We define love as thought, unity, relationships, intimacy and food.  Both Janet and I grew up with tradition in Russian and Polish families.  Food was always the focal point of gatherings.  Janet’s mother and mine were not great cooks although my mom was a formidable baker and Janet’s mom, after taking cooking classes through Brandeis Women, became an excellent cook.  My paternal grandmother was a Polish, over the top, cook and baker.  My maternal grandmother was a Russian who, due to her upbringing in a poor farm family, made dishes with organ meats and root vegetables, generally cooked to mush.  Both of our aunts and uncles were very capable in the kitchen and, for the most part, knew how to turn out good meals.
In our household, Janet is primarily the baker, and I am the cook.  We collaborate constructively, and are critical and supportive of each other’s culinary shortfalls.  We found, over time, that eating our own creations is a lot more satisfying than chowing down in a restaurant.  Another important element is a clear understanding of the difference of eating for eating sake and dining.  We find that when the goal is to dine, the combination of quality of the dish’s ingredients, presentation, wine, beer or spirit, music and conversation complete the experience.  Consistency is important and we practice it daily.

So, what’s love got to do with it?  If you don’t love the elements and the elements don’t emit love, the loss can be dramatic and turn something special into a mundane experience.  We have set a goal to make our meals a special event and have done that on our home on the water, Ocean Suite.  The concept is not new to us, having practiced the same when we lived in our sticks and bricks and the two years, we spent traveling in our motor coach.

People have asked, how do you do the preparation and crafting food on a boat?  It is easy and our galley has everything we need to make it happen.  The quality of ingredients and the skill in preparation are all that is needed.  Adding lots of love helps to set the environment.  There is something magical about creating your own international dishes, selecting your atmosphere, beverage and music that you don’t often get in a restaurant.  Now, don’t get us wrong, dining out can be a great experience but having all the pleasing elements come together is not always a reality.
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Aside from baking, which is an ingredient and measurement science, cooking for us is loosely based on formal recipes, extracting the ingredient’s and doing our own things.  Over time, it becomes easier to eyeball quantities of the dish and know when it’s too little or too much, so the combinations and preparation time produce the best outcome.
If you currently cook and bake, keep going and hone your skills.  If that’s not your bag, give it a go.  Start slow and easy.  Boil water and get good at it, crack an egg without mixing in the shell, cook some pasta or rice.  Get something going and experiment until it’s pleasing to you.  No doubt, you will mess things up and produce inedible slop but keep on keeping on.  Most of us love to eat and with practice, success and failure you will find the love and express it in one comforting dish after another.  
 

​After over 500 nautical miles cruising from Boston, through NYC, the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Albemarle Sound, Cape Fear River and all of the tributaries in between we find ourselves, going on two months, in N Myrtle Beach, SC.  Our initial plan was to spend a month here to regroup and have some time to lay out our route as we move forward.  COVID-19, as for all of us, altered our plans.  With a vaccine, actually two, approved, we wanted to stay put until we could get our shots.  We realized within quick order that there was no national or state distribution protocol in place.  The time frame and level of roll out was to say the least, haphazard at best.  Janet registered us for shots in N Carolina as little or nothing related to vaccines is available, at this time in S Carolina.  She put us in the system that is managed by Epic.  Our current health care providers are using it and all of our medical records are with them.  N Carolina contacted us, and we were able to set up appointments for our first shots.  That will not be until the middle of February which means the second booster shot will not be for four weeks after that.  Do the math, we will have to stay put for another month.  Not so bad for us because the weather will be breaking, and we will begin our next travel and exploration phase.  500 nautical miles may not seem like a lot but considering we averaged about 40 per day and staying in areas for a period of time, there is little comparison with travel on land.
  
When we came down through Chesapeake Bay and the Albemarle Sound we were taken by the pristine beauty of the area.  So many quaint Civil and Revolutionary era towns with extensive maritime history. At the time of our transit through we did not stop, stay, and explore as much as we would have liked to.  Covid put a damper on that with many closures of businesses and necessary restrictions that would have taken the fun, personal safety, and general ability to move freely in those areas away. We are hoping that by the time we get back up there along with having the vaccines, Covid will be under better control.  Albemarle Sound is famous among sailors and cruisers for the historic towns and tributaries on the Albemarle Loop.  There are nine marinas that give boaters a place to hang their hats for a short or longer stay, depending on exploration plans.  Boaters can also find numerous anchorages as well.  We, most likely, will start our trip north from our current location or Charleston, SC.  We are not firm on that yet.  Continuing north we enter Pamlico Sound and continue up the Alligator River to our first stop on the loop, Columbia, NC in the Albemarle Sound.  The route we will take will put us on a W – NW course around the western part of the Sound and then along the northern coast heading east.  The end of the loop, for us, will be the Albemarle Canal which we will transit to Norfolk and into the Chesapeake Bay.  This is a spectacular cruising area with combinations of open, deep water giving an ocean like feel and view along with small tributaries that offer a natural setting.  Janet and I found the Chesapeake to be a visually spectacular area is known for some of the best cruising and sailing in the world.  This along with quaint towns and a plethora of incredible fish and shellfish make it a place we intend to spend the late spring and summer. 
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Life, as it has been for most of us, is dependent now more than ever to be flexible and go with the flow.  Not much choice in the matter short of living dangerously with respect to Covid.  Being overly careful and sacrificing social activity has become a way of life which we are sure will implode with delight when the time is right.  The mantra, we don’t live in fear or we will not be controlled sounds good on paper but in reality, is just foolish ignorance.  Frankly, we are afraid, and we will comply the advice of experts.  We believe in real science and not be experts ourselves, have to rely on what we hope are professionals looking out for our best interest.  That fear is keeping us from letting our guard down so that we can enjoy our current course of living and future plans. So, that is where we are in our quest for travel and version of adventure.  We are looking forward to returning to Europe as well when it is safe to travel.  Our thought for now is, even if the green light is given for travel abroad, we will not go until extreme social distancing and other firm restrictions are safely lifted as, at least for us, it would be too limiting and that is not acceptable for us.    

​Seems like everywhere we have cruised there are memorable experiences. One stretch that has been consistently enjoyable is North Carolina. From the bottom of Virginia to the Outer and Inner Banks we have enjoyed the areas visited. So many historic towns and villages with interesting culture, hospitality and plentiful fish to eat and add to that, good marinas and vast waterways like Albemarle Sound, Pamlico Sound, the Pungo and Neuse Rivers and you have a completeness rarely found.
Sounds like a bed of roses, well it is not. There is a price to pay for the pot of gold. It is called weather.  Yes, how could being all that, not come with a price. The waterways in that part of the eastern seaboard can be some of the most challenging for mariners. Raging seas are not uncommon and it is imperative to plan well for comfort and safety. Fog, chop, huge swells can definitely ruin your day.  Fortunately, our due diligence helped us to avoid most of but not all of the perils described. If stink happens, the only thing you can do is deal with it and at times we did. It is all part of the adventure and journey.
Several recommendations for areas that would be enjoyable places to visit in that area are Manteo on Roanoke Island in the Outer Banks, Oriental and Beaufort, NC. We could probably list another dozen but those three would satisfy mariners as well as land lubbers. Sometimes you just want to go to an interesting place and chill. Well these towns fit the chill factor bill. We do not know about you, but we thrive on chilling out. No, we are far from lazy people and if you like walking, biking, exploring, kayaking historic sites then that is our definition of chill. If party hardy is what melts your butter, find someplace else to go.
So, what is next for us?  We are trying to get set on a winter destination where we can "chill", be warm, relatively Covid safe and have some pleasant cruising locations. Our first choice would have been the Bahamas but that will have to wait until a vaccine is available and so will Florida. We are thinking S Carolina might be our best bet for now. We live by the rule that everything and every option does not suit everyone.  How are you applying your options as it relates to your lifestyle in the crazy world of 2020?

This was our second visit to Lisbon on the Atlantic coast of Portugal.  Other than the ancient history, beautiful architecture, culture, food and welcoming people, it is hard to not realize just how steep the terrain is.  A fast rise from the port into the city and up, up and away you go.  The first time we were in Lisbon we visited the Alfama district and being gluttons for the punishing climb, we found ourselves there once again.  This district, dating back to the 11th century winds its way through narrow residential streets with old world architecture.  The neighborhood, beginning right off the port area, was designed as a maze to trap would be pirates who came to loot and pillage from the sea.  No doubt, it is really easy to get lost in the labyrinth of slippery, cobblestone streets and because of just how treacherous the climb can be, it makes you completely worn out physically and an easy prey for capture by the locals.
We ventured to Feira da Ladra, an outdoor flea market, which is held within the Alfama district of Lisbon twice a week. The name, Feira da Ladra market translates in English to, Market of the Female Thieves.  It is a gigantic collection of items ranging from vintage clothing to local art and sundries.  We estimate that all items lumped together it is 80% junk as is typical in many flea markets. Haggling the price down is part of the process.  After spending at least, two hours wandering the streets filled with stands, we bought a case for sunglasses.  Wow, big spenders.  Crowded is an understatement and in addition to people milling about, the vehicular traffic was an added bonus to pedestrian safety.  Add on top of that, the friggin streets are so steep that you constantly feel like you are on an angle.  The weather was warm and extremely windy, so merchandise was constantly flying around adding to the organized chaos with vendors chasing their merchandise as it blew around.  What fun until it was not fun anymore.  So, having enough we decided it was time for some lunch and quiet time. 
We ventured down towards the port area where it was much flatter.  A nice little outdoor café was just what we needed.  A cold glass of brewskis and some local nibbles hit the spot.  Of course, we had to have a traditional Pasteis de Nata as a sweet end to the mid-day meal.  Just as it was up in the Alfama the wind was blowing with ferocity.  We were eating outside under a tent and were surprised it did not completely blow away.  Over the years we have noticed how Europeans seem to value quiet time and really know how to slow down and smell the coffee.  In the States folks are always so rushed and living outside of themselves.  It’s taken years but we are starting to realize how comforting it is to take the time to take it all in.
After a leisurely lunch break, we decided to get on a Tuk Tuk, a three wheeled electric motorized cabin cycle.  They look like a fancy rickshaw.  There were four of us along with the driver in this contraption.  I sat, facing backwards, in the rear seat, camera in hand as we flew, and I mean flew, through the city streets.  I felt like a foreign country news correspondent.  Our driver was a great guide, narrating as we sped through one neighborhood after another.  We really got a good feel of how large and diverse the architecture and culture in Lisbon is.  We worked our way to the very top of the city.  There were about a hundred Tuk Tuks parked with even more tourists congregating at the lookout point.  After spending some time taking photos and looking out over the city and Atlantic Ocean we got back in the vehicle and headed down through narrow streets filled with pedestrian and motorized traffic.  Again, an exercise in controlled chaos. 
An observation we have made after the many countries we have visited abroad, over the years, is that we are really blessed in the US to have such a diversity of culture.  When you travel in Europe the culture of the country you are in is predominant with small offshoots of subcultures within.  By contrast, the US is a true melting pot of the world.  People from all parts of the globe living side by side, sharing history, culture, food and traditions with one another.  A stimulating and educational way to live, all sharing differences with each other.  Yes, that may sound utopian but other than the fact that it may not be working as designed, it is a beautiful concept.  Let’s hope we can, one day, learn to appreciate the potential in living together in peace and harmony.  
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