Well Done Good and Faithful Servant

Back Home in Virginia  

It has been a little over a week since my last post. Thanks to everyone who has checked for this entry and/or inquired as to how things are going. On Sunday morning, Jan. 4, I caught the bus from Morehead City to the train in Wilson which took me home to Mechanicsville. I arrived at my mom's empty house at dusk. It had been just shy of three days since I received a text from Lisa (my sister) saying she called the ambulance and Mom was on her way to the emergency room with short and labored breathing. Barry and I had to get to Beaufort so I could get home. My sister and I kept a three-day vigil by her bedside before she went peacefully to her eternal home. It was a blessing to have been able to both get Crossroads in a secure spot and spend our last special hours with Mom. I'm convinced she planned it that way ... that's how Mom did things. 

Alice Faye Shuler Hege was born in Winston-Salem, NC, the oldest of four children. She enjoyed riding her tricycle, tea parties, and piano lessons. Her family took annual trips to the beach where my grandfather would fish and mom would enjoy the water ... but only up to her ankles. She never liked water which only heightened her anxiety when we set out aboard Crossroads. 

At James A. Gray High School she took journalism, was a reporter for Gray Light (the student newspaper), and was senior editor of the yearbook. She attended Appalachian State Teachers College where passing her swimming class became the major obstacle to otherwise graduating with honors. While we do not have any pool pictures, a favorite photo from that time is her on a horse. She promises she was only in the saddle for as long as it took to capture the photo. After graduation and marriage she and Dad moved to Richmond, VA where she started a life-long career in elementary education. Once Lisa and I got old enough to stay home after school by ourselves, she went back to teaching at Henry Clay Elementary in Ashland. She expected a lot out of her first graders and set a lofty bar that they always surpassed. Instilling discipline and teaching manners and compassion were just as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Twenty seven years later she retired.

She kept every card and letter she ever received and spent a lot of time over the past year walking down memory lane. She remembered every student and every parent. It has been so refreshing to read all the kind words. Lisa and I were the only ones who could call her Mom, but she cared for and loved over 600 of her children.  

She enjoyed baking and always loved family gatherings and potluck dinners at church. Her signature M&M cookies and pecan tarts became a holiday staple. She was so proud her nephew and now great-nephew have continued that tradition. Music was also a large part of her life. She played piano, autoharp, handbells, and sang in the church choir. Mom was a huge ACC basketball fan and got me hooked early in life while watching Dean Smith, Jim Valvano, Lefty Driesell, Terry Holland, and Bobby Cremins patrol the sidelines on Saturday afternoons. She followed the Washington Nationals with her favorite player being Bryce Harper (until he became a Phillie). True to form, she still enjoyed visiting the beach while keeping a safe distance from the water.

Miracle of miracles, Barry and I managed to get Mom out on three sailing trips. She later admitted to being petrified, but she was a good sport and was determined to make it through the outings. After my dad passed in 2020, Mom put that determination into overdrive and decided she would be fine in her house alone. She faced everything thrown at her with grit, stubbornness, and humor. That teacher stare, however, always put me in my place. Her world shrank as her body continued to break down. Our collective goal was to keep her in her beloved house and never send her to a "facility."

We had a great Christmas together, but she cried when we said goodbye and left on this year's cruise. Deep-down she knew her time was coming to an end. She allowed us to get to Beaufort and then I was able to return home. Lisa and I held her hands and sang her beloved hymns continually for her final few days. I will always remember Mom as being funny and full of love -- for everyone and everything bright, shiny, and festive.

Yesterday as Lisa and I were checking her email, we came across a note she sent to a church friend. Her words were poignant: "I am totally homebound now. I get outside when I have a doctor's visit. I am not able to walk [beyond a few steps]. There are many ways that I can occupy my time and most days go by quickly ... I am not sad or bitter about my situation, but have accepted it. God has blessed me in so many ways!!" Well done, good and faithful servant. 

I started this blog in 2018 as we began our Great Loop adventure. It was a way of showing Mom that we were safe and visiting some amazing places. She was always the first one to read it (all 875 posts) ... and share it with her friends. Over time, her worry for us lessened and she began researching our destinations on her tablet. Her favorite photos were always those of colorful sunrises and sunsets. We will leave Crossroads in Beaufort through February and visit her every few weeks as tasks up here allow. We look forward to spending time with friends in the area, visiting some of our favorite spots, and enjoying all those wonderful Beaufort sunsets ... for Mom. I will probably post sporadically over the next few months just to stay in the habit. If we are fortunate enough to head to The Bahamas next year, I'll pick back up in her honor. 

  

Sunshine Through The Gray Clouds

Belhaven to Beaufort  |  8.2 Hours  |  58 Miles  

It seemed that the sun decided to sleep in this morning. The sky took longer than normal to brighten and eventually stopped with being heavily overcast. Much like yesterday, we were well underway going down the Pungo River by the time I had the anchor and deck clean. Strange today was the sound of gunshot while I was on the bow. The duck hunters had gotten a head start on us. It was a gray on gray trip with short bursts of heavy rain and longer periods of light showers. The miles clicked away as we progressed through the Pamlico River, Goose Creek, and the Hobucken Canal. The shrimp boat fleet was docked in their usual spot in front of RE Mayo Seafood. We were shocked and saddened to see the For Sale sign in front of the property and looked up the listing. 

Duck boats of all shapes and sizes zipped about. We met two separate tug/barge combos as we exited the canal into Bay River. When we entered the Neuse River, we were treated to an incredible display as thousands of ducks filled the sky. At first we believed the ducks were circling us to hide from the hunters. The ducks kept coming and coming -- some in a classic V formation ... 

but most in long single-file lines. We sped down the final stretch in Adams Creek at maximum ebb tide and wind gusting behind us to 17 knots. We were moving along at 8.5 knots without even trying. A pod of dolphin welcomed us to Beaufort. I readied the dock lines and fenders. Barry backed down the fairway and put Crossroads right in the middle of the slip. There to help us tie up was dear friend Greg from Paradigm Shift. After I finished tidying up our lines and fenders and changed into some real clothes, I went to visit Glenda, Jaxon, and Cooper aboard Paradigm Shift. For the first time all day the sun was shining, if only figuratively. We visited for an hour or so and then used the Town Creek Marina courtesy car to go to dinner at Mexcalito on Front Street. 

Just as ordered, today's rain will move out overnight and a wonderful weather window will open for offshore travel. Paradigm Shift will depart around noon and make a two-day passage to Fernandina Beach, FL. We will say farewell to them (again) because Crossroads will remain in Beaufort for a while. I spent a lot of time on my phone today texting and talking to family members. My Mom was taken to the emergency room on Thursday night and its been a stressful few days trying to get her stabilized. As much as we want to head south, I know the right thing to do is to return home. Beaufort has served as our temporary home on several prior trips. It will do so again this year. Fingers crossed we'll be able to continue with our trip at some point soon. I'll post an update as soon as I know what the future holds. 

Moving Along Through Tranquil Waters

Camden Point to Belhaven  |  9.7 Hours  |  60.6 Miles  

Two obvious negatives of traveling at this time of year are shortened daylight hours and the cold temperatures. The goal of arriving at our destination before dark requires every morning to be an early one. On our previous three mornings, I've worn most of my cold weather clothes all at once while tending to our dock lines and fenders -- thermal base layer, snow pants, turtleneck, long sleeve T-shirt, hoodie, heavy coat. Following our first night on anchor, this morning I expanded the ensemble to include rubber boots. Thankfully there was very little wind and the air temperature was above freezing this morning because today was the first dreaded anchor/foredeck washdown. We raised the anchor in the limited light of dawn and, as expected, the anchor chain was encased in thick, black mud. In hosing the mud off the chain, it invariably flows/blows back on the foredeck creating a huge mess that takes several miles to clean up. By the time I was done, the sun was up and we were in the Albemarle Sound.

We could not have ordered up better conditions for crossing the Sound -- blue sky, wind at our back, low waves. The bright sunshine kept the pilothouse warm. On the horizon, the Alligator River Bridge started to come into view. Pilings for the new high-rise bridge rose up on both sides of our approach. Barry radioed the nicest bridge tender ever who had the span open for us without slowing down. 

Most of the cormorants hanging out around the bridge paid us no mind, but there's always that one exception that gets way too excited. We entered the Alligator-Pungo Canal at 12:30 under the watchful eyes of a bald eagle perched high above the waterway. The sky turned overcast and gray, but the temperature had risen to the mid-50s. Barry went on deck to install our firehose chafe guards (thank you, Chris) on the new anchor bridle Santa brought us. 

The Pungo River was eerily tranquil as we approached our destination of Belhaven. We eased into the anchorage and dropped the hook in our favorite spot as the sun dropped behind heavy cloud cover. I pulled out my book and read a few more pages before dinner. The generator is running and warming up Crossroads. Showers are on tap for tonight as we prepare for the final leg of our fist stage with arrival into Beaufort tomorrow. 

Oh, Deer! That Was Exciting.

Great Bridge to Camden Point  |  6.7 Hours  |  43 Miles  

We eased off the dock and departed Great Bridge at dawn. The air temperature was warmer this morning, but the sun hid behind the clouds. making it look and feel colder. We calculated the speed we needed to maintain to clear our two bridges for the day. The Centerville Bridge opened on demand (holiday schedule) and we didn't have to slow down. We made it to the 8:30 opening of the North Landing Bridge with a couple minutes to spare. We were making good time. We settled in and the miles clicked off as we commented on the numerous large stumps very close to the channel. Barry noticed it first -- a "stump" that was moving. Upon closer inspection it wasn't a stump, but a deer. A young buck was swimming across our path, oblivious to our presence. I grabbed my phone and managed to capture a few photos.

Wildlife encounters are always exciting. A few minutes later a bald eagle was spotted high in a pine tree. We entered the Currituck Sound with the wind and waves from our stern. It was a smooth ride and we watched the daymarkers until we crossed into North Carolina between Greens 61 and 63. There is no welcome sign, but I have always thought there should be one. Crossing the Currituck Sound was uneventful. The landmark stump signaled the approach to Coinjock. We continued past the marina and contemplated crossing the Albemarle Sound to make more miles. About the same time the wind picked up to 20 knots and we decided it was best to pull off for the day into an anchorage we know well. We took advantage of a few restful hours while awaiting another great Camden Point sunset.  

The evening's colors lingered for several more minutes and I enjoyed every minute of the show.