The Godfather 5

The Sopranos may be lost in the land of reruns, but we are pleased to report that a new GODFATHER is in town. Ethan now has his Uncle Nicholas (aka Nick da Brow) to bring him into the family and watch over him. Lucky Ethan.

Color and more Color

Norah Bear and Baby Ethan will now be able to easily meet their daily requirement of beauty. Linda Sophiasworth made them quilts that rival Joseph's Many Colored Coat for cuddling, curling up, playing, warming up, and living happy.

Baby Transformed

A big fan of baths with his mommy, Baby Ethan enjoyed his baptism with Pastor Bill. Some of those nicknames will have to be retired now. Are you listening family?

Surprise!

A high point of the baptism was Ethan's first introduction to his Uncle Marco. “I was really quite shocked”, Baby Ethan reported. “Why haven't I met Uncle Marco before? He really is a good time and lots of fun. Please bring him back soon”

Happy Birthday Norah

For her first birthday, Norah had a Grand Rapids family birthday party. Norah has not yet developed a desire for presents and center stage. A few minutes into the gifts she attempted the surprise bail out maneuver.
Norah is an enthusiastic cake eater. Who needs a fork when you have tiny hands?

News Flash

On our return to Grand Rapids, we found that history was being made. Ethan has discovered his tongue. Having been unaware of his tongue all of his life, he is working constantly to discover its full potential.

New Language

Norah may be an example of remote prenatal influence. Years before she was born, Chiara and James lived in China. The Chinese language uses the same word to represent many different things and they use 4 different inflections to identify the appropriate meaning. Norah takes the art of inflection to an unusual extreme, using the word “Bah” with delicate nuance to express her comments, questions, and deep reflections on life.

Cruising

Soon the lure of Iowa called us west and we traveled out to see Chiara, James, and Norah Claire. Norah has progressed from sitting up to cruising, having skipped the lowly art of crawling all together. She gets on her feet with a little help, then makes her way around the house, holding on to whatever will take her on her chosen path. This makes for an interesting change in the nature of her surroundings. For Norah, open spaces are a barrier and furniture is her road.

The first Big Event

We returned to Grand Rapids for the wedding of Samuel Vanderwoude and Tammy Darby. They had a beautiful day for their ceremony by a gentle river. Unfortunately, our pictures of the ceremony were a disappointment. The marriage of these two wonderful people will have to be represented by this photograph of the Happy Flower Boy who threw blossoms as he marched like Sherman through the crowd and on to the playground.

Goodbye Fidelio

We enjoyed several pleasant days together. Jay and Sarah met every member of the Fort Pierce office of US Immigration, sharing enough quality time to remember their names and favorite hobbies. Once cleared, they were ready to make the long, but warmer trip back to Annapolis.

Time to Sail

Our short stay in the Bahamas was over and the relentless calender called us back to land. Sarah and Jay were also feeling the demands of their schedule. Early in the morning we joined Fidelio and began our sail back to the States. The winds were perfect for heading west.

Welcome back

A fast sail brought us back to Manjack in the late evening. Once settled in the anchorage, we heard the sounds of music and caught the faint smell of rum wafting from the shore. Quickly the dingy was in the water and we were off to investigate. There on the dock were Ben, Sarah, and Jay, working their way through the music of Dylan, Del, and Woody. Ben, from Oriental NC, had been living on the island for months. Jay and Sarah, from Great Britain, had recently arrived after a chilling January sail down from Annapolis. We sang, enjoying the stars and the night breeze.

Finally Sailors

Gradually the weather cleared, the winds moderated from abusive to lovely, and we had the sail that we had been dreaming about for days. It was just in time, before Peter and Ginny caught their flight back to real life and wwwwoorrr....

Best of all

The surprising high point of our visit was Peter's discovery of this STAINLESS STEEL JEEP in Marsh Harbor. All the rest of us could say was “be still my heart”.

What else did they do?

Peter and Ginny squeezed in many of the traditional cruising pastimes, crossing iron shore and gathering essential Vitamin D.

The Abigail

This lovely boat is one of Winer's children. Abigail lives on Manjack Cay and here is being taken out to her mooring by Ben. (More about Ben later)

Stumbling over history

In front of a tiny plain house was a small sign: “Can't accept any boat orders. Winer”. We had wandered by the home of Winer Malone, a descendant of one of the earliest settlers, Wyannie Malone, and a famous builder of traditional Bahamian sailboats. Winer, who is in his 90's, continues to make beautiful wooden boats using only hand tools. He hasn't stopped boat building; he has just decided that he already has enough orders to fill his remaining years.

Walking the towns

We really enjoyed walking in the small streets in the community of Man of War on Elbow Cay, one of the early Loyalist settlements in the Abacos. Not much room for cars here.

Fine dining

Peter and Ginny sampled Bahamian flavors.

Fine drinking

Despite the gales, we enjoyed ocean side life.