Weekend with the Bros……

The ferry from Orient Point, LI to New London, CT

Not having seen my brothers for almost two years I drove up to MA (in the new wheels), music blaring. I stayed at Brian and Pat’s - sleeping behind the drum set in their somewhat cramped apartment. It was great to see them. We drove up to southern ME one day and roamed around lots of coastal backroads, listening to the Grateful Dead all day. A good time was had by all. 

Big Ray Arrives…..

The month of July whizzed by and another lifestyle change - from single to married. Ray arrived on the evening of July 28. It was a tough 4 hours of traffic accidents, blinding rainstorm and flash floods, and the outer edge of rush hour thru NYC to get to the airport. I settled in at the cell phone lot (which I’ve observed are always in difficult to find locations). Got the call from Ray that he was readily for pick up and joined the barely crawling traffic headed for the terminal.  An hour and a half later I finally found him among the crowds, and we happily headed for home. 

On the Boat Again….

Ray has jumped right back into the boating scene himself. He is resurrecting his beloved Hobie 28 catamaran - cleaning and repairing it while waiting for a new mainsail. Meanwhile, he had 3 offers to crew in a local sailboat race. A nice ego boost to feel wanted. 

Finally, ready to launch!

Actually, the “resurrection” involved much more than usual, along with my assistance. Vowing to not “get involved,” I ended up working alongside ray to sand down both hulls, apply two layers of resin and fiberglass cloth, then more sanding to smooth everything out. It was a hot, messy, sweaty job, but when compete - very durable and quite good looking.

Wait!…. Dental Emergency….

A week after he arrived from CR, Ray had to return briefly due to a “dental emergency.” In mid June he had implants installed in his upper jaw. This entailed drilling metal screws into the jaw and waiting about 8+ months for the gum to fully heal around them before permanent “teeth” are installed. Unfortunately, the temporary teeth the dentist put in fell apart and left him with big gaps in his upper jaw, and a noticeable speech impediment. 

We decided it was more economical to return to CR for repairs rather than find a dentist here to take on the necessary work, with correspondingly expensive bills. So, Ray left on an early morning flight to San Jose, where the dentist’s office provided transportation and accomodations (for a fee) and did the necessary repairs. He is spent a full one and a half day in SJ before flying back to the States. 

Much better....