trishlaplaca Originally posted October 6, 2022
BEAUTIFUL GLOUCESTER AND ROCKPORT HARBORS, MASSACHUSETTS
Hurricane Fiona may have passed, but on its tail followed Hurricane Ian heading for Florida. We followed the news, concerned over the fate of our little “wobbly box” trailer in LaBelle just outside of Ft. Myers. Our dear friends Mike and Cheryl in North Ft. Myers were evacuating to Ft. Lauderdale that morning. All we could do was hope for the best.
Adding to our angst, Jeff woke up to the smell of diesel fuel. He immediately shimmied down into the engine room where a scary, smelly puddle pooled in the bilge below. Where was it coming from? No matter where Jeff looked, he couldn’t track its origins.
Dan and Kathy over happened to be going for a row in their dinghy, and we called them over. When the guys checked it out, they realized that one of the fuel injectors had a crack – whatever that meant. Jeff’s face flashed relief at not having a leak coming directly from the fuel tank. He ordered the necessary replacement part overnight from Virginia, and a mechanic came two days later. Talk about lucky!
Since we weren’t going anywhere, we were happy to be able to spend a few days with our friends Nick and Lorraine. Together we explored around Gloucester, but also the picturesque harbor of Rockport, famous for being a painter’s dream.
Days 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 IN GLOUCESTER AND COUNTING!
It turns out that the park where our ‘wobbly box’ is located was far enough east that it managed to escape the worst of the storm. Our house apparently has a small roof leak, but otherwise seems fine. Sadly, our friends in Ft. Myers haven’t been so fortunate. Their home is waterlogged by flooding and they’ll have the nightmarish job of rebuilding while living on their trusty boat. Horrific devastation is all Ian left behind.
Up here Oyster is as good as new again, so Jeff and I were eager to get underway toward Rhode Island. Unfortunately, Ian sent remnant gale-force winds our way and then two days after, a nor’easter headed into our path as well. Gloucester is a safe and secure haven. We decided not to push our luck.
THE BLESSING OF INCREDIBLE FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Jeff suggested we leave Oyster behind in the harbor for a bit to head up to Maine to retrieve our car. We had left it at our friends’ Captain Bill and Tina’s place.
But we weren’t going just to for the car. Yet another horrible tragedy had struck: Captain Bill was killed in an auto accident. We couldn’t believe our ears when Tina had called us as we sat on the boat in Gloucester. Again, we were devastated to lose yet another beautiful new friend. It didn’t make sense. Bill was young, vibrant. He and Tina were deeply in love and planning their wedding. We needed to go to see Tina right away.
Jeff and I wanted to be there for Tina, but we also knew it would be impossible to stay long in Maine. We needed to push on, and also to get to family in Connecticut. At the very least we were able to see Tina and embrace her at this horrific time. The depth of our shared sadness at the loss of Bill cut all of us deeply. Farewell, dear Captain. Though we knew you only briefly, our moments together were filled with a lifetime of happiness and true friendship.
HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY, JEFF!
It’s a tough deal to have to step aside from grief to enjoy happier moments. But it was Jeff’s 70th birthday, and his brother Jerry and wife Janice had invited us for a pizza party. It’s funny – all three LaPlaca boys are known for their homemade pizzas, but hands down, we all have to admit that Jerry’s pizzas are the all-time best. What a treat! We shared a fantastic night of laughter, fabulous food, and homemade wine with family and friends to celebrate the birthday boy. Jeff and I are so very grateful to be surrounded by such loving and fun people.
We were hoping to get back to Gloucester by Tuesday, but the weather essentially told us to stay put once again until Thursday. In the meantime we vagabonds stayed with my sister Lois and brother-in-law Dan and also with Jeff’s brother Jay and our sister-in-law Cindy. Both couples are amazing – somehow they manage to tolerate our crashing in on them whenever we need to. We are so very lucky!!
