We're thankful for...

It's Thanksgiving Day in the USA and here we are in Guyana, quite removed from the family, festivities and feasting … and turkey. We'll make do with chicken and whatever else we can rustle up to go with it … maybe mashed potatoes and, if we're in luck, a little cranberry sauce? We always find a way to celebrate.

We decided to spend a little time en route on our last little passage, making a list of all those things for which we're thankful. We know we're blessed to be living the life we do and it's the perfect time to reflect on just how fortunate we are … especially when you hear us griping about doing boat chores, Here we go … 8 things for which we're most thankful.

1. Our health

   Man, are we ever lucky in that department. We've had our share of health issues along the way, but nothing catastrophic or continuing. Considering our ages, creeping ever upward, we're in pretty good shape. Neither of us requires any daily medication, except for maybe some Ibuprofen once in awhile. Knock on wood, we hope our good health continues.

2. Our lifestyle

   We know we lead a charmed life and there's barely a day that passes that we don't think about it. Sailing around the world … our hotel room and restaurant with us. Dawdling indefinitely when we want to; leaving when we decide it's time. Cultural immersion, inland travel, flights home so our family won't forget our faces … it's all part of this wonderful life we lead. No, it's not for everyone, but it's definitely for us.

3. Our friends and family

   Our family has been supportive of our lifestyle from the start (though they get a bit testy about our absence every once in awhile). We've met so many good cruising friends and wonderful folks in the countries we've visited that have enriched our lives. Then there's you, our readers, who take the time to read and share our experiences with us.

   Special thanks to our niece, Gentry, who's responsible for publishing and maintaining Just A Little Further every single day. And, of course, Lin, Marcie's sister, who pays the bills and handles most every other emergency that pops up and gives us a place to live when we visit Boston. And David's sister, Mary, who feeds us gourmet style and gives up her bed when we visit Las Vegas. Oh, we could just go on and on … we're thankful, you guys, we really are.

4. Good fortune

   Luck has a lot to do with our continued ability to sail, travel and live aboard. All the planning in the world can't trump plain old good fortune. We've certainly had situations that could have been catastrophes, but have instead been important learning experiences and life lessons. Others we know have not fared as well. Good fortune has been with us and we pray it sticks with us.

5. How much water there is on Earth

   70% of the Earth's surface is covered in water. We thank God for giving us such a fantastic planet ... so much water and so much world to sail around.

6. Nine of Cups

   Who could have known back in 2000 when we bought this 1986 Liberty 458 that she'd be our home for the next 15 years and carry us nearly 90,000 miles around the world to exotic places that we'd only dreamed about … and a few we'd never even heard of before. She's seaworthy and sea-kindly.

7. Our financial situation

   We're not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but we saved enough before retiring and now have sufficient income to live comfortably and travel aboard Nine of Cups. It's a combination of hard work, planning and luck, but we're thankful we have the funds to continue living this life.

8. Each other

   This lifestyle wouldn't work if we weren't both in love with this life of travel and adventure and each other … and all aboard a sailboat.. For 30+ years, we've been soul mates. For the past 15+ years, it's been living this life aboard Nine of Cups. Really …. how could we not be grateful for all we have?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Three Years ... and counting!

It's hard to believe it's been three years since we started this blog. I'm not sure any of us thought we would get very far in this endeavor, but look at us now. Over 1000 blog posts and three eBooks later and we're still going strong with lots of ideas in various stages of discussion and execution. Thanks for coming along for the ride. It's been great fun for me to receive these lovely and exciting posts from Marcie and David (who, if you remember, are my aunt and uncle) and deliver them all to you. We work hard to get a post out every day. Marcie and David write them and take all the pictures, constantly asking, “Is this blog worthy?” Then, they have to find a way to get them to me, with pictures, using sketchy internet connections. I receive them and get them ready to post on our blog-site. Then I post them to all sorts of social media outlets so that as many people as want to, can read them. It's been a good partnership and we aren't ending it any time soon … Yay!

Over the last three years I have ooh-ed and aah-ed and laughed as I've read and posted each and every blog post. Here are some of my favorite ones:

One of the many things I love about Marcie is that she is always up for a celebration or participating in a tradition. I love her posts about sailing traditions and superstitions.

“Killing an albatross is bad luck (as if). Killing a seagull is bad luck …they’re the souls of men who have died at sea. Seeing a swallow at sea is good luck … it means you’re close to land. Cats on board are good luck … they kill rodents (and potentially provide one extra meal…just kidding). Dolphins swimming beside the boat are good luck … they relay Neptune’s greetings and we like this one.”

Superstitious Sailors

Crossing the Line ... Again

Download Marcie's Days and Ways to Celebrate - 2015 for a year's worth of traditions and holidays to celebrate.

David has a wry sense of humor and there have been many times when I've busted out laughing only to have my daughters look at me funny.

“As for us, we aren’t going to worry too much about the “Ocean Flatulence” theory – it’s one of those things we can’t do a thing about. If it is a real phenomenon, we can only hope that Neptune enjoys his tot of rum enough to keep us clear of that particular type of night wind.”

The Blue View - Methane Bubbles

The Blue View - St. Helena Driving Tips

David writes most of the technical sailing posts on the blog. To be honest it's not my cup of tea (sorry, UD) but I know many of you love reading them. You can type “the blue view” in the search box on the right and read all the technical sailing posts he has written. Better yet, buy his book Nine of Cups Guide to Anchors and Anchoring for a detailed look at anchoring a boat in different situations (you mean you don't just lob a heavy piece of metal over board and call it good?).

There have been many times when Marcie has written a series of posts on a particular location and I've thought, “I want to live there!” Here are some of the places I want to live (or at least visit) because of Marcie's beautiful descriptions and gorgeous pictures.

“Bo-Kaap is a unique, vibrant, historically-rich community and interesting to visit. Many of the old cobblestone streets remain, narrow and steep and lined with brightly colored, well-kept row houses from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The oldest house, built in 1658, stands as a local museum. The house colors knock your socks off … turquoise, purple, hot pink, mustard yellow, lime green. Eye candy for us wanderers.”

Around Town - Esperance, Western Australia

Living on Island Time

Colorful, Spicy Bo Kaap

I hope to create some eBook travelogues from Marcie's writings throughout these last three years. But for now you can download Nine of Cups' Caribbean Stories about Marcie and David's travels throughout the Caribbean.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the blog from my point of view. It was fun to tell my side of the story.

Father's Day 2015

It's Father's Day today and I don't have to think much about my Dad before I start smiling. He died nearly 40 years ago, yet I can still hear his voice. In my mind's eye, I see him doing a Jimmy Durante impression (Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!) or letting me snuggle up next to him in his  old “easy chair” as we watched scary movies while my Mom was at work. He was a clown … always the life of the party … the New Year's Eve baby … the guy who made everyone laugh.

I called him Daddy when I was little, Dad as I got older and Papa when I went to college and became oh, so sophisticated. When ancient, parsimonious Uncle Louis, the patriarch of our family, admonished my Dad that he was wasting money educating a “girl”, my Dad ignored him. I went to a private Catholic women's college at great expense to my family. Dad had a 6th grade education … leaving school to work, as so many kids did in those Depression days. He was street smart and a fast learner and he was intent that both his daughters would be educated.

He worked as a laborer in a steel mill … hard work and a hard worker.  Sometimes he worked three jobs to make ends meet, but I don't ever remember him complaining.

I was definitely a “Daddy's girl” and unabashedly used that to my advantage, as daughters often do. He was proud of me and worried sometimes that I was ashamed of him. We never talked about that too much, but I sensed it. How could he ever have thought I would be anything less than proud of him? My eyes fill with tears just thinking about it.

He was likeable and loveable and I'm sorry that David and our sons never got the chance to meet him. He died of a heart attack at age 51, two weeks before Brennan was born. He left suddenly, without saying goodbye. I talk to him still and I'm convinced he listens.

So whether we call you Dad, Daddy, Da, Pa, Papa, Vater, Pere or you're a son, uncle, brother, cousin or close friend who serves as the paternal influence and male mentor in the family … relax … enjoy yourself.  Happy Father's Day … and thanks.

Check out how other countries celebrate Father's Day.

P.S. - My sister, Lin, added her definition of "Daddying” ... It's going on kiddy rides, playing at the beach, shoveling snow, and being both a father and a child.