It was one year ago today that we began our Great Loop adventure on our 36th wedding anniversary. At that time we envisioned "crossing our wake" back into Charleston on the one year anniversary of our start and our 37th wedding anniversary. Due to purposely extending our winter layover in Ft. Myers (I definitely could become a snowbird) and then getting caught up in this COVID19 pandemic we're currently back in our "dirt house" self-isolating while "As You Wish" is self-isolating at a marina on the Ortega River in Jacksonville.
We have been extremely lazy here in isolation. Sleep in late, watch TV, do a little overdue yardwork, cook dinner, binge watch more TV programs recorded in our absence, back to sleep AND REPEAT!! The "dirt house" on Lake Hartwell has a very nice westerly facing water view (one of the main reasons we bought it) which this time of year generates spectacular sunsets from the dock.
It's great seeing the water and the sunsets but it just makes me long to get back to the boat and continue our journey. After spending a year traveling together in the tight quarters of the boat we've learned we really enjoy that lifestyle. Yes, we've had our share of mishaps - running aground 3 hours into our first day of travel, scraping the hull of the boat when the current on the Hudson River caught us off guard coming into a marina, breaking an aft cabin window on the boat next to us when a gust of wind caught us while docking. But those issues were more than offset by the solitude and beauty of anchorages in Canada, the unexpectedly clear blue waters of Lake Michigan, the engineering marvel of the Peterborough lift lock and Big Chute Railway on the Trent Severn Waterway, passing alongside the Statue of Liberty and the St. Louis Arch, and so many other positive memories.
After several weeks at home we're getting cabin fever. It sure feels like time to get boatbound once again. Here's hoping things open back up quickly.
