It seems that we’re not able to have a vacation free of stresses.
On the plus side, the weather has (mostly) been great…a little cool in the morning until the fog burns off (which isn’t ‘til after lunch if you try to go up to Port Townsend, as I did today), but lovely in the afternoons. And now that we’ve added a few more lights, the boat’s becoming quite homey. Each of the boys has a friend here now, imported from Seattle for a few days, and that’s been good for them. And something about lots of outdoor time seems to have reset their body clocks, so they’re voluntarily going to bed not long after it gets dark. The kids and I were all up at 7 this morning, and I baked cinnamon rolls for us and then drank my coffee out on the deck—even with the low clouds, it was peaceful and beautiful.
On the down side, I spent most of yesterday driving to and from Seattle, to fetch the boys’ friends and attend Scoble’s bbq (and drop off a key, and rent some movies, and buy a book, and stock up on groceries…). I started the trip off with the first speeding ticket I’ve had in about 20 years, which didn’t do much for my mood, and I didn’t get back ‘til after dinnertime, by which point I was completely worn out from the driving and from the sibling squabbles (which were doubled rather than reduced by the presence of a second set of siblings). When I got back, I discovered that Gerald’s upset stomach had gotten worse, not better. And by tonight, it still hadn’t improved much. So there’s a good chance we’ll start our 4th of July with a trip back to Port Townsend (45 minutes north), which is the closest place with a hospital. There’s a clinic in Quilcene, about 20 miles from here, but it’s unlikely to be open on a holiday.
Since both vehicles are heavily laden with household goods, there’s no way we can get all six of us into a car, so I’ve got to figure out what combination is most realistic for reducing risk to everyone. I think I’ll let the 12yos stay here on their own recognizance, and take the 9-10yos with us. Not a perfect solution, but probably the best we can manage. I don’t want Gerald to drive himself, and I don’t want to leave the younger boys here without us.
Maybe we’ll wake up tomorrow and Gerald will be feeling healthy again. I hope so.
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I just did some online research, and am suddenly more concerned about Gerald than I was. On Saturday he ate raw oysters that he’d harvested himself at a beach down the road, but he assured me that if they’d been tainted that he would have been violently ill. After reading about vibrio vulnificus I’m not so sure. And I think we’ll definitely be making that hospital trip tomorrow if he’s not significantly better. :(
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