Fall Get Away

The delicious fall weather beckoned and we followed. Cast off the dock lines on a random Monday mid-morning and headed off to nowhere in particular.

My boy, who is usually bouncing on the bow and testing his mama's limits during a passage, took on a decidedly more contemplative demeanor this journey. I noticed him breathing deeply, listening closely, and spending more time just staring. And cuddling up as the cool air demanded that quilts be brought on deck.

We tucked in to one of our favorite secret spots. It really is a secret, actually it's a hurricane hole we scouted while living aboard our first boat pre-Z and even had to evacuate to once. It's hidden away, yet easy enough to get to... only if you're a catamaran.

The fellas kayaked the creek and fished from the stern... not concerned about where they paddled or what they caught, just happy to be together.

We explored some beaches. Nothing more than low tide spits, but now gloriously named Duck Island, Magic Wand Land, and Golden Oyster Cove through the eyes of a 5 year old, happy to be free range on this random weekday in October.

We warmed the boat with pumpkin muffins. We drank bottomless cups of hot tea. We told ghost stories. We played board games. We sat on the foredeck in the pitch dark and listened. Just listened to the wild sounds of hidden world around us. We drifted off, extra quilts on the bed, limbs draped over bellies to stay warm in a human heap of contented dreams.

And we drifted back home better for having left, thanking autumn in our wake.