still getting blog up to speed

 Hi again. So at this point I am still working my way through 2011. As the blog gets up to speed. I will have shorter posts a bit more regularly.

  So the next big event was getting the Mary Lee on the water for the rest of the maintainance needing done and to get away from climbing up and down the ladder.
  Little messy while I try out where everything fits but this is pretty much the look dockside.

So I have not made it to the rest of my new friends yet but shortly after I met Steve and Linda The Mast Confusion was changed to the Mary Lee. I had another name in Mind But My older Sister Mary was Fighting cancer and as she was much on my mind, with her permission I Renamed the Mast confusion to the Mary Lee

So there I was trying to keep working on boat projects. I went on a water fast to help clear all meds out of system. Those of you who have ever done a water fast know how rough it can be when your body starts discharging all the toxins in waves. Pretty rough.
  So during this time I had walked down to take a shower and being to exhausted and hurt to make it happen I went into the barbecue area to sit in the shade. There was a good breeze and It felt wonderful. I noticed another gentleman in a shoulder sling sleeping in the swing. I sat in a chair and found myself waking up sometime later. This is when I met Steve franco. It turns out he had taken a bad fall and Broke his shoulder of all things. We talked a bit and then went over so I could meet his wife Linda. They are the proud owners of Yesterdays dream.
  I liked them immediately, if they are not the salt of the earth then I want to know who is.

  I spent quite a bit of time with them and I will tell you now. I was so set on grinding through with my battle that I was forgetting to take time to enjoy what was in front of me. Steve and Linda cured this. Their company greatly enriched my life. Thank you Steve and Linda. I hope to be seeing you again very soon.

 I sorted through my pictures and the best I could come up with(that turned out) of Steve and Linda was taken the morning they pulled out.

So you have seen the picture of my overloaded pickup with uhaul trailer hooked up. Trip was difficult. I had to hire help to get it unloaded. Temperatures when I left Idaho were in the mid. to upper 70's. Was in 90's in Corpus Christi. What the pain didn't take out of me the heat seemed to. Uhaul manager was concerned about me getting heat stroke. Are you kidding? I am going to my boat. Neither sleet nor snow(wait a minute, I think that saying belongs to the postman) Well, you get the picture. Just let something try to stop me.

 So the unload was finished and I spent a night in motel before leaving for Baltimore. It was memorial day weekend and I wanted to get out of town. All I can say about the trip to Baltimore is at least I will never have to relive that one. It is about 1600 miles and The last 400-600 miles took quite a few days. I was hurt and exhausted. I could barely fight to get out of motels in mornings. I thought I was doing well to make 150-200 miles a day. But eventually I did make it.

  I will never forget arriving at tidewater yachts. I was so beat down I didn't know which way was up. I really considered that I was just not physically able to go through with it. I talked to broker and a few friends and decided that I would sleep on it. It took 2 sleeping pills to get through the night. In the morning I knew I was home. I just had to get in gear and make it happen.

I am back. I had actually planned to download a picture that showed more of my pride and joy but you get the picture. I bought Mast Confusion in April of 2011. I threw left cane on boat to remind me of where I was coming from. The trip back to Idaho was a bit more difficult. On the way out I had been taking advantage of being pushed through the large airports in a wheelchair. The pain was still pretty intense. I was taking 100 mg. of oxyconten a day and had trouble standing without a cane. However. I swore I was going to make this work. Barbara has known me over 10 years and she told me that I seem to have a knack for shoving myself into a corner just so I can fight my way out. :-) She may be right. She was the only one who believed I would pull it off.  So I kept up with the training. By august I started feeling like I could not stand myself if I did not get to the boat. Pack and sell, Pack and sell. Got down to a trailor load of stuff to haul to Corpus Christi, Tx. I figured I would get the boat there and be able to change a few things on it during hurricane season. Then head back to Florida and then on to carribean. Best laid plans right. So here is a view of what I am leaving in North Idaho. This is about 7000 ft.

Hi again. Last time I attempted to download a picture of mast confusion taken about a half hour after I paid for her. Not fond of name but that change will come later. I will attempt another download before moving on. I met some great people last fall while working on boat and I am looking forward to introducing them to you.

At the beginning

So I should go back a short time and tell what brought me to this point. In March of 2006, I got hurt. Quite badly. I took a bad fall and hurt my back in the worst way. I spent most of the next 5 years mostly in a hospital bed and when not there, in a recliner.
   To make a long painful story as short as possible. One day my doctor changed my pain meds. I got enough control of pain to start moving again. I needed a lot of help for the first 6 months.

  I had remembered laying in bed and thinking, If I have just one chance to get moving again, I will never stop. I will push everyday to get my life back. My friend Barbara Munn was my godsend. She put her life on hold and moved in to help. I could not have done it without her help. Thank you Barbara.

  So I never asked for a miracle I asked for a chance to fight my way out.

  So in mid April. I bought the Mast Confusion. A 33ft. Offshore cat-ketch. All that time I was laid up I decided If I got another shot at life I was going to quit dreaming about living aboard and go do it.