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Edgartown Town Column
Happy New Year! I know I'm a little late with my good wishes but we were enjoying the warmth and sunshine of Cancun last week, which is why you were granted a brief respite from my writing for a week. I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and enjoyed a safe New Year's Eve!
Our Mexico vacation was great. Jamie, Riley, Amelia, my mother-in-law Shirley and I all traveled together from here the day after Christmas and arrived in Cancun on Dec. 27, where we were joined by Jamie's sister Kim, her friend Steve, and her children Jessica, Pete, and Bailey. We were quite a group! Having everyone together was great fun, the weather was heavenly, and our hotel was comfortable and very kid friendly.
My father-in-law, Phil, had planned the trip before becoming ill last spring and it was a bittersweet trip, closing a year that brought us all great sadness with Phil's passing, and opening a new year that will hopefully bring us all more peace and serenity. I know that Phil was there with us in spirit and I thought of him often during the week. Fun as the trip was, I'm sure it would have been even more entertaining with Phil holding court around the pool! I was struck a number of times, as I often am, by how much I miss him.
I must say that, much as I dislike the high prices often found on Martha's Vineyard, I was exhausted by our short shopping expeditions in Mexico, where the price is always negotiable. The most common phrases I heard all week were "I make you good price" and "almost free." I got some wonderful deals on things, but it was a very tiring experience. I found myself looking forward to set prices again! Amelia's big expenditure was getting her hair braided ala Bo Derek in the movie "10." The women braiding hair down there are fascinating to watch, their speed and dexterity impressive, to say the least. Amelia wants to keep her "do" for "fifty thousand days!"
Riley enjoyed going to Chechen Itza with Jamie and Shirley to view the Mayan ruins there. Though no longer allowed to climb the pyramid, he did enjoy the adventure, dressed as his hero Indiana Jones. The joy on his face when he returned that night was just amazing. He clearly had experienced his day to the fullest, having also gone swimming in a cenote, a fresh water open pool over 100 feet deep. The photos of the cenote are quite lovely and I hope Riley knows how lucky he is.
The Martha's Vineyard Cancer Support Group is having a potluck party celebrating survival and support on Sunday, Jan. 13, at the P.A. Club in Oak Bluffs from 5 to 7 pm. The dinner is free of charge, open to everyone to come and share their story (or not), enjoy a delicious meal and celebrate the group's wonderful happy history of support and survival. It's a party, not a fundraiser, and all are welcome. For more information, please call 508-693-8296 or 508-696-9849.
Kelly Hess was going to take a shot at writing the column while I was away but the idea fell through. She and I are opposites. I'm Island, she's city. Maybe a Gail vs. Kelly, Island girl vs. city girl, point/counterpoint column would be fun?
Having been away and out of touch, I don't have much news this week. Be sure to send me some news for the next column. Have a great week!
