Friday, August 3, 2012

Plotting Our Course

We're (me, Pam, Megan, Gertie, Chevy, Ruby, and Olivia) are sitting in a hotel in Lexington, VA.  It was an 11 hour drive from Bleecker Mountain in upstate NY to here.  Pam and Megan drove the car and I drove the truck with all the critters except Olivia.  I had fun listening to the political entertainers on talk radio and pondering our future.

Pam and I never had a plan nor a schedule.  When we left CT last September, we intended to wander south as our mood and circumstances dictated, which we more or less did.  However, returning to upstate NY, ten acres of land in the Adirondack Park fell into our lap, just like Drift Away did a couple of years ago. 

The land is all wooded except for a road that was put in by the owner.  We intend to build a house, garage, and barn (for horses) after clearing the land to see the view of Shaker Mountain.  As much as I dislike snow, now that I'm retired, I can envision myself sitting in front of a big ol' stone fireplace with a hot cup of coffee and watching the snow gently fall.  Gertie is curled up on the hearth, and Chevy and Ruby on the oval rug in front of the fire.  There is nothing but silence.  Well, nothing but silence now that Pam has finished plowing and shoveling, mucking stalls, cooked my breakfast of bacon and eggs and home fries, and got herself off to her job.   Life is good. 

Tonight we'll be back at the boat, which hopefully will be back at our dock, which it wasn't yesterday.  The bottom has new paint and the propeller and rudder shafts have new packing.   We're down to cosmetics on Drift Away- new topsides paint, replace some paneling,stuff like that.  Do we keep the boat?  Do we sell it and completely change course?  Do we become snowbirds?  Living on a small fixed income, can we afford to do both?  Do I put a "donate" button on the blog? 

No, just kidding about the donate button.  But if any of you readers are fabulously wealthy and have run out of room in your Scrooge McDuck money bin, let me know.  To turn a phrase that I used to tell my customers over the years, I don't have any problems that money won't fix.

2 comments:

  1. It is interesting how courses do change. From my experience,the cost of a boat if you do not live on it full time can be daunting, and leaving it sit in southern summer sun beats it up pretty good. On the other hand snow does get a little old, earlier than it used to and to me a boat is an incredible place to spend a warmer winter. Good luck with your decisions

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  2. I LOVE sitting in front of our stone fireplace in the middle of the winter. I think you will too. You should also take up cross-country skiing. I'm looking forward to the inaugural Bleecker Mountain Life Blog.

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