gone fishin'

as mentioned in a previous post, life over the road has it’s headaches. most of those are spurred by the “paper pushers” back at our home terminal but, the pros of this job far overshadow the annoyances of “working for the man”.

usually the word “layover”, to many a traveler, conjures the image of sleeping in the corner of an airport terminal hugging your valuables and awakening with a panicked jolt every time an announcement is made over the intercom. imagining that surely you have just missed your ticket to that much anticipated free cocktail and transport to your next shower and a proper sleep. currently for us, “layover” equals to a hiccup in routing that pays a meager, but appreciated, $75 for every 24 hour period we don’t have the wheels turning. 

 

we quickly realized how far we could stretch that $75 to explore whatever surroundings we found ourselves in.

quite often, due to the amalgamation of Marc and my cast of family and friends that stretches from coast to coast, when on layover we have someone to visit. from a mash-up dinner with a high school friend of Marc’s and an old buddy of my dad’s in Denver, to a weekend on the beach in Miami with Marc’s cousin Chris. then up to Connecticut for a week with my brother and his family, making it just in time to catch my niece and nephew’s t-ball picture day. 

 

now back south down I-81 for a late night drop-in to my mom’s cabin in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. next we may head southwest to Oklahoma City for a home cooked bleu burger and to hear tales of the life of a u.s. marshall, with our favorite “okies”, the Tibbits.

now across to the west coast for a week of sailing and catching up with loved ones. 

squeezing in a quick stop in between to have green chile pizza in Albuquerque with cousin Aaron, who just moved there to start a new job. The list grows daily…

On a recent “layover” in dallas we decided to hop in our pick-up, which is stored at our companies terminal in south dallas, and head towards the gulf coast. we met up with the Ware clan in Houston and all piled in and headed to the beach. one of my oldest friends’ Caroline and her husband Randy also joined.

between relaxing on the sand enjoying great conversation over a few cold ones and frolicking in the surf with people who make me smile, i was reminded of the early stoke that surfing brought to my life. that afternoon, after standing up on a surfboard for her first time ever in the washing machine surf that is Texas waves,  Caroline exclaimed, “I wish that wave had lasted forever!” It dawned on me that wave riding was my first passion. Everything about it had seduced my senses and coaxed my inner adventurer out. 

Surfing had ignited the spark that would take me to so many wonderful places and bring me in contact with an abundance of amazing people. I realize every “wave” in life can’t be as life altering as the very first, but as long as your line-up is full of good company, the lulls can be just as amusing. as our blog title translates to in English, (ola de amor= wave of love), we are working hard at making this life one continuous beautiful ride spent with the ones we love doing the things we love.

rovers: "Ceal" and Kevin

meet Kevin and Cecilia “Ceal” (pronounced like “seal”). this is an inspiring couple of go-getters if there ever was. we had the pleasure of meeting these two anchored out at Punta Mita, which is the northern most point of Banderas Bay in Mexico. they were aboard their islander 36, s/v Sunrise. initial contact was filled with the excitement of meeting another younger couple that was cruising and surfing. for those that are unfamiliar with the cruising community, it is made up mostly of people who have chosen to cut the lines post retirement. i’m not knocking this by any means, as we have learned loads through these seasoned sailors. from logistical aspects (i.e. navigation, alternative power sources) to how to continue to enjoy life with the one you love in such close quarters.

our new found surf stoked amigos graciously invited us over to their four person friendly accommodations, for dinner and drinks. ( Mer-Sea was a bit of a squeeze for even the two of us at 27’) we spent hours of excited conversation that night, trying to fit in each of our life’s stories over gin and tonics. our paths diverged later that week as they had to return to Hawaii for business and Marc and i set sail for southern latitudes. we have managed to stay in touch since, thanks to the world wide web. i just love meeting people with whom you “click” with so quickly. i imagine it is as sure sign you are on the right path in life.

we have since enjoyed their company again in Puerto Vallarta, as they were returning to Sunrise and we had just helped some friends move their Irwin 37’, s/v Lady Ann from Huatulco. (see back post under the title “Lady Ann” for more on this adventure) it was a brief visit, over tacos and cervezas, and conversation was stimulating as ever. i’ll stop here and leave the rest of their story up to you to enjoy in Ceal’s own words, at their blog : www.alwaysgoblog.com

the journey IS the destination!

as many of you already know, marc and i have made a recent career “180”, we are now officially truckers. yep that’s right, we are licensed to grind gears while hauling 40 tons of  freight across all of north america. i think we both are secretly even starting to enjoy the smell of diesel in the morning. (jump back a few posts to see a more detailed description of how it all went down) now, the rest of this post may ring of some redundancies in regards to marc’s last post here on our blog but, i’m feeling inspired by some recent conversations with fellow lifer vagabonds.

this change in lifestyle has spurred many, friends and strangers alike, to inquire “why?”.  it is true, we don’t fit the stereotypical trucker mold, but honestly who wants to fit into a mold anyhow. fitting into a mold always gave me a vision of green jello in the shape of a bundt cake, in which was suspended withered canned fruit. just never seemed appealing. what is appealing about our new endeavor is plentiful, at least in our opinion. it is looking as though it could be that golden ticket to our dream life.

on returning from tripping around mexico and central america last year, we discussed a few priorities to our reentry to “the real world”.  at the top of that list was to have the ability to continue to travel regularly and reconnect and spend time with the people we love. trucking fit the bill quite well.  this i had seen through my father, who, after he retired had spent his last years behind the wheel of his big rig reconnecting with family and friends. some of whom he had served with in vietnam, so many years ago. it brought so much joy to him to get to rehash his youth and rekindle these friendships with men who he shared such deep connections with.

so,  i ask YOU, “why?” why do you live your life the way you do? have you ever really thought about it? keep reading, i am not about to get on a soapbox and tell you why you should follow our path. as one of my dearest friends Audrey says, “everyone’s “awesome” is different.” simple but true. what we often find when people ask us about our life, is we are gushing about every facet, even the seemingly inconvenient and irregular aspects of it. (i.e living in a rolling shoebox, erratic hours, lack of access to proper cooking apparatuses…) these have all become challenges that make life, frankly, more vivid. waking up every morning in a different landscape, with the equivalency of a quarter flips odds of what kind of attire the next day will require, all while attempting to create the next meal with only the help of a 120v dc outlet.

so take a minute from the complacency of modern life and really sit for a minute alone, with some quiet, and reflect on what is your “awesome”. the next step takes a bit more effort and can be uncomfortable at times, but this is best described as growing pains. we have met so many people along the way the last few years who have taken leaps into the unknown and never looked back. whether shedding their creature comforts for more mobility, leaving a burdensome relationship, learning a new skill, or changing their zip code, it seems to become an ever evolving process that only gets easier and leads to a “new and improved” feeling. so, take a few minutes every so often to get reacquainted with yourself. as humans, we are inherently a complex and dynamic creature, and i truly believe that,

“only the dull and uninteresting know where they are going in life and rarely is it worth the trip.” -tom robbins

Go for it!

George Lee Mallory, may or may not have been the first person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in 1924, more than 30 years before Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was officially credited with this astounding achievement. Mallory and his hiking partner Andrew "Sandy" Irvine were last seen disappearing into the clouds somewhere high on the North-East ridge of Mt. Everest.

Mallory is most famously credited with coining the phrase "Because it's there", which was a retort to the question, "Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?"

Besides this catchy one liner, which in all honesty was probably paraphrased by some 1920's New York Times reporter, Mallory was transcribed to say something of even greater significance, he said, "If you cannot understand that there is something in man that responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life, upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just shear joy, and joy after all is the end of life. We don't live to eat and make money, we eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and that is what life is for."

Ultimately, his ambition and willingness to sacrifice all, in order to attempt the unthinkable by most, speaks deeply to a certain part of me. Mallory was not a man who spent most of his time thinking, or talking about his ideas. He spent his time doing. Doing the things he loved. Living the way he wanted. Encouraging all of us to carefully consider the tiny amount of time we each have on this planet.

This simple truth inspires me, as I hope it does you, to challenge yourself, to take those leaps of faith necessary to shake life up and make it interesting. To step away from what's comfortable and familiar, and step out into the unknown. Take those risks and make those moves that may be unconventional today, but by tomorrow will seem like part of the routine. Growth only comes from adversity and from challenge, and it is here that the bonds of life are forged. 

I encourage everyone to strive for something more with the time they have, even if a personal goal is undefined, or crude, go for it. Know that you will not be alone on your quest. You will meet so many great people along the way that just seem to "show up" at the right time; either to help, teach, or just have fun with, because once you set sail from your safe and familiar harbor, and head out on the open ocean of endless possibilities, you will blissfully find yourself amongst family. A family that is strengthened by all its members, and whose lineage is timeless.


“To experience, to engage, to endeavor, rather than to watch and to wonder — that's where the real meat of life is to be found.” -Ben Saunders: Artic explorer

Dag'gum Truckers!

While lounging at the beach, on a couple hammocks, in El Salvador last summer an idea was born. "Let's be truck drivers!" This idea was sparked when we realized that we would eventually need to get to work soon, as our accounts, after more than a year of traveling, were now starting to get low. We knew that after going feral for so long, i.e. spending more time without shoes on than with, we would not be able to settle back into a typical job stateside. Although, the thought of A/C at that time was quite enticing.

What appealed to us most about becoming truck drivers was that we would be able to work together, which we really enjoy doing, we would not have to be inside an office, and ultimately, we could make good money while having the freedom to take off and travel when we want.

We could also confidently answer the most trying question all team truckers have to face, which is, can you handle living together in such a small space. We always get a kick out of this one, mainly because we've spent close to 100% of the last year either living in our 27' Catalina sailboat or our 1986 Ford F350 pickup, both of which have substantially less living space than a semi-truck. Basically, the semi-truck is like a two story condo for us.

Fast forward a few months, and after a bit of research we decided to start with a company called FFE, based out of Dallas, Texas. They offered us free CDL (commercial driver license) Training, and the shortest OTR (over the road) training period we found in the industry. All they ask in return is that you drive for them for one year, which sounded like a pretty good deal to us!

After excelling through the two-weeks at their Driver Training Academy, and passing our DOT CDL Class A driver exam, we both parted ways for the first time in over a year for our 6 weeks of paid OTR training. Once done with the OTR training, and successfully passing our upgrade exams, FFE assigned us a 2012 International Prostar. We have been rolling all over the country since and are enjoying the heck out of it!!!

Recommended Reading: The Alamo & The Conquest of New Spain

A few for the history lovers…

The Alamo by Lon Tinkle

Considered the truest and most conclusive account of this famous battle.  Not a first hand account but the information is gathered from credible sources.  It’s not just a story of a battle but of the characters involved and Lon does a great job of giving personality to some of the legends (Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, etc…) who were a part of this pivotal battle in Texas history.

The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz

This is a first hand account from a soldier who fought with Cortez during his Conquest of Montezuma and the Mexicans. He was not a scholar but felt the urge to document the events of this world changing campaign. He wrote this late in life, fifty years after it all occurred. Due to this, there are a few inaccuracies that the translator has corrected. This one has been a real treat as we are traveling through many of the areas mentioned!

 

Thanks Tomas y Val for sharing your amazing library with us!!

From the Galley: Bonito!

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While under way along the Pacific coast of Mexico we have found a fish called Bonito is hard not to catch. This is a welcome “problem” seeing as it is a member of the tuna family, which equals… sushi!! Which Torch has now acquired a taste for as well!

We have created and learned a few other ways to prepare this little guy than just slathered with wasabi…

Joel’s Bonito Ceviche

Bonito filets               Lime Juice

Salt                              Red onion

Cilantro                      Serrano or Habanero

Cube Bonito and soak with lime juice. Chop all other ingredients and toss with fish.

Pan Seared Bonito w/ Tropical Fruit Salsa

Salsa

Pineapple or Mango             Red onion

Cilantro                                  Serrano or Habanero

Lime Juice                              Garlic Salt

optional-Orange Juice          

Chop all ingredients. Best if using all fresh produce and juices. Salt to taste. Use within hour for best flavor and texture.

Fish

Bonito Filets              Oil

Salt and Pepper        Garlic

Sautee garlic in oil. Salt and pepper fish strips to taste. Sear to desired wellness.

Serve over rice and top with salsa.

Mexican Viagra

Whole Bonito             Lime Juice

Salt                              Cerveza

Butterfly and clean intestines and organs out of fish. Then make horizontal slits in the meat, keeping the fish intact. Squeeze lime and sprinkle salt over meat filling the slits with juice. Eat meat and pour liquid that gathers into your beer and drink. Arriba!!