We visited Hal and Karen on Quiet Moon Saturday, she looks lovely. Hal did an amazing job and unless you knew about her "surgery" you would not guess. They are enjoying her,and while it is sad that she is no longer our home, she is in good hands.
Life has spun us around recently, and we have purchased another boat, and as things fell into place, we have decided to head for Mexico THIS year. I know, I know, it is hard for me to believe it as well.
If you are interested in following our new adventures, the new blog is www.svgypsymoon.blogspot.com
Blue skies, Cyndi
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
New Roads
Working hard, saving money, and looking ahead.
We have sold our beloved Quiet Moon, rehomed her, hahaha. We sold her to friends and the repairs are coming along nicely, which really helps. You really do come to love your boat.
Quiet Moon was our home, our focus for four months, seems like such a short time, but like vanilla; extracted, a small amount, but powerful and potent. She will always be a part of us, I refuse to look back, to entertain what ifs, shoulda woulda coulda.
So even though we SAID we would wait, and buy a boat in Mexico, we have already started the search for a new boat. Or should I say a different boat.
The day we transfered paperwork, we looked at 3 boats. Yea right, we are gonna wait. We seem to be addicted to the water. We have become gypsies, vagabonds, boat people.
I am trying to be content. I love my apartment, ie first land anchorage, and we are one block from the river, but still, every time I drive by the sloughs and the river, I dream of anchorages, quiet places with the lazy river meandering by.
So tomorrow, we head to Alameda and Richmond to see a few possiblities. AHHH boat shopping.
I think I have honed my goal setting to much to fine a point. I don't just fall in love with boats, or see myself on them, they are MINE. They belong to me, and I am a part of them. But it is both a blessing and a curse, it motivates me and also causes frustration and sorrow. These wonderful vessels of transportation to dreamlike setttings, magical locations, visions of the future, the hopes, the dreams of the cruiser, or hopes of many for an eden, nirvana, paradise a Camelot. We all dream of SOMETHING, for some it is an island, a mountain cabin, a beach; we all need a future, a possibilty. We need to believe there is a purpose, a "why" for the sacrifices we make daily.
I think what Marcus and I are doing speaks to the possibilities of the future. If all there is is laundry, childrearing, bills, work, and all the mundane tasks of life, it is just too hard. We all need a dream, a goal, a "someday".
When I was raising my children, my best friend and I had an apartment, not an acutal apartment, but a dream apartment. We talked about it when times were hard, it had white carpet, shiny stainless appliances, and a stereo in a glass case with no littleone's fingerprints. It helped us cope with the day to day "stuff".
I know raising children is important, I am first in line with parents focusing on their children, and lives revolving around them and their activities. But, sometimes, you need to look beyond.
I'll let you know what tomorrows search brings.
We have sold our beloved Quiet Moon, rehomed her, hahaha. We sold her to friends and the repairs are coming along nicely, which really helps. You really do come to love your boat.
Quiet Moon was our home, our focus for four months, seems like such a short time, but like vanilla; extracted, a small amount, but powerful and potent. She will always be a part of us, I refuse to look back, to entertain what ifs, shoulda woulda coulda.
So even though we SAID we would wait, and buy a boat in Mexico, we have already started the search for a new boat. Or should I say a different boat.
The day we transfered paperwork, we looked at 3 boats. Yea right, we are gonna wait. We seem to be addicted to the water. We have become gypsies, vagabonds, boat people.
I am trying to be content. I love my apartment, ie first land anchorage, and we are one block from the river, but still, every time I drive by the sloughs and the river, I dream of anchorages, quiet places with the lazy river meandering by.
So tomorrow, we head to Alameda and Richmond to see a few possiblities. AHHH boat shopping.
I think I have honed my goal setting to much to fine a point. I don't just fall in love with boats, or see myself on them, they are MINE. They belong to me, and I am a part of them. But it is both a blessing and a curse, it motivates me and also causes frustration and sorrow. These wonderful vessels of transportation to dreamlike setttings, magical locations, visions of the future, the hopes, the dreams of the cruiser, or hopes of many for an eden, nirvana, paradise a Camelot. We all dream of SOMETHING, for some it is an island, a mountain cabin, a beach; we all need a future, a possibilty. We need to believe there is a purpose, a "why" for the sacrifices we make daily.
I think what Marcus and I are doing speaks to the possibilities of the future. If all there is is laundry, childrearing, bills, work, and all the mundane tasks of life, it is just too hard. We all need a dream, a goal, a "someday".
When I was raising my children, my best friend and I had an apartment, not an acutal apartment, but a dream apartment. We talked about it when times were hard, it had white carpet, shiny stainless appliances, and a stereo in a glass case with no littleone's fingerprints. It helped us cope with the day to day "stuff".
I know raising children is important, I am first in line with parents focusing on their children, and lives revolving around them and their activities. But, sometimes, you need to look beyond.
I'll let you know what tomorrows search brings.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Long and Winding Road
5/19/2010
It has been a long progression of twists turns and dark places, but the dawn appears to be breaking. So much has happened and we are on a completely different path than I thought we would be on.
It has been too difficult to write about the journey thus far, so many things have happened, and every twist seemed to be against us for a long time. When things are good, time moves so swiftly, but when times are difficult, it seems to last forever.
The time we spent in Monterey was frustrating and at the same time fantastic. Interesting how it can be like that. I think it was frustrating because we had a plan, a direction we were heading, and we faced roadblock after roadblock. It finally became evident the road was impassable for us, at this time. The time of year, the problems with the engine, and finally finances.
After we made the difficult decision to move back home, we knew it was the right one. It was good for us to be there for our family, and they were there for us. We helped my Dad move from a large home into a mobile home park for seniors. It was a good move for him, and while we were getting on our feet, we had a place to stay and food to eat.
But you know what they say about fish and company, both stink after 3 days. Having been adults, on our own, with our own families for most of our lives, it was difficult to adjust to living in someone else’s home. I found a good job rather quickly, but it didn’t seem quick at the time. An illusion of dark times.
At times, I would think, we should be in Mexico, anchored off of a quiet beach, or near a small village where we could row ashore and to live like the locals did. I was happy on the boat. The sacrifices and challenges seemed manageable. On the boat, there was a purpose, a reason, a goal. But on land sacrifices seemed enormous. Dark times.
I believe God has a purpose for everything. My struggles during this time would not accurately reflect my feelings if I did not express them in the contexts of my beliefs. I believed when we arrived in Mexico, we would have an opportunity to share, contribute, give to others less fortunate than us. Our trip did not come down to that. It was a series of others helping us, receiving friendship, help, care from others. We were not the givers, we were the receivers. The people we met, the unselfishness, care and concern of others was humbling. It also renewed and inspired faith. We have friends now we would have never known, had we not had the challenges we had.
I could not understand why it seemed every financial aspect of our life seemed to take the wrong turn. Why things kept going wrong. I searched myself, and did not see where we had done wrong and were being punished. I never believed that was what was happening, but I could not understand why nothing seemed to go right. What could possibly be Gods purpose in this? I struggled, I fought, I cried, I pouted. I was not easy to live with, poor Marcus.
We had done all the right things, bought the tough seaworthy boat, reinforced, rewired, reground, scraped, checked, rechecked and made sure the boat was ready to take care of us. We studied, took classes, read books, talked to others, went to seminars, and prepared ourselves, both mentally and physically. We downsized, saved, paid off, rented out, financially prepared for a season of lean times. The tools were ready, the boat was ready, we were ready. We had done everything right. What happened.
How many times have you read stories of people taking off for the South Pacific that barely know how to hoist a sail, in a boat that is ill prepared for the trials of the sea. A wing and a prayer. Seems like you hear about every now and again. Maybe you just don’t hear about the “almost” group.
But for whatever reason, this was as far as we were to go; for now. We start working, saving, and prepare to strike out on our own again. It is time for our own place, Dad has been patient, I have not. Slowly but surely we start opening up like a snail that has been poked, and pulled back into his shell, and now that things have quieted down, we start reaching out to the future.
A call comes in. There is a late winter storm, and the boat in front of us has chaffed through her bow lines, still tied by the stern line to the mooring, her bow is slamming into the bow of Quiet Moon, wreaking havoc with every swell. The swells and conditions were such that the harbor patrol felt it too dangerous to their staff to attempt to secure the boats, so the damage continued for hours. When finally things were calm enough to remove the offending boat, our boat was severely damaged, still securely moored.
Even now, it is difficult to write about, she is such a part of me, her beautiful bow, now shattered. So as we struggle to come to grips with the awful truth and magnitude of her injuries, we realize she is beyond our ability to repair. Disbelief and sadness. Again, we had done the right things, we made a special trip to Monterey to secure her on the mooring, to be certain she was safe. Now, through no fault, or oversight on our part, her bow, and foredeck are severely damaged, and we are in no position to repair her. So, again, another twist, another dark ally to navigate. Why??? When will this difficult time end.
Then a glimmer of hope, light at the end of this long dark tunnel. The other boat has insurance. Insurance, amazing word of hope. Right or wrong, we had chosen to “self insure” by spending our money on anchors, chafing lines, strong ground tackle, and being diligent, and careful. But when you are absent, you are not able to look after your boat like you can if you are there. Somewhere in the challenges we were facing, we thought about adding insurance when she went on the mooring, but life was going by in a blur by then, and the thought was lost.
So now, maybe the bigger pictures starts coming into focus. We had realized that we would have to sell our beautiful boat, but it would be difficult. Repairing the engine, and trying to market it long distance, and the boat market now, well we would have to sell her for much less than she was worth, or it would take longer than we really had, and costing us expensive slip fees as well.
I know God knows the past and the future, and what is best for us. Maybe he is up there saying, “oh child of mine, I will fix this for you, much better and quicker than you can imagine, but you are not going to like the way I do it”. Sometimes the cure is painful, but necessary.
It has been a long progression of twists turns and dark places, but the dawn appears to be breaking. So much has happened and we are on a completely different path than I thought we would be on.
It has been too difficult to write about the journey thus far, so many things have happened, and every twist seemed to be against us for a long time. When things are good, time moves so swiftly, but when times are difficult, it seems to last forever.
The time we spent in Monterey was frustrating and at the same time fantastic. Interesting how it can be like that. I think it was frustrating because we had a plan, a direction we were heading, and we faced roadblock after roadblock. It finally became evident the road was impassable for us, at this time. The time of year, the problems with the engine, and finally finances.
After we made the difficult decision to move back home, we knew it was the right one. It was good for us to be there for our family, and they were there for us. We helped my Dad move from a large home into a mobile home park for seniors. It was a good move for him, and while we were getting on our feet, we had a place to stay and food to eat.
But you know what they say about fish and company, both stink after 3 days. Having been adults, on our own, with our own families for most of our lives, it was difficult to adjust to living in someone else’s home. I found a good job rather quickly, but it didn’t seem quick at the time. An illusion of dark times.
At times, I would think, we should be in Mexico, anchored off of a quiet beach, or near a small village where we could row ashore and to live like the locals did. I was happy on the boat. The sacrifices and challenges seemed manageable. On the boat, there was a purpose, a reason, a goal. But on land sacrifices seemed enormous. Dark times.
I believe God has a purpose for everything. My struggles during this time would not accurately reflect my feelings if I did not express them in the contexts of my beliefs. I believed when we arrived in Mexico, we would have an opportunity to share, contribute, give to others less fortunate than us. Our trip did not come down to that. It was a series of others helping us, receiving friendship, help, care from others. We were not the givers, we were the receivers. The people we met, the unselfishness, care and concern of others was humbling. It also renewed and inspired faith. We have friends now we would have never known, had we not had the challenges we had.
I could not understand why it seemed every financial aspect of our life seemed to take the wrong turn. Why things kept going wrong. I searched myself, and did not see where we had done wrong and were being punished. I never believed that was what was happening, but I could not understand why nothing seemed to go right. What could possibly be Gods purpose in this? I struggled, I fought, I cried, I pouted. I was not easy to live with, poor Marcus.
We had done all the right things, bought the tough seaworthy boat, reinforced, rewired, reground, scraped, checked, rechecked and made sure the boat was ready to take care of us. We studied, took classes, read books, talked to others, went to seminars, and prepared ourselves, both mentally and physically. We downsized, saved, paid off, rented out, financially prepared for a season of lean times. The tools were ready, the boat was ready, we were ready. We had done everything right. What happened.
How many times have you read stories of people taking off for the South Pacific that barely know how to hoist a sail, in a boat that is ill prepared for the trials of the sea. A wing and a prayer. Seems like you hear about every now and again. Maybe you just don’t hear about the “almost” group.
But for whatever reason, this was as far as we were to go; for now. We start working, saving, and prepare to strike out on our own again. It is time for our own place, Dad has been patient, I have not. Slowly but surely we start opening up like a snail that has been poked, and pulled back into his shell, and now that things have quieted down, we start reaching out to the future.
A call comes in. There is a late winter storm, and the boat in front of us has chaffed through her bow lines, still tied by the stern line to the mooring, her bow is slamming into the bow of Quiet Moon, wreaking havoc with every swell. The swells and conditions were such that the harbor patrol felt it too dangerous to their staff to attempt to secure the boats, so the damage continued for hours. When finally things were calm enough to remove the offending boat, our boat was severely damaged, still securely moored.
Even now, it is difficult to write about, she is such a part of me, her beautiful bow, now shattered. So as we struggle to come to grips with the awful truth and magnitude of her injuries, we realize she is beyond our ability to repair. Disbelief and sadness. Again, we had done the right things, we made a special trip to Monterey to secure her on the mooring, to be certain she was safe. Now, through no fault, or oversight on our part, her bow, and foredeck are severely damaged, and we are in no position to repair her. So, again, another twist, another dark ally to navigate. Why??? When will this difficult time end.
Then a glimmer of hope, light at the end of this long dark tunnel. The other boat has insurance. Insurance, amazing word of hope. Right or wrong, we had chosen to “self insure” by spending our money on anchors, chafing lines, strong ground tackle, and being diligent, and careful. But when you are absent, you are not able to look after your boat like you can if you are there. Somewhere in the challenges we were facing, we thought about adding insurance when she went on the mooring, but life was going by in a blur by then, and the thought was lost.
So now, maybe the bigger pictures starts coming into focus. We had realized that we would have to sell our beautiful boat, but it would be difficult. Repairing the engine, and trying to market it long distance, and the boat market now, well we would have to sell her for much less than she was worth, or it would take longer than we really had, and costing us expensive slip fees as well.
I know God knows the past and the future, and what is best for us. Maybe he is up there saying, “oh child of mine, I will fix this for you, much better and quicker than you can imagine, but you are not going to like the way I do it”. Sometimes the cure is painful, but necessary.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Long Silence
I know it has been too long since I updated. Life has been full of challenges, long hard looks, and difficult decisions.
Opportunities are out there.
Get a job? Start a business? Where to live, what to do, those are a couple of the decisions we have ahead.
For the boat, rebuild the engine . . . again, or put in a rebuilt engine. Keep the boat, or sell it. Ouch.
I'll keep in touch.
Opportunities are out there.
Get a job? Start a business? Where to live, what to do, those are a couple of the decisions we have ahead.
For the boat, rebuild the engine . . . again, or put in a rebuilt engine. Keep the boat, or sell it. Ouch.
I'll keep in touch.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Puzzle Pieces
After 2 years of disassembling our lives and unplugging, we are trying to quickly reassemble the pieces. Where to live, phones, jobs, clothes, vehicles, just to name a few.
It is all part of the journey, we have not hit a dead end, just a detour.
Where will we live? Money is going out, and none is coming in, gotta fix that fast! Put insurance back on the cars, plug back into the work world, change the phones, it just goes on and on.
Just keep moving forward, and be ready to change direction. Now where did I put the puzzle piece that has my shoes on it?
It is all part of the journey, we have not hit a dead end, just a detour.
Where will we live? Money is going out, and none is coming in, gotta fix that fast! Put insurance back on the cars, plug back into the work world, change the phones, it just goes on and on.
Just keep moving forward, and be ready to change direction. Now where did I put the puzzle piece that has my shoes on it?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Answer is Blowin in the Wind
Thursday we head out of Monterey after 28 days of fun/frustrating times. Leaving many new friends and a lovely community, we were heading out to beat the storms.
I was sick, no fun.
We made it 1/2 way to San Simeon before the engine died. As I lay there, recuperating after feeding the fishes, I was hoping against hope Marcus had hoisted the sails and was cutting the engine. No such luck.
It was late, no wind, and out of range to call for assistance, so we just bobbed, all night. It is really noisy when the swells are tossing the boat around constantly. It was a tough night, very little sleep.
In the morning, we decided the the wind would decide whether we would go south or north.
Winds from the south, so here we are back in Monterey. It is hard, but because of our faith, we believe we are right where we belong. We don't know why, but here we are.
We are weighing our options this weekend, but it honestly doesn't look like Mexico is in our future THIS season. But our spirits are good and we will let you know which way the wind blows us next!!
I was sick, no fun.
We made it 1/2 way to San Simeon before the engine died. As I lay there, recuperating after feeding the fishes, I was hoping against hope Marcus had hoisted the sails and was cutting the engine. No such luck.
It was late, no wind, and out of range to call for assistance, so we just bobbed, all night. It is really noisy when the swells are tossing the boat around constantly. It was a tough night, very little sleep.
In the morning, we decided the the wind would decide whether we would go south or north.
Winds from the south, so here we are back in Monterey. It is hard, but because of our faith, we believe we are right where we belong. We don't know why, but here we are.
We are weighing our options this weekend, but it honestly doesn't look like Mexico is in our future THIS season. But our spirits are good and we will let you know which way the wind blows us next!!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Looking Good
Making final preparations to head for San Simeon. It looks like we have a weather window, and hoping things smooth out so we can head further south soon.
San Simeon here we come!
San Simeon here we come!
Monday, January 11, 2010
she lives . . .SHE LIVES!!!!
Engine is purring like a kitten!! So many people to thank. We had help from so many people. Although our time in Monterey has been challenging, it has given us the opportunity to meet so many great people.
Weather will determine whether we leave Tues, Wed, or Thurs.
YAHOO!!!
Weather will determine whether we leave Tues, Wed, or Thurs.
YAHOO!!!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Hope Today is the Day!
Went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Thursday, so cool!! I wanted to go so bad, but, it was not in the budget, then a friend allowed us to go for free!! Yahoo. MUST go again, take the grandkids, so fun.
So today the engine goes back together, will be excited to hear it run!
So today the engine goes back together, will be excited to hear it run!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
We Know What is WRONG!!!!
It looks like the problem with the engine is a blown head gasket. It is not good news in one regard, but knowing is better than not knowing. The spirits here were definitely sagging, but now we know what needs to be fixed, and are in the process of fixing it.
Looks like we will be enjoying Monterey for another week, and right now it is lovely. Sunny and nice.
Off to have chicken tacos with some new friends!!! Happy New Year!
Looks like we will be enjoying Monterey for another week, and right now it is lovely. Sunny and nice.
Off to have chicken tacos with some new friends!!! Happy New Year!
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