January 14th, 2009. Happy Belated Birthday, Kyra! I just finished reading Fatu-Hiva – a true story about two people who leave Norway to travel to the Marquais Islands to experience the abundance and balance of living in harmony with nature and all of her plants and animals. It was an amazing book for many reasons. And even though they experience a version of paradise, the end of the book finds them returning home to Norway after one year. The morning after I finished that book, Merle asked me if I wanted to return home to Canada this spring, after being away for one year. And I think I do. At least for a short while, until we set sail again for new horizons. Our little boat is excellent, but she is not ready for a long journey away from shore just yet. She needs a few things before we can feel safe taking her to places where parts cannot be found and water is not drinkable. So now we have only a few months left to accomplish some of the things we hoped to do on our journey. Funny how an end date – as vague as it is – affects how we think. I will meditate on it a bit, and so will Merle, before we finally decide whether it is to be north or south.