A Return to Santa's Village

Two years ago (when Little Lewie was 8), we went to Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire.  The trip was special because we went with Little Lewie's Aunt Missy, Uncle Moises, and cousins.  After some discussion about going on the trip again this year, Auny Missy and I made it happen.  We arranged to stay at the same hotel with adjoining rooms and buy Santa's Village tickets for the Thanksgiving Day weekend.

The trip, leaving Friday and returning on Sunday, was short, but we managed to get in lots of family time.  The kiddos went swimming in the hotel pool everyday, and we ate all meals together.  On Saturday night, we all played cards--even little Elijah and Lily (ages 6 and 4) joined in where they could.

Santa's Village was crowded, but strangely, waiting in lines didn't feel as bad as we thought.  The bonus was when customer service gave us free return tickets to come back any time between now and July; that was a $100 savings for us and almost a $200 savings for my in-laws.  We decided we will be coming back to Jefferson, New Hampshire in the summer to use those tickets!

With almost a foot and half of snow on the ground and 30 degree temperatures, spending time in Santa's Village put us right in the holiday mood.  We went on the Great Humbug Adventure, Santa's Express Train, and the Skyway Sleigh.  We saw the 3D movie, A Tinkerdoodle Christmas, had ice-cream, of course, and drank lots and lots of hot chocolate.  Our favorite experience, however, is their outside light show where the lights dance to pop songs and Christmas music.  Both years we waited until dark to go on the Skyway Sleigh--that way we could get to see all the beautiful Christmas lights throughout the park.  It was well worth the wait!

Starting off our day in the hotel. (Sarah 13, Lewie 10, Brooky 8, Lily 4, and Elijah 6)

Checking out the Water Wheel gift shop before lunch.

Waiting patiently while playing the Tricky Triangle Peg Game. 
(Come to find out...this was one of Lewie's favorite parts of the trip.)

Santa's Village!

I was always catching this one with a snowball in his hand.  The kids loved playing in the snow
just as much as they enjoyed going on the rides.

How could we resist homemade ice cream?

The view from our sleigh.

As Lewie gets older, I'm not sure how many more Santa's Village visits will be in our future, but at least we know we'll be coming back in the summer--we don't want to give up those free tickets!

When we came home on Sunday (around 7 p.m.), it was back to getting ready for school and work.  The goal will be to decorate for Christmas this weekend.  We have lots to do to prep for the holidays.  Is anyone just starting, like me?

Dear Autumn, Please Stay a While Longer

Today we went for a short November hike on the Little Pond Boardwalk Trail in Litchfield, CT.  The sun was low in the sky, and if we had waited just an hour later, we would have been walking back to the car in the dark at 4:30 p.m.!

This time of year makes me sad.  The hustle and bustle of October has ended; the air is harsher and colder, and our daylight is shorter.  Still, I'm looking forward to Christmas, New Year's Day, and our first snowfall.  There's lots of joy to be had!

As we walked on the trail, I was overtaken by the beauty.  Even on a cold, barren, November day, the sky, the water, the cattails, and the trees around us had this beautiful golden hue that made everything soft and cheerful.  It was just what I needed to recharge my battery.  (Oh, and the boys--my husband, Little Lewie, and his friend, Ryan--kept me laughing the whole time.  They are a fun and energetic bunch.)

After our walk, we headed to Litchfield's Bohemian Pizza Restaurant before it became dark.  There, the calories we gladly expended earlier, were consumed again...

As I write this post, I am still a bit amazed that we're in November with Thanksgiving right around the corner.  Here were my favorite October memories of 2018...

I have a new "favorite walk" I like to take, which is a few miles away from us; it passes Clover Nook Farm,
which has been in business since 1765!  I got my two boys to love this new walk, too.

Picking sugar pumpkins at Clover Nook Farm before our first frost.

Our annual Cub Scout hayride is always a blast.  This year Lewie is a Webelo I.

Gotta find some ghosts in October...

Lewie had a chance to paint a llama for a friend's birthday party.

After painting the llama, Lewie and I discovered a new favorite place to eat that serves crepes!
We'll be back for some more!

We celebrated Halloween as "Undertale" characters and visited my mom at work.  

My favorite fall picture of Lewie and me.  I love this kid!

Here's to some more tranquil fall days of hiking, farms, and maybe a few more hayrides.  Maybe?? I hope... Please??

My Father's Boat Part II

As mentioned in my last post, my dad's boat, the Rhonda B., waited ten long years to be seaworthy again.  Being left outside during those cold New England winters, it fell into disrepair, and there never seemed to be a "right" time to fix it.  Often there were choices.  Do we fix the hull on the boat, or do we pay for my husband's brakes, tires, radiator hoses, etc.?  Do we pay to fix the boat, or do we use the money to open the pool?  At one time, I even received an offer on the boat.  "I can take it off your hands," a contractor we knew told me.  "Will you take $1,000 for it?"

As tempting as selling the boat was, especially during hard financial times when my husband was seeking inpatient treatment and not working, I held onto it.  I held onto the dream that one day my husband would be well and our lives would be easier.  I held onto the dream that the Rhonda B. would get repaired.  I held onto the dream that one day Little Lewie would be able to ride his grandfather's boat, and he would love it the same way I did so long ago.  This dream, these dreams, stayed close to my heart, and I never let them go...

Then, something miraculous happened.  On October 10, 2018, the Rhonda B., after a long ten years, was launched out onto the water again.  After skipping work and after-school commitments, the three of us "set sail" for a beautiful sunset cruise.  The weather, in the 70's, was mild, and the lake (seeing that it was the middle of the week) was calm and peaceful.  Immediately, all five of my senses came rushing back to me--the smell of the boat; the sound of the motor; the view of the water, trees, and houses; the feel of the warm breeze brushing my cheeks and the gentle rocking of the boat.  I teared up as for that 40 minute trip, I experienced pure, unadulterated joy.  It was heaven on earth.  It was proof that hope, faith, and prayer are real.  It was proof that dreams are real.

Just as expected, Lewie LOVED the boat.  Not only was he disappointed to see the trip end, but he said, "Daddy, the next time we go on the boat, I want to learn how to drive it."

If life happened according to my plans, Lewie would have been on the boat since he was a baby.  However, as much as I romanticize this, I realize that the boat wouldn't have the same kind of meaning or impact that it has today.  Lewie loved the boat.  Why?  Because his very first trip occurred when he was old enough to appreciate it.  Because he saw the boat sit in our driveway for all these years, and now he personally has a connection to it that, at age ten, he will remember.

Life doesn't always follow a linear trajectory; there aren't always calm seas.  We've survived some storms.  Some waves have pushed us back to the start, and then others have left us meandering with no direction at all.  Then we were adrift for a while, waiting to see where the wind might take us next.  Prayer and hope helped us navigate through it. 

Now, in 2018, I think we found the shore.  If so, we'll set sail again next year, and this time, we'll have a lot more confidence.

My Father's Boat - Part I

I've been waiting to write a post about my father's boat for a long time.  You see, the Rhonda B. (possibly named after an old girlfriend) is my dad's small bass boat purchased in 1973.  The boat company/builder Ouachita (pronounced Wash-A-Taw) operated through the 1970s and was declared "out of business" in 1980.  (I found a video of the very same boat in very good condition here, complete with its signature sea-foam green color with an orange stripe at the top.  You've gotta love the 70's!)

The boat was my dad's pride and joy, and just like a best friend, it went with him everywhere.  By day, my dad worked as a distribution plant manager at Warnaco, a company that designed and sold women's underwear, sportswear, and swimwear worldwide.  (The name Warner's still exists, but the company was purchased by PVH, another American clothing company, in 2013).  By evening, my dad was a fisherman, spending his nights and weekends either fishing, repairing the boat, planning boat trips, or going to boat shows.  His passion was fishing, and he told me one day that his biggest regret was not going to college to become a forest ranger.  Truly, my dad loved nature, and I owe my own love of the great outdoors to him.

From the time I was five (maybe even younger), my dad took me out on his boat, and we would spend hours cruising around lakes (he loved fresh water the best), fishing, and sitting outside being ever present of the whistling wind, the birds calling, the occasional splash from a fish below, and the water lapping persistently against the boat.  It was magical.  My teen years toyed with my brain, convincing me that boat trips were trite and boring, but oh do I wish I could get those days back with my dad again!

In June 2007, life as I knew it changed forever.  My dad had passed away in his sleep, and since he was living alone in another state, I had to authorize the police to use forced entry, if necessary, to check on him.  My worst fears were realized.   After calling in to work, my husband and I left for an 18 hour trip to Georgia, so I could take care of everything as his only child and the executor of his estate.

The trip wasn't an easy one, but we decisively agreed that my dad's most important "valuables" were his photographs, a few letters/cards, and of course, the Rhonda B.  We brought those back home with us, and we brought my dad's ashes back home, too.  Connecticut was his true home; he was only forced to move to Georgia in the 90's to keep his job with Warnaco.

A lot happened that year after my dad's death.  We held a funeral, buried most of my dad's ashes in a cemetery with his mom, and then planned for a trip to Belgrade Lakes, Maine where we could release a few more of his ashes in his most favorite place.  One more thing happened; I found out I was pregnant with Little Lewie!  The planned trip to Belgrade Lakes, therefore, would be doubly significant.  It would be a revered time to celebrate my dad's life and legacy as well as a time to celebrate the coming of a new life.  I was eight months pregnant at the time.

Dining at the Belgrade Lakes Inn

Hubby aboard the Rhonda B.

Almost a year after my father's passing, in June 2008, Lew and I took the Rhonda B onto the open waters of Great Pond, the largest lake as part of the Belgrade Lakes region.  It was the lake my dad would visit faithfully to spend his two weeks of vacation every year, and it was the lake where I would get some of my first fishing lessons as a pre-teen and teenager.  (I have pictures somewhere.)  The trip brought back a rush of childhood memories, and yet, here I was now thirty three years-old with my husband of two years and pregnant with our first and only child.  We chose a calm evening to take the boat out, say a a few words, and then release my dad's ashes against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset.  It was the most perfect moment--one that somehow gave me peace, closure, and a reverence for the cycle of life.  It was sad and wonderful at the same time.

Holding onto my dad's few ashes.

When we returned from this most sacred trip, it was full-speed ahead.  Little Lewie was born, my husband became sick (addicted to opiates after being prescribed Oxycodone for his back surgery), and my father's beloved boat, the Rhonda B, fell into disrepair from sitting out in the elements unused.

We entered a decade of uncertainty, and while we still shared many joyous and beautiful moments as a family (especially with Little Lewie), there was a dark shadow looming.  Would my husband be able to fight his addiction?  Would he survive?  Would our marriage survive?  And...at the same time, would my dad's favorite boat ever see water again?  Would Little Lewie ever get to ride on the boat that brought me so many blissful childhood memories?  The boat, waiting patiently in the driveway and in storage for this decade to pass, became a symbol, and my answer would come this year...