Now that I am rested up I am more fit for writing bout yesterday in Shelburne. About the gale on the nose trying to get into the harbour, other than we were lucky that it didn't start until we headed into the harbour plus the fact that the harbour didn't have enough fetch to produce too much sea, that's enough said about THAT! But being able to see Kayt on the docks waiting for us to arrive was a really great treat especially since Barb had no idea and it was a total surprise was absolutely the make it event for the day. The dinner at Charlotte's Lane, as usual, was wonderful.

Today we have been resting and wandering about the town and while so doing I had an epiphany. Interesting feeling those. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't had one yet. I had come to the realization while crossing the Gulf of Maine that strange as it may seem, I too am mortal. I will not live forever and I will probably not want to cruise forever. Barb and I will need a pied a terre to settle down to when we have finished the life afloat. What better place than the town of Shelburne? We have been looking at properties and it turns out that there may be places here that we could buy and the income from them would pay the mortgage and we would have a place to store the furniture and stuff that we are presently spending nearly $400/month in a self storage unit to keep. We could continue to cruise for as long as we wished and come back here for the summer to stay at the club and live ashore. Interesting idea for me at least and I think that it would fall more in line with Barb's preferences too. She enjoys cruising but I don't think that she wants to sail across the Atlantic, which is one of the things that I would like to do. I do think that she would be receptive to wintering in Bermuda or Northern Florida, or the Bahamas or someplace like that. This by no means is to suggest that we are losing the taste for cruising. Far from it. Instead we are expanding our ability for travel by providing us a foothold back in Nova Scotia from which we can sail for the winter, and if the occasion permits, will allow us to sail for the summer too. Add to that our membership at AYC and we should have the best of all possibilities - summers in Atlantic Canada and winters somewhere warm, plus a place to finally settle when the energy runs out. The Rear Commodore and his wife who we met in New Smyrna Beach during our return trip here are doing that now except they leave their boat south when they return home for the summer.

We have decided to stay here another night and look at some property. That will also give us a chance to visit with the Rear Commodore.