Solomons Island characters and life

One of the characters we've met in Solomons is a guy named Steve who is on his third marriage, second boat, and first year of retirement. He retired from teaching in the public schools, choosing to teach 5th grade in his last few years as, "they aren't quite as bad yet..." Steve graced the stern of our boat with his presence around 1:30 pm on the day after our arrival with a dinghy full of beer, a gallon of rum, a bag of ice, and a case of Jamaican Ginger Beer. He insisted we join him in a little afternoon libation. We chatted about the usual - the state of the American teenager, the fact that we are burdened with the worst administration ("W") in the entire history of our country, and the beauty and freedom of the sailing life. He had a steady flow of expletives interspersed in his rum-laden stream of consciousness (we noted he started early) and a large gold loop in his left ear. We celebrated "boat life" for a while under the shade of our Bimini, and then Steve was ready for nap time and departed as gracefully as possible given his condition. Boat life is the subject of today. We noticed we do live in an 8-foot by 8-foot area. The galley or kitchen area is actually quite spacious as sailboats our size go...the salon - which is a combination living room, dining room and bedroom - is within that same 8 X 8. Somehow looking out at the sunrise and the stars gives the whole thing a larger feel. Reading is a large part of "cruising", and we have plowed through a ton of books and authors. Wayne says it is just like living in a studio apartment. Well, sort of. Ours floats. And travels. Quite honestly we are posting this blog in the lobby of the Holiday Inn, having paid ten bucks yesterday just to have 23 hours of internet access. It is hour 22.5 and I am typing as fast as possible. We are planning to enjoy a Vera Bradley fundraiser for Breast Cancer tonight at "Caren's Solomons Style", then watch as much football as possible over the weekend - U of M homecoming vs Purdue and the Pack at the Redskins. We're also planning on watching the Red Sox vs Indians tonight. It is the only TV we get to watch...then on Monday on to the Great Wicomico River to anchor for a quiet night. Tuesday we will sail to Mobjack Bay and we will be in Virginia by then. Wednesday if all is well, we will make it to Norfolk and might have the ability to access the internet again. Until then, there will assuredly be more characters, more weather, more opportunities to sail, run aground, motor all day - who knows? Boat life is an endless stream of possibilities and uncertainty punctuated by beautiful starlit nights and blossoming sunrise mornings that send you out onto the water one more time.