Back aboard to normal life. Feels good having us all back in our little home tripping over each other and tiptoeing around during all the different nap times throughout the day.

Today Ouest was taking pictures with her little pretend camera while Ali jumped up and down for her. Then Ouest had a thought. She set the camera down on the floor, pointed it right at Ali, pushed the button, and ran over to Ali to jump up and down with her. She set the self-timer! This wipes away any notion we may have had that our kids aren’t soaking up every single thing they see or hear every minute of their lives.

While I was on the boat working yesterday an older couple came walking past. I know what I’m about to say is a sweeping generalization, that’s just what I do. I already know that. Anyway, there is this thing with cruisers that probably has a technical term, but that I call the, Let me tell you about me syndrome. This blog makes me guilty of the same thing. I already know that too.

Bette Midler : “You’re from Minnesota?” she announced rather too jubilantly.

Me: “Yep, grew up in St. Paul.”

Bette Midler: “We’re from Wisconsin. White Rapids area just outside of Green Forks,” or some such place.

Me: “Oh, I’m not sure where that is.”

Bette Midler: moving on. “We’re here for the ten year Puddle Jumper anniversary party.”

Me: “Well that should be fun. Are there a lot of you here?”

Bette Midler: moving on. “We’re circumnavigators. I’m writing a three book series on our circumnavigation. I’m also a photographer. I have a website. Here let me give you my card.”

Me: “Three books huh? Must have been a great trip. My wife and I crossed the Pacific two years behind you I guess.”

Bette Midler: “Oh. How far did you go? Around the world?”

Me: oops husband cut in.

Bette’s Husband: “You must have really hurried. We took eight years. Hoho.”

Me: thinking to myself, I didn’t even answer the question. and also, you just quoted a line from my book. my one part book.

Bette Midler: “Yes we had a four year plan that took us eight years. Hoho.”

Me: “It took you eight years instead of four because at your age everything takes twice as long.”

No, I didn’t say that. I love cruisers. And I’m no ageist.

And then I met this lady tonight. I was sitting in the mall using the internet when she very slowly made her way over to me and asked if my computer keys were lit up. I said yes and explained how it worked because she just bought a Mac a few days earlier but hadn’t turned it on yet. Which I thought was cute until she explained that it was because she just had surgery for something called “water on the brain.”

We soon discovered we both live on boats and it turns out she’s been living alone on her forty-two footer for six years since her husband died. The great thing about this nice lady was that despite the fact that she was walking with a cane at a glacial pace she told me she really wants to get a smaller boat because this one is just too big for her to sail alone. “I can’t reach the boom.” It really does seem that there is just something about this lifestyle that gets in your blood. Can’t reach the boom. I love that.