Nov. 30, 2022. November is most known for the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, I'll remember it most for its last and second chances...at gardening, paddling, hiking, blading and renewing relationships. I missed the traditional gathering because I was traveling, but received many reminders to be thankful. One doesn't need a big family dinner for that. … Continue reading Last & Second Chances
Nov. 4, 2022. Late fall is a time of falling back --- with our clocks, and sometimes our habits. It can feel like back-tracking. It's harder to pull myself off the couch. My mind goes to snacks. The ever-earlier sunset brings a mild sense of dread. I know how this goes and I know what … Continue reading Falling Back
Why leave a place you love? Because it's so great to go back, and you never take it for granted. I love my rustic camp on the northern border, on the shores of Huron Bay. But I left it last month for the east coast, then the west coast, and back to the east coast. … Continue reading Change Is Good
It's one of those fears as you grow older. Am I losing my memory? You lose track of your keys and -- BAM! -- the fear jumps up again. My memory is intact...I think. (I can't remember how I know that. 😉 ) But this blog's memory is gone. Or, rather, full. Might that be … Continue reading Memory Gone! Or Full?
Where is "home?" Where your heart is, they say. For boats doing The Great Loop, it's the home port. For Mainship Many Moons, that's Huron Bay, a narrow 12-mile-long bay (some call it a fjord) on the southern shore of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Many Moons has been at anchor here for over … Continue reading Many Moons at “Home”
WhiIe traveling The Great Loop by boat, I sought out the history of the places we visited. But on the road last week, while driving from my primary home (near Washington D.C.) to my 2nd home and Many Moons' homeport (in far-north Michigan), I filled in some history closer to home. It's about time I … Continue reading Attack: Fort Michilimackinac
Tangier Island is disappearing. We've been hearing this for decades. I can confirm that it's true. I was there. The small, still-inhabited island in the Chesapeake Bay is now 2.5 miles long by 1.5 miles wide. That's apparently half its size several years ago, based on local written accounts. I went there to fill in … Continue reading The Disappearing Island
Three weeks after leaving The Great Loop, I still have a hangover -- to borrow a phrase from one of my readers. It's strange, because I was eager to leave it in some ways. That last month was pretty tough on me, for reasons too complex to share here. A hangover refers to the lingering … Continue reading Loop Hangover
When you end something big like The Great Loop, there's a kind of gap afterwards. It can be an unsettling time, filled with satisfaction but also a sense of loss. It's important not to set anchor in this "after" gap because it can suck you down. It's just as important not to rush through it … Continue reading The “After” Gap: Don’t Anchor Here
The pilot inherited his job. The "pirates" created theirs. I encountered both while cruising on the Nile River in Egypt recently. The surprises just kept coming... To be clear, they aren't really pirates. Our Egyptian guide called them "the pirates of Nile" because they come alongside the way real pirates sometimes did (and maybe still … Continue reading Of Pilots & “Pirates”
For Many Moons 