Norfolk Naval Ship Yard: The enormity of these warships is awesome.
Let me first congratulate our daughter Erin who received her Masters in Education yesterday from Emporia State. We are sad we couldn't be there Erin, but we are really proud of you. You perservered over these last two years, worked hard and have achieved a great accomplishment. We will see you soon.
Almost 6 weeks into our trip and we have paused here in Norfolk longer than any port. Both Shelley and I are itching to get under way again, but we have only just completed the first day of the 3 day Looper's rendezvous. We had two sessions today, one on the Chesapeake, and one on the Hudson River. Upcoming sessions will give us insight into the Erie Canal, the Trent-Severn Canal, Lakes Huron and Michigan, then the rivers...Illinois, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Who does this? I have wondered that about myself, and asked why? Shelley is definitely an adventurist, where many of the wives we have met were reluctant. Not Shelley. I remember when my brother Chris took a back pack and hitch-hiked to Canada. To sell everything, and drop out of your world is hard to do. So I am struck by this dream I have had for years, with the difficulty of leaving your norm behind, perhaps forever. But at the same time I realize that this is not something that everyone wants to do. So I have been struck by these 100 people at this meeting, and many others we have met over the last 6 weeks. Who are these people and what draws them to selling it all, and heading out into the horizon on a boat? I am determined to find out.
One thing for sure. This really is a lot of fun. I have been amazed by the shipping industry. So much of our world travels by water at some point, and these behemoths that carry it are a sight to behold. There are more Navy ships here in Norfolk than any other country has in their entire fleet. We have toured more museums about our American Revolution or the Civil War than I have in my lifetime. We have now toured an aircraft carrier, a submarine, and a Iowa class battleship. Awesome.
And we really have just started. So I am busy studying my charts and plotting our course north through the Chesapeake, and then on to New York. It is a real challenge, and I love it. Marc
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