Almost Gonna Start to get Closer to Starting

We’re slowly, but surely, getting closer to cruising!

We’ve been traveling for the past 2-1/2 weeks, away from the boatyard, but we’re headed back tomorrow.  And the best news is that the boat may be ready to splash next Tuesday.

We’ve basically been living out of our car for the past 2-1/2 weeks.  It was packed tightly with our winter coats & clothes & heaters, which we left in Birmingham AL a couple days ago at our storage locker, in exchange for our summer clothes.

We left Southport over 2 weeks ago to first spend a week at a resort in Florida for a lot of R & R.  It was a very relaxing week, and I only got wrapped up in boatyard issues for one day.  Sue thought I had forgotten how to relax and do nothing, but I quickly showed her that old dogs can learn new tricks!

Then we drove our poor little car (now pushing 220,000 miles) to New Orleans, where I had some more MOHS microsurgery to remove 2 spots on my head.  They were not stitched closed, so I now literally have 2 holes in my head, covered tightly in bandages so my brains won’t fall out.  In New Orleans, we also spent time with our son & his family, and our wonderful ideal perfect can-do-no-wrong granddaughter.  Their new house is looking really nice, and may be ready for its new occupants in June.

After stopping in Birmingham to trade clothes, we continued north to Lynchburg TN (a.k.a. “Mecca” for all you Jack Daniels folks) to visit our boating friends Leigh & Clint.  We traded sea stories (most of which were true), and made plans to get together with our boats around October when we’ll be heading south down the inland rivers from Chicago.

The next stop was Chattanooga TN to visit Sue’s mother, who is still holding her own.  We again were invited to stay at Susan & John’s home, even though they were not at home.  Instead, they were traveling in Europe on a long, well-earned vacation.  But John still left me a list of chores to do around the house!

When we get back to North Carolina, it will be Sue’s turn to see the dermatologist in Wilmington for removal of 2 spots of potential skin cancer.  So, as we start cruising, we both will have to change bandages or remove stitches on the other.

It’s been a significant effort to plan our upcoming trip around the eastern half of the US, especially through Canada with their charts, rock-strewn waterways, dollar exchange rates, and Canadian/US Customs.  I can’t imagine how some of these “Loopers” travel the entire loop in less than a year.  I don’t think that I could learn so quickly all the information about charts, navigation, marinas to stay, anchorages to visit, lock operations, water levels, weather patterns, customs requirements, etc, etc  to the point where I’m comfortable heading out each morning.  But by now, we know the boat’s capabilities and our own, and we’re ready to start heading north.