Where do old sailors go?
By Mike Jastrzebski
Last week I mentioned that Mary and I were going up to Minnesota to visit our granddaughters and that along the way we were going to stop and visit some friends and the marina where Dog River Blues (A Wes Darling Mystery) was written. Both friends are ex-sailors and both have settled into different lifestyles.
Our first stop was in Columbia, Alabama where we visited with former sailor and writer Gerald Dowling. Gerald sold his boat a couple of years ago, bought an Airstream and a lot on the Chatahoochee River, and settled down to write and enjoy life. He built a treehouse outside his trailer, added a walkway, and began his new life. Here are a couple of pictures of his homestead:
Outside and inside the treehouse
The lot, the trailer, Gerald and me
The next stop was the Grand Mariner Marina, the real backdrop for Dog River Blues. Here's a picture of Barbara, one of the owners, and several of the regulars who have been gathering every evening since before we lived there eight years ago.
Finally we headed up to Iuka, Mississippi where our friend Barbara bought a house in a resort community near Pickwick dam. Here's Barbara on her front porch.
All of this makes us wonder where we'll end up after we get off the boat. Hopefully that will be a few years yet, but every once in awhile those thoughts creep in. If you're an ex-boater who has settled back on land, how about letting us know about your living situation.
Share on Facebook
