Author Archives: Sparky
COVID in the park
Last spring, as the “season” was winding down and COVID was ramping up, there seemed to be an air of invincibility in the resort. Lots of going-away parties, nary a mask in sight and no social distancing. It seemed to me that people were taking a lot of risks, but they got away with it … Continue reading
Eta
One of the risks of living in Florida is hurricanes. I have no intention of being in an RV in the path of even a minimal Category 1 (75 mph) hurricane. I was fortunate that Florida was not targeted during the two weeks that I was away for Jett’s funeral. But when I returned I … Continue reading
The long drive home
I stayed with my sister-in-law Christine the night of the funeral. We played some Hand, Knee & Foot in Jett’s honor. The next day I loaded up the truck with everything left in our storage unit and terminated that contract, then had some pizza with my lovely granddaughter Liliani. Sister-in-law Kim took off her minister … Continue reading
My eulogy for Jett (delivered at her funeral 23 Oct 2020)
I met Jett on the evening of June 21, 1997 – the summer solstice. From that night until her death at 2:53pm October 15 we were pretty much constantly together. Our first date was a trip to Rockport and Gloucester. She loved Cape Ann, as did her mother. When her mother died in 1979, Jett … Continue reading
Jett’s funeral
Some of you were probably wondering whether this blog would continue. It will. But, as you might imagine, I have been rather busy these past two weeks. I want to document it all, as much for my own therapy as to inform you. Immediately following Jett’s death I contacted a funeral home in Rockport MA … Continue reading
Jett, 1951-2020
We met at a Parents Without Partners dance on June 21 (the summer solstice and the longest day of the year) in 1997. She had come at the request of another PWP member, though she was reluctant to do so, thinking it would be a waste of time. So she sat in the corner, talking … Continue reading
Jett has died
It was sudden and it was gentle. We signed up for hospice at 6pm yesterday, primarily because I thought hospice care would have a better chance of dealing with her malnutrition (I had been unable to get her to consume more than 500 calories for any day in the previous 2 weeks). But this morning, … Continue reading
TS6 wrapup
The 6th trip south (TS6) started 5 days later than planned due to fuel line failures in the truck. It was initially planned to consist of 8 hops and 17 nights but ended up being 9 hops and 16 nights. The numbers: 1703 tow miles and 2075 truck miles Campground costs: $1027 ($64.17 per night) … Continue reading
TS6 Hop 9: Silver Springs FL to Fort Myers FL
197 miles via FL 40, FL 35, US 301, FL 471, US 98, FL 31 and FL 80. 211 truck miles. 1703 cumulative tow miles. 2075 cumulative truck miles. This was not the fastest route – that would have been via I-75. But that route would have tested the limit of the gas tank. So … Continue reading
Working the polls
One of the reasons that I had to hurry home from the funeral is that I had committed to being a poll worker at the local precinct for the Nov 3 General Election. I was given the job of “deputy” which is actually pretty responsible, despite the fact that I was a complete newbie. One … Continue reading »