Time

TIME has become an issue for me. It started right around my 50th birthday when I realized I'd summited the proverbial "hill" and stood there looking over the other side at the steep drop. Suddenly, it felt like I just didn't have enough time left! There is so much I still want to do, yet I find myself facing the other side of life, the final chapters. Feeling stressed for time creates stress. Often, I find that I can't sleep and I have a habit of over-extending myself, just to get everything in. I try to be an optimist and I understand that these feelings are not all negative. In fact, I keep getting better at recognizing and letting go of those things that hold little importance to me like drama, anger and regret. I have no desire to waste any time on trivial things or negative emotions!

50th Birthday Celebration,
still looking younger than the number on the cake

The importance of time is not new to me, but it was brought home recently when we lost our close friend, Laurie Michael Kumerow, to glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain tumor. Laurie has been a part of our lives for all of time. She and I each married hometown Stillwater boys. We raised our children together, cross-country skied, went on vacations, celebrated milestones and shared many nights around a fire pit. She was a wonderful wife to Tim and a dedicated mother to her girls, Nicky and Katie. Laurie was an environmentalists, outdoorswoman, and adventurer. She lived life large! My life was blessed with her friendship.

 "The Stillwater Gang" at Tim & Laurie's Cabin

When Laurie was diagnosed with glioblastoma the fall of 2017, she asked me for wisdom because I had been through the cancer diagnosis only a year earlier. I told Laurie I had no wisdom; each cancer experience is unique. I knew the battle Laurie was facing though. Glioblastoma is the worst possible diagnosis one can receive in the brain tumor world. Laurie had options and TIME on her side, but the clock was boldly looking her in the eye! Still, I had hope that she would beat this.

Laurie had surgery which removed 80% of the tumor. A few months later we gathered with a group of friends. Laurie sat next to me and reached over to touch my sleeve. When I looked in her eyes, I saw tears. She said she'd been researching her illness and understood how serious her situation was. I took her hand in mine and said, "Laurie, the truth is, we are all dying. No one gets out alive! You just have more urgency to live the way you really want to. We are here to support you. Look around you, all of these people are here for you. Can you feel the love?" Laurie composed herself and agreed that she had a wonderful life, except for that damn brain tumor.

Laurie had a great summer! She and Tim spent many an afternoon on the patio of the local pubs, watching the world go by, enjoying a cold beer and time together. In the fall, Laurie's health took a turn for the worse. In spite of this, her family organized a group of over 35 family members and friends to walk the American Brain Tumor Association BT5K. Together we raised over $6,000 with Team Laurie's Legions. It was an emotional day, full of love and devotion. On some level, we all sensed that Laurie was failing, yet, on this day, she was with us 100%. The experience remains a beautiful, cherished memory for me. As we walked, I asked Laurie again " Do you feel the love?" She smiled at me and nodded her head, YES!

Laurie with Carol Durtschi At BT5K

Laurie lost her 14 month battle with glioblastoma multiforme on November 13, 2018. She quietly slipped away with her family at her side. We attended the celebration of her life. It was a day for family and friends to toast Laurie and to relive her remarkable life in photos and stories.

I think of Laurie every day. It's hard to accept that she is gone. She is a reminder for me to enjoy each and every moment I am blessed with...just like she did!

"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."

― Mother Theresa

In Loving Memory of

Laurie Michael Kumerow

Photo courtesy of her family

St. Augustine Photo Gallery

Images of St. Augustine

Little Boy Garden sculpture

Evening sky

Amber light

Cathedral Basilica

Old City, St. Augustine Village

Old City, St. Augustine Village

Old City, St. Augustine Village

Indian Chief

Cool Cobblestone Alley

Fish scale stucco house

Interesting door

Pirate in a plant

Peace Pie

Flagler College

Flagler College

Flagler College Lion Head

Flagler College Frog Fountain

Flaglar College

Flagler College Stairs

Purple Hyacinth Bean Vine

Garden Doors

Coca Cola House

Passion Flower

Little Girl Garden Sculpture

Obelisk

Spanish Revival Door

Oldest House

Oldest House Early 1700's

Oldest House

Gonzalez-Alvarez House Patio

Three Dogs in a circle at Lincolnville house

Fruit & Veggie Stand

Manicured Lincolnville Garden

Alcazar Hotel

Alcazar Hotel

Alcazar Hotel Wedding Shoot ~ Bride & Groom on right

Alcazar Hotel

Flagler College

Alcazar Hotel

Alcazar Hotel

The Castillo de San Marcos

Dave at The Castillo de San Marcos

The Castillo de San Marcos

Gardens at Columbia Restaurant

Bumming Around St. Augustine

We arrived in St. Augustine on Halloween and connected with our Looper friends, Scott and Rhonda Joiner. Rhonda had prepared a meal for us which we greatly appreciated after a long two days on the road. It's good to be back with them. Their Lagoon 38 catamaran, Mucho Gusto, is on the hard only about 30 yards from Mystic. We can see each other from the top of our decks.

Mucho Gusto

Mystic

Mystic looks a bit rough in the light of day. The finish on the teak is unsalvageable and will have to be sanded out completely. We hear that teak needs hydration and applying linseed oil before varnishing may help it adhere better. The plan was to do just that; but as we sweat bullets sanding and scraping, we decide that we would, instead, clean off the varnish and apply as many coats of linseed oil as the teak would absorb. It's a slow process but the finish is looking happier and hydrated!

Scraping and sanding...my never ending story

Dirt and grim on the deck
Peeling varnish

We're staying aboard Mystic while she's on the hard at St. Augustine Marine Center. It's noisy next to the carpenter's shed. The yard workers are super busy; moving boats, sandblasting bottoms and generally hustling non-stop all day. There's never a dull moment here. At night, everything clinks and clangs and shudders, sounding somewhat like an out of tune orchestra with an abundance of strings and percussion. Several of our lines were shredded since our last visit. Dave will have to go up the mast to run new halyards, check the spreaders, and make repairs to our wind anemometer and lazy jacks. We have our work cut out for us.

In spite of our list of projects, we found time for dock tales aboard Mystic and Mucho Gusto. We also made time to explore St. Augustine and connect with local friends. Al and Lora Robarge Feldman invited us to meet them at Salt Life for Tuesday night sushi. We had a great time meandering through ld St. Augustine after dinner. Our stops included Prohibition Kitchen and Trade Winds where the band Those Guys were playing. It was Scott and Rhonda's 40th anniversary. What a great way to celebrate love and friendship!

Docktails and Nibbles

Beth & Lora at Salt Life

Trade Winds Toast

Those Guys

Rhonda, Scott, Beth & Dave at Trade Winds

Cruising Team Rogers

Rhonda, Lora, Scott, Beth, Dave & Al at Trade Winds

We take daily walks out to the Dr. Robert Hayling Park that runs along the San Sabastian River, as well as into old town St. Augustine. Scott and Rhonda join us on a driving tour of the oldest city in America, including a stop at the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

Community Garden

Garden Art

The buggy shed

Hayling Freedom Park

Hayling Park Obelisk

Hayling Park ~ The Chimes Project ~ A place to make music

Dockyard sunset

St. Augustine Light

St. Augustine Light

St. Augustine Light

We ran the St. Augustine 5K which led us over the bridge of Lions and back to Francis Field on a beautiful Sunday morning. Due to a registration snafu, I was registered twice, Dave was not registered at all. I placed 4th and 7th in my age group. Had Dave been registered correctly, he would have placed 3rd in his age group. This made us laugh. The race claims to be the most beautiful run course in Florida. It is popular run, offering a t-shirt, medal, breakfast and live music in the park at the finish. It was a lot of fun. We'd definitely run the event again.

Breakfast in the park

The more time we spend in St. Augustine, the more local we become. We are learning the shortcuts around town. We've become regulars at the hardware and grocery stores and we are recognized as residents of the boatyard. We joke about it being time to move on.