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Position: 37° 35′ 49”N 0° 58′ 48”W
The last few weeks have flown by for reasons that can’t be fully explained by your devoted correspondent. Pushing our US departure date out by a month meant C. Northcote Parkinson‘s “…observation that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” kicked in fully. We dithered and dallied and procrastinated and ended up forgetting a bunch of things we should have done at the beginning of our Stateside trip. You know, it’s like that long punch list you keep on your fridge, or in an app on your phone. That kind of stuff. But time and United Airlines wait for no one (United will delay you at their convenience, but they won’t wait for you). We left Portland for London Heathrow. Have I ever mentioned Heathrow is my least favourite airport in the world? It is. I’ll leave it at that.
In order to keep your attention, here is a short summary of upcoming posts. Think of these as movie trailers. Sit back, dim the lights and stare at the big screen as your senses thrill to all the cool things Carol and I got up to recently – but only the highlights.
Emma and Jarno’s Wedding
We timed our return to Aleta for a wedding stopover in the UK. Clearing customs in record time, we soon hopped in the world’s smallest rental car (a Toyota AYGO. So named because drivers constantly mutter, Ay Go! Ay yi yi, just Go!) and tootled down to the ancient city of Bath just in time to walk Emma down the aisle so she could tie the knot with her fiancé Jarno. The beautiful, simple ceremony took place in the Guildhall and took care of the UK’s civil demands for legally uniting a couple in matrimony.
A small, select group of family VIPs attended to ensure things went smoothly. After all, this was April Fool’s Day. Not everyone made it, but a near tragedy was avoided. Next year a larger, wilder celebration is planned for a secret location in the French Alps. (Really, Blofeld? You intrigue me.) We can’t wait!
As I write, the happy bride and groom just boarded a Singapore Airlines double-decker jet bound, eventually, for a honeymoon diving in Thailand. Not bad. Once the wedding photographer finishes his work, we will publish a full report. In the meantime, here are a few pics to whet your appetite.
Cosyhousing
Our friends, like us, are reaching the age of full retirement. Or a version of full retirement that involves some (paid) work, but only enough to maintain nest eggs in this post-Covid age of inflation and market uncertainty. And at our ages, your friends, the ones who held on long enough, are the ones you have the most in common with. You share values and interests. They’re the ones you don’t see for two years and yet you pick up your conversation right where you left it.
We are fortunate to have friends like that. One of the things we discuss is how to better share adventures, experiences, and life. We even talk about building a big Shaker boarding house where we can convene, read, share recipes and look after each other into our dotages. The past few months has seen some experimentation in that direction. If that sounds intriguing, watch this space!
Life at 70
Carol and I woke up a few weeks ago and realized after five and a half years on the boat we still hadn’t circumnavigated. In my version of our original plan, we’d spend about five years sailing around the world, then sell the boat and undertake land-based adventures: i.e, those few remaining things on our bucket list that demand physical strength, but not a sailboat.
That was B.C. (Before Covid) buggered up the schedule and kept us in the Med for two years longer than expected. Now in 2 A.D. (After De-masking), we have an as yet unfinished plan for the next seven years. The plan outlines our sailing ambitions and still ponders the questions of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, riding a motorcycle (or two) across at least one continent, and considers the question of how the heck we might entice more people to hang out with us (see prior section). The plan goes into enough detail that by the time we hang up our life jackets and our motorcycle boots, we’ll have at least two Kangal dogs and a roof over our heads. Want to know how we make plans with Big Hairy Audacious Goals? You’re in the right place.
Semana Santa – Cartagena Style
We landed in Spain during the busiest holiday of the year, Easter. Cartagena’s celebrations are the second biggest in Spain. Parades go on every night, each reproducing a chapter of the Easter story. (The story about Jesus; the son of God. Not the one about pagan bunnies, in case you were confused.) This week we’ve seen huge effigies atop brilliantly lit floats, borne on the shoulders of five dozen costumed men who lurch through Cartagena’s narrow lanes. Legions of cosplay Roman soldiers, some as young as four, march through town. A feeling of theatrical dread is in the air.
Today is Maundy Thursday. The day when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples after the Last Supper. We, on the other hand, washed Aleta’s decks. After six months at dock not one whit of her was clean. Tonight, with parades starting as late as 4:30AM, celebrations will keep the entire community up until Good Friday. Images and impressions to follow.
