Ralph pulled up to Makai to pick us up. No, not by car; by dinghy. Amanda and I hopped off the dock and took a seat in the small inflatable boat. Ralph throttled up, leaving the marina in our wake. The sky was a deep shade of orange and the Cape Fear River a mirror, save for the occasional fish jumping to catch evening bugs.
The occasion? A free concert downtown, and a schedule of
nada!
To port, the Wilmington city lights sparkle orange, blue and
white on the water. To starboard, the USS North Carolina towers above us, a ghost
in the darkness.
We motor downstream at a leisurely pace, avoiding crab pots
that could foul our prop. The downtown riverwalk is brightly lit and bustling
with people who turn to investigate the humming noise coming from the river. We
pull up and lash the dinghy to dock, jump out and get lost in the crowd.
The concert is a blast. The bands are a mix of 60's surfer
music, hillbilly backwoods, and good ol' rock 'n roll. Ever heard that song
Camel Walk? "Baby, you make me want to walk...like a camel!" Or how
'bout the song "Banana Pudding"? Go look it up on Youtube, you'll be
singing it for days.
The local brewery even set up a tent and served hand-crafted
beer at reasonable prices! Of course beer leads to dancing, hootin' and
hollering, fist pumps and yelling "woooooooohoo!" over and over, so
all in all, it was a damned good night.
Motoring back upstream, stars above us, calm water all around, I couldn't help but express my happiness
in that moment. Ralph, a cowboy-turned biker, turned sailor with the tattoos to
prove it, yells over the roar of the engine "this is what it's all about,
eh! Welcome to the cruising life!"
I LOVE fist pumps!
ReplyDeleteDude, you would've loved this concert! The bassist even did those crazy hillbilly-style leg kicks one after the other as he played their finale.
DeleteSo-o-o-o glad you two are relaxing for a change. To really relax for anything more than short bursts may take some getting used to, however, since I don't believe that has happened since small-kid time. At least for Kaiao, anyway. Memorial Day long-weekend is here. Hope for both of you it is enjoyable and observant. I see your official last day in the Air Force is this upcoming Tuesday, Kaiao. Thank you again for your service. Our American flag is "flying" in the non-existent Trade Wind breezes (the weather has been horrible this month) on the front porch. Enjoy the Holiday! PS: How are the dogs adapting? How do they cope when you both are gone from the boat for some hours at a stretch, like last Saturday's concert, since Makai is much smaller than the space in your Clovis yard? Also how does dog pottying work out on a boat when not at the dock? Just curious. Sailing with dogs could add up to a book-&-or documentary all in itself :) .
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