During the past 3½ months, we learned that there's another world out there, fully experienced only from the water, with texture, ambience, sensations, and culture so foreign to me, being a Minnesota girl. It is a world of marinas as varied as a Motel 6 is from the Ritz-Carlton, communities on the water where people live, work, play, and socialize, or in our case, simply pass through (we're referred to as "transients").
It is a world whose livelihood is dependent on the sea and where many towns have memorials to honor those lost there; it is a world where fishing boats seem to outnumber cars, and lobster and crab pots seem to outnumber people.
It is a world of peaceful anchorages, wilderness areas, sandy beaches, marshlands, rocky and wooded shores, lighthouses, small fishing villages, beautiful resort towns, large commercial sea ports, all types of housing imaginable, and metropolitan cities - both modern and steeped in history.
It is a world of barges and hard-working tugboats, alert and wary Coast Guard boats, impressive freighters and cruise ships, classic and regal-looking tall ships, intimidating war ships, car ferries, tour boats, luxury yachts, lazy trawlers, high-powered cigarette boats, and recreational sail and power boats of all sizes and descriptions. It is a world of swing bridges, lift bridges, bascule bridges, and of course, 65' fixed bridges.
It is a world where the sea is more than just water - it's a living organism with a temperament and personality, a powerful being who can toss us, rage against us, frighten us, delight us, calm us, lull us to sleep, and yes, make us a little queasy. It is a world where whales dominate and inspire awe, seals swim by curiously and inspire humor, dolphins frolic and inspire joy, and manatees bathe lazily and inspire love.
It is a world where people are...well, people - no different from people everywhere, and we smile as we remember them fondly. Each person we met along the way left an imprint on our hearts and made our journey a richer, more textured and colorful experience. There are too many names to mention, but we are grateful to all who contributed to the memories we'll savor of this trip. A special "thank you" goes to those we encountered en route who joined us on our journey and cheered us on via the blog, like Roberta.
We are so grateful for the privilege of experiencing this other world for the past 3½ months.
Stay tuned, there's more to come...
It's fun to get to hear you process. Keep it coming!
ReplyDeleteWe'll see what we can do, Tracy.
ReplyDelete