I wanted to take Bernie out for another overnight, the weekend of May 12, 2017. Hubbie wasn’t interested, so I packed up the dogs and went solo. Bernie was already ready to go, so shortly after work, I hit the road, headed for South Jetty in Florence, OR.
Read MoreMy Dad has a 1981 Volkswagen Westfalia named Bernie. As my parents are moving onto their Bayliner, they don't have room for any extra rolling stock. But, my Dad isn't quite ready to part with Bernie, so in exchange for giving Bernie a home, we get to go on adventures with him!
Read MoreIn January 2015, I set up a meeting with our life insurance/financial planner guy to talk about our options for preparing financially for this lifestyle alternative. I walked into the meeting and calmly explained what we are working toward, that we are a little bit ahead of the game at this point, but that I wanted to figure out all of the options available to me. His eyes raised slightly, but not so much in response to the adventure component, more in the multifaceted request I had laid out.
How can you max out your retirement savings, reduce your taxable income, save for a large purchase and payoff your house on a very expedited timeline?
Read MoreThe H-dock crew threw a Halloween get together, and Dad and I were able to meet at the boat to play. It was yet another opportunity for Chester the Adventure Kitty to go on a road trip. And if Chester goes, Kona and Boomer want to go too! Dad brought his two dogs as well, Joey the Great Pyrenees and Bandy the Australian Shepherd cross. In all, we had 4 dogs, the cat and two people on board. It took some skilled boat dancing (the art of multiple beings moving about in a small space) to make it work, but we did it!
The first order of business was to introduce Chester to Bandy and Joey. Bandy is an older rescue from the shelter, so we weren't sure what her background was with kitties. Joey has been my Dad's since he was a puppy, and he hasn't ever really spent time around one. Leave it to Chester to be brave and approach the dogs all on his own! For the most part, Joey was confused and frequently looked to my Dad as if to ask - What do I do with this? Eat it?
Kona watching over Chester as he meats Joey for the first time.
Saturday morning, we took the gang (minus Chester) on a walk through town to stretch their legs, get some coffee, and stop by the store for some dog treats. It was quite the scene with the four dogs leading the way. Many double takes were had by the residents of Umatilla.
Sitting pretty (mostly) for some treats.
That afternoon, we stopped by a thrift store to put together some costumes before heading to the Umatilla Yacht Club annual dinner. After that we headed over to Lady Charlene for drinks and snacks. It was nice to get out of town and spend some time on the boat.
Since we moved to Eugene, we haven't spent much time with Hubbie's buddies from high school. We decided that rather than head all the way back to Tumbleweed, ID for a class reunion, we would meet up with the closest friends in a central location. What luck! My Dad's boat is pretty darn close to being equidistant from everyone's current city and it's free to stay at!
In all, we had three couples on my Dad's boat, just at the limits of comfortable. The weekend was a blast, and we were so focused on reminiscing and playing in the sun that we didn't take pictures. Many thanks to Charlene of Lady Charlene for documenting the weekend for us!
A bit sooner than expected, but it seems the few positive experiences Hubbie has had are starting to work!
A few weeks after my Dad purchased his boat, it was trucked from the Seattle area to Umatilla, OR for easier accessibility while he is in Idaho. When we first arrived in Umatilla, the rest of the H-dock crew were preparing for a pirate party, to celebrate the re-naming of one of the boats. Oh what timing we have!
We made a quick trip to the store for chips and salsa and returned just in time for the live music set up on the flybridge of the newly named boat. It was awesome! Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. The party was such a success, they decided to hold another one the next summer. What a perfect opportunity to have Hubbie spend some time at the boat!
This would make the third trip to the boat for Hubbie. The yacht club members all pitched in to have live music again and everyone bounced around from boat to boat snacking and drinking.
Musician Frank Carlson.
Dancin on the dock!
Our contribution was a fruit salad (with an attempt at a watermelon carved into a shark), pirate marshmallow pops, and lime pirate ships on blue raspberry ocean Jell-O shots. (Yay for Pinterest inspiration!) (And P.S.- blue raspberry Jolly Rancher jello is the best for Jell-O shots!!)
And the pirate theme would not be complete without costumes!
Staci and Allen of Staci Lorane and Doug and Charlene of Lady Charlene.
Captain Doug of Lady Charlene, Captain Mark and First Mate Kelly of Otra Vez.
We partied all afternoon and into the night. Chester even made an appearance!
My overall goal of living on the boat is to make it our permanent home, not a toy we use 5 weekends a year. And I really don’t want to wait until traditional retirement to make that goal happen. I would have spent the most physically capable years of my life sitting at a desk. That plan just won’t work, I need to do it faster. As in only 7 years from now faster.
Read MoreWe have two dogs, Kona the Border Collie and Boomer the Basset Hound. Part of the plan was that by the time we were ready to cut the dock lines, our fur children will have grown old and moved on. I love them all so very much and really dread the time when they will no longer be with us, but boat life will be much more relaxing if we don’t have a zoo.
Read MoreHow can you immediately dismiss an idea when you haven’t even entertained the thought? Never having been on a large boat that would be capable of living aboard, you don’t even know what you are saying “no” to. So – challenge accepted! I will work to at least get you to consider it as an option. But! You can’t say “no” yet.
Read MoreWe’re the Lakes - a couple and their fur kids traveling the US by 5th wheel. Never Be Closer is about finding a lifestyle alternative to the daily grind.
