New Year's Interlude Stateside

Life has been moving at an extremely fast clip the past two weeks! Lots has been going on -- my dad has been ill, so I've been focusing on family rather than the minutia of the blog. Thankfully, he is now recuperating  -- slowly -- but it's been a stressful time. It's not as if we were aboard either, since Ron, Ally and I were stateside briefly, as Ally has now transferred to the University of Denver. We flew out together to get her moved in and get settled in over New Year's weekend. Thus, no Bahamian New Year's Junkanoo this year; while the ball dropped for New Year's in New York, Ally and I had just arrived at Denver International and were in the process of getting our rental car. (A rather sad celebration of New Year's, but we had our own celebration later!) Needless to say, the 1 degree temperature that greeted us was a bit of a shock after the even 70s of the Turks and Caicos....I'd forgotten what it was like to see my breath in the frigid air! (Not having forgotten my Wisconsin roots, I managed well by staying bundled up in a ski jacket and a pair of Uggs borrowed from Ally, looking like Nanook of the North!) And after a whirlwind couple of days of moving, orientation and registration, Ally is now happily ensconced at DU, a fabulous university that is a great fit for her. We are looking forward to hearing about her new adventures there, be it fun times with her new roommate or unpleasant struggles with calculus. (Hopefully, not the latter!) In any event, I hope no one was feeling ignored while I took a hiatus from blogging!

Now....Ron and I are once again back on the limestone rock called Providenciales. We didn't miss much weather-wise while we were gone apparently, since the seas were up and the winds were still piping along briskly. But since our arrival, the weather has been gorgeous! It would've been a great weather window to head farther south aboard Equinox, but as we are awaiting the arrival of Ron's sister Lisa next week, we aren't on the move yet. Instead, we used the morning to take a good 15-mile bike ride around the island (the Turtle Cove to Leeway-Going-Through and return loop) with a stop at the IGA to restock the fresh vegetables and other necessary provisions. The afternoon was used for odd jobs of correspondence, boat clean-up, laundry and passage planning for the upcoming jump to the Virgin Islands in late January. It felt very productive, even if it wasn't exciting or adventurous! Who knows what tomorrow may bring? I can't wait to find out!