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Our first solo sail adventure aboard our Kaleo in Galveston Bay. Looking forward to many more!
Intrigued by the shrimp boat & wished they'd share with us.
A little afternoon dancing on deck.
We tossed aside the dock lines this afternoon & set sail for nowhere in particular ... just a relaxing, fun & confidence-boosting adventure.
No, we're not smuggling hot captains across Galveston Bay. Today I walked up into the cockpit to find Matt down in the port side lazarette changing the zincs in the engine (prevents the sea water from corroding the cooling system). Just when I'm convinced he's contorted himself into every nook & cranny of our boat, he always seems to find new places to explore. I love this face!
Our friends Tim & Diann aboard their beautiful Catalina 28, Coquette.
Transgrape Race course board. It's a long one!
Deck hands at the helm.
A day that blessings are made of! We started the day sailing in the annual Transgrape Race on Lake Grapevine with our friends, Tim & Diann, aboard their speedy Coquette. After a great race, Matty took me by Casa Bellamini before ending the evening watching our wedding video that had come in that day and it is uh-mazing! Thank you God for giving me this awesome man.
We're standing on a cusp right now, looking forward to the journey of a lifetime.And we desire to start that life a little different than some. Our dream is to take some time to experience the world, to slow down, reset our expectations of things to come and enjoy the world that God created.
Someday soon our plan is to, at least for a while, cast off the lines in search of adventure and sail about the world. The ultimate goal is to change our perspectives forever. This cruising lifestyle, as it's called, is not a permanent vacation, nor an escape from our lives, nor running away. Rather, it is running (or sailing) toward the life we want to define for ourselves, creating the environment that will build our bond for a lifetime together.
We have certainly heard plenty of reasons not to but as one fellow cruiser put it: "The best reason 'not to' is because you will be forced to face the unknown. You will meet challenges that you may not be able to solve with the skills you have already learned." You may only overcome some circumstances with ingenuity, perseverance, and the grace of God.
Through the joys and challenges of sailing about the world in our modest little house we will be forced to solve problems in ways that draw us closer together, see people's lives wholly different than our own, and interact with a world full of people that most never folks never know exist.
Our own desires are not the only driver for this lifestyle, as we would like to help and serve the people we meet and share experiences with along the way. The ultimate calling of this service will be to show and share the life-changing message of Jesus.
Plus lounging on a few pristine white sand beaches will be nice :)
For more details about our plans and follow our progress return here.
"There are two options in a person's life -- reflection and action. One is an opportunity to think about it, the other an opportunity to live it."
With all the buzz about buying our little ship and moving her to the new marina, we forgot to mention that we picked a name for her: Kaleo (ka-lay-o) which is a Greek word from the New Testament. It has a few meanings depending on the context of the verse but overall it means there is a sense of privilege that is bestowed on believers who were once far away, who are now given a new status in the Lord. There is also a sense of mission. This isn't a list; it's a responsibility of carrying out a life of service that is contrasted to the ways of the world. It is also a sense of permanency. Once a believer is called, there is a sense of completion by the hand of God.
We woke up to our last morning aboard Thalia today and with heavy hearts we dingied ashore to return to land life. What a treat it has been to share this experience and we are so grateful to Lisa & Kirk for their generous hospitality, enlightening conversation & patience with our endless questions about their incredible lifestyle.
Spent the afternoon in D.C. walking the National Mall & Memorial Parks.
Meandered through the Smithsonian & caught a 3-D IMAX show
At just about the farthest walking point from where we parked, we got caught in a pretty rough thunderstorm. With a mix of running, walking to catch our breath, & laughing at the ridiculousness of it all - we returned to the car soaked like wet puppy dogs. Changed clothes, stopped for dinner, headed to the airport & slept like babies the entire flight home.
We spent the day exploring the "sailboat capital of the world", downtown Annapolis with Kirk and Lisa. We strolled through the local shops, made our way past "Ego Alley" and they treated us to lunch at McGarvey's along the city dock. We lounged on deck this evening with a stack of "TravelTopics" questions, learned more about each other, enjoyed the conversation and read as the sun set.
Another glorious day of sailing The Chesapeake Bay! We have so much respect and appreciation for Kirk and Lisa "showing us the ropes" (pun intended).
We woke up with daylight, shared morning greetings and breakfast, and even borrowed the dingy to row over to a little island we could see across the way. We spent the rest of the day learning, asking a zillion questions, and listening with intent to our Captain and Admiral :o)
Tonight, we anchored up in the Chester River. We took this pic of the moon looking up through the windows of our state room. A day and eve well spent!
An amazing beginning to our sailing excursion of the Chesapeake Bay! We started the day with a fun breakfast at Chick & Ruth's Delly in downtown Annapolis before meeting up with Lisa & Kirk at Weems Creek. We dingied out to tour the beautiful "Thalia" and put away our small amount of gear.
We then all dingied back to shore & headed into town for lunch & to Trader Joe's to stock up on "provisions". Once we returned to the boat & settled in, we set the sails & headed out past Thomas Point lighthouse toward our first night's anchoring near near High Island up the Hrode River.
We officially started sailing lessons today! Mariner Sails of Dallas offers a great, complimentary sailing course consisting of five sessions - three 2-hour evening lecture sessions held at Mariner Sails and two on-the-water sessions held out at Hobie Point on Lake Lewisville).
If you haven't already seen it, check out The Bucket List! While it's always a treat to get wrapped up in Morgan Freeman's emotiveness and Jack Nicholson's witty ways, this movie has sparked a pop culture flame that is igniting people to create their own Bucket Lists. A few that top my list are: And you?
