“To Return Is Not the Same As To Stay”
This quote is on a bridge in Amsterdam and we feel the meaning of it every time we return ‘home’. The places are familiar, the people are beloved, and yet the feeling of coming home is bittersweet, altered by our experiences in between. On the surface, the places, people and ourselves are the same, yet we are actually so very different.
Since home is where your family and friends are, the kids and I headed ‘home’ to the US for a whirlwind trip while Russ, Kyle and new friends took the boat to the Azores. Notable about this trip is it’s the first time Russ would be away from the kids and I since before Covid (lucky him?!) and with an ocean crossing between us, so it was a sad goodbye and an odd feeling to be separated at the airport in Bermuda. But we were excited for our jam-packed itinerary ahead and he had much to focus on before the big Atlantic passage.
We flew from Bermuda to Baltimore where Chrissy picked us up and we spent three nights seeing some Annapolis peeps and getting in our puppy snuggles with Claret. It’s always too short a time to see everyone but we made the most of it, and the Akays are always the best hosts, making our favorite meals and piling up the hundreds of packages I had shipped in preparation to transition from Caribbean hot to Mediterranean cool….
From Annapolis we flew to Seattle to visit my friend Carrie from college and her 7 month-old baby, Noor. They met us in Seattle and we all immediately fell in love with Noor, who is happy and easygoing and loves being held. Luckily I had ordered those packages - Seattle in late June lived up to its reputation. It was cloudy, humid and cold. But we did some walking and rollerblading, some Pike Place Marketing, and we had an awesome dinner and neighborhood walk with Carrie’s brother, sister-in-law and nephew.
We rented a car in Seattle and this is where things went a little haywire. About 35 minutes into the drive to Oregon to visit Auntie KK, the car overheating alarm comes on. Inside I panic, looking for where to pull over, but then the temp goes down and the alarm goes off. Rosie is already freaking out. Like really going crazy - screaming that we need to get out of the car, that the car will blow up, and yanking on me and yelling at me to pull over. At this point she is more dangerous than an overheating car on a busy highway! I feel that the alarm is mostly a sensor issue or a slow leak, because it comes on when we go up hills and goes off when we’re on flat roads or coasting. And I know that if I stop, Rosie is a risk to herself panicking on the side of the highway, and/or may never get back in the car, so I keep going.
I project calmness and deep breaths but it doesn’t help Rosie much. We call Russ who reassures her. We call Grandaddy who tells her how these things work. We call the rental company who says they’ll pick us up on the side of the road or we can just trade the car at the Portland airport. At this point, we’re halfway, so I decide we’re going to make it to Portland with the alarm going off intermittently and Rosie having a full-on panic attack in the backseat. Jordan continues to read his kindle and look up every now and then to tell me the temperature gauge is going up. Two hours later, with Rosie still nearly hyperventilating, we made it without blowing up and exchanged the car. Whew. (Note: apparently Rosie did have a friend who was in an overheating car that blew up (no one was in it) so while it wasn’t completely out of left field, her overreaction was still massive, which is pretty on brand for her.)
We left our rental car issues in the parking lot and got three awesome days with Auntie KK! She works for Nike so we first stopped at the Nike store to load up on warm clothes and cool sneakers at a big discount. Then, she completely surprised and spoiled me by booking a massage for me; and while I was truly relaxing, maybe for the first time in a long time, she took Jordan to get a haircut and hung out with the kids. It was amazing, and I’m so grateful to have such thoughtful friends! Although she doesn’t love living in Portland, Auntie KK showed us the best parts: we went on a beautiful hike to a waterfall, ate famous donuts, went to the oldest wooden roller rink in the US, and indulged in tater tots, which are apparently a Portland specialty.
From Portland we headed north back to Washington, stopping on our way to Leavenworth to see our former nanny from Annapolis, Hannah, and her boyfriend. We had a meal with them and enjoyed catching up. And then we arrived in Leavenworth, a little mountain town that decided to gain a tourist economy by becoming “Bavarian” back in the 70s. It worked! It’s super cute, the mountain setting is spectacular, and luckily, on the east side of the mountains, it’s sunny and warm. We celebrated Carrie’s birthday, went on some great walks and hikes, Rosie spent time with Carrie’s mom and Noor while Carrie took Jordan mountain biking, and I even did a 6 mile hike alone! While that is totally out of my comfort zone, I relished the peace and quiet, tried not to worry about cougars, and once again thanked the universe for giving me such wonderful friends.
After a rough few weeks in Bermuda, the kids and I did surprisingly well traversing the US on our own. The benefits of maturity and our life of travel seemed to be paying off. Gone are the days of juggling little kids and their suitcases alone - they are so independent and helpful in so many ways. Aside from a few difficulties here and there with overheating cars and Jordan wandering off and getting lost in Leavenworth on our first night, we made it work and actually had fun! Further evidence of this are all of the videos I found on my phone after the fact - Rosie has her own documentary going - and it’s the best part of the video below.
Meanwhile, Russ, Kyle, Sheila, Steph and Hawk were on their way to the Azores from Bermuda. They had all of the rough weather and uncomfortable seas the north Atlantic is known for. In the middle of it all, they were contacted by a fellow sailboat that desperately needed antibiotics, and Russ put his shipping industry knowledge to use, getting a merchant ship to drop the needed meds to the other sailors since Big Em was too far ahead to turn back and help. And a surprise as they neared the Azores, the SUNY Maritime training ship (from Russ’ alma mater) passed by Big Em. Russ’ college classmate, Morgan, is the captain of the training ship and it was a full circle moment for Russ to be crossing the Atlantic on his own boat, while connecting with the ship he spent every summer on during college.
After 12 days, Big Em arrived in the Azores no worse for wear and with only minimal things to fix. The kids and I are extremely grateful to Kyle, Steph, Hawk and Sheila that we didn’t have to do that passage! Good job, Big Em crew!
America adventures to be continued…
