Cheryl's Notes:

We haven't posted in over three months, so we thought that it was time for an update.

We spent a week in Aberdeen creek off of South River. We enjoyed some great visits with Jane and Glen while waiting on our dinghy repair. The shop rushed our repair (thanks Glen) and we then waited for some stormy weather to pass before moving on. Our new goal was to get the boat hauled to get the bottom cleaned. We moved back down the Chesapeake, making another stop in Solomon, MD. We pulled our boat into the Coan River in late July. Our friends on Liberty had left their boat there while making a visit to family in Ely, MN and highly recommended it.

We made a decision while moving the boat back to the Potomac. The heat was getting oppressive, and we had missed out on a couple of real estate opportunities while cruising. If we wanted to get serious about buying a condo, we needed to be home to take advantage of the market. Since we had to haul the boat to clean the bottom, we might as well just put it on the hard and prep it for winter. We spent a week in 100 degree weather cleaning the bottom, waxing the hull and cleaning and organizing the inside. We rented a car and drove to NC to get our cars and clean out our last possessions from Fairfield Harbor in New Bern. If was hard to say goodbye to our friends there. We returned to the boat and packed up everything that we thought we would need for the winter.

We arrived back home in Minnesota by the first of August. We started our search for a condo, and put in an offer on one in Eagan. It was a short sale, so we had to wait to hear if our offer was accepted. Our patience paid off and we are now cleared to close on December 16. During the interim, I have taken a part time job at Kohls. It serves a two-fold purpose. It gets me out of the house and it gives as an additional discount to buy all of the things that we will need to set up housekeeping again.

So just what are our future plans? Are we giving up the cruising life? Not a chance. We have decided that the condo is an investment that we just can't pass up in this economy. We know that we will not be able to live aboard indefinitely. We are planning on bringing the boat back to the Great Lakes. We will sail all summer and have the condo for the winters. While the east coast is beautiful, we miss fresh and deep water. We miss being able to sail all day without having to continually watch the depth sounder. Our next big decision will be on whether to bring the boat back by water, or just have it hauled by truck.

The best part of being home is being able to spend time with our family and friends here. We went up to Bayfield for Applefest, the first full weekend in October. We had a great visit with our friends Pat and Dave, and spent the weekend sleeping on Doris E. (I really miss having my bed rock me to sleep at night.) We are already planning trips with them to explore the north shore.

John's Notes:

It has been 3 months since we submitted our offer on the condo. This condo is perfect for the two of us. It's a third floor unit with vaulted ceilings, a real wood burning fireplace, balcony, hardwood floors in the kitchen and entry, an in unit washer and dryer, a huge walk in closet and a completely remodeled kitchen. Plus, there is the advantage of heated underground parking, community room, an exercise room that could compete with a health club and a great outdoor pool and patio/bbq area. The association fees are modest compared to units that we looked at with none of the amenities. It's the kind of place that we can lock the door in April and open it back up in November. In Minnesota, it's important to note that the association fee also includes HEAT. That is significant on your budget when you are retired.

Not wanting to let Cheryl shoulder the entire burden of furnishing a new place, I also took a part time job at Kohl's. I usually work 6:00AM to 2:00PM stocking the store. It's not like I'm looking at a new career. Our weekly income "almost" covers our purchases. It's sort of fun being able to buy all new stuff. Our place is just a one bedroom so we can afford to go for quality as opposed to quantity.

Note to self. Unless you win the lottery, make this the last house you ever buy, at least on a "short sale" basis. After going through this process, it's easy to see why this country still has a housing problem and unless the banks somehow gain some business acumen, they will never recover. Take what you can and get out.

We still have some things to do. Once the owner moved out, we discovered that she had cleverly disguised the need for new carpet. Since it is a small place, replacement will not be a big issue. It just means that I need to continue to get up at 5:00am for a couple of days a week for a few more weeks. In the last 4 years, the only reason to get up that early was because we were leaving an anchorage at first light.