So the Burnetts are starting to get the hang of things. As Mel writes this, we are securely moored out, our watermaker is filling our starboard tank, and Greg just stopped the generator after it ran for 2.5 hours. We are managing without air conditioning during the day, but we are running a bit of air conditioning in the hulls at night. Our boom is swung out to allow for plenty of light to hit our solar panels during the day to charge up our batteries. We have found grocery stores and decent Wi-Fi. There is ice in the fridge and a pineapple on our counter. The doors are open; there are very few bugs! The kids are coding in Scratch since they finished their Bonaire reports, and our snorkel gear is drying after we explored the 20 feet of crystal clear, turquoise water under our boat. All is well! And best of all, nothing critical is broken!
(Well, one of our alternators isn’t charging the batteries when we run the engine, but let’s not ruin the moment…)
It turns out that the urge to wander may be genetically determined, and Mel and Greg seem to have those genes. But Mel, finding herself travelling every few years or so, has always wondered, “Why do I like this so much?” When she decided to go to Australia for an extra fellowship she didn’t really need, she honestly had no idea why she was doing it. She just knew it sounded like something awesome to do, so she did it, and it was. Like this trip.
So far, every place we have cruised to has had a different atmosphere. Bonaire may be Dutch-ish, too, but it is very different from Curacao. It is smaller and feels closer to the sea. Mel would be fascinated to learn what “different atmosphere” means in terms of neuroscience. Is there a general increase in cerebral electrical activity or blood flow because you need to make new mental maps, eat new food, meet new people, do new everything? Is it just harder to feel grumpy because you are “out of context,” away from the triggers that reminded you to think negative thoughts? Maybe “different atmosphere” is what nomads had sought for centuries, as a way to stimulate their brains? Oh wait, nomads moved in search of food, Mel, not brain stimulation. Hmmm, Mel will ponder this some more while she eats another mini-krakelingen. Hmmmm…
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