It’s been a long time since we last wrote. So much has
happened in that space of time. So much has changed, yet here we are again, rocking
gently at anchor off a pristine beach in the Bahamas. This life has become the “normal”
life, not the frenetic chase of time we experience in the USA. Here, we have a
chance to slow down and sort through the memories and experiences of the last
several months.
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| Shell Beach, Great Harbour Cay, Berry Islands in the Bahamas |
Chesapeake Apology
The summer started as all our recent summers have: a voyage to the
Chesapeake. We visited places we’ve been before (Baltimore, Annapolis,
Washington DC) and visited with friends we’ve made and the few relatives
scattered about. We didn’t write much about this period, since so much of it was
similar to what we’ve written before and we were simply enjoying ourselves too
much to take the time. We can be lazy.
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| Another interesting trip to the Smithsonian |
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| Our Junior Paleontologist at camp |
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| Jeanette reunites with Lucia, a great friend in Wash DC |
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| A perfect fall experience in Fresno - a week before Thanksgiving |
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| Trick or Treat with cousin Ethan in Florida |
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| Visit from a manatee to our boat while docked in the Bahamas. It chewed on our dinghy line until it was clean! |
Europe!
Near the end of our visit to DC, I began to get the sneaking suspicion that
things appeared to be headed off course. We’d spent several months making plans
to spend a year in Europe when our time with the boat came to an end in
May/June 2016. We’d decided that while we love being out on the ocean, Europe
beckoned. It was exciting to research where we’d live in Amsterdam, Paris,
Montpelier, Lisbon, and Florence. Such grand names and incredible pageantry of
history. By living in each of these places for at least a couple months, we’d
get the full indoctrination - we’d soak up cultures, cuisine and climates. We
bought the tickets. We had a plan.
Europe?
Then, everything changed. It started out innocently enough with a dinner in Maryland. A University wanted Beth to do some consulting. They needed her to start in April
2016. Decision time.
Maryland!
Suddenly we were thrust into a frenzied search for high
schools and then homes that reside in the desirable school districts. We would have to
commit at least five years of our life to living in Maryland. That wasn’t the plan! We were supposed to return to Florida in 2017! We had a house waiting for us in
Jupiter! We had gotten rid of all our cold weather gear and clothes! Snow was a
distant, fading memory.
By the time we reached Florida in November, Beth had an
offer from the university and we proceeded to blow up all our plans. By mid-month, we’d even found a new home for our wonderful boat. We signed a
contract to deliver the boat in April 2016. Our boating existence had an end
point and a signature enforcing it.
A Shattering Coincidence
The week before Thanksgiving, we took a quick trip to Fresno to visit my family who hadn't all gathered together in years. It was a great time, if a bit short. Then, the Friday after Thanksgiving, while we were driving to
visit Beth’s brothers in Delray Beach, we got the phone calls that shook our
life. First, my sister called me to deliver the news that my mom had suffered a stroke that morning, had lapsed into a coma, and wasn’t
expected to recover. We immediately turned around and while I was packing for the airport, Beth received a call from her
brother saying her dad had suffered a massive heart attack. Jeanette lost both
her surviving grandparents in that fateful hour. It was sudden. It was
unexpected. It was devastating.
Once again, plans changed. We were within days of leaving
for the Bahamas, but instead I was flying back to Fresno while Beth stayed in
Florida. It wasn’t easy dealing with my mother’s death, but it was made
infinitely better by knowing we’d left Fresno just four days earlier after
enjoying a family celebration with my mother in her best form. Timing is
everything. My mother had one of us next to her from the moment she experienced
the first shattering headache to the time she drew her last breath. At 87, she’d
lived a full life we can only envy.
It was much the same for Beth’s father. He was never alone.
After Beth and Jeanette flew out to Fresno for my mother’s service, we returned
for Beth’s father’s. Now we were free to sail off east and search for solace
amongst the deserted beaches and gentle rocking of the anchorages.
Christmas
We spent this Christmas with our friends on two other family boats
(Rollick and Water Lily) off a beautiful beach of Hoffmann’s Cay in the Berry
Islands of the Bahamas. We’ve never been here, and are enjoying making new
memories. The highlight has been jumping into the local blue hole, which is located a short hike inland.
As an “early” present to myself, I've acquired the
photographic equipment necessary to capture 360 degree panoramic spheres. It’s
basically a fisheye lens that I take a lot of pictures with and use software to
stitch it together. I’ll post another blog on the process. Using this
equipment, I can take pictures that allow you to look in all directions. I hope
they do a better job of sharing our experience.
Stranded At Low Tide in Great Harbor Cay
