Sorry I missed posting last week. We we were camping with friends. Although my sister claims that since we were in their RV it wasn’t really camping. Perhaps, but we only slept in said land yacht. The rest of the time, including cooking and eating meals, was spent outside, mostly around the campfire, which we started around lunchtime. Anyhoo….
It’s challenging to keep up a blog about learning to love living aboard while I’m on land. I’m not thinking much about living aboard. I just settled back into my land routine. It is a well-baked routine with which I have many years of practice, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised it happened so quickly. I am thinking ahead to November and moving the boat to Florida, but we’ve decided we will transit the North Carolina ICW to Beaufort, NC and then do mostly continuous offshore cruising to Florida, weather permitting, of course. It’s more of a delivery than living aboard, and I will have the annual Holiday Craft Fair on my mind as I try to complete as many items as possible while we’re under way.
I love being back in the yoga studio! Yoga on the boat is often beautiful and serene, but it can get lonely. Balance can be challenging, as one might imagine being on a floating object, but it seems that boat yoga has improved my land balance a little, which is a welcome benefit. I also like the companionship and energy of doing yoga with others. I hope I will find some yoga buddies in the Caribbean.
The past couple of weeks I’ve spent preparing to teach my first AARP Smart Driver class as a new volunteer. Given my educator background and my need to be uber-prepared for such presentations, I’ve been preparing for days. The downside is that I’ve spent far too much time sitting in front of a computer over the past two weeks, rather than being outside. The upside is that I only have to do this once, since the curriculum is unlikely to change for the next several years. I also felt a bit of a crunch to get the planning done since my first class was supposed to be this Monday & Wednesday. Notice I said “supposed to be.” I ended up canceling yesterday when one of my three registrants said she wouldn’t be able to make it. It’s difficult to have rich discussions around varied driving experiences with only two perspectives. Alas! The class I have scheduled for November 2nd already has at least nine students, so I know that one will proceed as planned. And I’m already done my preparations 🙂
This is the last weekend of summer and it actually feels like summer. We’ll be spending this afternoon and evening mostly outside with friends, music, and bacon! It’s our friends’ annual Bacon Fest fundraiser for their nonprofit, The Continuum Arts Collective, which supports students in the arts by supplying materials and mentors. What an excellent way to spend a gorgeous Saturday!
Monday officially ushers in autumn, although it’s felt like autumn since our return. The leaves are changing color a little more each day. The air is crisp (and not humid!). It is the season of craft fairs, county fairs, harvesting and putting up food. I’ve canned salsa and pickled beets. As I type, my Bacon Fest food entry is baking in the oven- apple tartlets with candied bacon. They smell great and I can’t wait to try one! There will be much more seasonal baking in the coming weeks (without bacon). Next weekend starts the much anticipated slew of autumn events with the Deerfield Fair. After that there’s Apple Harvest Day, mine and mom’s annual Columbus Day sleepover and local activities (while the Marchi men and Dave gather for their annual ME weekend), eating apple cider donuts, choosing pie pumpkins and jack o’lanterns, Halloween. Welcome autumn- I look forward to spending time with you!
Life on Lady 