We are back on the cape to work for the summer. A little earlier than usual, but there is work to be done and money to generate so here we are. We had a nice winter that seemed to go by very quickly. When we returned home to NC we started to get BELLA ready to head to the Keys for the winter. We were both kind of non committal about the whole thing after just arriving back home after six month of Cape Cod. We decided to head out and if we weren't embracing it, we would turn around.

BELLA had sat in her slip for 4 years, although Randy is there daily tinkering, things still go wrong. It was nothing major, some charging issues, shallow water, bridges, and power boats monopolizing the channels, concern for Sophie. Enough to make us turn around at Myrtle Beach and head back to the slip. We just weren't feeling it for some reason. No reason to over analyze it..........just wasn't happening.....for either of us.

We decided to go camping instead. Obviously much easier, less planning, zero concern regarding weather, the ability to get home in 12 hours instead of 3 weeks if we want. We had a lot of fun, got a lot of excersize, had amazing weather, spent Christmas in the keys with some family. We did realize when we arrived home that towing a camper wasn't really our style.....so we sold the Casita and bought a van. We hope to "pop the top" and rig it to camp in. We always enjoyed camping when we had the other vans. It's a future plan as I don't think we would camp in a van with the cat....

We don't know where BELLA fits in, we love her, she has been with us since 2004. We are struggling with "what's next". I still read all the sailing blogs......in this moment I get a little sad. Maybe it's being 50 now, time is flying by. There is a part of me that thinks "come on Ellen, you've got to get to stepping". Whatever it is, we are here now, in this moment.