Filling in the blanks

Every once in a while, I go back and read through some of my old posts to make sure I’m not repeating myself or rehashing the same old stuff. You know, like those GQ or Cosmo pieces that come out every year; 10 Secrets to Rock-Hard Abs or The Art of Getting It On.

Actually, I should take a cue from them and recycle my own articles on sex and rock-hard abs. Here’s the thing, I don’t have a single article about either one. But I digress.

In my last post, We tried. We really did, while catching you all up on the latest happenings, I noticed that I left out some stuff and I thought I’d fill in some of the blank space.

I mentioned that we returned to the states in order to reconnect with family and friends, and because it was getting harder to travel with Jet.

I didn’t mention that my father had begun to lose his long battle with Parkinsons. He was in serious decline when we got back. He passed on April 1, just a few months shy of his 90th birthday.

In my heart, I know I need to write something about my dad, but I have no idea how or where to begin. I’m not certain this is even the right place on which to do so. Either way, it will take more time.

I also mentioned that we bought a 1973 Halberg-Rassy Rasmus. Yep, we bought a forty-six-year-old boat.

In the post, it came off as though we just bought it because it was the first boat we could find. The reality is, it’s been one of my dream boats for a long time. We’ve never pulled the trigger on one because they’ve been way out of our price range and we already had a boat.

Also, for the longest time, Melody feared a Rasmus might be tad too small to live on. Now… after living on our Cal for six years and then living out of a suitcase for two, she’s a pro at living small and she absolutely loves our Rasmus.

The only thing I find myself missing is the separate shower stall on our Cal. We didn’t use it much but it sure comes in handy when you’re anchored out on those chilly days. We have plans to install a cockpit shower with hot and cold water and that should help. Right now, it’s not an issue as we are in a lovely marina with killer bathrooms and showers.

These days, we get all kinds of questions about why we went smaller. To be clear, our Rasmus is 35 feet long (38 with the bowsprit). Our Cal was also 35 feet, but a more modern design with a lot more beam (width). The Rasmus also has an aft cabin and a large cockpit, which shrinks down our salon area so it feels like we’re living in a 28 foot boat. Twenty-eight feet? Yikes!

Honestly, for us, it doesn’t feel cramped (I didn’t ask Jet for his input here). We do however shy away from inviting people over for drinks, lest they think we’re totally weird for living in such a small area.

Recently we had family passing through and they came by the marina for a quick stop to see us and the boat. The kids came running down the dock and stopped short at the stern of our boat. One looked up at Mel and said, “That’s your house? It’s so small! BORING!”

We’re getting used to those reactions. People being a little freaked out by how small our space is.

The truth is, Melody and I have become really good at living small. We know what works and what doesn’t. We’ve made peace with the implied trade-offs. We happily gave up some creature-comforts in order to have a completely paid-for space, handsome salaries for location independence, and a stock-pile of possessions for adventures. Our goal is to live simply and debt-free. It’s taken seven-years, but I believe we got it dialed in.

We have begun to re-configure the boat to make it work for us. We cut out the old icebox and installed refrigeration. We redid the counter tops, faucets, sink, and installed some custom drawers. It’s a work in progress and we are slowly transforming this old girl into the perfect escape pod.

Speaking of escapes and pods, I also failed to mention that while on terra firma, we are no longer traveling by shoeleather express. We bought a car! An old car. It’s not quite 46 years old, but close. And, we affectionately dubbed it the Adventure Pod.

As fall approaches, we’re making plans to escape the cold. No more January winters in the northeast for us.

Melody has a booth at the Annapolis Boat show where she’ll be selling her nautical bracelets and as soon as that week is over, we’re pulling the boat here in Solomons and heading cross country! Yep, our traveling band of gypsies is going on tour!

Stay tuned for more details and hit us up if you’re available to have a cup of coffee or a cold beer. We’d love to see you!