Annual Summary of 2017

In 2017 we stayed around home most of the time and took no long trips. We did travel south in the spring to see Hilary in Brooklyn, NY and Dorothy in Washington, DC and they also visited us in Vermont. Ben came from Tucson, AZ for a visit in October and Jennifer came from Lima, Peru in late December. It is always wonderful to see our children!

There were many good times with three of Nina’s siblings and their spouses who all live right in our town plus other family members and friends who live nearby. We had a wonderful visit from a couple last seen on another boat cruising the South Pacific who now tour with a “fifth wheel” trailer. They got to see our area, take hikes and trade sea stories for several days.

We traveled to many towns as members of the Vermont 251 Club, camped several nights in state parks and met many club members at the annual meeting in Montpelier. Wild game suppers in Tinmouth and at the Coon Club in West Windsor were fun too. It is a beautiful state and we enjoyed cruising its back roads, canoeing, fishing and walking on trails through the woods.

Climate change brought warmer temperatures than normal and Nina had a great garden. She worked hard every day at the start of the season to make sure everything grew well and her efforts paid off. We harvested a tremendous number of tomatoes, big Gilfeather Turnips (the Vermont state vegetable), three varieties of kale and lots of other good vegetables. The refrigerator and freezer were filled and turnips, pumpkins, squash and beets were stored in the basement. In the Fall the garden was cleaned up, flower bulbs were dug up for replanting next year, perennials were covered with wood chips and leaves to protect them, leaves were raked and pine cones and fallen branches were picked off the lawn. No longer on the boat, gardening became an important part of our activities.

Nina fell and fractured a vertebra near the end of the gardening season. This was painful and took a couple months to heal but had no long-term effect. While healing she could not bend to do any work and could not lift anything. This was very frustrating for a woman who likes to keep busy and does not like limitations.

Home improvements continued and the two guest rooms upstairs were finished. We replaced their ceilings and electrical wiring, painted all the walls, laid new wood floors and installed window quilts for heating efficiency. The front door was replaced with one which lets in more light and a combination screen/storm door was added. The smallest main-floor room got a new ceiling, paint, trim, window quilts and furniture. Nina sewed many curtains and chose items collected during our travels to decorate rooms and even the Christmas tree.

The snow was piling up outside as 2017 ended but we were prepared and looking forward to 2018.