Are We Lost?

There are a lot of definitions for being lost. You can be terribly lost in a strange city if you can't find the particular place you're looking for. You can be frightfully lost in a dessert if you step off the road without a compass and pass the point at which you can still see that road (people have died in similar ways). Lost also pertains to something of value that has gone missing and might never show up, again. On this trip, we have been in all three of those situations, and... guess what?

We are not dead.

Even though we could have been. Many times over.

We have also been in situations where good intentions (even REALLY good intentions) did not count. It has something to do with being relevant, which so many of our reasons for even setting out on such a voyage, were definitely not. Things like not knowing our propeller was in a state of decay even before we left, because we never looked underwater. Of course, we had every intention to. Just as soon as enough money came in to do that thing. Which didn't make one bit of difference when two blades eventually fell off in all those forceful tides and currents we kept plowing through.

At other times, we skimmed over dangerous reefs, bumped over rocks, and flew past places we were sure we couldn't possibly have reached, yet... only to end up somewhere else, instead. In short, we were lost. Really lost, when you consider we were out of radio range, and no longer had any electronics to double check, against. We did have a “red button,” however. Some satellite thing that would alert emergency services anywhere on the globe. It also kept a running account (via little dots) as to where we had been. It was a system we held in reserve for life-and-death situations.

So, why didn't we use it during life-and-death situations? To tell you the truth, we didn't even realize we were in one of those until we got ourselves out of it. As for the dots? We always knew where we were, after we got someplace. What was ahead of us, is what we couldn't always figure out.

Sort of like life.

At one point, we even thought our compass had busted (what next?), because how else could one explain getting so confused all the time? Later, we learned there were areas of “extreme magnetic disturbances” we had to pass through, but we didn't know about that then. Something that didn't make any difference, either (it was irrelevant), because our compass was still effected as we slipped by, whether we knew about those, or not.

Sort of like life.

Now, it has been a long time since I posted a blog. I could tell you it is because I have no computer, no phone, no Internet, no car, and the nearest city is seventy miles away. But that would be irrelevant. I could tell you—for all practical purposes—I am lost without all those things, except that, too, would be irrelevant. I know exactly where I am. On a remote island, in the middle of a rainforest, in a place so expensive it will take months to save up enough money to even fly out of here. Because—like Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz—we can't get back the way we came. At least, not until next summer, after some major repairs to the Glory B. And more electronics.

I might even go so far as to say my path DID actually converge with my fiction in Stella Madison's plot-line, considering I have personally experienced SeaTrials, a Pushover Plot, being Lost in the Wilderness, and having to use my very Last Resort to even get out of here. All of which could easily be pronounced “irrelevant,” too, because it's all in how you look at it. Almost like faith. There's always some logical explanation for how you could have survived something, even though it only happened after you prayed for help.

The facts are, we made it to our destination, we are not dead (thank you, God), and my Stella Madison Capers are finished (a miracle!). And even though I have sworn never to get myself into these kinds of situations ever, EVER, again, and to forget about trying to “live out” my character's scenarios before offering them up to my readers (whose idea was that?)...

I have heard of an incredible place I could call home (just a rumor, really), that bears looking into before we leave. The only way to get there is by boat, but it isn't too far from here. And considering it might possibly be the next piece in this puzzle of why we ever set off on such a crazy journey in the first place, just to maybe prove (to ourselves) that not only do our dreams actually exist “out there” somewhere, but they have been created especially for us by a loving God... One who might really have that wonderful plan for our life He promised to give us, if only we will trust Him to get us there... Now, I'm thinking, what could it hurt just to look?

We came a long way to look, so we might as well. It's only logical.

Sort of like life.

Hello From the Glory B!

Quadra Island, Canada

June 12, Aboard the Glory B

Well, an entire week has gone by since I last checked in, dear readers, and much has happened since then. To begin with, the engine is running beautifully, as long as we don't push the RPMs and remember to keep her hydrated (she's fifty years old). We made the border crossing with no problems (Praise the Lord!), got our official "visitor number," and ran up our courtesy Canadian flag. After which, we set our sails to head north along the east side of beautiful Vancouver Island.

Which is a huge island, about 300 miles long. Our first right of passage was a little dog-leg stretch called the Dodd Narrows. The current runs through there at around nine knots, and considering we only make five, you can see how we needed a slack tide to even attempt it. There were other sailboats waiting for the right conditions, too, along with a couple of small motorboats that shot right through, without waiting at all, because they had more than enough power to back them up.

Still, it was like a fast-moving shallow river, with rocks on both sides, close enough to spit over the rails and hit them. But we made it through at about two knots (think mph, it's easier), with only a few slippery moments. Whew! Then on to our first port on Vancouver, which was the city of Nanaimo. Big City. 

We stayed an extra day because the marine radio said there was going to be gale-force winds out on the Strait of Georgia, the next day, and we were at the door. We needed to go nearly a hundred miles on that big water. The locals said, it would be no problem, as long as we stayed off it whenever there was wind. This because it is not like the ocean.

On the ocean, when there is wind, you get big swells. I don't like those, but at least you can sail up and over them. In tighter places like the Strait of Georgia, you can get eight foot seas roaring with hardly any space in between, and it can be very dangerous. So, we decided to listen to the radio everyday and stick with the fair weather. Which is why we made that long transit (took us three more days) with fair winds and following seas. That is, light airs to fill the sails, and water ripples that are headed in the same direction.

Eight to ten hours a day, and because it was our first week of that many hours of wind, sun, and motoring; we didn't do much more than eat and sleep between times. Especially with the added concerns of traveling through unknown (to us) territory. Ah, but I am happy to report that we are adjusting more each day, and actually beginning to talk and think, again, too. So, the Captain says we are looking at two weeks to Alaska, from here, if we don't have to wait out much bad weather. Internet will be harder to come by after this (I thought it was hard, already), but I will do my best to find some.

Meanwhile, we are resting up a bit here in a lovely little cove on Quadra Island, across from the large city of Campbell River, before we continue on into Discovery Passage. I don't know what's ahead, but I don't like the names on this part of the map. Things like Whirlpool Rapids, Desolation Sound, Blind Channel, Dent Rapids, Race Passage, etc. So, if you think of us before you fall asleep at night, please say a prayer that we have made it to a safe harbor to drop anchor in. Because God hears every one of those--indeed, He does--and we have definitely felt His hand on us during a couple of close calls, already.

And what a wonderful feeling that is! We'll share it with you as we continue to pray for all the prayer requests that are coming in to us, via the prayer list box on the sidebar of this blog. So, until next week, or before, fair winds and God's blessings on all of you, fellow travelers!

PS... Stella Madison is still ahead of us, but we should be catching up with her, anytime. Coming in July is The Pushover Plot. Oh, dear... now what has she gotten herself into?

NOTE: Blogger comments are not working on any of my blogs, but I will try to fix that before next time. But many thanks to all of you, who I know are "traveling with us."

One Step Away From...

It is the eve before our departure (Mystery Tour #3, Canadian border crossing attempt #2), and ready, or not, here we go. The engine hums like never before, the stores are aboard, and the Glory B has a new coat of paint and varnish to mark the occasion. Computer behavior: acceptabe. Am I caught up on my work? Ah, no. But the nice thing about working from home is that your work is always at hand.

The two things I was going to do before the next phase of our adventure began, was to make my last Alaska report from my "Walk Alaska" tour I went on this spring, and to finish up the voting campaign for whether, or not, Stella Madison should be allowed to travel along with us, this summer. Which (I am sorry to admit) is entirely out of my hands, now, as she has taken off ahead of us. 

She crossed over the border during caper #3, with the publication of Sea Trials. I'm hoping we meet up with her and her crew before we get to Alaska, but I'm done making promises. Mostly because it's embarrassing when you can't keep them. Now, I know the meaning of that scripture that tells you to put "if God wills" on the end of all your promises to others. Not because we don't always know what He is going to do, but because we are rather unprepared for what our own reactions will be when something goes amiss and He has to get us out of the soup, with a switch to plan B. Our choice, not His, but He is ever-faithful. 

Praise the Lord--He always has things covered (He knows the future, and that's a huge advantage). Our part of this faith venture seems to be in trusting Him that "our steps are ordered," and He has orchestrated all the details beforehand. It takes a great weight of worry off, actually, as there are no worries when you remember to let Him do the driving. Now, there you have the lessons of our last two years in a nutshell, and...

We are are officially off at dawn tomorrow morning. High tide is then, which we need to get out of this bay we have spent the winter in. At the moment, my goal is to update this blog once a week (if God wills), and more if we are somewhere to get Internet. When we cross back into the U.S. near Ketchikan, Alaska, I will then be able to use my hotspot, and communications will be pretty much back to normal, again. We are aiming for the first week in July...

If God wills!

Lost in the Swamps...

It has been a long time since I visited my own blog. Sad but true. Not because I don't absolutely love sharing my adventures with readers, but because I have run into a series of obstacles lately that pretty much got the better of me. One was yet another computer crash (we've all had those, so no need to explain) and the other was a broken foot. Also sad but true.

I wish I could say it happened on some exciting adventure, but I was only going to meet a friend at a local restaurant and missed a step. I don't know where that step came from. Except to say I didn't see it for the same reason I don't drive: little to no depth perception. Over the years I have learned tricks to distinguish such things as a bug flying in front of my glasses from a bird passing in the near distance. I also try to hang on to something, or somebody, when moving through strange places.

I have even learned to ignore most of the audacious things I see, because they are usually not true. Like the time I saw a full-grown hog on a freeway that had been dead so long all four legs were sticking up in the air. It wasn't until we passed by that I learned it was only an oddly shaped strip of rubber that had torn free from an eighteen wheeler. Things like that. I am also easily distracted, and have been known to miss some very important things, entirely.

At any rate, languishing away in the depths of despond aboard the Glory B for the last five weeks has been a real wake-up call for me. I am incredibly out of shape! The Lord has been trying to nudge me about this, but my response was always, “I'll get to that, just as soon as I finish all this work I'm behind on.” I know now that I am behind because I'm out of shape. I mean, how can one expect to “run the race to get the prize” if they can't even qualify to enter?

Not to mention hopping around on one foot (when you haven't done that since grade school), or having to be hauled up to the car in a dock cart if you need to go somewhere is highly embarrassing. Which is why it has now become my number one priority to get in shape and take this entire adventure more seriously. Especially if the Captain should ever need me to haul on some line, or jump onto an approaching dock in a hurry. Things that happen in the boating world all the time.

Anyway, I have finally found my way out of this mess I've made and finally able to hobble around enough to pick up where I left off. Which is to finish up with my Alaska reports, and get Stella Madison back on the “campaign trail” to see if she will be coming along when we set off on our 2014 Mystery Tour, the first week in June. She has taken off ahead of us with the publication of Sea Trials (Caper #3). Which—since she is coming from California-- will still coincide with our own departure from the San Juan Islands.

But more about all that, next time.

Votes for Women!

I'm not ready to vote, yet. Who votes without first following a campaign trail, anyway? I need more backing. A lot more. So, on March 5th, I will be "hitting the campaign trail" with a MYSTERY GUEST in tow. Along with any of the rest of you who would like to come along.

It will only be for a week. But in that week, I intend to tromp my way across Southeast Alaska, poking my nose into every nook and cranny I can squeeze in before time to go home, again. Of course, I'm taking my gold pan (there's gold IN EVERY RIVER in Alaska!), because one can't be all business all the time. 

But I do promise to post something on this blog every night (not really, I better rephrase)--for seven nights-- to let all you dear readers know what's happening. There are quite a few patches out on the water up there that have absolutely no Internet reception at all. But I'll do my level-best to let you know what's going on. I will be gathering my information, that's what will be going on. And getting my arguments together for the final decision.

The vote.

Of course, I'm not going alone--I'm not that kind of person (things are much more fun if you share them). But I do NOT intend to introduce you to my "Mystery Guest" until our first night on Alaskan ground. There will be Internet in that spot, I checked already. And after that… let the adventures begin!

I hope you will join us.

Oh, yes, and if you haven't read HOME BEFORE DARK, the very first Stella Madison Caper (in which she meets the Colonel in the most providential way), I would be happy to give it away FREE to anyone who leaves a comment on this post (along with an email address--last time, some people forgot, and I lost sleep over it). So, if you are one of those types who don't like to blast your personal information all over the Internet (I fully understand, as I hid under my hat for an entire year on this very blog), just drop a quick request to lilly (at) lillymattree.com… and I will get one out to you. And…

Should anyone be so kind as to leave an honest review, I will be more than happy to give you a FREE copy of Stella Madison Caper #2: A THIEF IN THE HOUSE. Because when it comes time to vote, I would rather not have anyone uninformed. This because--to tell you the truth, dear readers-- as much as I love Stella. I'm not so sure I could handle her for that long in close quarters, myself. 

Sad but true.

Hold Everything!

Ok, so it's been more than a week. But what do you do when you've just admitted wanting to bring someone like Stella aboard (who promised to behave), and you're trying to decide if you can really do this thing. More importantly… could the Captain endure it?

My idea was to give out evidence. A bit of background about Stella with no bias involved. But, of course there's going to be bias--I love Stella and crew, for heaven sake. Then there is this thing about wanting to write stories, and more stories, and--who cares whether we go adventuring to Alaska, or Australia, or even to the moon. I just want to write stories.

I did make one minor concession (can't think when) about taking summers off between books for adventuring (and gold digging). On the other hand, there have been so many interruptions during the usual winter work schedule this year, I don't really care about that anymore. I just want to write my stories. 

All of which led up to this bid to bring Stella Madison (and friends) aboard. So, the Captain is thinking about it. Meanwhile, Stella--herself-- thinks we should make a "dry run" along the route to Alaska, to see if things really could work out for everyone. After all, the Captain has the entire boat cluttered with engine parts at the moment, and I find it a bit difficult to work in all that banging and clanging a few feet away. Then there is my dear friend from Australia, who says she might be able to come along--something that could lead to a few adventures all by themselves.

Oh, good grief! Is it possible? Is it reasonable? And -- most important-- are there any divine footsteps to follow in such a wild idea? What exactly would we---how could we even--

Which is exactly what I'm talking about, dear readers, when I say--like Meg Jennings, in my novel GOLD TRAP--that turning dreams into reality is risky business. Yes, Indeed. So. I am going to present this new idea to the Captain, to see what he thinks about it. And in the meantime, if you would like to know more about Stella, you can find out about her over on my website, where she has actually talked me into giving her an entire page to herself.

Back later, to let you know what the Captain decides. And--don't worry, we're still going to vote, as he promised to take my "public opinion" into consideration. So, reason should still prevail.

Safety in numbers and all that.

All Aboard!

What a lot of traveling we have done, but we are finally returned to the GLORY B, and the Captain is busy putting the engine back together. A big project. And not one that's so easy to work around. But--as I mentioned earlier--there is a wonderful library here on Lopez Island that makes a lovely substitute office.  So, all is good.

Beyond good, really, because the island is having it's usual refreshing effects on us. Not to mention the prospects of getting the engine back together has me itching to continue our explorations of these magnificent San Juan Islands. We might even go so far as to make some practice runs up into Canada. The possibilities are endless, and I love being in that position.

Which leads me to the announcement that we will be opening the GLORY B up to visitors within the next couple of weeks, and I'm very excited about who we've got lined up. All of whom I will spotlight right here on the blog. 

Meanwhile, another Stella Madison Caper has been released, called A THIEF IN THE HOUSE. To celebrate that, I'll be giving a free ebook to anyone who comments here. Just make sure to leave your email address (use the (dot) format with spaces, please, so we can avoid any robots and spiders). Or, send an email to lilly @ LillyMaytree (dot) com and request one. I'm very excited about Stella. She has an incredible adventure ahead of her…

As do the Captain and I.

Goodbye Liberty...

Leaving Liberty Bay

Our 2013 Mystery Tour started quietly one morning, as we untied from the dock, pointed the GLORY B north,  and chugged out of Liberty Bay. It was a beautiful spot, and we were blessed in so many ways during our stay in that historical little waterfront town of Poulsbo. It's where we finally found the GLORY B, and decided to follow our dreams.

View from the deck of the GLORY B

No wind made for an uneventful first passage except for lovely things like the sun finally breaking through after days and days of rain, and a pod of young dolphins that popped up several times next to the boat for a quick look as they passed by. Too fast to get the camera out, so I'll have to be better prepared next time.

Getting ready to go under
Agate Pass Bridge

So far, all systems are working beautifully. We have our own hot shower, an oven to bake anything we want in, and my Internet connection works as flawlessly at anchor somewhere as it did tied up to the docks back in Poulsbo. It even works while traveling, but I've been enjoying the sights too much to get down to business, yet. Maybe tomorrow!

Tonight, we are anchored out in the bay at Port Townsend, where we will take the GLORY B, TOO (our dinghy) ashore for a few last minute items, before spending an enjoyable evening plotting our course to the next stop. Where will that be? Not quite sure, yet, because there are so many choices. But I know one thing.

We will definitely be looking for divine appointments! And while the Captain is busy plotting our course north, I will be plotting the next "Stella Madison Capers," which happen to be taking Stella and her friends up this very same route. Of course, I haven't forgotten Meg Jennings, from my novel GOLD TRAP, either. 

Did you know you can go anywhere
 in the world from here?

In fact, I've got my gold pan handy for the first pretty river I come across along the Gold Rush trail. Not to mention a lot of people with gold fever have been there before me, and, I'll be on the lookout for some of their stories and legends, too. So, I hope you'll stop by often to join us!