Sequence

We've been trying dreams on for size over the past several months. In September we spent about a month living on a quiet gravel drive in Cape Cod post high season. My Hero was writing full time and workshopping a new piece. Sliding glass doors into a private yard gave the children a seamless indoor outdoor adventure as they could explore unfettered. A small lakefront beach for catching turtles and chasing minnows or kayakers was just through the woods and a proper front row seat at the Atlantic Ocean was only blocks away. At night we built fires and sang along with My Hero's violin. We absorbed an astonishing number of s'mores. We walked with wild turkeys. Our sweet neighbors brought fresh cut flowers and offered to share their firewood. This dream seemed to fit pretty well, but was un$u$tainable. We had to head home.

I got land fever. It took over two months before I began to be content in the city again. Meanwhile, the total searches at landandfarm.com was boosted by our constant viewing. Still, the idea of living aboard is intoxicating because of the implied simplicity, adventure, and romance. It's been surprisingly difficult to decide between seeds and sails until we discovered a livable solution: sequence. In our hearts, we aren't lifelong vagabonds. We're interested in experience and discovery, but we don't see ourselves sailing for more than a year or two at most. So, we decided to sail first and farm second.

Sticking to our tradition of doing something new on our anniversary, we spent our "Sweet 16" hauling the whole family to Mystic, CT and Portsmouth, RI to look at bluewater cruisers. They got to tour the world's first nuclear submarine and eat donuts as well. Not a bad day for a couple of dreamers.