Today’s been a good day…(actually that was Saturday; email’s been down for a while) I not only applied the second coat of Cetol onto the cockpit teak combing, but I also finished servicing the 5th of 8 winches. As I was pulling apart the pieces of that last winch I got to thinking about my friend George. Now there’s a guy, who’s as busy or busier than most of the folks I know, yet he still took time out to help me learn about winches. Thanks to George, I’ve just managed to un-stick, unclog and turn functional some winches that haven’t been used in years on Shannon. Now…. they even click when they turn! That is something I wouldn’t have accomplished with such efficiency if it weren’t for the help of my friend. Thank you George. So then I turned to put away my tools and I bumped into Shannon’s three beautiful companionway boards. They still look as good as the day they were created… and they were created by another friend, Larry. And if that wasn’t enough, Larry also helped (well mostly did) create our beautiful cabin table… Thank you Larry, they’re all still working just fine. Thinking of Larry reminds me of another Larry, a fella who came out of retirement to work with me and to provide his expertise in recreating most of Shannon’s electrical systems… and, while this might of been partly business, he gave a lot more than most would have…. It takes a hearty guy and a compassionate guy to be willing to work for two months in temperatures hovering around 5C… thank you Larry H.
Even now, two years into the journey, there are still people stepping up to help, just like we step up to help others along the way. In our case, folks like Tom and Jeanne (SV Eagle) who supervised the care of our truck when it returned from repairs (after we had left La Paz). Thank you Tom and Jeanne. And the fellows from Dock 3 at Marina Palmira, who gallantly hoisted Kathy up the mast to make repairs. Thanks guys.
So I guess what’s happening here is that I’m acknowledging this journey, this opportunity to explore different countries has come about as the result of the effort of many…not just Kathy and I… but many folks who stepped in to help and make it happen for us. There’s another kind of folks too and that’s you folks…. the people who take the time to follow along, to read the Blog (not always my best writing, but at least an update of how we’re doing) and to check in from time to time to say '”hi”. That means a lot to both of us.
So, just in case you were wondering, I’m thinking of YOU today, and I’m thanking YOU for your support and help along the way……
From all of us, to all of you…………………….THANK YOU
