And now for something completely different.

Heat wave. That’s the topic of discussion lately. It’s a real “ice breaker” if you’ll pardon the pun. The one thing I’m not quite certain about is the expression that folks feel compelled to ask at any point in time such as this, “is it hot enough for you?!”  Now… without getting too heavy handed here I’m going to call this one of the most inane expressions that I’ve personally ever heard. “Well… actually no. It’s not quite hot enough for me. Personally I think another ten or fifteen degrees would make me much happier.” But, then again… I like walking on hot coals and chewing on glass so… My friends across the country, it is my hope that you are braving this wave of heat, this… oceanic eruption of thermal interference and your family, friends and pets are safe. Colorado folks… God bless you for what you are going through.

Thunderstorm movie: As we did the dishes, relief came.

But I digress.  We’ve been in Solomon’s for almost three weeks. Spring Cove Marina is a gem. Trevor and Liz run one of the coolest establishments I’ve ever been to. It’s clean, laid back and top-notch from front to back. In that time we’ve seen the Calvert Maritime Museum (Yes… Cheap Trick is playing in Museum parking lot). We’ve done the crab cake thing. We snuck into Flag Pond State Park in the middle of the night to watch the Horseshoe Crabs mate… not one showed up. Mosquitoes and us walking in the dark discussing scenes from “Blair Witch.” We’ve been to Leonardtown, Chesapeake Beach and California… Maryland that is. We’ve been to Philly to visit mom and spend time with Dad. We’ve met some great folks who look at us and are completely baffled at just how we’re doing this.
They continually say, “You guys are living the dream.” Well we are… kinda.

Just to clear some stuff up… we’re not independently wealthy. Not even close. We’re not “roughing” it and eating sticks and leaves either. Melody was able to keep her job and she does so from the boat. As long as we have wifi, we’re good. I am not “gainfully employed” anymore and yes that weighs on my brain but I’m working on that. Getting our company Happy 2be Here producing on a larger scale is my agenda this year. As for our finances… it’s pretty simple… the marina we’re in costs us $525.00 per month and that includes electric and water. Not bad considering we have a park, a pool, private bathrooms and showers, lender’s lounge, courtesy bikes and shuttle, laundry facilities and a general store that sells everything from fiberglass to tequila. We sold a lot of stuff that produced some spending cash. We sold the house and paid off the boat. We kept my 1994 Ford Ranger (affectionately known as the Ugly-Truckling) with one-hundred and thirty thousand miles on it and we kept the dog… Jet. That’s it. The nut-shell. When you have no expenses, or should I say, minimal expenses and no children or college funds to concern yourself with, you can do something silly like go live on a boat for a year. Don’t get me wrong… we are “living the dream” or more aptly “living a dream” our dream… for a while. I like to say, we’re living the dream, on the way to the dream. That’s my phrase and no, you can’t have it. There isn’t much that’s mine left so I’d like to hold onto that.

We’re getting used to a really different lifestyle right now. The boat has been great. I don’t want for more space. I don’t feel cramped and I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing one thing. Ok, the heat wave was tough but we have an ac unit on board that kept the boat downright livable in 100 degree heat. Jet? not a worry in the world. I thought there would be an “adjustment” period where maybe he’d freak out for a while and behave badly or drive us crazy wanting off the boat. Not so. He gets up in the morning just as he did at our land house. He comes and shakes his collar at our v-berth and lets me know he’s ready to go pee. Mel and I cook a lovely breakfast, have coffee and a long walk and then she gets to work and so do I. Now this whole paragraph has been in “first person” and there’s a reason. I speak for myself. But… everyone keeps asking me “how’s Melody?” and “What’s Mel think of all this?” Well, I’m going to let her tell you in her own words. The next installment will be written by Melody we’ll all see what she really thinks!

Be well friends.