“An object in motion stays in motion, while an object at rest stays at rest.”
Sir Issaac Newton.
First thing’s first. Let’s set the stage - get you caught up. We are casting off soon! I couldn't be more excited. I have been rooted on land for the last two+ months while Andrew and Leslie gallivanted around the United States without me.
They met their new baby niece, and took a trip to hike and mountain bike in Moab with Andrew’s sister’s family. (At least until they got snowed on.
They celebrated Thanksgiving:
They took a trip to Las Vegas to catch up with friends. There, Leslie was honored to be the officiant at Coffee and Brian’s wedding. And, they even managed to get invited to Leslie's company Christmas party!
They flew to Leavenworth, Washington - a Bavarian village all dolled up for Christmas - where Leslie’s sister received a surprise engagement ring! Love really is in the air.
They flew home on December 23rd to celebrate Christmas, at which Andrew and Leslie fully embraced the “ODD” part of the Oddgodfrey and wore the formal wear their friend Iksan was so excited to have made for them while visiting Sumbawa, Indonesia.
…. at least until they received their new Christmas Jammies. Then they changed into cozy Christmas Eve Pajama Wear.
The whole crew made out like bandits with their Christmas Haul.
And, then they were off again on December 27th to complete one of Leslie’s most pressing bucket list items. She has always wanted to take her father on a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana to eat Creole food and listen to great jazz music. I suspect she might pull together more focused post about that experience if she can shake herself out of her “quiet zone.”
Between all this, they squeezed in a bit of “round and fuzzy, soft and blue” unicorn mania, setting up book readings and a seat of the pants “book tour" for the Oddgodfrey Children's book!
They got in about six mountain bike rides (not enough, but some!), went to a couple concerts, played board games with Andrew’s family, tried out virtual reality goggles, and met Leslie's Sister's new doggie and catto.
In other words, I think they tried to squeeze in a year and a half worth of social engagements into the span of two months.
They were definitely on the move.
But, the universe demands yin to balance the yang, and so here I sat in the boat yard absolutely stationary. Rooted to the ground through stilts chained together beneath my hull, blocks of wood lovingly nestled beneath my freshly repaired keel. That air conditioner taking up space in my cabin. Not doing anything at all, but mocking me. I look out at the sea and watch my sister ships sliding along in an unusually windy dry season here in Malaysia, tacking in zig-zags along the route to leave for Thailand, and onward. I close my eyes and imagine all the anchorages they must be enjoying. Jealousy turns the coppercoat on my bottom green.
I am going stir crazy.
I ping Andrew and Leslie: “When are you guys coming back?”
I am met with silence. Guilty silence.
I start to think the worst. Maybe they aren't coming back at all! Maybe Leslie’s mother got to her with her “I wish you would get tired of this soon” sort of talk. Mothers! Maybe Andrew got too tired of all the money I make him spend. I do make him spend too much money, I know. My heart is in my throat when I send another text:
“Hello? Where are you guys?”
“Hi Sonrisa...how are you doing over there? We miss you, we are coming home soon. But not as soon as planned.”
“WHAT!?”
“Our flight from Japan to Malaysia has been cancelled, and when the airline rebooked them, they re booked us on a flight that left before our flight from Dallas to Japan reached Japan.”
“Oh lord, help us." I say under my breath.
“We have an extra overnight layover in Japan.”
“Here we go.” I think. They are going to eat all the Japanese food. And wear Kimonos. I just know it.
“But you’ll be back soon?”
“Yep, just one extra day away.”
I sigh, but steel myself to wait out one more day. I decide to take a rejuvenating nap to pass the time. Patience, Sonrisa. You can do it. It's just a land passage. I close my eyes and lay into a fitful sleep until in the dark of late evening I hear Andrew rustling around with a ladder below my hull. I peek open one eye, hopefully, “is it you?”
It is them! And, they brought the cat back! “Hi Everyone! Hi Kitty!" I'm so glad to see her. Miss fuzzy-butt is my real favorite now. They hoist their duffel bags up the ladder, Kitty in her crate and then settle themselves in. I’m so happy to have them all within my hull again that I don’t even mind so much when the first thing Andrew does is hook up that stupid air conditioner.
Soon, the air conditioner is buzzing away while they come and go. They bring rental-car-fulls of food, wine, rum, kitty-litter, kitty-food, etc. etc. etc. Provisioning is in full swing, and I can feel the energy of movement slowly returning, seeping into my fiberglass. It’s a pleasant vibration, and it cheers me. Five days like this, and then I am hovering over the launch dock, resting in my slings for what will hopefully be the last time for at least another year, hopefully more!
“I’m coming Neptune!!!” I squeal with glee as the travel lift snorts to a start and begins lowering me down.
We scare the Kitty a little bit, with all the sqwaking of the travel slings, grunting of the tractor motor. But soon, I am released from my pen and Leslie backs me out into the open water. “I’m free! I’m free! I’m freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
Five more days, and Andrew and Leslie are full tilt provisioning. Every time they leave, they return with more crap to weigh me down on my paint lines. “Okay, kids. I think we are about good.” I say as they load ten pounds of chocolate into my freezer. (And, no, I'm not exaggerating.) “Remember how you said you over-provisioned for the South Pacific? How we didn't need nearly as much crap as we had packed? Remember that? Remember how you can buy food everywhere we go?”
They ignore me completely. And, now, I'm packed to the gills.
I console myself with the thought “At least we can get rid of the weight of the air conditioner.”
“Well, actually, I was thinking we might need it in Sri Lanka or Cochin maybe?" Andrew says, tying it into its travel position in my spare bedroom.
“WHAT??! No! You promised. I have it in writing! Leslie, send him that blog post! You said the air conditioner is TEMPORARY. It is only here for while we are in the hot, windless marinas of Malaysia and Thailand! You promised!”
Andrew goes about his business, and they disembark to head to town for dinner. They get fifty feet down the way, and Leslie realizes she forgot something important she was going to give to Astrid. I grouse as she pads down the companion way stairs and digs around headfirst in my refrigerator. “I have lived with this damn air conditioner for one year, four months and two weeks. That is 487.25 days. That is 11,694 hours. It is 701,640 minutes. YOU CAN’T MAKE ME HOUSE THIS THING ANY LONGER!”
“Okay, okay, Sonrisa. I’ll talk to him.” Leslie promises. My fridge closes with the thud of the lid suctioning into place.
I really thought Andrew understood me, that he knew my heart. This is betrayal. Absolute betrayal.
And so it was, the evening before we weigh anchor, Andrew reluctantly unties the air conditioner and lifts it out my companion way. I watch as they head to shore in Grin, waving an ecstatic goodbye to that contraption. “Buh-bye!”
And now I know, I’m about to be an object in motion, too.
