The Ups and Downs of Vagabonding

For the last week and a half, we’ve technically been homeless by choice. But we prefer to call it “vagabonding.”

We sold our house, and all the stuff in it. We’ve packed everything we own into our car, and have moved campsite to campsite across the southern US, finally setting up base in southern Florida where, in spite of the deathly summer heat, we've been hoping to find our new home, a live-aboard sailboat.

Unfortunately, sailboat shopping is taking longer than expected. We, for some reason, thought that Florida would be scattered with ready-to-sail boats, in our price range, and we could walk away the same day with our new home. Instead, we're finding moldy, crickety old hulls with chipping varnish, rusty rigging and ripped sails. We've spent a lot of time sifting through the frogs, and even after we find “our prince," we can still expect a week or so before we’re her proper owners. This all means there’s no end in near sight for the camping portion of this adventure, and that causes some mixed feelings.

Although we’ve enjoyed gorgeous parks and camps throughout the southern states, and we love spending time outdoors, to be honest... camping is getting old.

It's not all s'mores and campfires. There's good and bad to every adventure, and ours is no exception. Here's some of our ups and downs of "vagabonding" through the southern US in search of our live-aboard home.

Ups:

Coffee and breakfast together every morning.

Never being in a hurry.

Plenty of exercise for Ruca and us, hiking and swimming in freshwater creeks and lakes.

Getting along better without the negativity and stress of our corporate jobs, and more quality time together.

Sleeping under the stars without the city lights, so clear you can see the Milky Way.

Seeing Ruca love swimming in the ocean and hunting lizards and crabs.

Having a glass of wine or a beer and watching the sunset.

Strengthening our relationship by working as a team. Setting up a tent together should be a marital prerequisite.

Minimal technology distractions.

Having the flexibility to spontaneously adjust our schedule and location.

Naps. Lots of naps.

Downs:

Car trouble in Treasure Island, Florida, which cost us 12 hours and a lot of cash. Flashback to every childhood vacation I ever had with my spastic dad.

The relentless mosquitoes, so big they could (and might) carry Ruca dog away.

95% humidity – really Florida, really??

Rainy days, which lead to more mammoth mosquitoes and soggy blankets. Boo.

Although every day hasn’t been perfect, it’s all part of the adventure, and beats sticking my face in Excel spreadsheets all day in a cubicle!

Wish us luck as we continue our search for our new, perfect sailing home!

Thanks for reading,

Quinn, Ben and Ruca

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