Settling

Whelp…here we are, all settled down in A'Town. Miss Dawn runs the Red Door 4 days a week, riding herd on unruly septugenarian volunteers. I have a sailing instructor gig with Seattle Sailing Club and another with San Juan Sailing. I'll pick up classes as I wish, so can stitch together a decent schedule between the two. Some of these will be multi-day trips into the islands to teach cruising and chartering essentials, some daysail instruction off downtown Seattle with Rainier hovering. Not bad.

I also finagled a position as an on-call deckhand on the Guemes Island Ferry - to perhaps even drive the thing, Neptune willing. It’s a brawny little 21 car boat running every half hour between Fidalgo and Guemes Island - first boat at 6 AM, last boat at 11 PM. Soon to be replaced by an all electric boat, The ferry is owned and reliably operated by Skagit County as opposed to the chaotic Washington State Ferries running haphazardly to the other islands. Plus, it's just cool.

We might have scored a boat slip at last, too. We anticipate a sublease for a slip in Skyline Marina - the other side of the island from us, behind Burrows Island on Rosario Strait. Its a straight shot across Rosario from there to the San Juans and Canada beyond. 90 degrees to port takes you down Juan de Fuca to the Pacific or thirty miles across to Port Townsend. Haven’t signed any paperwork yet, so yeah…knock on wood.

Last month we bought our new rig - a Retreat RV, 40 feet long with three slide-outs, kitchen in front, king bed in back, 50 inch TV, full cable internet, set more or less permanent in the best spot in the park. Got a small pergola and storage shed, room for flowers and a chuckling creek out back…we're stylin’. Sold the old rig to the local Camping World for cash - what they dont know won’t hurt em - and split with the loot quick as we could.

And Miss Echo's broken toe is well heeled….ahem…so to speak.

So…new jobs, new house, likely new home for the boat, healthy…why so blue?

I sat down a few days ago and listed where I have travelled and worked the past twenty plus years. It looks something like this:

2001 - Houston, CAL
2005? - Taiwan Boeing Dreamlifter
               Memphis 767 FedEx
2006 - Boeing Houston Space Station
2007 - Seattle Alaska Airlines basement apt
2008 - Charleston 787
2009 - Alaska Airlines Bainbridge Island
2010 - Sunner - sailing Cruise Alabama to Florida
2011 - Seattle Alaska Airlines DesMoines
2012 - Bus, Aviation Partners, Anacortes
2014 - Georgia, Gibraltar, Spain RYA training
2015 - Los Angeles United Technologies
2016 - Georgia Atlas Airlines Darien
2018 - Retired Sea Island Darien
2020 - Road tripping back to Anacortes
2021 - Anacortes on the Boat AirBnB charter, New Mexico to Mexico
2022 - Crater Lake in little trailer, AYC Anacortes on Boat
2023 - Sailing Instructor, Guemes ferry, Big Trailer

Missing are two trips to Costa Rica, three trips to the Bahamas, one trip to Croatia, two trips to Tel Aviv, one trip to Belize, and numerous road trips bouncing across the country solo and with Dawn.

‘Bout every year since 2005 I have packed up and flown the coop. Except for a three year stretch in Georgia, there was always an exciting new gig and open road beckoning. The last years have been almost totally on the road with multiple jaunts across the country, wandering through the desert, driving across Mexico, working at various volunteer jobs or temporary gigs, light on my feet, moving fast.

Google knows:

And now I am fluttered down into this cozy nest with a somewhat secure future.

Why then this dull dissatisfaction?

I travel to explore, to distract, to escape, to validate, to experience, to be astonished. To take a deep drink of the world, this fabulous here and now. It is a thirst I cant slake. I am addicted to travel - to freedom. It has always been this way. I havent stopped rolling since I left the farm in1974. I wander, therefore I am.

Relatives and friends were sacrificed along the way though. It can be a lonely road.

Prickly old age is upon me now. I am jealous of the time I have left - maybe 10 good years - sure to fly by. I chafe whenever I am constrained. This time is mine, goddammit - dont waste it - I'll do with it as I like. To stop is to give in, to surrender, to die.

But then, in a dream, love turns her beautiful head, fixes me with her cobalt eyes and stares me down, softens the prickly parts, calms my fractured mind, reminds me there is more to living than aimless wandering. The beauty you seek is all around you. Age too, joins in. You're too old and broke to keep running old man…it's OK to stop, to rest, to settle down. Its OK to share your tales, sitting comfy by the fire or on a boat in a peaceful anchorage, inspiring newbies. You've done enough.

And my heart breaks - love and age are right - the game is over. It is time to settle down. Time to…

I squirm.

The boat yet floats and the house is on wheels. The ocean is open and the road goes on forever

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