Wind, Wind, Wind and Gray, Gray, Gray. And Chilly, Cold,
Cold, Snarky, Snarky
The sun DID come out today and we all couldn’t figure out
what was happening it has been so long since we’d seen it. Thank goodness our
buddy boat friends rescued us – again – from each other and another dreary day
on the cold boat.
We dinghied to shore, walked and walked to the hardware
store to drop off our propane tank then walked and walked some more to the
liquor store. Went to the beach. Waves were small breakers but very frequent
and really windy. We all congratulated ourselves on being in a good anchorage
and not in the ocean.
We, mostly David and I, lugged our heavy collection of wine
and alcohol back to the hardware store. There we bought a new propane tank and
hitched a ride with one of the store staff back to the PO across from the
dinghy. Made it in time to buy
stamps and mail our property tax check assuring that it will get there before
due date. Phew! Back in the dinghy and home to Grace.
Friends came aboard for wine and dip that Jayne made and
gave us. Warm, Cozy friends. They left and David and I had small dinner and a
long conversation about our boating, aging future.
David learned that James Brown is thinking to sell his
Nauticat. It is like ours with a much newer engine and some “improvements” like
a shower and a composting toilet. It is in Boot Key. He asked that I just “go
with” the fantasy of us buying it (a water home in ME and one in FL) for a few
minutes. I tried. Couldn’t really do it. Not while being stuck for several days
in grey, cold weather on a cold, small boat in a strange harbor - pond of
water, really, not a harbor with facilities.
Really, a boat in FL, a boat and a house in ME and a lot in
FL???!? And not any boatS but two live-aboard boatS. How are we to support such
lavishness, financially or geographically? Especially after just dipping into
investments to pay property taxes in Maine? Sell the ME house? Possibly. But
I’m not ready to give up my land-based home. I doubt that I’ll ever be ready to
give up a land-based home. My
sense of security is dramatically tied to land. David has been telling people I
want to get back to gardening. That is partly true. But those are his words for
why I want to get home to ME, the reason HE can think of. I want to get to my
house – from which I expect to eliminate lots of stuff so that I feel more
mobile and it is more rentable for future adventures away – to the land and
plants and neighbors and friends and earth/dirt. I’m not interested in loosing
that earth connection.
We ended the
conversation with neither of us pleased. Not sure of the future of these
machinations. I appreciate David’s thinking about how to not live in Maine in
the winters, and we both know living on Grace
(without the travel) is way more affordable than any additional house, owned or
rented. And we agree that the down and back travel is to be avoided somehow. We
talked about buying a small powerboat for Maine and putting Grace on the hard in the south in the
summer months. Lots to consider
and options to discover and play with. But the notion of purchasing another
live-aboard boat and getting rid of land-based home in order to afford it? Not a good time to bring that
possibility up after 4 dreary cold days on the hook, dependent upon others to
get to land.
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