A bucket-list trip to Santa Cruz Island this month reminded me of my father’s island adventure, years ago. Remembering, keeps our loved ones alive.
An Island Adventure with a Friend
Twenty-seven years ago, long-time friend, Lew Jurey, returned to California after retiring to Mississippi. An extraordinary amateur photographer, he returned to visit Catalina to capture the island’s beauty with his camera.
Martin Avadian standing at the base of Wrigley stairs. Catalina Island – Lew Jurey photo 1997
He and my father got along like long-lost buddies despite knowing one another, only a few months. They smiled, were kind to others while a bit mischievous. They could get away with being brothers despite their 27-year age difference.
I suggested Lew take my father. Lew invited me to accompany them. I could not, due to prior scheduled commitments.
By this time, my father was living in skilled nursing with dementia, likely Alzheimer’s. Like Lew, I like to stretch one’s potential instead of limiting it. Life becomes more interesting when we explore the edge. The diversion would be good for my father who functioned fairly well with support. Besides, a year earlier, I had chartered a 15-minute helicopter flight to the island due to severe motion sickness likely on the hour-long ferry trip.
I gave Lew an incentive. Take my father and I will pay for the entire trip including the helicopter flight to and from the island. Lew accepted.
Excerpts from My Father’s Walk through Alzheimer’s
Abridged excerpts from pages 223-4, “Where’s my shoes?” My Father’s Walk through Alzheimer’s, now out-of-print.
[My then-husband and I] agreed to meet Lew at the skilled nursing facility at 4:30 a.m. … we were surprised to see Mardig fully dressed and ready to go… A palette of orange, pink, and brown strokes previewed the March sunrise. Lew took a few pictures of my father and us with this colorful backdrop. We exchanged hugs and wished both of them well.
… Lew and Mardig drove away. It was like seeing our child leaving for summer camp. We were a little nervous because we didn’t know what to expect. We hoped for the best. Lew and Mardig would drive down to the port in Long Beach to board a helicopter—my father’s first flight in one.
When the Helper becomes the “Helpee”
The unexpected happened. Instead of Lew being my father’s support, my father had to assist Lew. Twisting to reach for his camera bag, Lew tweaked his back toward the end of a glass-bottom boat tour. In paralyzing pain, a youthful 60-year-old turned to an 87-year-old to help him out of the boat with help from the crew. My father carried Lew’s camera gear and bag for the rest of the day. Despite severe pain, Lew and my father continued exploring before returning home.
Motion Sickness? Visiting the American Galapagos
I’ve declined invitations to go on cruises, from large ships and yachts, to small boats. Standing on the Santa Monica or Ventura piers, looking down at the waves, would make my stomach feel queasy. Over the years, my motion-sickness has varied. I finally mustered enough courage to sail the “high seas” aboard the Island Packers’ newest boat, a catamaran. Living on the edge, I prepared. One dose of non-drowsy Dramamine the night before (to get it into my system). Then two, the following morning, about an hour before we left the harbor. I drank lots of water after reading that hydration is key to reducing motion sickness. My body cooperated and I crossed off another bucket-list item.
The Channel Islands
While Lew and my father visited Catalina, the best-known and most developed of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of California, Santa Cruz is the largest. It was a one-and-a-half-hour journey from the Ventura harbor extended by 30 minutes as we enjoyed some whale sightings.
As I walked along the trail on this rugged island, I smiled recalling my father’s and Lew’s adventure nearly thirty years earlier.
Photos and videos are available on my Facebook page: Brenda Avadian’s Santa Cruz Island Adventure on Facebook (You can access this direct URL with or without a Facebook account. For now, click the X to exit the sign-in prompt.)
YouTube Videos
More videos are available on YouTube. Click here to view the first five short videos on Sailing with Island Packers to Santa Cruz Island.
Reflecting further upon my father’s and Lew’s island adventure, I wrote in “Where’s my shoes?”
Days later, Lew wrote a detailed diary of their journey and gave us a duplicate set of the pictures he took featuring my father at the Catalina Casino, the Wrigley Museum and grounds, and during the glass-bottom boat tour. He also gave us a photo album and colorful stationery of seashells and images of the sea. Afterward we assembled a beautiful keepsake of my father’s excursion to Catalina Island.
By remembering, we keep our loved ones alive and in our hearts.
For more, visit: The 25th Anniversary of “Where’s my shoes?” My Father’s Walk through Alzheimer’s
