doctors' visits – Roaming About

Making our Christmas Day flight from Santiago de Chile to Boston, Massachusetts, USA was tricky. First, we had no idea if Maya’s neck injury — and the side effects of all the drugs — would be cleared in time for the trip.

Then, we were faced with extremely slow and long lines and inefficient officials at Chilean immigration to receive our exit stamp and be able to leave the country. Impatience. Frustration. Running. Sweating. Being the last two people on the plane…

But we made it! And we looked forward to some rest, comfort, and social times in the US.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

A red eye flight to the US

The day after our arrival in Massachusetts and the US

Week 1: Fun Times

The day after Christmas (Boxing Day), Mark, Maya, and I arrived at our “home base” (aka official address) in Newburyport. The temperature contrast couldn’t be bigger. We went from 90°F (32°C) to 12°F (-11°C), and the sun set at 4pm! Snow decorated the ground and trees. This would become a theme; our surroundings remained white for the entire time we were there.

Mark’s first job: shoveling snow

Winter walk

Winter scenery

Our daily walk to the park with Maya

Maya’s first snow

Still possible to walk on the sidewalks

After reorganizing our belongings (what stays, what comes to Europe, what gets packed for our next camper, what gets donated), doctors’ visits for Maya and me, and catching up with my mother-in-law, helping where necessary for a handful of days — we already left her again to celebrate the New Year with good friends.

Our home for five weeks

Organizing our belongings

Going through our boxes from the basement, after many years

Memories of our Wirie business, which we ran for eight years

Snuggles with Maya

Mark’s childhood bear cuddles with Maya

Winter walk along the rail trail

Short days

Happy Maya!

Enough talk about publishing and promoting Plunge and spending too much money every month… What has been going on with us, in our private lives, the last few months?

Well, I haven’t really touched on how we arrived in Massachusetts, except for the road trip, and our feelings and activities since then. If you are a blog reader only interested in our alternative lifestyle and adventures, this is a good post to skip, as it is more geared towards updating our friends and family members – like in the old days on our sailboat Irie. ????

(As always, hover over the photos or click on them to read the captions.)

The line in Mexicali East to cross the border back into the US was three hours long!

Stuck at the border for ages

Back in California, on the way to Yuma, Arizona

Before we cleaned and sold Zesty and hopped in our crappy rental car, we managed to meet up quickly with artist Jon and author Gail, whom we met in Baja California, Mexico. In Yuma, Arizona, they introduced us to hospitable friends of theirs and we had a lovely evening together.

Our first night back in the US was spent in the driveway of new friends

Meeting up with Jon, Gail, and Cosmo the cat in Yuma, AZ

Another highlight was to finally be reunited with sailing circumnavigators and good friends made in the South Pacific: Lisa Dorenfest and her Captain, Fabio. This picnic get-together happened in a park in Tucson, Arizona. For anyone following Lisa’s wonderful blog, One Ocean At A Time (which contains her inviting writing and incredible photos), the couple is doing well, despite the crazy heat, taking a break from their boat to replenish the cruising kitty.

Picnic lunch in Agua Caliente park, Tucson, with Lisa and Fabio

Our friends treated us to dinner at a Mexican restaurant

Then, we cleaned and prepped Zesty, sold our van, and jumped in our crappy rental car. Busy times! We saw some cute creatures one night of “stealth camping” in Tucson as well.