Spring is here in the northeast - it finally found us!
For a horse owner, spring means bringing mounds of muddy, dusty and just plain filthy blankets of all weights to the one laundromat within miles that will do them for me. Gone are the days when I'd slink in the back door of a laundromat miles from the barn with several of those huge black plastic leaf bags suspiciously bulging with something other than leaves.
Anyway, the point of this meandering story is that the laundromat is just 2 blocks from the marina where we kept For Us and Serenity - and only 4 minutes from my old house (which I can't bear to go near). Now, many folks might find it difficult to visit the site of beautiful memories - I'm no different - but I was on a mission that popped into my mind en route to the laundromat. I was going to put my bid in with the marina manager to lay claim to Serenity's old slip for Summer, 2015. Serenity had one of the most prized slips - very wide, lovely long finger and no neighbor on one side - ideal. Considering I will be a VERY novice captain when the new boat heads north next spring, not sharing a slip with another boat is a dream come true - for both of us!
The marina folks were lovely. After condolences were offered, I hurried to change the subject and lighten the mood. I find myself doing that often, by the way. I want to put people at their ease and move the conversation along as quickly as possible. It's good for everyone. I guess the economy is improving - they told me nearly all their slips are reserved (see how quickly I changed the subject).
While I was there, I walked down the main dock to my former D dock to see if anyone was around. I ran into a friend (a sailor with a gorgeous huge sailboat) who told me he is going to do a solo circumnavigation of the world in November. He has a great sense of humor and offered that we'd be dock mates in 2015 if he made it back. He and Tom enjoyed each other's company; more condolences offered. I continued my walk and was disappointed not to run into anyone else. All the boats are out of their winter shrinkwrap, so I guess it's just a matter of a few more weekends til the dock is buzzing again.
Word travels fast in the boat world. I hadn't even gotten home when one of my favorite dock friends called to say she heard the good news. It seems her husband arrived shortly after I left, ran into the marina manager - and the rest is history. I do think by the time the boat and I arrive in the marina next spring, we might actually be celebrities. One thing is certain - the marina can accommodate close to 300 boats of all sizes - there will NOT be another Kadey Krogen there, and there will NOT be another single woman living aboard her own boat. So there! During our chat, I received an open invitation to spend time aboard my friends' boat this sumer. She is a fantastic cook and always has wonderful things aboard to eat. Since Serenity had the wine and Donna had the food, we spent lots of time on each other's boats. At least I'll be near boats this summer - it's been a long, dry spell.
Weekends are still tough for me - despite a blistering schedule. I rode this morning, spent 3 hours at the barn, THEN embarked on 3 more hours of errands. Once the errands were done, I drove 25 minutes to pick up my grandson for a sleep over. We had a dinner "date" at Bertucci's, then headed to the apartment for a bath and playtime. He's finally asleep after watching a Winnie the Pooh movie on my iPad. I can still be lonely in a room full of friends. I know this feeling will ease over time, so until it does, tomorrow is another wild day!
Have a great weekend everyone!
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