THE FIRST HALF

A trip, not a life.

This is a departure (pun intended) from my usual posts and I thought of waiting until later for a new post. I thought about that and said, why wait, it’s been a week and there are some readers who might enjoy something different, so here it is.

There are numerous travelers among the Substack community,  One whom I admire and enjoy is Peter Tremain as he documents his global, solo journey.  “The Destination is Now”   I admire his travel style and his encounters along the way.  He travels light!  Hoping I might interview Peter in the coming months and share it here.

I do not pretend to be a travel expert or much of a travel writer and receive no benefits from mentioning any place we have visited, except the comfort offered by their accommodations or transport.  My better half is big on comfort and convenience. I admit that while it costs a little extra, we’re willing to pay extra for those benefits.

We have had the pleasure and challenges of travel to many places over the past 25 years, including much of the U.S., eastern Canada including the Maritimes, Mexico, and several countries in Europe.  That was easier when we lived in London for two years although we had been to the U.K. France and Italy previously.

This past February we spent 3 weeks in Brazil, Argentina and Chile, barely touching the surface. We had a good taste of those countries and their cultures. I wrote about those visits back in March .

We are currently in the middle of a 10 day “quick trip” from Mexico, where we live, to Boston, Nantucket, Cambridge and New York City.  Some of our travels are family related as is this one. 

For the airport and airplane geeks, we began at the Guanajuato International Airport, BJX, flew on an Embraer 190 via Aeromexico, to Atlanta Hartsfield, ATL, and from there on a Delta 757 to Boston, BOS.  Thence, (love that word) to Hyannis, coffee with fellow Substacker Don Boivin, and a fast ferry to Nantucket on Hyline’s Grey Lady. Her speed comes from four KTA50M2 Cummins diesel engines spinning four Hamilton water jets through Reinjtes gearboxes. The engines can propel her at up to 38 knots (44 mph), though her normal service speed is 31 knots (36 mph).

Three days on Nantucket at the Wauwinet, An Inn By the Sea, about 5 minutes from my daughter and son-in law’s summer house. The visit and tour at the Whaling Museum was worth the couple of hours there, fascinating history of both whaling and the island.  A drive on the beach to Great Point, seeing seals and nesting gulls another high point. Yesterday, Cape Air on a Cessna 402, 8-seater with 5 people and one pilot, Tony, for a 45 minute flight back to Boston at about 4,000’. Here, in Cambridge, we will see some grandchildren and our first glimpse of a great grandson, who will be 8 months old next week. Planning to visit the JFK library and museum today and a dinner tonight with 6 others in our extended family.

Here’s an illustration of the kindness of strangers on the street.

S. had a bit of an episode in the heat and fainted right here in Harvard Square.  A young couple emerged from the crowd, offered their assistance, brought some cold water, walked us around the corner to a waiting Uber and made sure we were OK.  We asked them where they were from and they said Spain.  We thanked them without getting their names, told them they were angels in disguise. That’s one of the joys of traveling, helping others, and being helped, taking time with an act of genuine kindness and caring.  This is what makes the world better everywhere.  Next week, for those interested, I’ll post the the second half of this trip with a different perspective.  To be continued…