Maine Musing!

This summer has been incredibly busy and I’m afraid that I just got kind of lazy with the blog. I will TRY to do better.

Hubby and I just returned from a whirlwind trip. We drove to Portland and then flew to Atlanta, GA.  From there we rented a car and drove to Chattanooga , TN, then to Scottsboro, AL and down to to Gulf Coast, first to Mobile, Alabama and then to Long Beach, Mississippi.

Why you ask??  We were looking for a boat. Last winter, shortly after he retired (for the second time), my husband presented me with a map of the Great Loop and a book by Ron & Eva Stob, titled “Honey, Let’s Get A Boat“. As you might imagine, this came as a shock to me. I had been picturing us spending more time at the lake and maybe—finally—getting the house finished. He had other idea’s of retired life (sigh). He has finally convinced me that it might be fun so we are looking for the perfect boat for us.

We looked for a trawler here in Maine but the few that were available were not to our liking.  After combing the internet and emailing back and forth with brokers and owners, we found what sounded like a boat that we might like in Tennessee.  We  made reservations to leave town on the 21st and to see it on the 22nd. Unfortunately, the boat owner called us the night before we left to say that the boat had sold. Since we had non-refundable tickets, we decided to go anyway. We drove to Chattanooga to see it, just in case the deal fell through.  ” Dutch Master”  was just exactly as advertised (unlike many of them) and if it had not been sold, we probably would have had our trawler.  While in Chattanooga, we also looked at a Hyatt motor cruiser but neither of us cared for it. Tennessee was a shock to us—who knew that the waterways were so plentiful and that these big boats could travel in the central part of the country on them. We were amazed. The area around Chattanooga is very beautiful and the river-ways are huge!

The owner of  “Dutch Master” told us of friends of his that had a boat for sale in Scottsboro, Alabama. He contacted them to see if the boat was still for sale.  Paul and Stacy live aboard the SeaSea and graciously invited us to see the boat and to have brunch with them. Their 44′ Gulfstar was perfect in every way EXCEPT it was a bit out of our price range. Darn!!!  We spent a delightful afternoon aboard the SeaSea with Paul and Stacy telling us about their adventures on the Great Loop and other experiences living on the boat. Stacy refers to her house on land as her “dirt” house, which gave hubby and I a chuckle. They both were a wealth of knowledge and they willingly shared it with us, putting a lot of my fears to rest. By the way, Stacy is the captain of the boat and Paul the first mate under most circumstances. Before we left, they showed us two other boats that were for sale by friends of theirs at the marina but neither one was right for us. These folks were a joy to meet and talk with. Hopefully our paths will cross again.

We left the marina and meandered south towards Mobile where we had an appointment on Tuesday to see two more boats. We stopped in more marina’s along the way to check out any boats that were for sale and just to enjoy the beautiful countryside. We spent that  night about half way between Scottsboro and Mobile. We arrived in Mobile on Monday and wanted to get some beach time in. We drove to Orange Beach, Alabama and stayed at a Holiday Inn right on the water. We had dinner—seafood, of course and then walked on the beach. It was a wonderful warm evening.

We drove back into Mobile along scenic route 98, that runs along the ocean. We stopped at Fairhope to check out the municipal fishing pier. To our delight, Henry the heron posed while I took his photo. Isn’t he handsome??

We saw two more boats that afternoon, one in Mobile and the other in Long Beach, Mississippi. Neither boat suited us but seeing the countryside was wonderful. Long Beach was hit by Katrina and there are long stretches of beach where houses once stood and houses that still have not been repaired. Mother Nature can be so fierce and unforgiving.

We spent the night in Mobile and then headed back to Atlanta, spending our last night in a brand new motel just three miles from the airport. There was a fierce storm in the evening that actually knocked off the electric at the hotel. After a few minutes of darkness, the generators kicked on and lights came back on. Unfortunately only minimal air conditioning came back so our room was a bit uncomfortable for us northern folk.

Thursday arrived with some clouds and fairly nice weather although it was supposed to rain in the afternoon. We climbed on the airplane and were back in Portland in about two and a half hours and then in another two or so we arrived home. The trip was a nice change of scenery for both of us. The states that we traveled through were beautiful and not at all like we had imagined. We came home without a boat but with a whole different view of the area.

Our trip south was fun and informational. Finally, I can say (and really mean it ) “Sure honey, we can get a boat…”