Getting Down to the Wire

Wow, so we had about two weeks at home to get organized and ready to go, but we pretty much didn’t. We did do a few things here and there, but for the most part just stuck to our routine and started packing some stuff. We also did a lot of hanging out with people we will miss while we are gone. My family had a vacation planned from Sept. 30 – Oct. 7 to Gunflint Lake Lodge on the border of Canada and Minnesota, so we stuck to the plan and headed north. We knew it would make for a crazy couple weeks when we got back (now), but it was totally worth it! We relaxed and enjoyed the company of my family so much. I know we won’t be seeing much of them for a while, so I tried to soak them up.

My sister, aunt niece and nephew (in the back) on a boat ride back from a hike.

My nephew Caleb is so thoughtful and sweet. He now recognizes the importance of a situation without being told “you won’t see Aunti Mere for a long time, so be sure and give her a hug…” The day we were flying out of Minneapolis, he just knew. He spent his time at the lunch table decorating his napkin as a going away card for me and Tim. It was one of the sweetest things. He gave it to me when we said goodbye and told me to read it on the plane with Tim on our way back home. We all hugged and kissed as much as we could, and they saw us off at the airport. I broke out into tears before I even got inside. Caleb was hanging his arms out the car door saying “I’ll miss you!” I took one look at my sister – and we both lost it. Instant tears! I tried to keep it cool when we got inside. It was a challenge to pull myself together and get through security and to our gate. After we took off, we read the napkin card. As you can imagine, I couldn’t keep it together anymore. My new goal was to cry as quietly as I could, so as not to disturb the other passengers.

"I wish I could be with you" - Caleb's napkin card

Now that we are back, we are busting into overdrive! We realized through communication with our sailing mentor, Gary, that we would have to leave earlier than we originally intended because it will take at least four days to actually get back to our boat with our gear. Our new plan is to drive to Loredo and stay the night, cross the border and drive to Durango – remember, no driving at night in Mexico for fear of hitting livestock, then head into Copala where Gary and his wife Lois live in the mountains. We will pick up Gary and take the overnight ferry into La Paz. From there we will drive to Puerto Escandido where our boat awaits. Sounds like fun, eh? Not really, but it’s what must be done to get the three of us and all our stuff to our boat before Doug and Ann, the previous boat owners, leave the country. They are going to show us a thing or two about our new home before they take off. Then we will be in the trusty hands of Gary to sail down to La Paz.

As for the things we are doing this week: Packed up a lot of stuff to keep, sold a couch, priced stuff for a garage sale, found a storage unit and now we are looking to sell my two-door Accord to get a larger vehicle to take down there. We are worried all of our stuff and three people in that one little car just won’t happen. Let’s see, what else… Oh yes! We are making boat business cards for when we get down there. It seems a little silly at first, but they come in handy when you meet other cruisers and want to get back in touch later. I am excited to design them. One other big thing looming over this week is chopping off my hair! My appointment is for tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. I am actually getting pretty excited and talking myself out of long hair, anyway. I will post before and after pics tomorrow. Let’s cross our fingers and hope it looks good!

#packing #sailinggear #sayinggoodbye