Settling into land life again is, as expected, proving to be both a little harder and a little easier than expected. We didn't go wandering on Kintala until years after our girls had all grown and headed off on their own life's journey. Leaving behind nothing but some possessions wasn't an issue at all. In fact it gave us an excuse for lightening the burden of “stuff” that we Americans are so good and getting buried under. Since we were not leaving family in the sense of leaving people we had seen every day for years, it was a grand adventure.
More than a decade passed between the time we headed out on Kintala as full time cruisers and heading out on First Light as Looper Lites to get the boat back to Saint Louis. During that time on land we had the extreme good fortune of up living as part of the extended family of Daughter and Son-in-Law Middle parent to six of our grandkids. Leaving them, even knowing it was for a limited time, wasn't easy. That feeling faded a little as we worked our way north and west, though it never went away. I think it is fair to say that, once we made the turn at the north end of Lake Michigan, the need to get home started to grow again. By the time we hit the river system it was likely the reason we put in some tough long days, just to make miles.
Last night was only our second night back. We both still wake up in the dark trying to figure out where we are. On the one hand my groggy mind thinks we must slipped the hook and run aground since the berth isn't moving and the background noise is wrong. Last night it took me a while to figure out that the trip was indeed over and I was actually in our bed in St. Louis.
On the other hand I still have to put a hand on the shower wall because the floor under my feet feels like it is shifting and the walls appear to be tilting some. We are still digging stuff out of storage and are trying to remember where they belong in this giant two room apartment. I had to add another hanger to make room for the Ukulele I bought somewhere along the trip. Which was good because the one Uke wall to the right of my chair had always been a little out of balance. Now it is looking pretty good.
The two youngest girls and I have already started playing games while the two grandsons joined in watching last week's MOTO GP race. It will be a lot of fun watching the rest of the season with them. Yesterday Granddaughter Eldest rode with us back to the boat and helped us bring back some more stuff. It was the first time she had seen the boat. I'm sure there will be plans to start doing some “pleasure boating” soon though, sometime in the next few days, I will get started on getting First Light in some kind of shape. A long day of cleaning and scrubbing will go a ways into making her look like a boat that is cared for once again.
But the strangest and most unexpected aspect of being back is that there is nothing that needs done. There is no schedule to keep, no weather that needs checking, no plans that have to be made to get through the next few days. Water and electricity are always available at the twist of a knob or flip of a switch. I don't care how hard the wind blows or how much it rains. I have to admit to liking living on a boat, traveling, seeing new things, and facing the challenges of being safe and smart. But this is some pretty good living as well. I am in no hurry to give it up again. Without a doubt I am one of the luckiest people on the planet in that I get to experience both.
No comments:
Post a Comment