Land HO! AHHHHHHHHHHHH

I can't seem to get out of the sight of land. I am stuck in Montana. Not a drop of water in sight . I keep telling myself, no pain no gain. The money is good working the oil spill, but it's not like being on Morgan. Oh. how I miss being on her. I have been watching youtube videos of sailing. I can't stand it. I want so badly to be back on Morgan, but the money is so good I just can't pass it up. For every week I spend here, I can spend another month on Morgan. If only life wasn't dependent upon money, but it is. One day though, I will be free. Free of the constraints of debt, free of the constraints of life on land. Free to do what I really want to do. Free to sail wherever  I want to go. That day will come soon. Not as soon as I would like, but soon enough. I hope by the end of the year to be to that point. And God willing I will be. Life at sea is not for the rich alone, it is for anyone who is willing to give up whatever is necessary to make it happen. Someone once said "He who is content with what he has is already rich". How true that is. You don't have to have a four bedroom, four bath home to feel rich, it can be a 25' forty year old boat, and you can feel like the king of the world. There is no place on earth I could feel more content, more at peace than in the cockpit of Morgan. I think we will be released from here around the 15th. Morgan, we shall see you soon.

Working, dreaming, and remembering.

Well I am still here in Billings Montana working the oil spill. Grateful for the work, but dreaming of being back on Morgan. I took Sharon to the airport this morning, she is on her way to Mexico as I write this. I will be joining her there next week for Rachel's wedding. I talked to Rachel tonight on the phone. It got me to thinking about my own wedding almost 30 years ago. I looked on youtube and found our wedding song. You can find absolutely anything on youtube. (not always a good thing)

I know, I know, enough of the mushy crap. Let's get back to sailing. Hopefully very soon. The cruising kitty is starting to look pretty good. So it won't be long now.

Mike

1,981 miles from paradise

 They estimate the Yellowstone river at 15 mph. Wow, the Mississippi was 7 mph when we sailed it.

                                      The Yellowstone at flood stage.

 One farmer told me he has lost more land in the last two weeks to erosion then in the last ten years combined.

                                           Unbelievably fast water on the Yellowstone.

Well we are still in Billings Montana. I am working the oil spill here. I have mixed emotions about it. My first problem is that I am allergic to work and I would rather be on Morgan. That's not the biggest problem though as this is about the easiest job I have ever had in my life. It is also the highest paying. That said, you would think what could possibly be the problem. Well, it is a little hard to explain, but I will try. I have worked for myself for so long that it is extremely hard not to put 110% into what I am doing. Now I am working for a large company that is working for another large company, so common sense flew out the window along time ago. Since both of these companies have internet access, and I like easy money that is all I am going to say.

I did a gooogle map search and Morgan is 1,981 miles away. I am missing being on her so much. I have been watching youtube videos of sailing the Caribbean. I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse, but I can't stop. I keep telling myself  "no pain no gain" Working here will really help the cruising kitty. Our goal is to be in St. Thomas by March. This will really help enable us to do that. Well I don't want to bore anybody with a bunch of non sailing jeberish so I will shut up now.

Mike

Change of plans

Well, we had a change of plans. Saturday morning about 9 am we were about 15 minutes away from leaving for Florida, car was packed, house was clean, Sharon was sweeping the floor working her way towards the door when the phone rang. It was Crawford the one of the insurance adjusting companies I work for. They asked if I would go to Montana for an oil spill. They said I would need to leave imediately. At first I thought it was a friend of mine playing a joke on me. First the timing, second I always think of oil spills in the ocean, not Montana. I said sure I'll go. After I hung up with them I called  my friend just to make sure it wasn't a joke. He said no, it's real. So at noon I was standing in the airport on my way to Montana. Life is funny.

I really wanted to get back to Morgan. but this will really help fatten up the cruising kitty, might even get her a little fat. I don't know how long we will be here. Maybe a week or two more. I don't think any longer than that. Time will tell. It has been long hours, but it has been an absolute blast. I am working in the field  with two great guys from Exxon, We go out along the river looking for oil. They look so they will know where to send teams to clean it up. I document it and address the concerns of the property owner. Walking through the beautiful Montana countryside by the river is fantastic.

We have done a lot of river sailing, but this river is unreal. The Yellowstone river is at flood stage right now. You can watch trees floating down river at incredible speed. I thought the Mississippi was fast. It was a mill pond compared to the Yellowstone right now. I would guess 12+ mph. A canoer's dream, but not a sailboater's.

Mike

Good news

I went to the doctor today for my nine month check up. It has been nine months since I had bladder cancer removed. So far no signs of it returning. The longer I go, the better the chances that it will not return. One year will be a major mark.

We are getting excited about returning to Morgan on Saturday. I can't wait to be anchored out. It is coming right down to the wire of having everything done, but we are going to make it.

Mike

Women ask the dumbest questions!

                             Coming into Ocean Springs, MS one of our favorite places.


As you know we have been up north working to build up the cruising kitty. Two weeks in Alabama, two weeks in Kentucky, and about a month in Indiana. I could not even get a minimum wage job in Florida, much less something decent. We are just a few days from leaving to go back down to Morgan, then on Mexico for my daughters wedding, then back to Morgan and continue down the west coast of Florida.

We have a mobile home here in Indiana that we got after selling the house and getting rid of 90% of our junk. We have had it about a year and a half now. We did not want to burn all bridges when we left to go cruising. Take it easy and see if it is all it is cracked up to be. Well we are now ready to let it go. It is now up for sale. So I am getting it ready for the next person. Tonight I painted the kitchen. I put a second coat on the new baseboard that we will put down on Wednesday.

Here's where we get to the dumb question part. Sharon walks in while I am painting and asks "why didn't you do this for us? Why did we have the place for a year and a half, and now you paint it?" For the record ladies, a dumb question is #1. any question your husband does not have a quick answer for. #2. Your husband does not have a quick answer that satisfies you to the point that you do not ask another question. You just have to know we males are looking at the big picture and we have everything under control.

Well it is almost midnight, so I am going to bed, and hope Sharon doesn't read this till morning.

Mike

Cool video

                                               I found this video on youtube. It is fantastic.

We plan on leaving Indiana on July 4th and going back down to Morgan for a few days before continuing on to Dallas for an insurance certification on the 8th. We will then meet Michelle (our youngest daughter) in San Antonio on the 12th. We will then all drive down to Mexico for Rachel's wedding (my oldest daughter). We will be in Mexico for about three weeks. After the wedding we will be returning to Morgan to continue cruising the west coast of Florida. Unless there is a hurricane, that will change everything.

As I may have mentioned in my last post, I have been doing nothing except work work work work work since we got back from the cruise with Sharon's family. I am definitely read for some on the boat cruising time.

Mike