LASLEY HOLIDAY LETTER - 2025
The end of last year was lovely, with a trip to Cincinnati with our kids and grandkids to see a Bengals game. The Bengals won! We went ice skating, visited with old friends, then caravaned to Florida, stopping in Atlanta on NYE. The Georgia Aquarium is delightful. This year started off rough. The extended family gathered in Florida for Mom’s Celebration of Life, and to say goodbye to Dan’s sister Barb, who would lose her fight with cancer a few days later. Although nothing was a surprise, the timing sucked. Laura really misses Barb as a crazy sister, but has reconnected with Cousin Stacie and they have grown close. Unfortunately, these would not be the last loved ones lost this year.
We drove home to PA and tried to resume normal operations, but then went to Richmond VA for the funeral of a good friend from Exeter. We only knew him through Exeter, but meeting his family confirmed that his warmth and strength was shared by his entire family.
February included meeting some young alums from Northwestern at a dim sum party. What the younger folks think of as dim sum is not what this Chinese grandmother considers dim sum. It was fun nonetheless. We went to a PEA skating party and it reinforced for Laura that renting skates is not a good idea for a former figure skater. We headed to NYC for a weekend to see a play written by Laura’s dance teacher and friend. Bonus was dinner with Vern. Our band, Back To The Well, played on a tiny stage at HomeBase, with a large appreciative crowd.
Our next gig in March was at Tilted Axes, with a huge stage, the biggest space we’ve ever played at. It’s an axe-throwing venue - lethal weapons, booze, and live rock and roll - what could go wrong? Lots of fun, and we did “We Are The Champions” for all our Eagles fans. We would play there several times throughout the year, with varying crowds.
Having lost our spot on the soccer team, we started to explore new/old activities. Way back when, Laura was pretty good at figure skating, and has rediscovered her love of that. She bought some fancy new skates (rentals are NOT it), found a rink she liked, and took a couple of lessons to prevent bad habits and to restore her muscle memory. Dan had once learned with hockey skates, and bought some skates in support. Laura found the coldest rink in the region and we went a couple of times a week, for a few weeks.
We drove out to Chicago to see Laura’s folks. They are doing quite well at 92 & 94. We had a lovely brunch with Kathy at a local Jewish deli then drove home during the lunar eclipse. Later, Laura and Stacie flew down to Destin FL to spread a portion of Barb’s ashes in the gulf. Unexpected laughter and a visit with great aunt Ginger who is now 95.
For the first time ever, we bought a new couch! It’s really nice. We’d shopped via Craigslist up until now. We saw a touring version of the play &Juliet which was quite energetic and fun.
In April we headed to Dallas for Tristan’s 7th bday. Dan’s former colleagues 3D printed a Pokemon chess set for us to give Tristan. Many games with Grandpa ensued. Back home, we went for an evening sail on Pride of Baltimore II. We went to see several friend’s bands as well as a picnic with new/old friends.
In May, we saw Leonid and Friends (a Chicago tribute band from Eastern Europe). They put on a great show. We had a chance to meet them afterwards; they are really nice people. Laura had a girls weekend with Pam at a lovely resort in the Poconos.
Ever since we went hiking when she was small, Jacqui has enjoyed camping with Dan. We’ve done it once before as adults, and Jacqui declared it was time to go again. Working with our complicated schedules, we picked a week in May - at the height of Spring. What could go wrong? Review: 1-star, don’t recommend hiking the AT in PA. It was very cold and wet. The trails were rocky and poorly marked, and often flooded. Dan tried to injure himself several times. Next time we’ll do a lot more research on where we go. The first day there was a train of storms, including a tornado in the area.
Throughout the spring, we prepped and launched baji-naji. We sailed down to Annapolis to get several updates, including a new lithium battery system.
We were quite surprised to learn that Ben and family were moving to CT! Jacqui moved up to Chicago to complete the clinical part of her MSW. She still flies all over the place to visit friends at the drop of a hat.
On June 1st, we started our long voyage to Maine, with the goal of hiking Acadia. Laura kept up the blog here: https://www.cyberlaz.com/bajinaji We missed all the big storms in PA, which damaged some trees but missed our house. Some of our neighbors were not so lucky.
As planned, we got to Boston in time for Barb’s Celebration. It was wonderful to have the extended family together on baji-naji to scatter Barb’s ashes in Boston Harbor, despite the somber occasion and the chilly winds. Laura had to miss out as her Dad was receiving a lifetime achievement award in DC the same weekend. Unfortunate timing, but the logistics worked out.
Heading north from there, we enjoyed beautiful sailing, often hidden by fog. Maine was colder than expected. We met up with old friends and made some new ones. Randomly, we’d meet up with other cruisers at a marina and then head out for dinner, and see them again 10 days later. We even saw a couple of mola-mola! We sighted a whale in the distance in Cape Cod Bay near Provincetown. On the way homeward, we stopped in Provincetown and Onset MA and then met with more friends and family in Westbrook and Norwalk CT.
We returned home on Sept 15th. Quick laundry and then up to see the kids’ new place and watch Tristan’s flag football game. We discovered that some of our pin oaks had suffered minor damage from those storms, so we hired a pro to clean them up.
Way back in the early 90s, we became friends with a couple, and we stayed in touch over the years. They moved to the Virginia shore of the Potomac River, and we visited them twice by boat, including last summer. Unexpectedly, Claudia passed away on her way home from her ancestral grounds in Italy. After her celebration in Montross VA, we stopped for lunch with a musician friend who had lost his mother recently. An unwelcome theme for this year.
In October, we made a trip to Annapolis for minor service on baji-naji, with a side trip to the Wye River (cold!) and then returning for the Annapolis Boat Show, where we bought too many things. We had a wonderful dinner with some sailing friends. We then drove out to Chicago to see Laura’s folks, and Jacqui too! Discovered a great farm and market in Maumee OH, which is our usual stopping point on the drive.
In November, we headed to WePo for the Theater Arts Workshop, with another play from Laura’s dance teacher and one from a fellow dancer. Laura got to dance in person with them the next day, then we headed to Tristan’s flag-football playoff games (won the first, lost the second in OT). The band had 3 gigs, had fun and performed well. Got early tickets to see Wicked For Good - excellent! Thanksgiving with friends in Princeton was delightful. Black Friday was spent at a sculpture park and the wonderful Princeton art museum. It was cold outside, but warm friends and good food compensated all weekend.
We saw Hadestown earlier this month, which was fun with great performers. Laura had cataract surgery, which went well for eye #1, even though she is a reluctant patient. Expecting eye #2 will also go well. Christmas brings the entire Lasley clan together at our house for the first time in 6 years. It will be wonderful!
We have few plans in place for next year. We know that we’ll sail on the Chesapeake for most of the summer, with no extended voyages. We hope to take up skating more seriously, and to get some outdoor band gigs at the local beach bars. We’ll go to Chicago a couple of times, but there is no reason to return to Florida or Texas. I’m sure we’ll do something spontaneously.
All around us, friends have been suffering health issues, or dying before their time. We understand that it’s part of life, but it sucks. Grandchildren are a delightful antidote. Remember to stay connected with your friends and family. Take care of yourself and share lots of hugs.
Peace and Love,
Dan & Laura www.cyberlaz.com
