World Wandering - Time for Plan B

HOME - right now - is a boat on a canal in the south of France. 

Maggie May.

25 tons. 15 meters long. Just over 4 meters wide. 

3 cabins, 3 bathrooms. Generous galley. 

Bright, light. Beautiful woodwork. Comfortable. 

An aft deck that has been home to many good evenings with friends. 

Boat Gang evening!

But - she really wasn't supposed to be a full-time residence. 

In New Mexico, we lived in a wonderful old "adobe hacienda" for 20 years. 

It was over a hundred years old. 

In 2018, we sold it. 

Sold or gave away everything inside: 

Antiques from the 1700s, treasures gathered from around the world, old Spanish hand-carved furniture, hand-knotted rugs, art, silver, first-edition books, original paintings, carvings, crystal glassware, pre-Columbian pottery, art guitars, tools, garden sculptures, bicycles, cars, motorcycles - everything. 

We even gave the cat to the neighbors. (I think she was relieved.)

The goal was - Simplicity. Flexibility. 

To be able to take off. 

Hit the road when the mood strikes. 

Travel the world.

Anywhere. 

I had this idea of living a "one-key" life. 

We did it! 

One boat key. 

That's it.

The idea was - a "lock up and leave" base in Europe. 

 No yard. No utilities. No property taxes.

Few obligations. Few responsibilities. 

We talked about  getting down to a "passport and a credit card".

That was the ideal. 

(Okay, that's a bit extreme, but - you get the idea.) 

We wanted the freedom to move easily.

Son Mikey's "Itchy Feet" comic

I love to travel.  

It keeps life exciting - solving puzzles.

Figuring out where to buy food. Where to stay. 

How to get around. 

Or even where to take out the trash. 

Mysteries of trying to speak the language.

Connecting with people who don't think like I do.

It's a challenge.

Each episode is a small adventure in feeling fully alive. 

Cow intestines, Stan?

So now - Maggie May is our base in Europe. 

Just as planned. 

So far, so good.

In one of China's many HUGE cities.

Then - along came a virus. 

Suddenly, travel stopped completely. 

We went into lockdown in France in March. 

Documentation was required to leave the boat.

Borders closed. 

Even regional travel not allowed. 

Plan A - totally derailed. 

Hm.

Yes, things opened up over summer. 

But ah, the cost of being too social! 

 Boat Gang - and our favorite local wine distributor! 

Now France is back in lockdown again. 

Along with a half dozen other European countries. 

It doesn't feel like this will be the last time, either.  

It's not over. 

I'm glad to have made the most of travel while it was possible!
- to maybe - over a hundred countries. 

You never know what the future will bring.

No guarantees. 

But - the world is changing.

Travel has become more complicated.

Less appealing.

It looks like - it's time for Plan B. 

I have no idea what that looks like. 

It's an interesting situation to be in.

(We're already very fortunate with our situation - compared to many.)

But - what did I say about wanting to stay flexible?

So - we'll see. 

Who knows? A change may be just around the corner....

Meanwhile, it's a beautiful November in the south of France.

Even if it's VERY quiet out there.

Lockdown Luck on a Boat in France

For 3 months, everything has been closed down with covid. 

Restaurants. Bars. Cafés. Schools. Businesses. Post Offices. 

France opens its borders today with other European countries. 

We're still on the boat in the south of France. 

Spent the entire lockdown here. 

Drinking the odd glass of wine. 

Enjoying the excellent wildflowers.

But: We were traveling back from Morocco when we first heard about the virus. 

Through Spain by train. 

A month in Portugal right before the virus hit. 

By chance, we returned to France and the boat a week or two early. 

In retrospect, we were super lucky. 

We got back to France just under the wire. 

Before they closed the borders. 

Lockdown was strict here. 

We weren't allowed to leave home (the boat) for 2 months. 

Only to the supermarket or pharmacy. With a signed form.

Not sure if taking the boat out qualifies as "staying home". 

However, we were allowed to take 1 walk a day. 

No further than 1 km from home.  

No longer than 1 hour.  

In spring.

We made good use of that. 

Also with the proper documentation, of course. 

Fines were hefty and without question. 

In essence, we had the canal completely to ourselves all spring. 

No boats. No visitors. No fishermen. No hikers. No bicycles.

It really IS a very agricultural village, especially when the visitors aren't here. 

Mostly wine. Olives. A few tractors.

We got to watch the vineyards leaf out.

Identify unusual birds.

Even saw fish in a much clearer canal. 

(Did you hear they now have dangerous alligator turtles along the canal?

I'm still looking for one.)

It's been a pretty slow existence.

Ducks laid a number of eggs on a few of the empty boats. 

Stan played a lot of guitar. 

Finished a new CD. 

Strat sonatas. 

It's on his website.

My art desk stayed busy. 

I also kept a Quarantine Journal - a drawing a day - 

hundreds of little drawings.

Then: coming off the lockdown - felt so strange! 

We're out of practice talking to other people. 

No one knows quite how to act. Where to stand. 

We began with canal side visits. 

Now, restaurants and bars are opening. 

It feels like life is returning to normal. 

We didn't miss being on the grid. 

Not having a freezer or a microwave. 

Or a TV or electricity-

Our small under-the-counter fridge worked fine.

I did miss having a garden!

But it's surprising how little you really need. 

We were very lucky - we had a super place to enjoy a spring quarantine. 

Now - let's hope the world can start returning to normal.