Sisters

And "Bad Sisters!"

Orcas Island Hats October 2025

Dear Dementia,

I’ve got three sisters. I am going to guess you’re familiar with them. Twins, almost 9 years younger than me and the “baby” almost 13 years younger. They grew up together and now they are all grown up.

I grew up with my three brothers, the only girl in the family for 9 years. Just one of those brothers remains after you claimed the others. My sisters and I visited him last week on our way to our “Every Now and Then Sister’s Getaway.” We didn’t invite him, and for that, I’m pretty sure he’s grateful.

This particular get-together originated after we watched the TV series "Bad Sisters.” The series revolves around five Irish sisters and their adventures. I won’t say too much about it except that if you marry an Irish woman with multiple sisters, it behooves you to be on your best behavior.

In the series, the sisters have a ritual of swimming at the Forty Footers, a year round swimming spot just south of Dublin. The water there is routinely between 43 and 55 degrees. In they go, gasping and laughing and having conversations no one else can hear. We couldn’t make it to Dublin together, but we felt like a cold plunge was a ritual we needed right about now.

We headed to Orcas Island in the San Juans. Water temperature 52 degrees. The house we rented was on the water, everywhere breathtaking views of the Salish Sea, and a beach just a block down the road.

Not quite bright and early on the first morning, we donned our swimsuits, bathing caps, swimmer’s coats and headed out. We convinced a man who was enjoying the view from his warm car to take our photo as we peeled off our coats and headed into the sea. We gasped, we laughed, we splashed and we got out.

It was what it was. Four Irish sisters, running headlong into the sea, the cold making us feel more alive, more connected, more grateful.

I’m the oldest in the family now, and truth to be told, quite bossy. I’ve always been this way, even before you claimed my older brother, and I have something to tell you - leave them alone, all of them: the brother waving goodbye to us as we headed to the sea and the three women gasping and laughing in that sea

Ann