Daily Archives: October 18, 2012

There’s just one thing…

After nearly six months aboard Escape Velocity we can say without hesitation that we love our new life. EV is plenty big enough; we’re gradually figuring out what we need on board and where to keep it; we’re happy we can have our bikes with us and so far they’ve weathered the elements; we enjoy exploring new places, both long and short term. Sometimes I stand on the bow and look at the houses ashore and the busy life of the waterway and I feel so lucky to be on my own front porch with an ever-changing view.

There’s just one thing we both agree is not what we expected. It feels like to many of our friends and family we have ceased to exist. We don’t think it’s intentional, but people we were in frequent social contact with no longer email or call just to chat. When we reach out they tell us they’re avidly following the blog — and we appreciate that — but it’s a one-way street. We miss hearing the day-to-day details of their lives, how the kids and grand kids are, the health concerns, the ups and downs of work, plans for the future. We miss the lively political discussions.

We love getting feedback on the blog, but what we really miss is the conversational back-and-forth that keeps relationships fresh and changing.

Most of our peeps are on Facebook, and thank goodness for that! Facebook is the asynchronous equivalent of a casual dinner party and we can say we know pretty much what’s going on in the lives of those friends and family. We get to see photos of them, the places they go and the things they do, the issues they care about. We interact, even if it’s a quick “like” on something they post or we post, meaning “I see you. I’m thinking about you.” We feel connected. But many of our family and friends choose not to participate in the social network, and we miss them.

The funny thing is, we have more communication with some blog readers we’ve never even met than with some of our old friends and family members. We think back to before we transitioned to this life. We were avid readers of several blogs and email lists. At first we only lurked, but as time went on I wrote to various people expressing our appreciation or asking for opinions or advice. We were always surprised to hear back — and we almost always did — and many of those early interactions have developed into long-distance friendships. We can’t wait to someday find ourselves in the same place so we can finally hug it out.

One of the joys of this life is meeting new people. We have an instant connection with others who are living aboard and cruising, and while they vary in background and socio-economic status, they are all motivated by a similar desire to leave the beaten path and explore the world from the deck of their own boat. Sometimes I have to pinch myself that we’re part of that community now. But as fulfilling as these new friendships are we’re so sad to see some treasured relationships drift away over the horizon.

We’re grappling with this phenomenon and wonder if other cruisers have the same experience. It’s a pretty big downside to what is otherwise a wonderful life.

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Izzy’s big adventure

We got a postcard awhile back from Izzy’s vet in Pittsburgh reminding us that she is due for a couple of booster shots. As you can imagine, it’s tough to find a vet and make an appointment when you’re on the move all the time. Our extended stay in Annapolis gave us the opportunity to get it done. Turns out there’s a cat hospital not far from West Marine at a bikable distance from the park where we have our bikes locked up. Jack called and they said they could fit us in after lunch.

Izzy was fine in the carrier in the dinghy but a ride bungied to the back of a bike was a new thing for her.

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After some initial howling she settled down for the mile and a half ride to the office, where she cautiously checked out the new surroundings.

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Izzy was weighed, checked for pests and got her boosters, and we got a long talk with a wonderful vet who gave us some advice on what to watch for as we travel, as well as some depressing news about the difficulty of taking a pet to certain countries.

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We knew all this but we’ve been living in denial because we love having Izzy aboard so much. We really need to come to grips and make some decisions to explore her foster options.

Izzy was so well-behaved with the tech and the vet that we rewarded her with a walk in the park when we got back to the dinghy dock. We hadn’t realized the extent of the park but Izzy was keen to explore and walked on the leash like a normal pet, not in the drama queen this-leash-is-too-heavy-and-I’m-choking-to-death crouch she used to do. I think her experience with the patient Boyer kids from Anything Goes got her used to the leash.

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She walked and walked, staying on the path and choosing this way or that whenever there was a fork in the road. After one such turn a young couple rounded the bend up ahead walking toward us. Izzy froze for a moment, then turned tail and ran back down the path, dragging me behind her. That cat can run and I didn’t want to let go of the leash for fear she’d leave the path and run into the woods or up a tree, something she used to do as a kitten. Eventually I caught up to her and scooped her up and walked back to the dinghy where Jack was waiting with all our stuff.

We decided to let Izzy sit on my lap in the dinghy rather than put her back in the carrier. That was a huge breakthrough because she didn’t bury her head in my arm but rather looked around as we putted back to the boat. We think Adventure Kitty is starting to live up to her nickname.

We ended the day with Alan for dinner and movie night, watching a BBC production about WWII’s Operation Mincemeat.

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