Heading South

The days dissolve in  ordered disarray.  John and I strive to maintain plans yet, the hours  laugh at us as they unfold according to their own hidden wishes.  The weather, too, changes as it desires.  The blissful balmy breeze of Thanksgiving gave way to thirty mph gales that screeched like harpies later that same night.

We are still so in love with each other and the excitement of the journey as we head for the Carolinas...However, we continually  pray for more patience and grace when the boat's walls shrink in on us...
We also continue to meet phenomenal people.  Thanksgiving day, as we prepared to search out a canned turkey, the owner of the marina we were anchored off of came in his boat and like an angelic apparition offered us free showers and a Thanksgiving feast at the marina.  Blake and Dante raced up and down the docks with other "boat kids".  Seldom have we met people so kind and giving.  They treated us like family and in true form, we feasted!

They also gave us the inside scoop on some free docking in the beautiful city of Portsmouth...right across the river from Norfolk...home to an incredible fleet of navy ships.  We are resting here until Monday morning when we will depart early and head for North Carolina.

I think we are beginning to look more like live aboards...ragged sweaters and carefree unsteady saunters...for me it finally begins to feel normal.  

Annapolis

www.flickr.com/photos/familyinabottle

The long awaited reunion finally arrived...the boat looked the same...no small miracle considering all of the men who had been living aboard...John looked completely transformed.  Bearded.  Bemused.  Beautiful.  I felt like Alice descending down the rabbit hole as we departed Cape May.  The 14 hour motor sail to Chesapeake City only deepened my sentiments of confusion.  Crossing the Delaware Canal at midnight was surreal.  I would have sworn I was dreaming except for the fact that I couldn't stop shivering.  John and I spoke of many things...too many things...childcare challenges...middle age biting....love not fading...and we followed the little white lights that led us to the city dock around 1:00 AM.  We spent the day searching for moments of surprise.  Beautiful evening picnic of pizza on the town gazebo...another grueling 9 hour motor sail to Annapolis the next day...we were all singing the diesel engine blues!  I am still perplexed at how quickly the children and the felines have adapted to this lifestyle...it seems it is hardest for me.  I desire to be barefoot, tan, and carefree yet, I am still bogged down by financial worries and tote bags filled with all sorts of nonsense.  Slow shedding of things in every port is easing the process of my freedom.  Like a snake I'm just taking the time to emerge into my new skin ...Boat people are full of personality...shooting sparks of splendor whenever they speak...truly like they are from a different planet all together. You are dubious I know, but I'll soon send some photos to prove my point!

We all took showers today...Annapolis actually has 1.00 showers reserved for sailors... FABULOUS!!!
French fries from PIPS  tasted like manna in the desert (before they tired of it)  and now Blake and I are ensconced in a magical coffee shop City Dock Cafe owned by a man with infinitely kind eyes named Gordon.  AHHHHH.  Life IS beautiful when you take the time to breathe deeply and aim for the middle.

WAITING

Asked to name one of the things that I detest the most, I would not wait a moment before shouting at the top of my lungs, WAITING! Ironically, that has been my life's paradigm these past three weeks. Women are instinctual waiters...we have waited for men to return home from the sea, from the wild, from the wars. We have waited months in pregnancy for our bodies to prepare for birth. Sometimes, we find that we have waited years for someone to change who never will. Is patience possible without surrendered waiting? Surely, patience can be active and not only passive?!

John and our two cats have arrived safely in Cape May, NJ this afternoon!!! While I am delighted at their speedy progress, I wish that we all could have been aboard as the Vindhler pulled in to that beautiful town. My parents are driving us there on Friday...we will take a few days to readjust to family survival in a living space the size of my sister's deck. Hmmmmm.

The kids got the H1N1 vaccine today. Very bizarre four hour affair. With only 400 doses, many were turned away. The whole thing was very Twilight Zone...complete with a groggy 7:00 arrival. In the front of an already long line stood a nondescript man in a nondescript suit who we were told was giving out the "numbers". He wrote down our names, how many children were with us, and told us we were number 86. Shortly before the clinic was set to open, he moved down the line bossing people about, making us all move back, checking the order of our names. A few minutes later, a mousy woman with a megaphone told us to remain calm...we would all be given a number as someone moved down the line. "WAIT A MINUTE", shouted one irate parent and then another...what about the man with the list..."WE HAVE OUR NUMBERS!" The guy with the "list" had disappeared and the clinic staff knew nothing about him. See what I mean? Very weird. If you go to any clinics look out for those bossy nondescript types with spiral notebooks asking for your name.

My next post will be from our boat...FINALLY! My sister, brother-in law, and their two beautiful girls have helped me deal with "The Great Wait"  with much patience and laughter.  The boys and I feel so loved by their kindness...My parents also have been remarkable during this time of waiting.  I love my family... Miss my friends so much...please send me an e-mail or comment.

Rebecca