From Nantucket to Virginia

Did you know there is over 30 gallons of sperm oil in the head of a sperm whale? And that whaling ships would be gone for many years before returning to  towns like Cape Cod or Nantucket or New Bedford with their holds full of over 75,000 pounds of oil. The whales were frequently bigger than the ships that caught them. Much of the work to get them on board was cutting them up beforehand.

Once the oil was removed from the head of a dead whale, the head was removed and then the skin and blubber was removed in a spiral fashion. Sections of the blubber were brought on board then sliced like bread to form “books” of blubber.  These were boiled on board in a huge vat to extract the oil. Large barrels of oil were put in the deep hold of the ship.  The baleen, the spiny screen in the jaws of the whale was brought back and used for many things like corsets for women, umbrellas, and whips.

Whale bones and weapons used to kill whales.

Whale jaws

Whaling ended in the U.S. because of the more reliable availability of kerosene, petroleum, and other fuels. It was outlawed in the U.S. in 1971 due to over 8 species of whales going extinct. Today most whaling is done by Norway for meat and Japan for scientific study (that is a ruse used by Japan to legitimize their whaling industry).

The ferry was the only way to get to Nantucket and the Whalers Museum. It was cool that day and we took the bikes but because the streets were busy, we ended up walking our bikes more than riding them. Cape Cod is a good place for long walks and biking along beautiful coasts. I had one more lobster dinner and more incredible lobster stew before we said goodbye.

Nantucket coast

Nantucket from the clock tower

Bar Harbor bike trail

Creamy, rich, lobster stew

We were there until September 28^th  and then we drove to Reston, Virginia to be near Greta’s family for the weekend. From Cape Cod to Reston was the longest ride we had done in one day since starting this journey. During the trip we were between a cement highway divider and a semi-truck that got too close and hit our passenger side mirror, knocked it sideways, and put a big dent in it. Arriving in Reston was the first time we had to back into an RV site in the dark which we do not like. Setting up takes just minutes- hooking up hoses for water and gray tank, plugging into the electric box.

We had 2 days with Greta, Mike, Lexi and Chase. We did an Oktoberfest, a chocolate chip pancake morning the kids always insist on doing when I am there. And we had a quiet day of playing Uno, visiting and an incredible and memorable dinner at Conch, thanks to Mike. I walked the littles to their bus stop the next morning. They are 8 and soon to be 6 – where did the time go?

Her first funnel cake

Chase loves his ice cream

Lexi went all the way to the top

Now we are slightly north east of Richmond, back in the RV park where we started our journey seven months ago.  It seems like a long time ago. We like Richmond -it feels like home. Steve had a good day golfing with his friend Dan. 

Dan and Steve relaxing in the RV after golfing.

We spent a day biking Belle’s island and the Memorial bridge and watching kayaks fight the raging James River that is higher  and faster than usual. Then we drove to Dorey Park to ride in a shady, forested area of the Capital Trail. We did over 14 miles that day. We talk about getting in shape to do the whole 52 miles of the Capital Trail from Richmond to Williamsburg—maybe? Another day we did about 6 miles out of Richmond on the Capital Trail. The problem for me is that the first few miles from Richmond is mostly uphill. The trail from Dorey Park east is gloriously wooded and mostly flat.

In Richmond, the Civil War Museum is a new development- unfinished but it has some rooms open. When we rode our bikes to Belle’s Island and to the old Tredeger Iron Work sites , where most of the canons and bullets used by the Confederacy were made, I saw the sign for the American Civil War Museum. I could not help but think about our current American Civil War and how concerned we feel on a daily basis for the survival of the most sacred values of this country.

A new addition in Richmond- not finished but still has some educational rooms.

Some of the hard part of last week of September was remembering that a year ago my dad got his diagnosis of rampant lymphoma the week before our wedding. Two days after the wedding we rushed out to Ohio to see him and spent 3 days with him including bringing him home from the hospital. The doctors had warned of dire consequences of chemo to his heart but he was bleeding into his stomach and there seemed no other options but to take a chance chemo would stop that. Four days after chemo he seemed to be doing fine so he was discharged and Steve and I drove him home.

So after 10 days in the hospital he came home and paid bills and did some chores around the house and took a nap every day. We left and went back to Virginia Saturday. He did not sound good -was all breathless- on the phone Monday morning so Steve bought me a ticket back to Ohio that very day. I had two more good days with him. He ate well, took small walks twice a day that really winded him. He complained about feeling “so weak” to the many people who called to check on him. Most likely he was still bleeding internally- just a different place that we could not see. So when he did not appear Thursday morning for breakfast I found him in bed - his body in a peaceful position but he was gone. It was one of the hardest days of my life.

A year and a day later – last Saturday- my brother Tim- we had seen him this summer in Michigan at the cabin- had a heart attack. He had stents put in and minimal heart damage. We are grateful. That same day we spent 6 hours at the Virginia State Fair with Garvey and Polette.  Garvey and Polette had "unlimited ride bracelets" and they did many rides- some of them over and over. This grandma was worn out at the end of the day.

Grandma cannot do the rides that go round and round!

Two happy munchkins

I have plenty of time to read and have read more books this year than during the previous ten. A really good book I recently read is the true story of a man who was a spy for the opposition to the Nazi’s during WWII. “Beneath a Scarlet Sky”  reminded me of the difference between “nationalism” and “patriotism”.

In WWII in Germany the non-Jews had a choice- become a nationalist or a patriot. The nationalists signed up for jobs with the Nazi party, killing and torturing Jews, disabled people, gays, and mentally impaired people. They told themselves it was for their country and it was legal. On the other hand, the patriots became spys, smuggled Jews over the Alps and into other safe places. Oscar Schindler turned his business into a refuge for Jews. They wanted to do the right thing regardless of what the law of the lands dictated. I think the difference between nationalists and patriots is a part of the current civil divide in this country.