Real life sets in, and other challenges

I hope I've been careful not to allow my blog to sound like this is a vacation, one big fun fest.  Because it isn't.  Vacation was the week on a cruise ship and the week on the sailboat. Family was visiting, we were waited upon, and we experienced luxury.  Real life has begun to settle in a bit more now, and it comes with conflict and difficulty.  The lack of phone service and internet have become major problems rather than minor inconveniences.  The solution seems to be to hang out in or near towns at least some of the time.  We have a booster for the local WiFi options, but the internet connections in campgrounds have been notoriously iffy and very, very slow.  What do you need internet for, you might ask.  Well, a lot, as it turns out.  The kids have been using online tools like Khan Academy and Duolingo as well as the connectivity needed for their blogs.  Henry and I need it for - everything else.  We can't find new campgrounds without the internet.  We can't make reservations without phone service.  And anytime an issue comes up, we need to be able to get to the source. Such was the case with an insurance issue yesterday, an issue that (just like living in suburbia) took up our entire morning on the phone.

The kids seem tired of moving, which is not unexpected.  They have really enjoyed the non-driving days (as have I).  These are the days when we don't move, really, from the RV much at all and they are allowed to play and just BE.  We always do homework on these days, and I think we need more of them. But we still have a couple of not-so-distant obligations, fun though they are, and do actually need to be somewhere specific on a particular date.  Our next of these is a trip to see my dad and his wife in California, something to which I'm definitely looking forward. We've never seen their house, though we have visited them in CA before.  I'm looking forward to having a place to relax for a few days.  So, on we go!  The driving days at least have become routine.  There have been (knocking on wood as I type) no more mechanical issues.

Then, there are the kids. Is it because there has been so much stimulation and diversity?  Or is it that you see the same three people all day, every day.  Whatever the cause, I will admit to tiring of displays of tantrum and lack of gratitude.  The sassing when asked to do a simple task or whining when an activity like hiking is suggested are exhausting at this point. I find my temper growing shorter than I'd like. I'd love to be that dispassionate, matter-of-fact mom who just spells out consequences and then follows through with them when conflict arises.  I have a reserve of this, but it's tough when there's no buffer (like school).

Then...there is my spouse.  He has lately started expressing real and serious doubts about how long he wants to do this.  Is it going to be fun in another month?  Is the novelty wearing off? When will the "bad" outweigh the "good"?  Of course, I find such pondering stressful.  We have both given up a lot, sacrificed what we had worked for, to do this.  If one of us is disillusioned after the first couple of months, I'm not sure where we go from here.  His rumination is balanced by wonderment and delight when we do things we never would have gotten to do another way.  An example, kiting on the beautiful Crescent Beach in Washington State:

We also took a (very long) hike on the Dungeness Spit to a lighthouse. It was five and a half miles to the lighthouse...and 5 and and half miles back.  We never would have known such a thing existed without this adventure.  It was certainly memorable!  My knee may never forget.  And just this morning, while the tide was low, we walked out onto a heavily populated bit of land that you can't see at high tide.  There were anemone, tiny crabs, fish and all sorts of clams and mussels that simply vanish into the ocean when the water comes in. It was one of the most beautiful places I can imagine.

So, for me, it is still worth it. I still think we did the right thing.  The benefits still outweigh the risks and damages.   I would certainly keep going. But I would also give it up if the right opportunity presented itself.  I'm a pretty adaptable person. I fear stagnancy much more than I fear change. I am also savvy enough to know that any type of "re-entry" into society we'd attempt would have to be new.

I am aware that you can not go home again.  Everything will be different, because you yourself have changed.

Two Weeks of Crazy - Part Two

You know that feeling when you're so stressed out that you feel like your head might actually pop off of your body?  That's how I felt on Friday, July 29th as we transitioned from a week of ridiculous, over the top luxury to a 45 foot space...for six people.  After disembarking from Celebrity Solstice, we recovered our RV and drove to Bellingham, WA where we provisioned for the week, did laundry, and basically got our act together for the next big thing.  Why we did these two trips back to back is beyond me.  I suppose we thought we'd be in the area, so why not. But good grief, never again.

We chartered a 45 foot monohull with the idea that we needed a good test on one.  The idea was to see whether we could live on a monohull versus a catamaran. We had really only ever considered a cat before this.   The result was, in a word, no.  Nope. No way. No, no, no.   As it turns out, I hate heeling in a boat more than I remembered.   I love to sail in a cat. Everything stays level, more or less. In a monohull, I can tolerate up to a 25 degree heel and then I want to scream.  It might have helped if I had grown up on the water, but I didn't.  My first experience sailing was at Fair Hills Resort in Detroit Lakes, MN.  On a catamaran.  We owned an 18 foot Hobie cat for 10 years and then spent that week on one last December.  Maybe if I'd only done the monohull thing first, I'd feel differently. But for me, now, there is no going back. 

Once I got over the terror of sailing it, we had a lovely time.  We got to see some absolutely beautiful places in the San Juan Islands and, as a bonus, got to be the first to try out the owner's new dinghy:

On our first day out, a pod of orcas went right past the boat!  So, already, I was feeling like the discomfort was worth it.  And a beautiful hike through the Roche Harbor sculpture garden helped as well:

Since I know that our eventual goal is to be on a sailboat, I feel like I should spent a bit more time explaining why, for me, the debate between monohull and catamaran is settled, once and for all.  I actually feel that I could get used to the boat tipping over every time the wind changes, but only if I'm on deck.  Being below and, heaven forbid, trying to cook while that's happening would make me seasick beyond words.  The rolling motion of the cat is very different.  You stay flat and hit the waves head on.  That's not always pleasant either, but at least I can retain my balance. 

Then there's the actual living space.  Even my 10 and 11 year old children said the berths were too much like coffins.  Everyone was banging their heads on various parts of the boat all week long.  Going down below for everything became not just irritating but separated all of us constantly.  Once we were all down there and eating supper, for example, it was fine. But the transitions were very tricky.  My mom actually had a mini breakdown at the beginning of the week.  We both had to have an attitude adjustment in the form of margaritas before we could continue. In short, I will never willingly do that again.   Even the RV is more pleasant, because at least you can pass each other without sidestepping and there's plenty of headroom.  Okay, rant over.  It really was a beautiful week, and I'm grateful for the chance to see the beautiful waters of San Juan Islands.

And I was left with this: Saturday, we said goodbye to my mom and to my stepson.  We likely will not see them again until Christmas.  That's a hard thing when you're used to having these people a short drive away.  Thank goodness for the internet.

Two Weeks of Crazy - Part One

I'm not kidding, the last two weeks were just nuts. This was the scene at the start of the madness:

The Alaskan cruise departing from Seattle followed almost a year of planning, driving, flying and coordinating.  The night before, my mom and stepson had arrived at the campground at which we were staying.  We slept, badly in my case, got up on the 22nd and drove the 33 foot RV through the narrow streets of Seattle.  It's not for the feint of heart.  I hope to never repeat that experience.  The only cities I'd guess could be worse are Washington, DC, New York City and San Francisco. 

The cruise was, as imagined, amazing.  Every aspect, from the size of the ship to the size of the glaciers, was overwhelming. I'm sure I'll be processing each memory over and over for the next decade. After a first day at sea, we caught our first glimpse of Alaska in Ketchikan:

 A more charming view, I simply can't imagine. The entire town is just, plain "cute".  We had excursions planned, and they exceeded expectations.  One of the highlights for me was spotting an eagle nest with a couple of hatchlings in it.  They were just starting to leave the nest.  As we watched, mom came back and chewed them out.  Not so different from humans, I suspect. 

Mom: "I said, get back in there!  You do not have permission to be out here!"
Kids: "But we're hungreeeeee!"
Mom: "I said now, and I mean it."
Kids: "But mooooom!"

This went on for a couple of minutes before mom flew off in disgust, probably to find more fish, poor woman.

The next day was Juneau, also amazing.  Then, it was time to see a glacier.  Yes, the glaciers are rapidly receding and that alone was pretty scary.  But faced with one, it does not seem possible that there could be more ice.  It simply took my breath away.  Our captain was delightful and did a "donut" in front of this monster so that everyone on board could get a good look:

After Skagway, we headed back down south to Victoria and the Butchart Gardens.  "Spectacular" could cover it, but I'll add "sweat" to that description.  The maintenance and upkeep simply defies explanation. 

So, would we go on a cruise again?  Definitely.  My advice for anyone wanting to do it would be to just get the best package you can afford, right off the bat.  It's nice not to have to think about what drinks you can or can not order.  We went through a fantastic travel agent, and would not do it again without her help. 

We saw humpback whales bubble feeding, a baby bear and a beautiful national forest.  We ate, ate and then ate some more. I spent quality time with my kids, my husband, my stepson, and my mom.   And we ended the week dizzy from the experience. 

But it was only to continue the following week with a charter sailing experience. See the next installment for that!