Time To Go

I’m heading to Anacortes in a couple of days. The long travel times dictate longer stays. Two days on the road make much more sense when bookending several weeks. This trip will be a long one. I need to learn the engine and assorted hardware, valves and pumps. Warmer temps would make things so much nicer. I can dream.
There is a milestone to be achieved, on this very journey. From here on my time up North will be longer then my time in Oregon. In essence I’ll be living there and visiting what has been my home for years. Many days I’m not sure how I feel about that. So much left behind and so much more ahead. Winter is coming to a close in our corner of the world and I’m eager to see what spring brings.
The sailor’s path isn’t a fast one. While many explore in a flourish of speed and discovery, a sailing ship waits for tide and wind. When ready she slips off her mooring to catch what wind there is. At the wheel the captain never looks back. It may be hours till land falls from view, but it doesn’t matter. Sails up, sheets trim, water bubbling along the hull, the voyage is started. I’m not some fool who thinks himself a pirate, I’m just not in a rush. This path has been traveled by so many before me, I’m thinking it’s a good path to follow. ​

The sail, the play of its pulse so like our own lives: so thin and yet so full of life, so noiseless when it labors hardest, so noisy and impatient when least effective.      
Henry David Thoreau