FAQ - When did Nine of Cups become "home"?

I always refer to Nine of Cups as home. After 15 years living aboard, wherever we are, no matter what country or what port, she's our home. When we dock in a foreign country and folks ask us where we're from, we usually reply “Well, today we're from here.” It wasn't always that way though and several women who are thinking of becoming liveaboards have asked me when I stopped thinking of Cups as just a sailboat and starting thinking of her as home.

Certainly there was not one exact moment when the boat equaled home. Having sold our house, car and most of our worldly possessions before embarking on our liveaboard lifestyle certainly helped speed up the process. Cups was all we had left. Moving familiar items aboard made her more homey … our whistling teapot, pictures, our favorite mugs, a familiar blanket to snuggle up with on cool evenings. You know … all those creature comforts that make a place not only comfortable, but yours.

Perhaps, experiencing our first storm and hunkering down for the blow was a telling event. Seeing how well Cups handled the wind and waves was certainly reassuring. She was seaworthy and sea-kindly despite the crew's ineptness and discomfort. She protected us from the elements (and ourselves). As we came to know her better, she took on her own personality. We began caring for her as we'd care for any well-loved family member. We began to miss her when we were away.

I always said that when I could walk effortlessly without lights through Cups at night (on deck and below) and not stumble on the step up from the galley to the saloon or the step down from the forward cabin to the forward head … that's when Cups would really be “home” to me. That's when I'd be so familiar with her that I wouldn't have to think about my movements as I moved blindly from one end of the boat to the other.

It happened without my realizing it. I found it hard to sleep without a little rocking motion and the lap of water on the hull. After awhile, I found myself moving around the boat with ease. I could hustle down the companionway ladder gracefully; grab stuff from the galley lockers without hitting my head on anything; hoist myself up the long step from the dinghy to the rub rail to the deck while holding onto a grocery bag; and, yes, walk through the boat from stem to stern in the dead of night without stumbling a step or missing a handhold.

Now, it's being on land that seems the novelty. No rocking, no lap of waves, no smell of the sea. Our home country is the USA, for sure. But after 15 years aboard, Nine of Cups, wherever she might be, is home.

Unexpected Luxury - A Daily Newspaper

We were walking through WalMart the other day (yes, WalMart) when a young man offered me a free copy of Nevada's largest daily newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal. I accepted. He also offered me last Sunday's paper. Again, I accepted. He suggested that I might want a daily subscription. Probably not. “Well, it's only $8.99/month, home delivery is free and I'll give you $15 in WalMart gift cards, if you subscribe today. You can cancel any time.” Uh-oh … he had me at $15 and cancel any time! I signed on the dotted line, paid my first month and used my $15 in gift cards at the check-out.

We haven't had a daily newspaper subscription since we lived in Wisconsin … 17 years ago. I know it's outdated to purchase a hard copy newspaper (probably ecologically unconscionable, too), but there's something to be said for spreading out the newspaper and poring through it as you sip your morning coffee. There's something somewhat sentimental having newsprint ink all over your hands.

So I brought my free newspapers home and started reading. I learned lots in less than an hour. It seems that Cuba's prized cigar tobacco crop is in jeopardy. New, more ethnically and physically diverse Barbies have just been introduced to the market. The Clydesdales were in town. Peanuts, Dilbert, Blondie and Garfield are still in the comic section, but the political cartoons were much funnier. I would not have googled any of these topics, so combing the newspaper provided some interesting information … useless, but interesting.

I discovered that a new national monument would be opening soon near Las Vegas - Tule Springs Fossil Bed National Monument. Established in December 2014, the monument aims to protect “paleontological resources that span the last 250,000 years, including the last two Ice Ages. Entombed in ancient muds, the fossilized remains of Columbian Mammoth, Camelops, American Lions, three species of Extinct Horses, and Ground Sloths can be found.”

I also stumbled upon a scenic 62-mile drive along the shores of Lake Mead. Northshore Road “offers desert panoramas, colorful sandstone formations, rugged mountains and sweeping views of the lake.” Sounds good to me. The $20 entrance fee is waived for holders of the National Parks Senior Pass … like the ones we have. Sounds like a good outing possibility.

Last, but certainly not least, after studying the paper's TV guide, I realized that with hundreds of channels available, there was nothing worth watching this week … and I didn't even have to channel surf to figure it out.

I wasn't sure if the rest of the family would be as enthusiastic as I was about my decision. Mary put in first dibs on the crossword puzzle and the coupons. Karen was interested in using the newspaper as packing material for our upcoming move. David has been perusing right along with me each morning as we sip our cuppas. Since the first two months end up being free, I think we're gonna bask in the luxury.

#TBT - Chinese New Year Down Under

Chinese New Year was celebrated last Monday and the year of the red monkey began. It brought back memories of our first Chinese New Year's celebration right around this time a few years ago down under in Adelaide, South Australia. Click here to read about the Chinese New Year's celebration in Adelaide, South Australia.