20081018

All Good Things

It's been a quiet week in Belmont Harbor.

The end of the season is near. Sailors sadly come to the docks now, hauling their last crates for the last trip of the season - bound for dry-dock.


Mark and I are contemplating the end, too.

Last week, Mark accepted a faculty position at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is set to start in January. And while Duluth sits right on lovely Lake Superior, it's impossible for us to live on Mazurka in a city that spends eight months of the year in winter's ice cold grip.

The honeymoon is over; we are moving to land.

This is pretty exciting news for us for lots of reasons - northern Minnesota is gorgeous, we love winter sports, this position is Mark's dream job, and there's an almost-endless frontier to explore.

For months we have been contemplating what to do with Mazurka if we moved to Duluth. It's still not entirely clear. But while we had been thinking for sure that we would have to sell her, now we are considering taking her with us - making the great trip from Chicago up the western shore of Lake Michigan, through the Straits of Mackinac, skipping through the top of Lake Huron, and coasting along the southern shore of Lake Superior. This will be a hell of a trip.

And it will have to wait until next summer.

Our plan for now is to stay in Belmont Harbor until November 15, spend a month on the wall at River City, and then haul Mazurka out during the uncertain cold of mid-December. Our much-loved home will spend the winter in dry-dock while we head north to a home on Garrison Keillor's land. And next summer? We'll see what happens....

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

while I'm happy that you'll be able to explore the frontiers of minnesota, it's a selfish sadness that your adventures on the waters of chicago are coming to an end. I'll keep reading though. =)

Anonymous said...

Very exciting, very happy for you both. But you have been living our fantasy all this time. Our cats have been living vicariously through your Turkish Vans...We're not ready for this fairy tale to end...but you'll be great. New adventures! Yay!!! And when you get that tickle to come back, you know there will always be a dock or can waiting for you.

Anonymous said...

What will I do without my Mazurka fix!!! I sincerly hope that you will continue to write about your adventures in your new home.

Anonymous said...

Garrison Keillor actually lives in Wisconsin, right on the Missippi River where he can see Minnesota.

Midwest said...

One thing is clear: when you move to Minnesota, you need to buy an old house that needs a LOT of work. Mark will go crazy without something to tinker with!

Onward to the next adventure!

Anonymous said...

Nice Star Trek reference :)

I Run for Fun said...

Good luck with your adventures on land. I have enjoyed reading about your maritime adventures!

kenlikebarbie said...

You're leaving!? The BOAT?...well i'm excited for you! What sort of mischief could you get into on land?--take it to the page, Felicia...and let us read it!!! Ciao!!