On the Train

I am presently on the train to Portland.  I am travelling south to be there when my grandson Milo has surgery on Monday.  I will gone from Al and Viking Star for 9 days.

I am looking forward to seeing my daughters and their beautiful children!  But, I am also anxious about being away from Al for so long.  The last time we left the boat this long, WE left the boat.  It was in a marina, and it had a friend come by and check it now and then. But Al and I were together.

Now, Al will be alone on the boat.  'Where will you go?  What will you do?'  Though I know he is VERY competent, I still worry about not being there, not being that second set of eyes, not being the deckhand who prepares the lines. 

Also, I know that Al does not sleep well when I am away.  Granted, usually HE is the one that is away, and when he is away, he is usually involved in business, with the stress of air travel (he hates it) and strange, empty beds.  I guess we will find out if he sleeps better or not with me absent from OUR bed.  

I think the anxiety got to both of us a little bit last night.  Al was awake from 1:00 to 2, and I woke when he came back to bed.  Both of us got up and read for a time before coming back to bed.  

We have adjusted well to life on the boat.  We share a very small space, even 'smaller' in winter, as we rarely use the outside deck space in cold and wind.  Of course there is occasional grumpiness on both our parts, but we are very in tune with each other, and can sidestep pretty easily when that happens.

We rarely are ever more than even 10 feet apart!

I think this week is going to be difficult.