Puppies and Early Mornings
We continue to watch the sun come up most mornings. The puppy is sleeping through the night but he is starving by 5:30 in the morning and there isn’t much you can do about it except feed him. We have interviewed two trainers and at this point do not know which one we will go with. I liked the first one, I did not find the second one compatible with my personality but then she might be the perfect trainer. We are going to have the first one back again and then we will see. Winchester is the most loving and calm dog ever. Trainer #1 said in 18 years of working with dogs she had only seen 4 that were as calm as he is. She loved him. Well, that means she won my heart. Trainer #2 was all about structure and discipline and all the bad things he would do if we didn’t train him correctly. Just not my style. I only yelled no at my kids when they tried to put their fingers in a wall socket otherwise they could explore to their hearts content. I guess I am pretty lenient and for sure I am all about hugs and love and all that stuff. We’ll see. In the meantime, he is doing really well with most stuff and he loves to walk and be with us and play with all the myriad of toys we have bought for him. Plus we get to see the sunrise almost every day!!!! Crazy old people with a puppy!
Unfortunately there are many wildfires burning in North Carolina and a few in South Carolina. We get the smoke here and can smell it and actually find it scratchy in your throat and eyes. The benefit is that we get incredible sunrises and beautiful sunsets. This week there was plenty of that and that made it almost worthwhile waking up early and getting outside with the puppy.
Post Hurricane
Finally the island is beginning to look like itself again. We have walked around the island in the morning and we see fewer and fewer piles of debris. Additionally the stumps are being removed and the space filled with cedar chips. The Christmas Wreaths are up on the street markers and we are beginning to feel almost normal. It will take some time for that normal to come back. We may never have a marina again which is very sad but at least we feel that there is hope for normal to return. The FEMA trucks are still around; we see them on all the roads around here but not so many on our island anymore. No matter where we go we ask others how they are doing and what was their damage. It is one of the great blessings of having a hurricane in an election year. Something else to talk about. We care about our neighbors not only here on Dataw but on Fripp Island and on Hilton Head. Both of those areas were devastated. While waiting for a tire to be repaired this week I spoke with a man from Fripp and he told me about their situation. The bridge to Fripp is very fragile so big trucks cannot go over it. Therefore FEMA has to use smaller trucks which means it will take twice as long to removed the debris. In addition, because Fripp is on the ocean, the houses are built up on stilts. What goes under the houses? Cars and Golf Carts. Many, if not all, were destroyed in the hurricane. It is going to take a very long time to get things back to “normal” there.
November and Thanksgiving
This is close to my favorite month of the year. For many, many years now we have been in South Carolina for the month of November. Even before we bought the house we would rent a condo, called a Bluff Unit here, and spend the month of November playing golf and enjoying the “gray month” here in Dataw where there is still some green. Back up north, whether it is New Hampshire of North Hatley, it is very gray. It is after the gorgeous colors of autumn and usually before the beautiful bright white of the snow. We head back to Canada next month and from what I am hearing from friends across the border, there may be significant snow. Meanwhile we are playing golf and enjoying a crisp morning or two and beautiful sunshine. I love American Thanksgiving. It has been one of the most special holidays for me and my family for all our married life. A number of years ago, we tried to have American Thanksgiving in our Canada house. IT DID NOT WORK! Part of the fun is the fuss people make over Thanksgiving here in the United States. It is bigger than Christmas, I think. The Macy’s Day Parade, the football games, the gathering of families, watching the news from the airports and being so grateful not to be flying out on the Wednesday before and Black Friday – which I don’t participate in but always get a kick out of the idea. Canada ignores it and we found we missed all the hoopla. We have celebrated for many years with a family, The Lincolns, who are our very dear friends from Connecticut and this year, for the first time in nine (9) years, we will have all of us together again here at Dataw. You can not imagine the anticipation and the excitement of all of us being here together. My children and grandchildren are here as are their children and spouses. We are 13 in all. We play golf, we eat and drink together and we have such joy in being together. On Thanksgiving Day we do brunch together and then play a golf match that allows everyone, regardless of skill level, to participate and have fun. I hear that there are trophies and prizes this year. It is my greatest wish that this same sense of joy is yours at this time of the year.
