#493 There Once Was A Girl On Nantucket

I’ve had a fascination with Nantucket Island for many years.  Did it begin with the TV show Wings?  (see Post No. 492).  Is it because it’s an island and I love water?  Is it the cedar-shingle houses with the blooming hydrangeas?  The lighthouses?  The quaint shops and cobblestone streets?  Yes.  All of it, yes.  And after loving the island for so long, I had the opportunity of a lifetime drop into my lap. 

I was sitting at my desk one workday in 2002 and my friend Julie called.  “What are you doing next Tuesday?” she asked.  I looked at my calendar.  July 23 was clear.  “Nothing.” I replied.  She then uttered the most glorious words I’d heard in a long time.  “Do you want to go to Nantucket for the day for $99?”  (or something to that effect).  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  One of my dreams was coming true. 

Julie’s friend’s sister (?) worked for ATA Airlines and we were able to get the family rate on a non-stop flight from Indianapolis to Nantucket Island.  Are you serious?! 

On the morning of our adventure, we were up at the crack of dawn and flew to Nantucket.  Julie, her friend, her friend’s mom and me.  I still couldn’t believe it. 

The island was just as I had imagined.  Lovely cottages with gardens in full bloom.  A quaint main street with a plethora of shops and restaurants.  Fresh seafood.  The smell of saltwater in the air.  Pure heaven. 

Main Street

We walked around for a while having such a fun time and then for some reason I got it in my head that we should rent bicycles.  I’m into bikes and the thought of cruising around seeing the sights by bicycle seemed like a good idea.  We could see more of the island in less time.  Eventually Julie agreed and we split from her friend and her mom, and we went to a bike rental shop.  The map looked easy enough and not too long of a ride.  And that’s where things went downhill. 

Once you left the main town, there was not much to see.  There’s water and tall grass.  And some lighthouses.  Pretty, but not super exciting.  And it was hot.  Wow it was hot away from the water.  We brought shorts to change into, but no extra undies.  And what we thought was a short jaunt turned into a much longer ride. 

When we got back, we stopped at a public restroom and tried to clean up with soap/water and paper towels so we wouldn’t reek on the late evening plane ride back home.  Thinking back, it was kind of funny.  Why was I so insistent on renting bikes?  Why not do a boat ride?  Why not just walk around more?  I wish Julie had said, “Stop asking about bikes!  It’s too hot!”  But she is a good friend and was trying to appease me.  The fault was mine. 

I was smiling.  Julie probably was not.  

In looking for photos of this trip, I couldn’t find any.  None.  I know I had some, because I have a colored pencil drawing of the Sankaty Head Light that I drew in an art class not long after that trip.  Luckily, Julie found some photos and sent them to me.  Unfortunately, no pictures of her or the others. 

Brant Point Lighthouse

my photo shoot at Brant Point

Sankaty Head Light

my interpretation of Sankaty Head Light

One random side note on the trip – we saw the actor Mike O’Malley several times on the island, and I swear he was on our plane too. 

Over the years I’ve thought about how I would like to go back for a longer trip.  Or for my honeymoon (someday…)  Until then I’ve discovered a way to transport myself to the island by reading Elin Hilderbrand books, which are set on Nantucket.  The first book of hers that I read (and still my favorite) is Blue Bistro.

My one trip to Nantucket was fabulous and memorable.  ATA is no longer in business, so I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to make a quick, inexpensive trip.  And that Julie invited me and I could share the experience with her.  What a Beautiful Day! 

#492 Wings

Some of you may have caught on that a lot of my blog titles are song titles or relate to music in some way.  Music plays a huge role in my life and I like to challenge myself to make it relatable to just about anything. 

If you thought that this particular blog title has to do with Paul McCartney’s band from the 70s, you’re wrong.  The title also has nothing to do with birds, eagles, or fairies.  This blog is about my favorite sit-com of all time. 

Wings ran for eight seasons from 1990-1997.  The most well-known cast members are Tim Daly (Joe Hackett), Steven Weber (Brian Hackett), Crystal Bernard (Helen Chappel), Thomas Haden Church (Lowell Mather) and Tony Shalhoub (Antonio Scarpacci).  The show was about the Hackett brothers and their small airline, Sandpiper Air, on Nantucket Island.  Helen ran the lunch counter at Tom Nevers Field.  Lowell was the mechanic.  Antonio the cab driver.  And let’s not forget Roy Biggins (David Schramm), who ran rival airline Aeromass, and Fay Cochran (Rebecca Schull), Sandpiper’s lone employee besides the Hacketts.  Other characters are Alex Lambert (Farrah Forke), Brian’s girlfriend for part of the series, and Casey Chappel (Amy Yasbeck), Helen’s sister, who appeared on the last three seasons.  (Brian Haley replaced Thomas Haden Church as Budd the mechanic on season seven, but the poor guy didn’t get much air time.  And he was no Lowell.) 

Why do I love this show so much?  It has the perfect mix of witty repartee, silly comedy, a thread of sexual tension, and a lot of heart.  The characters are outstanding and play off of each other perfectly. 

The Hackett brothers are great looking and direct opposites.  Nice-guy Joe is responsibly trying to run the airline and has to deal with Brian returning to the island (after running off with Joe’s fiancée).  Brian is bent on having as much fun and the least responsibility possible. 

Helen is somewhat neurotic but yet totally relatable as the chronically single woman trying to find her place in the world.  Will she die a lonely, old woman with her cello?  Will she end up with Joe?  Or business man Davis Lynch? 

Roy is the evil nemesis but still lovable at his core.  He never fails to bring the perfect zinger at the perfect time. 

Fay is just so out there; you can’t help but love her.  And when you think she can’t be any more bizarre, she is the voice of reason.  She survived several husbands and her full name is Fay Evelyn Schlob Dumbly DeVay Cochran. 

Antonio appears in season two and becomes a regular in seasons three through eight, adding another layer of amusement, almost matching Lowell.  Almost.

What can I say about Lowell?  Lowell is a simple man who works for both Aeromass and Sandpiper.  He has a unique outlook on life and the world.  He doesn’t always get the jokes he is the butt of.  Lowell left the series in season seven, entering the Witness Protection Program.  A sad day at Tom Nevers Field and on the island. 

I watched Wings during it’s original running years, and also loved watching it again in syndication.  During the mid-to-late 1990s the USA Network ran it twice a day.  Two back-to-back, half-hour episodes in the morning, and two more in the evening.  I loved the show so much I wanted to keep them for my future entertainment and began recording them on a VCR.  I kept a written record of the episodes I had already recorded, so whenever there was a repeat, I would delete the extra.  I ended up with 10 VHS cassettes. 

I threw out my paper list of episodes,
but did write them on each VHS tape.  

When I moved into my current house, I stored these tapes in my basement.  They sat there, untouched, for 20 years.  I had a VCR up until a couple years ago, but never watched the episodes.  I guess there were too many other things to watch.  A couple years ago, a friend gifted me the complete Wings series box DVD set.  I’m sure much better quality than my VHS collection.  Still, I didn’t make time to watch it. 

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and I had worked at home for a few days, I lamented the lack of background TV shows during the afternoon.  The usual, “So many options but nothing on.”  Then I had a eureka moment – I could watch the entire Wings series!  Which I did every afternoon from mid-March to early May.  I was right back in it – laughing at the right moments and finishing their lines. 

During a time of uncertainty, I looked forward to my daily dose of hilarity while getting my work done.  I guess you could say that Wings carried me up and away from the worldly troubles for a few hours a day. 

Thank you for flying Sandpiper. 

#491 Who Let The Cat Out?

 I don’t have any pets.  It’s not that I don’t like animals – I love them!  But I have been known to say, “I like other people’s pets.”  I grew up with pets that lived inside of a bowl.  When I was around 10, I found a puppy down the street and my mom let me take him home until we found a home for him.  He whined so much, especially in the mornings when he needed to go out.  I hate to admit that I was relieved when he was gone.  Apparently sleep outweighed cuteness.  Occasionally someone will tell me I need a dog or a cat.  Selfishly I don’t want to have to be home at certain times to let out a dog.  Cats take care of themselves, but there’s still food and vet bills.  So I continue to enjoy other people’s pets. 

While Aaron and Tracy were on their honeymoon, I looked in on their two cats, Butler and Lulu.  Butler, Aaron’s cat, is friendly and snuggly.  (His name comes from the fact that he looks like a butler.)  Tracy’s cat, Lulu, likes to be left alone.  Each night after work I stopped at their house to get the mail and hang out for a while. 

I will admit it was nice to have “someone” to come home to.  Butler was happy to see me and we’d snuggle in the recliner for a while before I’d let him out.  (He is like a dog in that sense.)  He’d purr, lick my fingers, bite my jewelry and then just chill.  I’d let him outside, read my book and about 10 minutes later I would hear a faint scraping sound, which was him wanting back in.  I was a little nervous he wouldn’t come back, but he has a Tabcat pet tracker on his collar.  Even though I don’t really know how to use it.  Lulu made a couple appearances, but when she saw me, immediately went back to the bedroom. 

The week went smoothly.  Butler usually stayed outside no longer than 10 minutes due to the cold temperatures.  After that he’d hang out with me while I read, and I’d head home after about 30-45 minutes. 

Sunday, my last day checking on them, was a lot warmer – in the 60s and sunny.  I stopped on my way to a meeting and of course, when I had to be somewhere, Butler didn’t come back in right away.  Ten minutes.  Fifteen minutes.  Twenty minutes.  I opened the front and back doors and called for him.  Then I Googled the Tabcat thing and watched a video on how it works.  The lights flash more the closer you get to the cat.  Thankfully, Butler returned and I had plenty of time to get to my meeting. 

I’m back to being on my own.  I do miss that little furball.  Maybe one day I won’t be so selfish with my time or money.  Or I’ll marry someone with a pet.  Until then, I’ll have to wait a while to get more kitty snuggles.  

Butler likes a high perch

#490 My Sweetheart

Two years ago, my niece, Megan, got married.  This past January, it was my nephew Aaron’s turn.  Most couples get married in warmer months, so when they announced their wedding date, I asked him, “Why January?”  I received a typical Aaron answer, “We don’t like to be hot.”  It’s true – they don’t.  Aaron sweats like crazy.  When he played outside as a little boy, his thick brown hair was always soaked.  So, January it was! 

They put together this "puzzle" during the ceremony.  

Their ceremony and reception were held at The Nest Event Center.  Just as Megan’s wedding was held on a beautiful summer day, Aaron’s wedding was on a beautiful winter day, complete with a sprinkling of snow flurries.  It was a nice day for a white wedding. 

I'm pretty good at the married couple shot.

Most marriage vows include the words, “for better, for worse.”  Despite the joyfulness of Aaron and Tracy’s wedding day, there was an underlying sadness.  Tracy’s father, Harley Bontrager, passed away unexpectedly at age 66 exactly one week before their wedding.  My heart broke for Aaron and Tracy, and for Tracy’s sisters and the rest of their family.  I am so proud of how they handled themselves.  They took the worst thing that could have happened, leaned on each other, and created a special day.  

I am so happy for the sweethearts, and wish them God’s blessing on their marriage.  Cheers to Mr. and Mrs. Godby! 

#489 Heather Bassett Skelton

Have you ever known someone who was a force of nature?  Someone who would enter a room with such life and energy that you weren’t quite sure what was happening?  Someone who seemed to know everyone and could strike up a conversation with a total stranger?  When I think of these characteristics, one person immediately comes to mind:  Heather Bassett Skelton. 

I first got to know Heather when I was a freshman at Auburn University.  She was a junior.  We were in the same “sorority” – the Auburn Lady Tiger basketball team.  I came to Auburn as a shy, reserved young woman, attending college far from home.  I always marveled at Heather.  She knew everybody on campus and would talk to strangers on our road trips.  How did she do that?  Why did she do that?  

Two years was not enough to be on the team with Heather, but I have a lifetime of memories.  She bounced a check she’d written at McDonald’s to pay for fries.  She flew into and out of the locker room before and after practices.  Always on the go.  She was smart.  She was gorgeous.  She was tan.  She had a megawatt smile. 

Heather, me and Patty - 1987

Team Halloween party - 1987

She didn’t get a lot of playing time on the basketball court, but you wouldn’t know it.  She was one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around.  We designated her our “All American Practice Player.”  She was assigned to be a player on an opposing team and would shoot the lights out.  Once our coach got so mad at us at a practice that he walked out.  We all looked at each other like, “Well, I’m outta here too.”  Not Heather.  “C’mon y’all!  Let’s keep practicing!”  I can’t remember if anyone stayed.  We thought she was crazy. 

Lisa, Heather, Vickie, me, Lotta - 1988

Front:  Lisa, Lynn, Heather
Back:  Karen, me, Vickie, Lotta, Sharon
1988 Final Four banquet
Tacoma, WA

Roommates Heather and Lynn at the 1988 Final Four

She had a huge heart.  She was dramatic.  You never knew what would happen to her next.  She fell going up the metal stairs at an Auburn baseball game and split her jean mini skirt.  I’m sure she was embarrassed, but she laughed it off and added it to her repertoire. 

During my sophomore year I had a crush on a guy and Heather offered to give us a ride in her two-seater car one afternoon.  He sat in the passenger seat and I sat on his lap.  Thanks for the assist, Heather! 

After graduation, Heather married and settled down in Georgia with her husband and two sons, running her own marketing company.  She was generous, sending cool office gadgets and creating funny T-shirts for our basketball reunions.  I was fortunate to meet her youngest son Blake on one trip back to Auburn.  Not soon after, I helped to arrange a basketball care package for him after he’d devised a way to give personal hygiene products to the homeless – Blake’s Blessing Bags.  The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  At the time he wore the number 45 for his basketball team and I called him my “45 Twin” (that was my high school and college basketball number too).  Having a big heart himself, he soon switched back to his mom’s number 22 in her honor.

Heather with her youngest son, Blake
Auburn, 2016

Me, Heather, Vickie
Auburn, 2016

Heather battled cancer for many years.  She was a fighter, so I always expected her to ultimately be ok.  She embodied the line from the Auburn Fight Song we sang before every basketball game, “Ever to conquer, never to yield.”  She drove three hours to and from our last reunion (see Post No. 483), picking up a teammate at the Atlanta airport along the way (and apparently driving way too fast).  She kept us laughing the two days we were together once again as teammates.  Valiant and full of life.  During that weekend, I finally understood that things were much more serious, but I still believed she’d get the W.  I was wrong. 

Lady Tiger reunion
Auburn, 2020

After the reunion, Patty, another teammate, sent the occasional update from Heather’s husband.  Last week we got the message we were all dreading.  Heather, always the winner, was losing.  We quickly arranged a Zoom call and last Friday had a three-hour chat in honor of our friend.  We all took turns talking about what she meant to us and to the Lady Tiger program.  We laughed.  We cried.  We tried to get Patty to unmute Charlene.  Patty put together a slideshow of photos with Heather and some of us, and played England Dan and John Ford Coley’s song, Love Is The Answer.  One of the lines goes, “Who knows why, someday we all must die.”  Later on, the chorus repeats, “love one another.”  

When you need a friend, love one another

When you’re near the end, love one another

We got to love, we got to love one another

Heather passed the next day.  Even though she left this earth much too soon, she earned her ticket to paradise and she will be shining down on us all. 

  

#488 All By Myself

I was a couple weeks into the COVID-19 stay-at-home mandate when one of my favorite movies came on TV - Bridget Jones’s Diary.  It’s a comedy about a single woman (Bridget – played by Renée Zellweger) and her dating trials.  During the beginning credits, Bridget is on her sofa in her pajamas.  The song, All By Myself, sung by Céline Dion, is playing.  Bridget looks sad and lonely, and eventually begins to sing (karaoke style) along in dramatic fashion.  Something I would do.  Only out loud. 

As I watched, I thought, “Should I even be watching this right now?  I’m going to be by myself for the next month (or however long)!”  Of course I watched; it’s Bridget.  I was soon laughing and cheering for her and Mark Darcy. 

Two months later, how am I doing?  How are you doing?  You may not be all by yourself.  You may have your own “trials.”  Me, I’m doing just fine.  You see, I’ve had some practice.  And it’s not just that I’m 50+ and unattached.  Almost 30 years ago, I began my first adventure playing professional basketball overseas.  Talk about being all by myself?  Try being in a foreign country and not speaking the language.  Phone calls were expensive.  No email.  No cell phones.  No Internet.  No Zoom or face time.  It was legit aloneness. 

From late 1990 until spring of 1995 I played in Europe and the Middle East, specifically France, Israel, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland.  I mostly lived in apartments.  In Israel I lived in a small house in a neighborhood. In Austria, a hotel room.  Practice time varied from twice a day to three times a week. 

Most places I was the lone foreign player.  (At that time, teams were allowed one or two.)  In two instances the other foreign player was married and/or had kids.  The native players usually had full-time jobs and some lived in another city.  I was on my own most of the time.  What did I do to pass the time? 

I wrote letters and kept journals.  I cooked.  I went on walks.  I never had a car, so either walked or took a bus.  I enrolled in a French language class.  In Sweden, nightfall came early, so I slept a lot.  I watched a lot of TV, sometimes in another language.  Yes, I watched MacGyver and Roseanne in French just to see familiar faces.  Israel and Sweden were the best countries for TV because the American shows were in English.  Other countries had limited channels in English – MTV, CNN and NBC Super Channel.  I’m a Letterman woman all the way, but I did watch the Tonight Show on a regular basis over there.  I kept up with the U.S. news by watching the Today Show every day. 

I made friends with some teammates and took a few weekend trips to their nearby towns.  I even went out a few times with them to local clubs.  Remember that I was still very shy during this time and I was not one to invite myself to go out with anyone.  And I wasn’t (and still am not) a big partier/club person.  On the occasions I did go out, I felt like Carrie Bradshaw in Paris with Alexandr Petrovsky.  She sat there with him and his friends at a restaurant and they all talked around her.  She couldn’t understand a thing.  That was my first experience with feeling lonely while surrounded by people.  They meant well to include me and at first spoke in English, but I understood they couldn’t keep it up the whole night just for me.  I was the one in a foreign country. 

My parents visited me for two weeks in France, Israel and Switzerland.  My brother, David, accompanied them to Switzerland.  Those times were the best, being able to see the local sights and share experiences with them, and have someone to talk to on a regular basis. 

Playing overseas isn’t for everyone.  I know plenty of players who either just didn’t do it, or tried it and hated it.  Was I homesick?  Of course.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely.  The positive aspects outweighed the loneliness.  I was able to see the world, play a sport I enjoyed (and get paid) and make new friends.  And me playing overseas was another important step in breaking out of my shell.  At one point in Sweden, I heard someone speaking English and I ran over to them and started talking to them.  I never would have done that at home.  My “desperation” for connection forced my hand.  Whatever works, right? 

Ultimately what got me through my years playing overseas was my faith in God.  Even though I sometimes felt alone, I knew I wasn’t truly alone.  God was with me every step of the way. 

Compared to living alone overseas, being “confined” during the pandemic is a piece of cake.  I’m in my home country, surrounded (distantly, of course) by family and friends.  I have books and more TV channels that I need.  Phone calls are free.  I have Internet!  I am lucky that I can work at home. 

I pray for all who are working out there in the thick of things.  For those who feel real loneliness during this time.  For those out of work and in financial distress.  I hope you find the coping mechanism that works for you.  You may feel all by yourself, but try to remember you’re not.  We really are all in this together.