ever improve. There was no way the two of us could drive 500 miles each way, which is usually a pleasant day trip. Even though driving doesn’t take the left foot, that knee didn’t want to stay in one place for even one hour at a stretch. I think Bob was actually relieved not to have to do his stint. It seems that being 80 is, for some reason, making him feel a lot older than 79. We went by plane. It was easy to arrange a flight between Baltimore and Manchester, NH, the second time we’ve done this. Colleen McKay recommended a new parking facility that turned out to be as good as she had found it. They have a shuttle service that takes you right from the lot to your airport destination, and we figured we saved about $30 over using a door-to-door shuttle in two directions. As I stepped down from the shuttle on my crutches at BWI, a man came over with a wheelchair and sat me in it. He took my luggage, papers, credit card, and ID to the sidewalk crew and got our boarding passes and luggage proofs. Then he took us through Security, which is much quicker for people who are clutching a cane or being pushed in a wheelchair. He got my ID stuff and papers to the Security people, piled our belongings in those little boxes, untied my shoes and took them off to run through the X-ray, and made sure Bob had his stuff all together. After we got through, he made sure we had all of our items, including Bob’s cane, which I was concerned about because he had left it at the Security station on our CA trip and had to go back for it. Then he put my shoes back on and tied them. It was a long way to where we needed to wait, and he pushed me the whole distance, going slowly so Bob could keep up. I never could have made it by myself. I haven’t even been able to get to the lunchroom at work since my knee acted up. He even pushed me all the way up to the toilet in a private restroom and told me he would be waiting outside and to call if I needed help getting back out. We were almost the first ones on the plane and could have any seats we wanted. So we chose the front seats, up near the restroom. It was a short, comfortable trip, with help at the other end, also. Polly met us as we emerged from our plane trip. She was able to push me out to the curb, where an attendant told her how to find her car. She wasn’t sure which lot she had left it in, but they were able to sort it out as he pulled out details she remembered. As she started to go find it, he said with a twinkle, “Do you know what color your car is?” “Green. Dark green,” she said. She was quite puzzled about the question, but I think she made his day. He was having a great time teasing her. It was a very easy trip. I may never again get Bob back into the car for a long run. Nancy Murdock We had a fine time visiting with Polly, who gave us her bed and slept on an inflatable mattress in the basement. We enjoyed talking with Clyde, who is still as sharp as ever. I took lots of photos of Polly’s beautiful flowers in her garden, especially the hollyhocks. We rented a car and drove to a discount mall to buy my annual pair of sneakers, some socks, and some lingerie. We had a fine time eating up the leftovers from the picnic. We had an enjoyable but brief visit with Priscilla and Roy Janusciewicz at their stand at the Farmers’ Market, where they were selling the products of his beekeeping. Tom stayed at Polly’s the night after the reunion, so we had a chance to catch up on his gardening, Silver Sneakers, family, and friends. He would be going through Manchester on his way out to the Midwest for his granddaughter Ana’s wedding in a few days. I think this is his first grandchild to get married, so he was really looking forward to this event. We set out for MA on July 3rd. We were sorry to miss watching with Polly the Boston Pops concert at the Esplanade in Boston on the 4th. This had become a sort of ritual with us. No one was available to visit that day, so we watched it at the motel. The reception was excellent, and we enjoyed it very much. When we got to the part where everyone sings the patriotic songs, we stood up and sang them all at full voice. It was very satisfying. Fortunately, the motel was not full, and I don’t think anyone else was in our corridor. We had borrowed Polly’s Scrabble game and dictionary, so we were quite comfortable. Bob was able to set up a meeting with his niece Teddie Doane, who had us follow her car to where her mother, Bob’s sister Dotty, is living with her son Randy and his wife Gloria. We had a very nice visit, including a couple of games of Scrabble. Is there a better way to live? Then we went directly to pick up Steve and Terry to go out to dinner at one of their favorite places, King Philip’s Restaurant. We had planned to treat them, but somehow they sneakily signed the check while I was at the restroom! In keeping with the current way of life in the U.S., there was more than enough food left over for another day, and we were glad to have the refrigerator in the motel. Those were the only visits we were able to arrange, with everyone involved in holiday plans and work. But we agreed, on our way back to NH, that it had been a pleasant, restful time. And we were glad our trip was much easier than the family had endured to get to the reunion. Nancy Murdock Recently Kathy and Joseph, friends who have invited us to share in many events in their lives, asked us to a mikvah for their 10-month-old daughter, Rachel. Her father is Jewish but her mother is not, so this was a ritual bath to make Rachel wholly Jewish. I had never heard of this before, but I can see where Christian baptism came from! This is a really exceptional little girl, and her parents are both really good at preparing her for upcoming events. This time her non-Jewish grandfather, George, spent the week before the ritual accustoming her to water that isn’t warm and soapy. We later received access to a lot of photos documenting the week’s progress. She was out in their sunny yard, in her little pool, with water being poured over her legs, then tossed over her lap, then over her abdomen, then up to her shoulders, and finally, by the end of the week, over her head. By that time she wasn’t sure it was fun, but she gamely hung in there. So I guess it isn’t surprising that she did so well at the real event. About 10 of us gathered at the back of a large synagogue, all the way past the school to the end of the building, where the mikvah is built in. (The same name goes for the place and the ritual.) First we took pictures of the family of three. Kathy had bought three white T-shirts of the correct sizes, to decorate for this occasion. Joseph’s and Rachel’s had the letters M.O.T. (which stands for “Member of the Tribe”) in puffy paint across the chest. Kathy’s had MOTHER. We all thought that was VERY clever. More pictures were taken of George and his friend Rita, plus all of us friends. After a while, a young Rabbi arrived to lead us inside. We were surprised at how small the space is. However, my team leader at work says that it’s more commonly used for adult women who are not fully Jewish, before they get married. So it’s not common to have an audience except for the two fully accredited Jewish witnesses. Lynn and Jack were Rachel’s witnesses. And Jack, bless his heart, had a video camera and shared the results later at the gathering for refreshments. After the Rabbi gave a short preview of what would be happening, followed by a short prayer, Joseph walked down the steps into the water with Rachel. He ducked down enough for her to get wet up to her neck, talking to her all the while. At some point, Joseph had to read something in Hebrew. The Rabbi put it down so that Joseph couldn’t really see to read it, so he took it between his teeth and turned it 90 degrees. When the Rabbi realized Joseph couldn’t see it well, he picked it up and held it for Joseph to read. Then the Rabbi said to blow in Rachel’s face and duck her, so Joseph followed that instruction. When she came up dripping wet, we all clapped and said “Yay!” Since that signifies that she has done something well and can be proud of it, she finally smiled a little. She didn’t make a bit of complaint, just accepted our praise like a true princess. The Rabbi said she was The Best Ever. Naturally, we all felt proud of our young friend. Kathy took her into the attached restroom to dry and dress her, and we all went outside to wait. Jack and Lynn signed the papers saying that Rachel had fulfilled all obligations to be considered fully Jewish. This means that she can have her Bas-mitzvah at about age 13 to confirm that she understands all the elements of Judaism and intends to follow them; and also she can be married by a Rabbi if she so desires later on. After some more pictures, we all trouped off to their friend Nadia’s house for refreshments, which included Bob’s deviled eggs. Several other friends arrived to share in this eventful afternoon, including a Jewish woman whose Chinese adopted daughter, Mira, now about nine years old, had also had a mikvah when she was a very small baby. At that ceremony, there were three rabbis, and the mom had to let go of her daughter when she was under water, so the water could cover her body completely. Mom was somewhat terrified about that element of the event! We were glad this synagogue didn’t ask for that to happen. We feel that God is really blessing us to allow us to be present at such meaningful rituals as Amy and Michael’s wedding, Passover meals with Kathy and Joseph and their friends, Rachel’s naming ceremony, and now Rachel’s mikvah. |
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