Pilgrimage

Why do some people feel the irresistible pull of a pilgrimage? What drives them?  Is it putting their endurance to the test?  Is it the adventure and excitement of the unknown?  

I feel no need to leave home except for visits to family, friends, and brief excursions to foreign countries.  I hate to leave my little dog, Daisy Dukes!  She's my tiny, yappy companion everywhere I go and I do miss her dearly.  She's a 4.5 lb Teacup Chihuahua that I adopted seven years ago to keep her off the mean streets of Dayton, Ohio.  

But she is a bossy old girl and the Pirate Husband isn't interested in having her aboard unless the SHTF.  Only in case of a real emergency or life disaster will she ever find a place on his boat.  Look at this little precious pup; who could ever be annoyed with her?

Back to pilgrimages.  Maybe it was all the upheaval and moving I did in my childhood that just makes me want to put down roots and stay.  My journey gene has been switched off; for now anyway.  I know who I am, I'm happy in my work and in my life, I live for today, and have a hope for things to come.  My home is where my family is...but my Pirate Husband is gone.  Ambivalent feelings with my current life situation.  How I do miss that man.  But "a man's got to do what a man's got to do", he said.  I understand him.  He's like that.  He's a man of vision....helluva vision.  

"Let's go on and go if we're goin'," said Augustus McCray to Woodrow F. Call. *If you don't know these characters from "Lonesome Dove" there's no need to explain further.  

Just kind of missing him...

Wilson Finds His Place!

So good to know that my Pirate Husband will not completely lose his mind while traveling more than 6,000 miles almost entirely alone.  As you may know, Wilson is a main character in the Tom Hanks movie, "Castaway".  If you don't know Wilson, just forget I mentioned him.

This trip has been planned for many years and last year Wilson was a gift from our son, Michael.  He's quite creative and knew this would be the perfect companion for a year's journey.  Wilson is a great listener and never argues.  Sadly, he doesn't cook or do the dishes.  

My Pirate Husband

My Pirate Husband 

August 3, 2013 

 “You know, Sir, you never mentioned a Great Loop expedition when we married.”

 “Yes, yes, I did. I’m sure the Mayor heard it when I whispered it right after I vowed, ‘To have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, and whether near or far, one if by land and two if by sea.’” 

“Hmph.” All this said as I packed my husband’s belongings to create his home away from home aboard his 34’ Marine Trader. Today is the first day of his year long journey. The man has a dream and I’m happy to support him in something he’s planned for decades.

Wilson is ready to go.

No, I’m not going with him. I like to tell those who question our decision that somebody has to stay home and make money to buy diesel. However, the truth is something mixed between the fact that I’m not really a seaman and this is a life-long goal he must achieve alone. I’ll join him for a long weekend every month and chat with him daily by Skype.  It’s been less than twelve hours since I left him trawling out of the Cooley Canal on Lake Erie but my soul does miss him terribly. 

He purchased Sixteen Tons last September and since then has been a new man. Some guys are men of adventure and they just can’t survive to stay at home giving the lawn a precision cut every second day. He’d die if he thought his retirement years were to be spent cutting grass and waxing the car. It’s like watching a lion in a cage; they’re meant to be in the wild where they live as God intended. There’s a desperation in their eyes and they lose the king of the jungle roar to a loud growl of misery. No, I would not want that for my pirate husband. 

Last night we drove to the boat with the brother-in-law and the nephew who are joining him on the first leg of the trip. By the time we unloaded the truck, found a secured spot for each item, toasted each other over red cups of Pomac (Finnish non-alcoholic champagne-like bubbly beverage), set our alarms for 5:00 a.m., and crawled into our bunks just after 1:00 a.m., we were exhausted. But the last words I heard him say as I curled tightly next to him were, “I’ll always come back to you.” 

    “And I’ll always wait for you.”    

Great Loop Expedition
Day One
Hour One

Getting Diesel at Laraine’s Landing Meinke Marina in Curtice, Ohio, August 3, 2013 at 6:30 a.m. The first day of the Great Loop expedition!  Oh, what a beautiful morning…

**TO FOLLOW THIS MAN'S GREAT LOOP JOURNEY**  http://sixteentonsandwhatdoyouget.blogspot.com/

I should have known!