Joining the 60s Club

I’ve now officially entered my sixties and I’m excited to see what the next decade has in store. Many months before my birthday, Karen and Ray started asking me how I wanted to mark the occasion. I didn’t want a big party because I don’t like being the centre of attention, so I eventually told them I wanted to spend the day with my two best friends (which fortunately is them…otherwise it would have been an awkward conversation). And Nick, of course.

I also said I wanted the details to be a surprise. I knew we were going to an AirBnB for a couple of nights, but nothing more than that. As I was packing to go, I asked Ray if I should pack sandals and he said no, shooting down my hope that they were whisking me off to Hawaii. Instead, we drove to a beautiful AirBnb in the Kawarthas.

It was cold and very windy when we arrived, perfect weather for sitting around a cozy fireplace.

The power had been out because of a windstorm and we couldn’t figure out how to get the hot tub back up to its proper temperature. The landlord said he’d have the property manager, who happened to also be a firefighter, stop by to take a look. Not one to be easily fooled, I thought, Aha, the old “firefighter stopping by to fix the hot tub” ploy. I hadn’t had a stripper for my birthday since the year I turned 21, but surely that would count towards my 60 at 60 list! Alas, Nick figured out how to get the water to heat up and no ‘firefighter’ was needed.

Nick decided to jump in the lake even though the hot tub hadn’t yet reached its proper temperature. I’m not sure if it was colder in or out of the water, but none of us were game to join him. As you can hear in the video, the water was quite refreshing.

We were chilly in winter coats.

After dinner we played Balderdash, a game Megan claimed to be really bad at, and she was, but bad in a way that had us in hysterics. In one category, you’re given an acronym and each player makes up something that it stands for (in a bid to get the other players to guess their answer instead of the right one). One of the acronyms was PRIR so, for example, you might suggest “Puerto Rican Institute of Reform”. Megan wrote “Past Ropes of the Incredibly Rich”.
Nick: “Ropes? What does that even mean? That makes no sense!”
Megan: “I couldn’t think of an R word! Rope starts with an R!”
She won’t live that one down for a while. Having said that, she was pretty good at guessing the correct answers so she didn’t finish last.

Juno had all her favourite people in one place this weekend.

On Sunday, Megan, Nick and I took a plunge in the lake and then warmed up in the hot tub. I took a couple more (very quick) dips over the course of the day which was an invigorating way to start my 60s and celebrate my birthday. It certainly made me feel alive!

After lunch, I was told I had to leave for a half hour while they “set up”, so Tom and I took the dogs for a walk. When we returned, I had to follow a trail of clues. There were a couple of ‘phone a friend’ ones where I needed information only Lorrie or Josée could provide. The trail ended with a lock box containing their gift to me (a coupon for the three of us to visit an Escape Room in Picton).

Just a few of Lorrie and Josée’s riddles

Then I was given a whole new series of puzzles, including a crossword, a cryptogram, a Jigsaw puzzle, a custom Wordle and a custom game of Connections.

I managed to solve them all without too much trouble, aside from the final one written by Karen. She’d tried it out on Nick and Megan beforehand and they didn’t get it. Even after she’d explained it. She went ahead with it anyway, probably thinking our sister telepathy would help me out. It didn’t. I didn’t get it either. She’s just…too clever for all of us, I guess.

This time the trail of clues led me to the trunk of Karen and Tom’s SUV where I found my birthday gifts, all of which were super thoughtful. The gifts included a couple of ‘experiences’ that will help me add to my 60@60 list (they’ll likely make an appearance in a future blog post).

One of the gifts from my sister (obviously).

Evening bonfire courtesy of Nick and Megan

Nick and Megan watching the sun set

It was a wonderful weekend, cozy and introvert-friendly, but also full of love and virtual connections with friends and family, near and far, old and new. I’m grateful beyond measure for my life and the people in it.

I’ve added a few items to my 60@60 list since my last post, but I’m only a quarter of the way there and we’re almost a third of the way through the year, so I’d better pick up the pace.

#12. Sign up for Competitive Dragon Boating

For the past two summers I’ve been a member of Brighton’s Dragon Boat Club, but in the recreational league, which means you paddle a little, then stop and rest, paddle some more, stop to look at a Canada Goose and her goslings, paddle some more, stop and chat for a bit. We entered a team at a couple of festivals, but more for fun than out of any hope of performing well.

The competitive league, on the other hand, has a dedicated coach and you have an assigned spot on the boat. They enter to win. You do not stop to look at swans.

It’s definitely out of my comfort zone as I’ve never done any competitive sport. The biggest drawback is that I enjoy being on the water in the mornings and the competitive team practices in the evenings (since they’re not all retired old ladies, like the rec team). I’m also concerned about how well my aging body will handle the abuse. I’ve only committed to trying it, so we’ll see how it goes. Josée will be joining me on this challenge.

#13. Learn to Crochet

To celebrate our April birthdays, my “Little Sister” Sarah (who turned 40 this month), and I went out for lunch and then took a crochet workshop. I didn’t necessarily think I’d take up crochet as a hobby, but it was something new to try. Surprisingly, once I got past the initial frustration, I found it kind of addictive and meditative. At some point, I might crochet a thing, but for now I’m happy crocheting rows of crochet.

#14. Experience a Total Eclipse of the Sun

Brighton was on the path of totality for the solar eclipse earlier this month, so we joined Rick and Josée at their place for the eclipse viewing as they’re on the waterfront so have a nice open view. Although it was cloudy, the clouds broke up enough for us to see a partial eclipse, both before and after totality, but more impressive than that was the rapid descent into complete darkness and then back to daylight within a few minutes. It was a very cool experience.

60 at 60 list:

1. January challenge: 30 days of Flow Yoga
2. Memory challenge: Identify all 195 countries in the world on a map (using Seterra app) 
3. Sunbathe on the au naturel island
4. Try pickleball
5. Climb a waterfall
6. February challenge: study Portuguese (use Duolingo daily)
7. Initiate coffee with someone you don’t know
8. Calabogie mini-vacay with Tim & Pamela
9. Get an iPhone
10. Spa afternoon with Joanna
11. Visit Portugal with Karen
12. Sign up for competitive dragon boating (with Josee)
13. Learn to crochet (with Sarah)
14. Experience a total solar eclipse (with Ray, Rick & Josee)
15. Take a dip in an Ontario lake in April (with Nick & Megan)