Stuff

So why’s the blog called ‘Camp Arabella’? In a word, work.

This is a fairly daunting proposition we are setting out on, and it will be one of the more physical things I have ever done in my life (short of running the barn). However, in the spirit of living life to the plus, I am viewing this project as my fitness training program for the next 9 months. I am hopeful that by the time we launch the boat, I’ll be in amazing shape!

On that note, I would have to say that, to date, this process has been physically demanding. We’ve moved out of the house in Naples, and into the storage unit (in one day). We then moved everything else into the car, drove to New England, emptied the car into another storage unit, then went to the boatyard, where we had even MORE stuff (all the boat stuff) in their storage locker – on the 4th floor, I might add. The good news is that they used a huge basket and crane, so we could simply fill the basket and crane things down to the ground. But, it was yet another truck, and trip to the storage unit, and another load to empty.

But wait, we’re not done yet – we have ultimately decided to rent a part of a house (more on that later) which happens to be on 5 acres, but and hour and a half away from the boat. Good news – the owner wants a shed, so we can build the boat shed on his land, move the boat to the shed, and be living next to the boat, and leave the shed when we move aboard.

However, this has necessitated yet another truck rental, yet another storage unit rental, and yet another move of all this ‘stuff’ to the new unit. I am beginning to understand why cruising sailors simply offload all of their possessions before heading out to sea. I’m not quite there yet. I seem to be wiling to work physically hard to keep all this stuff in some semblance of order – chalk it up to my physical fitness program, rather than my unwillingness to dispose of personal possessions. This probably means I’m ready to read Thoreau or someone like that, however, I’ve currently found an app for a kindle on my iPhone, which I have availed myself of, and am downloading all sorts of stuff – currently reading Treasure island (it was a free book – popped up on my screen as a suggestion). I’ve never read it, and now understand why it is a classic!