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Windjammer Rainbow



Good Morning Everybody. Keep the woodstoves burning. 0 degrees in the darkness of the dooryard. Today is a day to run errands in town after a few days in the office. We have meetings here and there and then home as quick as we can. Our summers on the boat are precious. We love the bay. We love the people. We love the sailing. It is a part of who we are. But home is where at least part of our hearts is and our time home in the winter is cherished as well. I am already counting the days left in our wintertime at home with a mix of sadness and joy. Soon enough crew will be arriving and we will be back on the schooner working away to get ready for the season. Kaitlyn painted windows here yesterday. She is doing a great job.

The Appleton Volunteer Fire Department is a small group of amazing men and women working hard to keep the town safe. We have fun working together. I am always reminded of the power of people energy when I am down at the station. And for part of my year the guests that step aboard the schooner share that same special energy with us. Like a childhood snowstorm that stops all the busyness in our lives, windjammer vacations give us a chance to just sit and enjoy others. Sailing the schooner together, raising and furling sails, tacking topsails, helping out in the galley, it is all the fun “work” we share. When we sing or stand out in the rain, or watch as the sunsets over the western horizon; all of these events become our common ground. Community is a funny thing, we need it, we crave it, but darn if it doesn’t take some intentional energy to create and recognize. Around our street we mostly keep to ourselves as we let our lives get busier and busier. But come the first and third Tuesday of every month we go down to station for training nights. And come this summer we will have guests from all parts of the world climb aboard ready for the adventure to unfold, ready to share with others, and my heart will be thankful for all that you folks bring to my family.

My apologies in advance. I don’t know who took this human rainbow picture but they captured the essence of this morning’s blog.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

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