In December we took a quick trip down to Florida to get some sun and warmth. Venice Island has become a favorite so we booked a place and off we went, with my bike in the back so I could ride the Legacy trail and the trail around the island again. We had breakfast a couple of times at the airport diner, where Tony makes breakfast plantains the way Cheryl likes them.
Venice Island is a unique and gorgeous spot. We missed the annual Christmas bike parade in Knoxville, but we did get to see the one on the island, as well as some pretty spectacularly decorated homes.
We also got to visit and have some great conversations with Cheryl’s friends Larry & Susan, Russ and Sharon, Linda, Charlotte, Debbie and of course Diane. To top off our trip we ran down to Ft Meyers to visit a Dodge City classmate from way back, Dana and her husband Dennis. At my 50th high school reunion this summer I discovered that Dana and Dennis had done the Great Loop a few years back and recently decided to do it again. So they bought another boat and are just about done with their second Loop trip. Hearing that, I had to get in touch and catch up as well as ask a million questions about the Loop. They were gracious hosts, even taking us for a boat ride across the bay for lunch while we talked. Was a great visit and we hope to catch up with them again. (My reunion was a real treat, I felt like I was in a “Back to the Future” movie. Amazing how those connections from fifty years ago are still strong enough to motivate people to travel hundreds and even thousands of miles just to visit for a few hours.)
Once the holidays and trips were over we fired up the heat in the boat and have been working on inside projects, the latest being new kitchen countertops, sink and faucet. Oh yeah, and a new refrigerator. I worked on the old one extensively but could not get it to work well, so it was out with the old and in with the new. Cheryl was so eager to get the old one out and the new one in that she picked up one end and off we went!
The countertops gave us a lot to research and think about. Do we tear out the old and put in actual granite countertops or what? Paint them with epoxy that looks like marble? On a boat the countertops are glued in so tearing them out would be a catastrophic mess. In the end we bought a sheet of Formica and very carefully cut it to fit, then glued it in place. Turned out easier than I would have guessed, and the new sink and faucet really look great. The new sink is larger and deeper too.
It was a fair amount of work, but not hard, and we had a great time working together. Here’s the old brown refrigerator, our buddy Max helping us haul in the new one, and the completed kitchen.
I learned long ago that I’m happiest when I have a large, complex project to think about. There’s something immensely satisfying about “making things happen”. From the research; looking up parts and fixes for the various problems that come up, to the constant whirling in my mind all day or while lying in bed at night as the wheels spin searching for solutions and then that “click” when it all comes together, to the deep satisfaction of putting the last touches on a project, it’s all a big dopamine kick for me. When I have a big project to work on, (which is always, sometimes more than one) I wake up in the mornings full of ideas and plans and lists of things to investigate or get done. That propels me out of bed in a most rewarding way, eager to start the day ahead. I am fully cognizant of how lucky I am to be spending my retirement busy as a beaver with a new creek. Then again, I don’t think it’s so much luck, maybe a personality trait, but definitely it’s a choice and a viewpoint. When my dad was near the end of his long and productive life he waxed a little philosophical, which kind of surprised me. As he contemplated a lifetime of fixing things and building things he acknowledged that now, near the end, the fact that he no longer owned those possessions was not what was important. What mattered was that the work he’d done had value then, at the time; it gave him and others around him pleasure, and those actions were what gave his life meaning at the moment they were happening. There was no “end goal” to strive towards, no reward at the end, no big bank account or list of lofty accomplishments. My dad had discovered mindfulness and existentialism as his path to happiness! I suspect he lived most of his life that way, he just hadn’t felt the need to express it to me or even to himself before. That’s how I’m feeling this part of my life. If the darn boat sank tomorrow I wouldn’t regret a minute of the work and time we have put into it. (No worries, it’s insured!) Cheryl and I have laughed more while fixing up this boat that either of us has in years, and those moments are what counts.
“The future is an infinite succession of present moments.” -Howard Zinn.
Sure, the end of this journey, when we untie from the dock and head out, will be deeply gratifying and the start of a new adventure, but in the meantime, we’re living life. None of us is guaranteed any more than right now.
I said I was happiest when I have a large, complex project to work on. Fixing up a boat and planning a 6000 mile trip sure fits that bill!
“Inaction breeds fear and doubt. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” D. Carnegie
Awesome! You were in my son’s neighborhood, next to the Legacy Trail in Nokomis.
Your comments on your dad lead me to think about the book that Viktor Frankl wrote, “Man’s Search for Meaning” – amazing book.
Very well written. These updates would be very well received on the loopers site I’m feeling better and if I could help let me know b
It all looks wonderful and I enjoy seeing your progress and, what a bonus to spend time with you in Venice❤️
Carry on, the adventure is so worth it.