New equipment instead of new furniture.

As far as preparations I have decided to take it easy until January.  Well it is not so. No matter how hard we try, there is always something new that has to be done. I am getting butterflies in my stomach to think that I actually have to start planning million things, very soon, as I was never a great planner. Yet, as more equipment is coming to the house, cluttering the floors, along with my easels and canvases, the more I realize that, I have been preparing for this my entire life. It feels liberating, not to be attached, and to think that I don't need new certains to match my sofa. Maybe I am just not interested, maybe that is not my thing or maybe I just want to talk to the dolphins and learn their language. I leave a lot of the planning to my husband who has been working endlessly to get us ready for our journey. My husband amazes me everyday with the knowledge of equipment, installations, oceanic safety, or electronic operations, and I love that he shares that with me, although sometimes I have no idea what he is talking about, and I dare to look at face book while we talk.  We seem to talk in two frequencies that meet somewhere in the middle. And it is great!!!

How Can you live in a shell?

How can you live in a shell?

This was my mom’s question after she had a visit with us over the summer. And I ask: why do children like to walk on the edge of a fountain? why do people like to go to a sports bar to eat and be surrounded by loud televisions from every corner? But even though it is a shell according to my mom, she enjoyed a sail to Ockracoke island and I must admit she is very supportive of our life changing decisions. Meanwhile so much work has been put in into the boat until now, and more to come over the next six months. The generator was almost completely rebuild. Lots of work was done on gages pumps, pipes, electronics, floors. Our time and effort has been divided between life on land and on the coast. It is like having another life. A life that is full and rich. My husband and I came to the conclusion that we work in symbiosis because wherever we go with the boat, I find galleries and make friends with people that love art as much as I do. It turns out that many sailors are in fact artists, especially on the coast. We left Norfolk in summer and finally the boat is closer to us, which makes it more convenient as a lot more work has to be done. I am talking about major work like changing the rigging, sanding and painting the bottom of the boat, not to mention other smaller details that are time consuming like documentation. A lot of research is also necessary, I left this part, mostly to my husband and I will eventually catch up. Oh well, my house is in a constant mess because I work full time (Ok that is an excuse). There are lots of gadgets in the house that I am starting to get rid of, and it feels great! Some things I don’t even put in place anymore, because frankly they don’t have a space in my reality.  Truthfully some facts of life have completely taken another course on its own. And the further along we are in our plans, the plans start to evolve like a canvas with beautiful colors. My shell is who I am, and I will even hang tiny little pretty curtains, on my tiny little boat windows per my mom’s wish.

Spring cleansing

As Spring is coming the time flies by, we are cleaning our boat. I feel like this time of the year is about cleaning the physical and cleansing the spiritual. Getting rid of things and letting people go, at the same time inviting the new into life.  Sure enough this year has already proven to bring many changes.
My poor husband was cleaning and upgrading the toilets, and worked on the generator, yak. While I was working on getting rid of junk, when Chris was not looking! He would keep almost everything if I let him and he will go to great lengths to retrieve some items.  I was also responsible for playing the music in the main salon, big job! and preparing the bedrooms. Decorating comes later when we bring the boat to Beaufort, and after the toilets are done! It was our first night in our new home.  The kids chose their cabins, without putting up a fight.  There is more work to be done always! A hoy.

 Preparing for the journey, "California Pillow"

My husband and I knew that we can't live the way that we have been for the past fifteen years. We have come to the understand that changing our life style is the only way to preserve our sanity, preserve a family life, where nobody goes their own separate ways in the morning, but rather experience a sun rise and sunset every day.  We want to have time to stop and ponder upon nature and not to be somewhere in a rush or answer cell phones.  We came to this conclusion after many ups and downs in our lives. We came to America in search of The American Dream. We had a beautiful house, two cars and a sweet golden retriever (she is still with us). We had comfortable life style, california pillow, king size bed, good jobs. It was all nice but we were raised in Poland having practically nothing. The conclusion is that while the life is very comfortable, it teaches little responsibility, it offers quick solutions, take a pill and go home, it is a western society trap.  Our life on the boat may be uncomfortable at times, but it will be content, full, while completely requiring to believe in ourselves. Therefore it is our choice to leave california pillow behind, to let go, which was easier then one might think. In 2012 we sold our house and almost everything with it. After a long search for out boat we finally purchased one in Virginia in 2013. We are going to do some work on it and we plan to start our new life heading to Caribbean whenever it will be time. I would like to pursue painting, and become full time artist, and my husband will be a full time Captain. Gwendolina will swim with dolphins, and Peter (teenager) will learn life from a different perspective.