And we're off - - like a herd of turtles

When I was growing up we camped a lot. My dad was a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and he had most summers off so we packed up camping gear in our little VW beatle and off we went, often for weeks at a time. His famous saying as we pulled out of the driveway, our rooftop carrier and single-wheel trailer packed to the gills, was "Annnnndddd we're off...like a herd of turtles." Being the mother of an etymologist/philosopher, and the granddaughter of same, I'm always interested in word meanings, history, and phrase origin. This one has a variety of interpretations, but the one my dad meant was that while we might be slow to start and very slow uphill, we would still win the race in tortoise and hare style.

How appropriate then, after 6-1/2 years of preparation, nearly three months on the hard, and a false start in the water, that my first thought as we pulled off the dock this morning was, "And we're off..."

Thanks to all of you who encouraged these last few weeks, who were positive and upbeat when we could not be, who dug in and helped, who reminded us why we were doing this. We would not be here in this beautiful anchorage this evening were it not for you.