And So It Begins

     So there I was driving up to the dock at the boatyard where my boat/home was floating offshore at its mooring in the Connecticut River.  I had just retired an hour earlier from my job of 22 years with a hearty farewell from all my coworkers and friends.  There at the end of the dock was John Chapin one of my closest friends and he looked tired.  Almost one month earlier he started paddling his single man canoe with another close friend, Rich, from the headwaters of the Connecticut River in Canada on a quest to reach the mouth of the river in Long Island Sound.  Camping on the banks of the river each night and paddling all day for that long would wear anybody out.  He had two days of paddling left to reach his goal and my boat was a tempting stopover for the night.  How serendipitous that he came to this point on the very day I retired.  I had stopped on the way to the boatyard and picked up the first of the Sam Adams Octoberfest to hit the stores for the season to celebrate.  I think I may have seen a tear form in John's eye when I pulled it from the car.  Many toasts and a pizza later we sat in the cockpit feeling blessed for the ability to adventure the way we do and for the amazing wives that love us through it all.  John went on to finish what he started and I slipped the mooring a few days later to see what stories I might find out there.  I'll do my best to fill you in on the adventure.