Betting On Later?

Taken at St. Thomas, USVI*

Time flies by and things have been a blur, but not much going on lately.  We're reluctantly in with the herd, going to work and doing the same thing day in and day out.  It reminds me of something I saw at "The Blue Man Group" show (excellent by the way).  During part of the show, there was this huge screen that showed a cartoon of people walking in a robotic state and funneling into a chute ... like a bunch of cattle.  They punched in at work and went through the day, just like the rest of the herd.  They didn't speak or show emotion, so they weren't questioning their life.  They just did what was expected.

I watched that cartoon years before thoughts of cruising, but I remember the impact it made on me.  It really put things into perspective, and I knew I didn't wanna be part of that herd my entire life.  I want to be that raging bull, busting through the cattle gate and running through the pasture!

When I look at the quote above, I think it explains why Ken and I get so impatient about cruising.  Our dream is taking longer than we anticipated, and there are too many reminders that life is short.  We understand that every day is a gift, and we know that we can't take them for granted.

When Ken and I were building our dream house in 1996, I remember dreaming of the day I woke up in our new home.  I also remember hoping that I'd live long enough to see that day.  I'm not paranoid or a hypochondriac ... I just know that I'm human like everyone else, and shit happens.  Needless to say, I lived to wake up in our dream home ... for many years.  I felt very lucky and grateful.

This quote also reminds me of those that are lucky enough to live a long life, but always think they have time to "do it later".  The months turn into years, which turn into decades.  The plans are never put into place, and then before they know it ... they're 80 years old with no possibility of living their dream.  Several of our relatives are a perfect example.  Three of the four people are in their seventies/eighties with no savings and lots of debt.  The fourth is healthy and financially comfortable, but the spouse has been in poor health for several years ... they're not able to do much of anything because of this.  "Later" didn't work out too well for these folks.

  

 I can't wait till Nirvana is our home, and I wake up in her bed.  Until I do, I feel like I'm rolling the dice ... and I don't play craps!  The best way to win this bet and see our next dream come true is to take action now, not later.  It's taking longer than we hoped, but everyday we remain focused and continue to make steps towards winning the bet and living the life we want ... are you?

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

*BTW, as I reviewed this post I noticed my spelling error in the picture above.  Oh well, I'm not gonna sweat the small stuff!

Mental Abrasions

I love the above quote from Jimmy Buffett.  I think we all have our share of "mental abrasions" from the road of life.  We all have our own set of fears, challenges and hardships that we've had to deal with.  Relaxing and emptying our minds of clutter becomes more difficult as we age.  We are over-stimulated.

As a child I learned the healing effects of salt water on small cuts, and as an adult I yearn for the state of mind that comes with time on or near the water.   The water has a way of stopping time and highlighting the joy of simplicity.  Sail without the radio and views of skyscrapers, and one can imagine what is was like to sail centuries ago.  There are no buildings and no noise to give away the date.  Life begins to appear less complicated, and it begins to slow down.

I wonder what the world would be like if everybody indulged in saltwater therapy!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Frugal Fridays - The Best Things ...

You've heard it before, but have you really thought about it?  It's true!  Relationships, the beach, the sea, a picnic, a walk in the park, a sunrise and a sunset ... all are free.  In my opinion, these things are so much better than anything I could buy in the mall!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

*For those that missed the other posts of this series, check them out below:

• Frugal Fridays - The Rest Stop!                              Frugal Fridays - The Internet
• Frugal Fridays - Goodwill                                         Frugal Fridays - The Day After 
• Frugal Fridays - Happy Hour!                                 Frugal Fridays - A Little Patience
• Frugal Fridays - An Almost Free Vacation!           Frugal Fridays - Free Music!
• more posts ...

Jost Van Dyke Trip - White Bay and Soggy Dollar Bar

White Bay, with Soggy Dollar Bar and beach at top right

After a relaxing morning walking around Great Harbour and talking with Foxy, Ken and I were ready to head to White Bay and the famous Soggy Dollar Bar.  We just happened to walk up on an open-air taxi that had two spots left on it.  We asked where the taxi full of people was headed, and they said the Soggy Dollar Bar ... how lucky was that?!  We jumped on, and soon learned that the entire group of people were on a tour, and I was sitting next to the tour guide.  We were going on the same "tour" as this group, but saving hundreds per person because we rode the ferry to Jost Van Dyke instead of a chartered sailboat.  While we would have loved sailing to the island, we were feeling pretty good about the savings.  After all, the ferry ride was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the same amazing views along the way.  The taxi ride was $7 pp each way.

The views from the taxi were amazing too!

We first saw White Bay from the taxi.  The beach at the front of the picture is where Ivan's Stress Free bar and campgrounds is located (would love to camp there), and the beach further down is where Soggy Dollar Bar and One Love Bar are located.  We walked over the hill that separates the two beaches to check out Ivan's ... a beautiful little walk!

The taxi dropped us off at the Soggy Dollar Bar ... how many people see this side of the bar?  It was beautiful, with so many colorful flowers and tropical plants!  That little cottage is for rent too!

We'd highly recommend this taxi company (Bunn's) ... the driver/owner was very friendly and informative, and he stopped along the way at just the right places to snap a quick picture!

Ken headed to the beach .. and the bar!  He's the one in the blue, not the purple .. LOL!

The day was still early and the beach was beautiful, so Ken and I walked down the beach to see what was further down.  There was the "One Love" bar and some little gift shops, where I found matching bracelets for me and my daughter.

We headed back to Soggy Dollar for some "refreshment" while watching the gorgeous sailboats pull in!

We then decided to walk over the hill that divided Soggy Dollar from Ivan's Stress Free bar.

Looking back to Soggy Dollar Bar

The bottom of the hill was a little rocky, but then quickly turned back into a sand beach.

Ken sporting the "wind-blown" look at Ivan's Stress Free Bar!  Still early, the only other people here were three guys that had chartered a sailboat.  They took our picture, and we took there's.  We told them about the walk over to Soggy Dollar, and later saw them there.  Ivan's looks like a great place to hang out, and even camp!  By the end of the day we could see this place was also packed.

After the walk back to Soggy Dollar, we were a little thirsty!  We had to get the famous "Painkiller", which was really good.  We also split a burger and onion rings ... also really good!

As the day progressed, more and more boats appeared and the beach filled up with people.  This really wasn't a surprise based on what I had read and anticipated, but it was still something to see.  We envisioned pulling up on Nirvana someday, and we had a really great time!

Every now and then we'd get in the water to swim and cool off.  Like St. John and St. Thomas, the water was the perfect temperature and so beautiful!

Before we knew it, it was time to catch a ride back to the ferry for its 4pm departure.  The same tour group that we rode with to the Soggy Dollar had just called a taxi ... talk about great timing!  Once again, we rode with them back to Great Harbour, where the ferry dock is located.

On the way back to St. Thomas, the ferry stopped at the island of Tortola.  We were able to not only get a glimpse of this island, but had a great tour around the islands!  We were so glad we chose to spend our last full day on Jost Van Dyke, and wished the next day wasn't our last in paradise!

Back at the resort for our last night, we enjoyed a great meal of steak and shrimp then played a few hands at the blackjack table.  We didn't win this time, but we only lost a few dollars and had fun playing.  After a few cocktails in the lounge, we ordered some pizza for a late-night snack in our room.

The next post is about our last day in St. Thomas, which we did not waste!  

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Jost Van Dyke Trip, Great Harbour and Foxys

Great Harbour ... that little building with the red roof (right of center) is the ferry terminal.

With this being the last full day of our vacation, Ken and I chose to spend it exploring Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands.   After all, we were only about a 45-minute ferry ride away from the island and we had to check out the famous Foxy's and Soggy Dollar Bar.  Plus, we had finally gotten our passports and had to put them to use!

The ferry  from St. Thomas to Jost Van Dyke (which was smaller than the ferry to St. John) only leaves once per day at 8am, and only on certain days.  This was a Monday, which is one of the days that the ferry runs.  This was no coincidence that we had this on our schedule.  I really wanted to see this island, and I thought the $75 round trip fare would be worth it ... it was!  We even saw a rainbow on the horizon of the water, which the captain (a great guy) pointed out to us.  He said he'd never seen a rainbow sitting on the horizon, and we were viewing a "once in a lifetime" sight.  We felt pretty lucky, and I took a photo that just didn't capture the beauty.  However, I will be posting it with many other pictures on our Facebook page in the next few days.

As the sun continued to rise, the skies and the water became a brighter blue and Jost Van Dyke was in sight!

I've gotta tell you that when we first arrived on Jost Van Dyke we weren't too sure we did the right thing!  The island did not appear very occupied, and the only thing we could see for miles was the green countryside.  Although we don't like to see islands destroyed with high-rise hotels, we felt like we were the only people on the island!  After checking in with customs at the little ferry dock, we asked the agent where Foxy's was located.  The agent said that it was just a short walk "up the road".  So, we started walking!  We quickly came up on something other than trees ... a quaint little street with little bars and restaurants on the left and a beautiful beach on the right ... with Foxy's Bar at the end.  We were at Great Harbour, and we liked what we saw ... an island with lots of charm that didn't appear to have changed in the last few decades.

Corsair's Bar

Along the street we came across this quiet police station and a little church with kids walking in for school.  At this time it was only a little after 9am, and the island wasn't yet full of the boaters on their way.

Right across the street were these beautiful views!  This is actually the water where the ferry was docked.

We came to the end of the road .. and Foxy's!  There were several chairs and hammocks on the beach side of the road to relax and take in the views.  The dog was taking advantage of the views, and we were later told a joke by Foxy about that dog ... the "island dog". 

The other side of the road was where the cooking was getting started.  Since it was early in the morning, Foxy's didn't have many people yet but the grill had been started and it was already smelling good!

We were hoping to see Foxy, and sure enough ... he was sitting on the steps of his gift shop.  The guy next to him was taking a picture of me taking a picture ... we had the same camera!

I walked up to Foxy and asked, "Are you the famous Foxy"?  He answered with a "politically incorrect" joke, and continued with several funny jokes.  He was a really nice guy, and he's living the life!

After a while, we headed back up the road to see if we could find a ride to White Bay and the Soggy Dollar Bar.

We did find a ride ... more about that in our next post.  Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!