Who knew that when we first executed our Living the Dream Lifestyle (one that had us sailing away from Halifax, on 29 July 2012), that we'd find ourselves today (01 September 2017), sitting in our RV in Winkler, MB. And simply marvelling at how we've amassed five years of Friendships and Adventures under our Wheels and Keel. And incredulously spent a whopping 1858 days with each other (24/7!!) What an OnOn!

For those of you that are new to us, we're Dave and Alexandra. Dave was a dedicated Navy man, having served in the CF for 33+ years, before retiring. We both shared a dream of travelling and it was truly a series of rather serendipitous circumstances, and one of the hardest decisions he had to make to retire, but one that had him ultimately whisking me away from my job with the Dept of National Defence, all with the one whisper: "Let's go Live Our Dream". With much planning and saving, selling and organizing, worrying and fretting, and the blessing of our kids who said "Go Now, timing is right", we finally hit that Execute Step that made it all happen!

We currently have two homes. Our Home on a Keel is a Sailing Vessel named Banyan, a 2001, 40 foot Jeanneau. And our Home on Wheels is a 25 foot 2016 Leisure Travel Van, Unity IB that we affectionately call our MoHo (short for Motor Home).



You can can read all about how we came to own our MoHo here

Every year 'round about this time, Just After we've emerged from a summer holiday hiatus, and ready and eager to embark on new Season of Adventures, I write a Side Effects Blog. It's a very real reflection at how the past year might have changed us, a sometimes tongue in cheek parody of perhaps why not do what we're doing.

If you haven't already, you can read about Side Effects to Season One, Side Effects to Season Two Out of Control, Side Effects to Season Three HoHum, Side Effects to Season Four Jus' From

Two weeks ago we were Living our Dream as we sat in a traffic induced stillness on the BlueWater Bridge Border Crossing (Sarnia/Port Huron, Michigan). Two lanes of highway were expanding into way too many lanes of backed up cars and trucks and RV's of all colours and shapes and sizes waiting to cross the the border from Canada into the USA.

Despite thirteen lanes of access, there was nothing to do but wait as the air conditioning noisily blasting ice cold gusts on us, and we inched forward, one car length at a time. Outside the sun tried to shine through the haze that is the hot summer heat reflecting off of cars and highways. Thirty minutes later we found ourselves at the red light meanign we were next in line. We approached the tiny one-man booth, lowered our window, and developed an instant sweat as the outside heat rushed in. As we handed our passports to the young uniformed officer sitting there, we smiled, and said "Hi, How are you". He looked at us, then up and down our MoHo, and with just a hint of a lip curl responded "Oh, I'm just living the dream!". We kind of giggled, a little unsure at just how funny he was trying to be. Perhaps he was suffering from too many inhaled fumes and vapours, a side effect of all that traffic? I'm sure that he didn't feel he was living his dream, that day, at that moment, as he let us into his Country.

This past year our Living the Dream lifestyle has allowed us to spend some awesome times with friends and family as we Adventured in our RV to the different Compass Points from Coast to Coast, WOW! We still giggle about how we needed to talk every single one out of their shocked insistence that we just can't, simply shouldn't, {{ GASP }}, sleep in their driveway. It took some insistent chatting to convince many that we were just fine in our comfy cozy home, and yes, it would be in their driveway. And then we exchanged our Wheels for a Keel and sailed away, to the gin clear waters that are the Bahamas. Where the frantic pace of a highway was replaced by the simple breezes of life on the Water. Where we found ourselves instantly back on Island Time. Where we won first place in the Staniel Cay New Years Day Regatta,



and where we were thrilled to have family onboard to show them the Islands on our Time and a life filled with Vitamin Sea.

This past year also revealed just how shockingly fragile everything is. Relationships have faltered, Lives have Left Us. We've been smacked in the face with the ultimate realization of just how brittle the status quo is, how quickly it all changes. And all that has left us reeling, but yet, deep in our hearts a grateful appreciation grows, the memories of times shared that make us smile as we face a new day. OnOn!



We've found ourselves a little frustrated this year. And really, how is that possible? Sitting here, pen to mouth (or fingers to keyboard), I have no answer. Yet there we were, Living the Dream, cranky and all.

It sure felt as if something went wrong almost every day. We had gremlins that we just couldn't evict, and not only that, they were multiplying faster than we could evict them. Or we'd just settle into a nice quiet anchorage, plan for a few days of R&R, when a new westerly weather system would appear that required us to move on, or would force us to stay put for an additional week or three. Things were breaking on an exponential scale. I was left without a camera to photograph it all! Minor Health Issues were cropping up. Nothing seemed easy. In fact, it felt like every molehill became a mountain of epic proportions and we felt we were in a valley with no way out. Travelling even became cost prohibitive, what with the economy taking 30% of our monthly fun away. And then, there's the whole social media-itis and the nature of that beast. A love/hate relationship developed every single time I'd open up a newspage or Instagram, or FB: it was {{gasp}}, best not to peek at the upheaval surrounding everyone everywhere. Stirred up way too many emotions!

Yet, how can we, how dare we, complain? We're "Living the Dream" after all, as everyone likes to tell us.

We've enjoyed magnificent sunrises on both land and sea.





We're seeing Wildlife at its best, whether it's dolphins that are surfing at our bow,



or catching glimpses of moose in the fields



We are at the mercy of crosswinds be it on a boat or on the road. And always, at the end of a passage, we still toast each other & a safe passage, as we enjoy our arrival beer.

The gentle motion of the ocean lulls us to sleep when we're on the water, or when on land, the quiet caress of the wind as it gently rustles the leaves overhead sounds almost like a lullaby. And we're grateful that we have not one home to enjoy, but two!

Life, whether you're Living the Dream or Not, is just that, perfect imperfection! Whether you're in 1400 square feet of space, or 40 feet of boat, or 25 feet of RV, there's no "one is better that the other". Life anywhere can feel cramped and confined if you're cranky or the hormones are hot flashing and no amount of extra feet is enough when it's raining for three days straight, and something else is going wrong. Even my favourite catch-all phrase of "It is what it is!", isn't quite cutting through any of it. However, what do you do? You go OnOn

OnOn? While in Grenada we joined the Hash House Harriers (HHH). The Hashes we attended were a weekly walking/running event: A hare (trail setter) marks a course using clumps of shredded paper (or flour or chalk...) on the ground for all to follow for a pre-determined amount of time. Walkers/runners have to find and follow the clumps of paper, and the one consistent theme is that it's usually a crazy chaotic venture into some off the beaten path of a trail somewhere. And it all ends as a social event with plenty beer and BBQ's. Something of a Banyan, right?

Small Segueway: Banyan? In choosing the name of our sailing home we wanted a name that reflected Dave's (and my) military connection as well as combine it with my "thoughts become things" way of thinking...



Canadian Naval personnel use the term "Banyan" to mean a break in the daily routine to enjoy a social gathering while away from home. The constants are that it is usually held outdoors, with an emphasis on good food, good drink, and with great shipmates. And spiritually, "Dream transforms into thought, thought results into action.. that is "Banyan". Sounds sort of what we're all about, right?

Back to Explaining OnOn. Oftentimes during a Hash one can hear breathless and winded yells of "R U?" Which is a call out to those ahead and is asking "are you on the trail?" If the response is "OnOn" it means keep going, the trail is good. C'mon! And if they say "OnBack" it means they lost the paper marking the trail and best turn around, backtrack and find the way again.

We've taken to using this OnOn callout in our daily lives. We HighFive an OnOn as we set out in the morning. Or after we fuel, and get back on the highway, excited for our destination. Or after we hoist the sails and allow the wind to catch, and anticipate the journey. We dream OnOn as we plan our passages. We know we're heading somewhere, and as with all things we don't have the foresight of shredded paper clumps on the ground to guide us, or anyone ahead of us to pave the way. The Universe is always there whispering in our ears, and we listen as long as we remain aware. Rest Assured, we've done a few OnBack's too! After all, those make for the best sundowner stories, or tales to tell around a campfire, wouldn't you agree?

Five Seasons done and Wow! Five years feels like... a little like a Wednesday. Mid-week. A Hump Day of sorts. And I don't know how I feel about that. I think I've been depressing about it. Thinking that, with us coming full circle (bringing the boat back to the States, bringing the RV back to Winkler where we first bought it), that it was sort of coming full circle. An Ending?

And then there's another huge milestone facing me this year. I'll be jumping into a new decade, welcoming the big Five-Oh. And that also feels like a... Wednesday. A Hump Time. I've never defined myself as a number of years lived, always preferring to think that Age is just a State of Mind, but I have to admit that this big Five-Oh has me a little... unsure, a little frazzled. Perhaps it's the Hot Flashes? But the desire to make this new to me Decade a Big One is strong within me.

And then there's Other News, a fantastic achievement to announce! One of my Dreams has come true! That of being published! My love of words, of blogging, of sharing my stories has been picked up and Dave and I are now Leisure Explorers
and can't even begin to tell you how thrilled we are! Mostly I write for personal reasons, but getting recognition, and seeing my words in print, both virtually and on paper, is a nice pat on the back!

While taking a break from finding my words, I've been creating on a different canvas



Which has allowed me to pour love onto paper, of people who have touched our lives.

The Side Effects to Season Five have been... well, they've been a bit OnOn and a bit OnBack. It's been a Journey, with no real destination, which is the ultimate Adventure, right? We're learning and we're growing. We're laughing and we've shed a tear or three. We're Just Out here Living the Dream, with Each Other. And no amount of words or canvas can adequately sum that up. Except the Love of doing so, together, is a serious motivator. OnOn.

We're just starting Season Six, and it's already got the promise of having One Helluva Kick-Start. If you have a moment, spread the Love of our Blog. Give us a like on Facebook, send us a comment, keep the Social Strong, it'll make us come online with a smile! We're heading... OnOn!