I'll Be There

We have said before that perhaps the most difficult thing about the cruising lifestyle is leaving the family behind -- aging parents, growing grandchildren, and kids who are now young adults -- the source of our deepest joys, and greatest worries.

So when we got a call from Al's ex last week saying that his son needed him, we said we'd be there.

We needed to find a place to park the boat for a week, with access to car rental.  We motored three hours to Olympia, and Al hoofed it to the Budget Rental office, arriving only 20 minutes before closing time.  We were able to make it to the Portland area Saturday afternoon.

While Al focused his attention on son, hopefully helping to solve a few difficulties, he was also able to spend some time with his daughter, who provided us a place to stay for the week.  And I was left free to visit my daughters and grandchildren.

We enjoyed soaking up the love of this surprise visit, and hope all those we spent time with feel the love that we poured out in return.

And I still can't believe I didn't take a single photograph this time!

We have now returned to the boat, found her still afloat, provisioned and done laundry, and are prepared to resume exploring the South Sound beginning tomorrow!