It’s been a while since I went on an artist’s date, and today it was clear that I was due for one. The artist’s date is a creation of Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way, defined as a solo expedition to explore something that interests you. Officially they are meant to be weekly, but it seems like such a luxury to fit into my current life of homeschooling, meal planning/shopping/preparation, and boat work. The point of the artist’s date as I see it is to bank experiences to use as input for creativity, and to feed the soul such that you feel free to express creativity. I probably should do it more often.

At the roadside city name attraction

Letras Grandes

First I visited one of the colorful Ensenada signs made of huge letters. I parked across from the puestos selling all matter of edible goodies, and was immediately converged upon by people wanting to sell me things, and offer convenient services like picture-taking. Politely refusing their offers, I took in the view of the ocean and took the obligatory photo with the sign.

La Cuidad y Los Mercados

My next stop was a mercado, where I’d been planning to go for weeks, but I hadn’t been able to arrange a field trip yet.
This is partially because Ethan expressed a total lack of interest, and there are more important things to force him to do! It’s not easy to research local businesses in Ensenada, as very few have web pages.

Roads and sidewalks can be a hazard, and the bar neighborhood near the mercados was no exception

Plus, if I knew all about the destination, it would take some of the fun and surprise out of the visit. So, I picked two places called mercados that were close to each other on Google Maps. I knew I was close when the streets became full and parking was not to be found. So I drove 4 blocks away, and walked through what was apparently a neighborhood of bars before arriving at the first of the mercados, a set of shops selling mostly clothing, and hair cuts.

It wasn’t what I expected. I thought I’d see piles of mole and other sauce pastes, rows of spices, cases of meats, and crates of other goods. I kept walking until I found the second one, and then I realized it was actually a supermercado, much like the grocery stores in the US. Browsing the aisles I was impressed with the selection of fresh cheeses (queso panela and queso fresco as well as white sharp cheddar were my treasures from this trip) and how full the shelves were. I’d gotten used to seeing large holes in inventory due to supply chain issues.

Beautifully arranged grocery store aisle

La Cena

When I got home I needed to do a few things before I could continue my artist’s date, and allow my culinary creativity to surface: clear some kitchen countertop space, retrieve the rice maker, find the various dinner ingredients that I didn’t just purchase (in 6 different places), and put away the groceries I’d just bought. Putting away the groceries meant writing the contents and expiration dates on the top of the cans so we can find them and use them at the right time going forward. However, the Sharpie pens were not in their designated spot, so I had to tap into my super-secret stationery supply reserves. Pens, especially colorful ones, make me happy.

The culmination of my artist’s date, which was also our dinner

For the first time I made Mexican rice in the rice cooker. I heated up refried beans that come in a pouch (and taste way better than the kind in cans in the US), and cooked chicken with garlic and oregano. Queso fresco, cilantro and lime juice (from the small juicy Mexican limes) finished off the meal, and added more depth in color.

El Impacto

The date was over but it had the desired effect. It refilled my creative well enough that I was inspired to write another blog, and gave me new ideas about what else to explore, most likely on my own so I can dive in as deeply as I’d like and focus specifically on what interests me. It also helped remind me of the importance of having that time set aside occasionally. As a secondary benefit, doing something alone helps recharge my batteries overall, especially after spending time in close quarters with others.

I plan to research before my next outing to find a market like the one I was seeking, hopefully specializing in fruit and vegetables.

–  🍅 🌽 🌶 🥔 🥒 🍠 🥕 –

Answering the questions “Where do you live?”, “Where are you from?”, and “What’s your address?” used to be rather simple, but it’s actually quite complicated now given our nomadic lifestyle. When faced with one of these queries, we always pause, and usually refer to an app that stores our five current addresses. 

Five? Yes, unless you count the location of our home right now, which we don’t tend to give out except to pizza delivery places, then it would be six.

Sometimes I ask a question in response: “What are you going to use the address for?” Checking into a hotel in Orlando this week the response was that they just wanted to make sure the address on file was right. That didn’t tell me anything about their intended use, but since the room was already paid for and I don’t need any communication from hotel chains, I just left whatever they had stand.

Domicile Address

The mail center at our official address in Bushnell, Florida

This last week we officially moved to Bushnell Florida. That is the address on our driver’s licenses, where we are registered to vote, and where we will be filing our taxes. Since our residence (where we physically are) will be outside the United States, and we own no real estate tying us to a particular state, we set up a home base in Florida. This home base concept is called setting up domicile, and it is a legal construct used to determine things like where you vote, file lawsuits, pay taxes, claim benefits, and pay heed to governmental authority. 

We use the services of Escapees RV to process any mail that we receive there. They helped us understand what we needed to do to set up our domicile, since they are quite familiar with the needs of other nomadic families, those who travel by recreational vehicles. 

We expect to live in Florida when we are finished cruising, which may be 2-10 years from now. But in the meantime, we will maintain Florida as our home base, sign up for Boy Scouts in the state, and I’m already a member of the PMI Tampa Bay Chapter. I was disappointed to see that I had just missed their monthly meeting when we arrived last week. 

Mailing Address

James using the luggage cart as a skateboard in a hotel hallway

Our mailing address is now in Livingston Texas, another part of the service of Escapees RV. We use this for everything that doesn’t require our domicile address. When we need to register a mailing address for receiving any physical mail such as replacement credit cards, or mail that banks insist on sending even though we asked for digital-only communications, we use this address. That’s because the mail service will scan the envelopes, and the contents if requested, share that for us in their online interface, and forward those items that we request as well. So far we’ve never had a reason to forward anything.

It’s interesting to note that out of all the addresses that we have, this is the second most important and permanent one, yet we don’t necessarily have any plans to visit this location. 

Package & Letter Pickup

San Diego from the air, about to land

When we were originally looking into getting an address to use in the San Diego area, we signed up with the Traveling Mailbox organization, and their services seemed like a good idea, as they include scanning mail contents when we request it. However, after using this address for James’ work, we learned that they can’t actually accept packages and we wouldn’t be able to pick up mail at their San Diego address. This was my research oversight, and means that we ended up selecting the UPS Store as a secondary San Diego address, that turned into the primary one.

We’ve been receiving our Amazon deliveries for the past couple of months at a UPS Store. All forwarding of anything we want to handle physically is going to this address while we are close enough to collect it, so it’s the one we are using much of the time, especially if ordering anything to be delivered.

We keep the original Traveling Mailbox address since it’s just easier not to change the address for James’ work as it will change to Florida his last week on the job in November. 

Former Address, Hanging On

Emeryville Marina

Our address at Emeryville Marina was our only address for almost a year, and we’ve been trying to convert all communications away from it since we left in June. However, we weren’t able to do that entirely until the end of the months-long process to remove the leasing company from our car title. We received the title this week so this address should be going away entirely now.

Home Is Where Our Boat Is

View from our boat/home in Ensenada

We’ll be docked in Ensenada for the next couple of months, but don’t have much reason to provide an address for that location to anyone. If we’re connecting with fellow cruisers, we mention the marina name or meet elsewhere. There isn’t a point in having packages sent from the US here since the extra tax is significant, and we plan to leave soon so don’t want another address to change going forward.

Over the past year we completed many major projects, most of which we deemed essential before setting off on this cruising adventure. The last couple planned are the engine overhauls, and repair of the solar arch (perhaps a story for another time), which we plan to complete in Ensenada. Of course there will be new projects as we go along, but those complete the list to address while in a location that provides easy access to excellent skilled workers. 

As we travel south from Ensenada, we will stay at places with no address, forgo Amazon deliveries, and have much less of a connection to the country of our birth and citizenship. We’ve only dipped our toes so far into this Mexican landscape and culture, cuisine and history. We’re enjoying calling this place our home at this time, and we look forward to many months (or years?!) more in Mexico. 

Powerless

Drawing while listening to a US History audiobook, in the heat

We’ve been without AC (alternating current) power aboard since Saturday evening. It sounds a bit worse than it is, as we are only missing power to the induction stove, microwave, air conditioning and heating, clothes washer, power outlets, and horror of horrors, WiFi. We still have the DC (direct current) working though, which controls all the devices that we use more frequently, and would typically need when not connected to shore power. Those are things like the refrigerator and freezer, fans, toilets, water pumps, and USB plugs. That’s good news.

At first we thought the AC issue would be resolved quickly, so we planned to go out sailing in Bahia de Todos Santos the next day. The conditions were superb, and the sail was quite pleasant. We hardly thought of the power issue while we were out.

However, James’ later troubleshooting revealed confusing results and another day went by. We continued to request help from the marina to rule out their power supply, and for 3 days there was one issue after another preventing them from helping with the troubleshooting. Twice I caught a dock worker and roped him into a conversation about it, but all he could do was call for the experts who were already gone for the day.

The One Thing

Cables strewn inside and out

I wasn’t able to cook, as our induction stove, instant pot, and convection oven all run on AC. Having to eat at restaurants all the time isn’t all bad though. We considered using our solar oven for cooking breakfast yesterday, but the clouds changed our plans. Then we realized that we could string an extension cord to the power tower and at least have access to one AC-powered item at a time. WiFi was first on the list. Our conversations often included things like, “No, we don’t have WiFi now since the blender is the One Thing”, “Use the WiFi while you can – it’s now the One Thing”, and “I’m going to make the Instant Pot the One Thing for about 35 minutes.”

It worked out okay like that for a while, until we found a power strip, tripling our AC power access, and tripping us when we tried to move about. Adding to that mess, with each power solution we tested the boat’s horizontal surfaces collected more and more tools and parts, while cupboards and cushions were dislodged, as if the inside were hit by a storm.

Hurricane Kay

Hurricane Kay is impacting land as I write, at the bottom of Baja California, and is expected to travel north along the coast losing momentum and dissipating to become a tropical storm when it arrives in Ensenada. The impact here will only be some stronger winds and rain. Since the area isn’t used to getting much rain, floods are expected.

Preparing for this, I took a mental inventory of our food/meal situation. We have months of food aboard so that isn’t an issue, but cooking it could be if the marina’s power is impacted by the storm. Usually that wouldn’t be the case, but we shouldn’t expect to have use of the One Thing (or Triple Thing) during or immediately after the storm. This reduces us to BBQ and solar oven as cooking options that are not ideal since they are both outside, or using the propane oven which will heat up our living space. So, we plan on eating salads and charcuterie for the next few days!

Though Kay will be a tropical storm when she arrives, she won’t be packing more of a punch than the typical squalls in the Caribbean. Our boat is built to withstand much more severe weather, so we have no concerns about weathering the coming storm.

The most common question we get is “Why”, or what led you to this absurd or crazy decision to start a cruising lifestyle? Ok so maybe the question isn’t always this direct, but there have been a few occasions where it has been. The answer to that question is simply, we have completely lost our minds.

The WABAC Machine

Now having confirmed all your suspicions, let’s adjust our setting on the “WABAC machine” and take a look at how we got here. For those of you not familiar with the WABAC machine, not to be confused with the Internet’s Wayback machine, it comes from a cartoon segment in the 1960s on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. In that segment, Mr. Peabody and Sherman used this device to transport themselves back in time to visit some important events in history. For our purposes here, we will use it to transcend the manic madness of this decision in search of the trigger that set us upon this path. For disclaimer purposes, this is this author’s perspective. So I use the term “we” completely out of context. We have discovered that the catalysts that precipitate one to make these kinds of decisions are about as different as Argyle socks: you might find one that is similar…but never exactly alike.

Argyle Socks

Several years ago, I began to contemplate what I would do with my time once I decided that I was tired of working the 9-to-5, or in my case it was more like the 6:30-to-6:30-dinner-7:30-to-9:30. Outside of general hobbies (of which I have many), I really enjoy travel, experiencing the wonders of culture, being in the majesty of nature, and the serenity of calm. In this, Deanna and I are largely aligned. I also recognized that we often sought opportunities to sail when we were near coastal waters. It dawned on me, that sailing checks most of our aspirational boxes. That was the mindset that began to percolate the steaming cup of our “Why” going into this. We would soon come to learn that there is so much more to this lifestyle than casting lines and hoisting sails.

Out with the Spaghetti

I am not sure what sparked our interest to become sailors, I suspect it is different for each of us. For me, interest began to germinate around the idea of trying to determine how to travel and have these experiences after we retire. Shortly after that, traveling via a sailboat slowly began to materialize before us. What we are really talking about is a nomadic approach to minimalist living. Now just wrap your head around that for a minute. Nomad – living by traveling from place to place, and a minimalist life – which is freeing yourself from clutter. Not just the clutter of “stuff”, but perhaps some philosophical clutter of attachments we have learned to cling to throughout our lives. Looking back through the WABAC machine, those concepts are like waffles. Nomadic life is in one box, minimalist living is in another, and I specifically was way down in the corner box loving all the stuff I had collected over the years coveting all the fancy little bits and bobs, the nice cars, and the big house. These three concepts were in no way, shape, or form connected. What I would come to learn is that they are all like spaghetti… they are all connected and something was going to need to change.

Learning vs Understanding

The next several years were about understanding. I will use the word understanding versus learning because it took awhile to really grasp the significance of the change we were about to embark upon. Sure, we needed to learn more about sailing. We needed to learn about life on a boat. We needed to learn about all of the dynamics, systems, preferences, expectations, and idiosyncrasies of living life in a “tiny” house. Understanding all of that is what is beyond the written, taught, and shared. Understanding is the blossom of wisdom that will flourish and grow over the years.

All Boats are Not Created Equal

I have been on many boats in my lifetime. Some of those boats have been sailboats, ski boats, power cruising boats, military boats, paddle boats, kayaks, rescue boats, cruise liners, and rafts. I have even been in a submarine on the Submarine Voyage at Disneyland back in the day (ok maybe that does not qualify as a boat as it is really on rails, but it has been known to sink in the past). Coming into this I figured I had a pretty good idea what I was looking for. I am here to tell you that all boats are not created equal. As you have read in other posts, we enlisted the help of Kim and Simon on Britican to help us taste what life might be like living in a tiny house on the water. We have benefitted from the counsel of Wayne Goldman with Atomic Tuna Yachts who helped us purchase Erin Skye. We treasure the wisdom of Behan and Jamie on SV Totem for the sheer depth of their patience, knowledge, and experience. They helped us understand that it is ok to not know everything, that it is ok to ask questions, to learn from all of those around you, that boat karma is a real thing, and that the only thing constant on a boat is change. Without all of these insights, choosing the right boat for us would not have been possible.

Hearing the Music

So how does all of this relate to the original question of why? We started out thinking we had a good idea of the change in our lives that was before us. It seemed pretty straight forward. We knew the things we liked and the things we wanted to adjust. When I peer back through the WABAC view finder, all of this plays out in my mind in scattered images and a simple yearning tune. A tune with echoing piano keys lazily plucking away in some haunting melody of wanting and needing a different path. Somewhere in the  cacophony of rhythm, I feel an instrument resonating deep in my soul, fluttering my stomach, and pulling on my heart strings.

In the beginning we wandered through this kaleidoscope of hues and a mesmerizing tune trying to determine a destination unsure what that would be. I felt a need to be and do something different than I have for the last 40 years. Some notes were high, some were low as we roller-coastered through the emotions of this change, our successes, and failures. We feel the vibration of confused loved ones surrounding us, becoming part of this melody, some grappling to understand the path we have chosen. Each note sometimes struggling to build on one another.  Changes in our lives looking for the next accompanying note to complement this arrangement. A wavering arrangement always contemplating the possibility of an exciting horizon. 

As this tune has grown these last few years it has become less complicated, lighter, clear. The smiles are perhaps less guarded, the laughter comes from a deeper place these days. The notes bring shivers of excitement, thrills of wonder. We have made vast changes, shed great clutter, some treasures. We have gained a measure of simplicity. We also experience the reverberation of leaving friends, loved ones, and perhaps the hardest… family, even close family. These are some of the choices we all make. Now is the time to experience it and really listen to the music we have created. Revel in the solemnity of what is now underway, acknowledge sacrifices we have made, and communicate the experiences with those who have sacrificed to let us go.

There is much to this world. Although we have traveled greatly, there are so many more things to experience. It is our hope that we can find a means to do so with each and everyone of you. Be it through this blog, photos and video as we can capture it, or perhaps we can meet up somewhere along this journey and share a few laughs and smiles with each other across the table. We choose to appreciate the past, live in the present, and to pursue a path less traveled for new experiences to share. We hope to add a little color to these experiences, and perhaps a little of our perspective. Be it near or far, we hope to see you there.

During our last week of crazy busy cruising preparation, our walking friend Anna shared with us that there was a planetary alignment we could view at 4:30 each morning through our departure date. I woke up early two mornings in a row to view the sight alone, barefoot on the deck that was wet with condensation. I let the teens aboard know of the event and they were happy to join me to witness the moon aligning with the planets on the best viewing day, June 24th, but were soon back in their cabins again slumbering. It was clear that the “stars” were aligning for our departure.

We Say Goodbye to Friends

We shared bagels and connections with friends who stopped by to bid us farewell at our marina the next day. It was fantastic to see everyone and share information about our new lifestyle as well as to connect another time. Ethan’s girlfriend Grace was already in crew mode, fitting right into the routine we were just building, as she had years of cruising experience before joining us for the month.

I was at the helm as we left the dock for the last time in Emeryville, as friends watched and cheered. Our broker and friend Wayne was our fifth crew member on this leg of the journey. He shared the wisdom of his years of experience related to the local conditions, what to expect from other boats (I am prone to assume they can never be trusted), and how to use our radar in foggy and gray conditions.

. .

We Motor Against the Current & Wind

Our trip out the San Francisco Bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge was slower than planned due to a miscalculation relating to the current timing. Usually the wind along the California coast is from the northwest, which would mean that we could bring out the sails to go south, but today it was from the southwest so we motored down the whole way. That was the case the last time we went to Half Moon Bay as well, so we weren’t too surprised.

Wildlife Sends Regards

We jumped up to photograph whales at least four times, one of which included over 10 minutes of rolling backs, flukes, and sprays from about 3 whales in close proximity. We slowed down to observe longer, but were still faster than them at 4 knots.

Several dolphins graced us with their presence, a large shark (we never saw its back but its fin was huge above the water) swam erratically nearby, and when we arrived at Half Moon Bay we saw and heard sea lions, and saw and smelled pelicans.

We Anchor with Ease

Using the remote control, I lowered the anchor and chain watching the new colored length indicators that Ethan and Grace installed a couple days before. James set the anchor then Ethan attached the bridle to take the load off the windlass, the machine that raises and lowers the anchor. Grace gave us high marks for our first anchoring as cruisers and we packed into the dinghy to go to shore to meet up with Wayne’s wife Harriet.

I Drop My Phone in the Ocean

Soon after stepping onto the dinghy dock, I accidentally dropped my phone into the water next to the dingy. I yelled, “Noooo!” and was awash with emotion as my camera, encyclopedia, family tracker, friend-connector, phone, and constant companion dropped out of sight.

We talked to the harbormaster and store employees nearby but none knew anyone who could dive down to search for the phone. Harriet suggested one of us go in after it, but we didn’t have a mask that would allow us to see to identify it, especially down ten feet. Then Wayne realized he knew the owner of a store there, called him, and he recommended a local diver. It took a bit of convincing, but Wayne was able to get the diver to go back to work Saturday night after an exhausting day. An hour after the phone sunk, it was recovered and still worked! I rinsed it off with fresh water and we finally were able to enjoy our seafood dinner at Ketch Joanne.

I Thank My Lucky Stars

One of my favorite quotes is from Thomas Jefferson: “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” Taking this to heart, I plan to research methods to connect my phone to my body to prevent a repeat performance that may not have such a happy ending.

As I put my head on my pillow amid the cacophony of sea lion barking and fog horn notes in Half Moon Bay, I reflect on the day. I expect that our first day as cruisers was a good representation of things to come: lots of highs, a few lows, and ending each day on a high note after much work and more time spent than expected on seemingly simple things.