From Sea to Rolling Prairie

After spending 30 years afloat, blue-water sailing, I’m now firmly anchored a thousand miles from salt water. It hasn’t always been an easy transition, and my husband and I still have strong hankerings for the sights, sounds and smells found near the coast.
A childhood and young adulthood spent along the shores of the Delaware River gave way to years of sailing the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay with a young husband who loved being on the water. Later years found us exploring blue watery ways from Delaware to Maine, California to European ports.
As our three children came along, they were quickly initiated into sailing life aboard various vessels. Being only days old when they were each carried aboard, they didn’t have much to say about it, but they grew up loving the life. It meant freedom for years at a time from formal classroom settings, trips to exotic locations, and the cultivation of navigational skills that most kids can’t even imagine.
Various pets accompanied us during all our years afloat, including little finches that spit seeds at our daughter in her tiny “stateroom,” and a Siamese kitty named for the headmaster of the correspondence school which provided study materials and supervision for the kid’s schooling. The kids also developed relationships with other critters along the way – especially a large fish they named “George” and several pelicans who perpetually “decorated” pilings near the stern of the boat.
Raising kids afloat presented many challenges, especially since we both worked full-time while in various harbors. However, it also provided us many benefits as a family to bond closely and enjoy each others talents and abilities.
Now, I’m landlocked and learning to find enjoyment in wide open prairie spaces, not unlike the sea in that respect. We still have pets in our life, two spoiled and demanding 1/2 Siamese kitties, and 6 winged beauties – a Cherry Head conure, a Green Cheek conure, a Half-Moon conure, an Indian Ringneck, a sweet little Budgie, and our oldest at 20 years, Glory the Cockatiel.
The children are grown and have families of their own, and I totally enjoy the company of the grandchildren. Life is good!