March 29, 2012 Luperon

Thursday, March 29, 2012

I can’t believe it is the end of the month already.  Yesterday I got my very first Social Security check.  It was a special milestone in my life...I am getting older.  Time just seems to stand still here as one day runs into the next.  I love this serenity here!  I woke up thinking this morning how much I have missed writing, intending to do so each day but I guess the relaxation habit I have acquired really took over.  Time to get back into the real life and get ready for the coming months.

We have decided not to go to Puerto Rico for sure.  The Hurricane season is upon us and the windows have been very narrow so rather than be “stuck” (wink)...here, we thought it best to head back up North towards the US.  Fred actually played with the idea of going further East and coming back here to stay during the hurricane season since this is the best hurricane hole in these islands but after a lengthy discussion and what I would need to do, which would include flying back home, taking care of personal/legal business and to see family then fly back to be here with him, it was final...we are going back together.  I would have never thought I would turn down such a great opportunity but I feel God calling me back home and I am following his plan.  I will miss Luperon, the most favored hurricane chicken hole in the Caribbean, Abacos being the first chicken hole, Georgetown the second chicken hole and Luperon the third chicken hole.  People get stuck, if you want to call it that, because of weather windows and to ensure safety during the hurricane season.  So it is settled, we are coming home.

Fred is still waiting for his teeth.  Dental work here is very cheap, worth paying to fly here and have it done if one lacks dental insurance, which Fred does.  I am waiting until I get home.  I am one of the lucky ones who does have insurance.  I hear Wilmington beckoning me.  My friends are telling me “it is time to come home Patti”.  My azaleas are in full bloom and the yard is beautiful.  I am so glad my parents went there to take pictures of my blooms and sent them to me.  Thanks Mom and Dad!  I love you so much!

Wade from s/v Just Drifting took his Mom to the airport in Puerto Plata yesterday and picked us up another tube of 5200.  This saved us a trip there.  5200 is like gold on a boat when water is seeping inside.  We used a full tube on the stanchions on the Starboard side and it rained for the last few days off and on here.  It proved itself to work!  Now for the other side.  We cannot get the seals for the hatches until we get back to the states so I have been duct taping them until it started raining.  One hatch is fine, the other two need to be finished before the big test.  Today it is sunny, we are going into town to get Fred’s teeth, hopefully, and this afternoon we will work more on the boat.  It will take us about 22 hours to get to French Cay straight sailing then on to Mayaguana, and there may be a window coming soon.  We need a larger window for this first leg.  Fred wants to stop at the Cays we missed on the way here.  Although my knee is not fully healed, it isn’t open flesh so it should be safe to go snorkeling in the water up North.  I am particularly excited to go to Conception Island.  I heard there are some great snorkeling spots there.  Any suggestions?  As usual, we never have a plan but this is our goal anyway. Who knows, we may be here for another week or so, but we are hoping...things always change.

I feel like I am taking more back from Luperon than leaving besides weight on myself.  The people here are wonderful and I have made some precious friendships.  My bus friend FiFa gave me a lovely beaded necklace from the area and Captain Steve and Anny gave us a nice candle holder made from a bottle by the Haitians .  Miss Ellie “Queen of Luperon” gave me a lovely card that I plan to frame and hang when I get home.  I have collected seeds and some plants I am trying to root on board.  Memories are beautiful and abundant.  It is a bittersweet feeling getting ready for a window although when we head North, we are starting a new adventure.  I didn’t now how to prepare myself for this adventure here and now I am searching for a way to prepare myself to return to a much different lifestyle when I return.  It will be hard, but the lessons I have learned are priceless.  I only wish I could bring this all back to you.  I have not taken one second of this for granted.  I am truly blessed.  God is amazing!  I have learned to smile again!  That’s a given!  God has showed me that life is worth living, no matter what happens.  There were times, in mine, I doubted that, but he has never left me.  I feel his breath flow through my hair every day, kissing me with his unconditional love, embracing me with the warm salty ocean breezes.  I have seen things I never saw before, looking deep into the souls of the people along the way.  I have seen beauty beneath the seas and far away islands.  The night heavens are full of light, a deep reminder that there is light everywhere in our lives.  We just need to trust it’s there, even when we don’t see it.  I have learned to forgive, to love, to appreciate and to accept.  These are not my footsteps I am taking, I am only following Gods footsteps he lays before me.  I am at peace.  I am his.