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  • September 2026 – 6 Months To Go

    August was the best of times and also the worst of times. Sometimes life can seem like it can’t get any better one minute, and then it kicks you in the gut and breaks your heart the next. That was August for me. It’s hard at this moment to be excited about our trip. And yet, my soul yearns for the quiet moments of our upcoming Great Loop trip like it is calling me with wide open arms. I can’t say enough about the best of times at the beginning of the August, when I visited the home of my daughter and her wife with a friend. For nearly two weeks, I was reminded of how good this earth is and how good many of my fellow earthlings truly are. It did much to restore my faith in people and hope for the future. I could probably write 17 chapters on the daily joys of that trip.

    But then I have no words to adequately express my sorrow at the passing of my beloved brother. 

    So, I’ll start with the ten-day visit with my dear friend, Beth, to see my oldest daughter, Jackie, and her wife, Maureen, to celebrate their birthdays and their new home in Washington state. It really was the best of times. During the visit, I also received news that Larry’s oldest son, Jake, bought his first home in Maine! This is a happy moment for our kids, and their joy is our joy! Larry and I hope to plan a visit to Maine soon. Beth and I packed our gloves to help with gardening.  My daughter used ChatGPT to design her beautiful garden and we executed her plan, manifesting my mother’s spirit.  My kids and I all got the gardening bug from my mom and she, from her grandmother, Hattie Belle. My daughter was so excited and kept exclaiming, “I can’t believe this is my yard!” My heart was bursting with jubilation at it. It is the perfect house in a lovely quiet neighborhood with a fenced-in yard for my grand dogs. We greatly benefitted from Mo’s cooking skills, and she tried again to teach me to make those wonderful spring rolls with the Thai peanut sauce. We took a break to visit downtown Seattle, Pike Market, Bloedel Reserve and Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. Everything came out amazing and we topped off the trip with an epic dinner at Din Tai Fung to celebrate their birthdays.

    And then, my big brother passed away on August 13th. His heart stopped while he slept. Despite the pleas of his family, and for reasons that only my brother could understand, he did not want to go to the hospital until his Medicare started on September 1st. He died 19 days before that. I want to scream. In fact, I did scream. For three days straight. I think I may scream some every day for all the days of the rest of my life. It feels unnecessary to have lost my big brother so soon. I had discussed the options for Medicare supplemental coverages before he went to bed, and we agreed to make the decision in the coming days. There is a hole in my heart. For my niece, my goddaughter, and her husband and children. I am so sad. My Dad, my sisters and I are struggling to accept that he is no longer here. The only thing giving us any consolation at all is that my beautiful niece, amidst the worst pain in her life, is planning the most wonderful celebration to say goodbye to my dear beloved brother on his 65th birthday, September 11th.

    • Randy and Bear
    • Randy in the Navy
    • Lisa and Randy as kids
    • Siblings
    • Randy and Lisa
    • Cheerful flowers from afar

    Life is busy. Missing people has been agonizing this month. It reminds me how intentional we must be to make time to truly BE together. Dolly Parton passed this week too and though that I feel such sadness over the loss of a remarkable force for good, hearing her angelic voice this week has been a salve to me.

    In the midst of this, Larry is also facing a preventative surgery, which is yet to be scheduled, but should be in the next month. In the joy column, our grandson started kindergarten and our granddaughter, second grade.

    With respect to Loop preparations, Larry rented scuba equipment to clean the shaft and the propeller. The new davit system is almost done. We are moving marinas to the Safe Harbor South Harbour Village marina, which we had been on a waiting list for. Serendipity has occurred once again as we received notice that a slip is available, just one week before we received notice that our marina (Deep Point) is being taken over by Waterway and there will be many changes and many unknowns. There are expansion plans where we live in Southport, so things will surely be changing. We will miss the ability to walk to our boat, but I believe deeply, that the LiveMore is now meant to be at South Harbor.  We were able to squeeze in a boating day on one of the four days in August that Larry and I spent together. I have started making sure we have what we need for kitchen supplies. I was able to review the dishes, glasses, pots, pans and utensils, and remove things that we would not use and supplement with some personal items of ours. We continued looking for a new mattress. I used ChatGPT to narrow down our options and will let you know what we end up with next month.

    • Dinghy davit progress
    • Davit in progress
    • Indigo Marina

    Larry and I both lost our brothers this year. We did not know that, when about a year ago, we dared each other into agreement to take this trip. Sometimes, I wonder if we should even be considering the loop when we never know how long we have on this majestic earth with our loved ones and we may not see many of them for a year. But it seems that adventure is calling us to go, to heal, and to nourish our soul. We must feed our spirit just as we feed our bodies. America’s Great Loop will give us that nourishment, and I am ever so grateful to have this to look forward to.

    Until next time,

  • August 2026 – 7 Months To Go

    Being seven months away from moving onto a trawler with 300 square feet of living space, we are feeling the weight of our belongings. We plan to downsize before leaving, so we began early in July with the kitchen. In going through the cupboards, we found many items that were easy to part with like special use kitchen tools or glasses that we had never used. Those were easy.

    The trouble, however, was with the things that had been passed along by family, even if they had never been used. For example, I had multiple creamer and sugar bowl sets. Today when we gather, it has become “BYOC” – bring your own creamer. Everyone prefers a different kind of creamer, with and without sugar, non-dairy or almond milk, etc. Instead of one pitcher for the milk that was in the fridge for cereal or drinking, now we have multiple bottles in the fridge when we all get together. It feels like a metaphor of the excess in our world today. I found it in clothing too. When we used to have one pair of boots or sneakers, now we have gardening boots, snow boots, hiking boots and fashion boots. There are walking sneakers, pickleball sneakers, and fashion sneakers. Making it more difficult, my mom sold shoes and had really good taste in shoes. I still have some. For example, I won’t get rid of her pink leather adidas. I remember the day she tried on nine pairs of sneakers in her wheelchair before choosing them. We then went out for lunch for our last time and she ordered a margarita. She only had a few sips. She made the best margaritas. She got the recipe from the Albion, NY DMV. It was the best recipe. She just had to add tequila. I’ve digressed. After checking with the kids, no one wanted the creamer and sugar bowl sets, so they went to the box for the yard sale. Though Larry and I feel a responsibility as stewards of family possessions, we also feel a responsibility to our kids to make way for the future by letting go of the past and not leaving them with the burden of excess. 

    I did not know if it would be worth it to have a yard sale, but family and friends brought some items, and we hung out for the day telling stories, laughing and visiting. My granddaughter was the cashier and sold lemonade. Neighbors I had not met before visited and some found a treasure or two. Things I did not imagine anyone would want, went. The sugar and creamer sets were never touched, so they went at the end of the day to the donation center with anything else left. It was the best kind of day visiting, reminiscent of lawn chairs under an oak tree at my grandparents. It was a satisfying feeling at the end of the day. This was the first pass of the “cleaning out”, which will continue until the end of the year. 

    Mid-month, we spent some time in Southport gaining practice docking with the effects of high winds and currents. We are getting more comfortable with our docking procedures in various environments and conditions. We continued our discussion of establishing weather window limits, as I discovered that I am not as comfortable as Larry with the boat and when I don’t feel safe, I am not able to enjoy myself.

    To end the month, we had quite an adventure. After a fabulous time attending a family wedding in the Finger Lakes at Cayuga State Campground, visiting the Corning Glass Museum and hiking Watkins Glen, it was off to Macedon, NY to Erie Canal Adventures (“ECA”). We rented The Onondaga, a 34’ canal boat, for three nights to try our hand at the canal locks. I’ve had a romantic notion of these canal boats most of my life. This trip largely supported that opinion, but only if you have the time to be romantic.

    • Family wedding in the Finger Lakes
    • Family Wedding
    • Cayuga State Campground
    • Cayuga State Campground
    • Cayuga State Campground
    • Watkins Glen
    • Watkins Glen
    • Watkins Glen
    • Corning Glass Museum
    • Corning Glass Museum
    • Corning Glass Museum
    • Corning Glass Museum
    • Corning Glass Museum

    A canal boat is even slower than our trawler. We are getting better with practice at being carefree. We stopped in Pittsford our first day and indulged in an afternoon nap. We had made some chicken salad on the boat for our dinner and I reunited with some friends and former coworkers at Pittsford Dairy for “the best ice cream on the Erie Canal.” The place was hopping with young and old and everyone in between. It’s funny that even after more than 20 years, we are still the people we were back when we worked together at Bausch & Lomb. The years between quickly disappeared as we caught up. Of course, there is not enough time to catch up on everything, but we parted with hugs and a picture and promised to keep in touch.

    • Erie Canal Adventures Canal Boat
    • Operating the canal boat
    • Meeting up with friends

    Our first night’s sleep was a bit rough. It was warm, there were lots of lights from the dock that we tried to block with towels, and then there was a thunder and lightning storm. This experience confirmed our decision to have a new davit system built because we will prefer having the option of anchoring out frequently on the loop. We took our time in the morning, heading to Neutral Ground for a great cup of joe in Pittsford before heading West toward Spencerport. We experienced hailing the bridge and lock operators and securing our vessel through the locks.

    The whiff of black walnut trees took me back to my explorations of the woods along the Erie canal at my grandparents’ house just outside Medina, NY. Every wildflower blowing in the breeze seemed to be waving to welcome us. I took photos of the Queen Anne’s Lace, Buttercups, Bluebells, and Morning Glories. As a child, we often fed the ducks and geese. I had forgotten how abundant the red-winged black birds were, too. Spotting a blue heron is always a treat, especially when they take flight. We had not anticipated also being enchanted by so many green herons and kingfishers!

    Arriving in Spencerport, we were greeted by family that lived locally and my nephew visiting from Arizona. After a delicious lunch at McColley’s, the weather was perfect for an afternoon cruise up to Brockport, then back to Spencerport. To top it all off, we enjoyed a decadent breeze while having ice cream at Vic’s before bidding farewell to our guests.

    Our third morning was rainy, and the bed was comfortable. We made our coffee and decided to linger in the boat, visiting and talking about our Great Loop route. After our showers, we visited the Spencerport Depot & Canal Museum and learned of the efforts to preserve the history of the Canal and the town. We talked about the trolley that used to run from Buffalo to Rochester, and I shared that my grandfather used to take that trolley to the Rochester School of the Deaf in the 1930’s. The temperature was only in the 60’s and I was thrilled to finally don my sweatshirt!

    We shoved off shortly after 11, only to have our engine overheat within 10 miles. We called the ECA and they dispatched a mechanic. He was able to diagnose the issue but needed a part to fix a blown coolant hose. It took enough time that Larry was able to catch a catfish on his brother Burl’s blue magic lure in the misty rain. This legendary lure has caught 16 different species of fish, but this was the first in the Erie Canal. We also heard word this day that another of Larry’s fishing buddies lost his battle with cancer and the weather seemed appropriate. We weighed the option of trying to make it through two locks and a lift bridge to dock in Fairport for the night, but we were not confident we had enough of a time buffer before the locks closed and did not want to be caught in between without power. Instead, we turned around and headed back to Spencerport. ECA suggested that we return the boat on Friday instead of Thursday. I regret that I would not be able to meet up with my BFF for dinner as planned. This is a perfect example of what we will face on the loop. We were able to measure the distance and calculate the time needed. Though on paper we could make it, we knew that to do so, everything would have to go just right. As storms have been passing through the area, we decided not to test our luck and enjoy another night in the lovely town of Spencerport.

    The extra night gave us time to catch up on some work, review our pictures from the last month, and talk more about our route. It’s amazing that we are now only seven months away from starting our Great Loop adventure. We are being more realistic about what we need to plan for to make it not only bearable, but enjoyable. For me, I will need a couple breaks to visit family and friends. Larry will be able to have friends on the boat with him when I visit home. One of my friends will return to the boat with me to join us for a leg of our journey.

    We worked with our local marine fabricator at Marine Service Pro in Southport to agree on a plan for our new davit system. We have a mechanic coming to service the A/C, install a new radio and antenna for the downstairs helm. We have added a mattress to the list and decided to repair the doors instead of replacing them. We still need the new AIS chip. We are looking forward to doing more day trips with the boat in August.

    Until next time,

  • July 2026 – 8 Months To Go

    June was a busy month for work and family, and a little for our Great Loop planning. At the beginning of the month, we had an epic family adventure at Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, followed by a week with family outside Rochester, New York. After celebrating the Carolina Hurricane’s Stanley Cup win and a week recovering from Covid, we hosted our grandchildren for a weekend and spent some more time on the boat with them sighting dolphins and watching sunsets. Given the heat, they were mostly interested in the pool, so we obliged and spent most of the weekend in the pool. We ended the month and kicked off July celebrating America’s 250th anniversary in Southport, where the nation’s Independence has been celebrated since 1795.

    Larry’s work in civil engineering is quite busy now as many of his projects have progressed from the design phase to construction and require a lot of oversight of scope, schedule and budget. This gave me some quality time with my kids, grandkids and father, which I wanted to do before being away for a year. When my kids were young, it was nearly impossible to find the time or money for vacations, so we did not really take any. I have regretted that for many years, but this trip was so special that I will no longer dwell on that. There were ten of us ranging from age 4 to 81.  Thankfully, my son-in-law agreed to drive the enormous van. We started in Grand Teton at Jenny Lake in the fog and drizzle. My dad, with his new knee and recent cortisone shots in both hips hit over 17,000 steps per day for three days in a row! We usually celebrate if he breaks 1,000 on a given day. He had not been past the Mississippi before and took it all in. The weather quickly cleared as we explored Jackson Hole, WY and more of Grand Teton before heading to Yellowstone. Words are insufficient to describe the experience. The first week of June was perfect timing this year as we had beautiful weather. The bears were just out of hibernation, so very active and very hungry.

    We were lucky to have seen: a baby moose with her Momma, a bull moose with his mate, elk, black bears and grizzly bears (the first I had ever seen in the wild), and hundreds, if not thousands, of beautiful bison that I did not expect to be so enamored with. My grandson loved the small creatures best, the ground squirrels, pika and his absolute favorite, a yellow-bellied Marmot! My granddaughter loved the baby moose the most. We visited the cabin where the first discussions to create a national park were held. We saw the grand prismatic pools, the geysers, and of course, Old Faithful. There is nowhere like it. No planes overhead, just nature. We witnessed a grizzly stalking a baby bison, but the adult bison made it crystal clear to the grizzly that they would protect this baby. The grizzly eventually backed down. Topping it all off was being together to watch the Carolina Hurricanes win game 2 and head back to Raleigh for game 3.

    From there, I traveled with my granddaughter to my hometown because my son needed a medical procedure and I wanted to be there. While there, I was able to watch games 4 & 5 with my son and his girlfriend. I spent the cooler mornings working outside among my sister and her husband’s amazing flowers and lush green hostas. We visited my other sister’s family and their miniature cow. I visited my brother at his restaurant on the Erie canal where my granddaughter and I watched a looper go through the lock! To top that all off, I was able to attend a school reunion at the Port of Rochester Marina on the Genesee River where it meets Lake Ontario with my bestie and a local band from our youth, Reporter. I made it home in time to attend the viewing party at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh with Larry and my daughter and son-in-law to see the ‘Canes win the Stanley Cup. We love our coach and team. The whole place roared when Bussi would stop another attempt by Vegas. I had an amazing time. Somewhere along the way, I must have been exposed to Covid, as it hit me four days later. I am glad that I did not have a chance to infect Dad after getting home because I was busy catching up on work. Like me, he gets his vaccination with his flu vaccination every year, and he has never had Covid and does not want it!  Sadly, Covid took Larry’s father in 2020, before vaccines so we are wary of it.

    As for Great Loop preparations, we finished loading all the weather and navigation apps we will need. I also took advantage of summer Amazon deals and purchased a screen extender, portable monitor that clips on my laptop as a second screen so I am all set for workstations. After getting a quote for SeaDek and reviewing our budget, we removed this from our list. Because we want the flexibility to anchor out and use our dinghy, we agreed that an upgrade to the Davit system is a necessity for us. As we spend more time in the marina and see other vessels, we get new ideas. As we spend more time navigating our vessel, it becomes clearer what are “nice-to-haves” versus what is necessary for us. We found a cover for the dinghy in the crew room, so we were able to remove one item from our “to purchase list”. But, in true boat fashion, before we had a chance to high-five, we found more items to add to the list.

    Besides the Davit system, other considerations are:

    • Add a second wired radio at downstairs helm. Handhelds are ok, but not great.
    • Back cockpit door: slider is very difficult. Repair or replace?
    • Air Conditioning: due to saltwater, algae builds up quickly in the filter. Do we clean it out well and then take the water from the well instead of the sea, so it won’t build up algae or invest in an “electrochlorination system”?
    • AIS chip: it stopped working this weekend. It was hot, but even after cooling down overnight with the system turned off, it would not work, so we need a new AIS chip.

    We appreciated the long holiday weekend to practice docking and using the apps. Larry and I participated in the flotilla, proudly flying our Carolina Hurricanes flag .There were many fishing and leisure boats, ferries, and big commercial ships in the mouth of the Cape Fear River. We even took the LiveMore out to the ocean for a little slow cruising (and so Larry could drop a hook). The experience helped bolster our confidence. I don’t remember the last time I spent an afternoon reading, but I was able to do so on the LiveMore for hours. I typically listen to audio books while driving or doing household chores or gardening.

    Back on land, we walked the dog, we rode our bikes to the parade and fireworks then played pool at our friends’ house. It was rare and felt precious to have three days just for each other. Having: a) caught up on work; b) spent quality time with my family and friends in the weeks prior; and c) decided to remain an optimist about our democracy and constitution, I was able to leave my phone alone and let it go. This past month taught me what it feels like, maybe the first time ever, to be “carefree.” We are excited about the prospect of more carefree times on America’s Great Loop!

    Until next time,

  • June 2026 – 9 Months To Go

    May brought more adventures, experience and learning. We took the LiveMore out in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) for sunset to give us more confidence with docking. I don’t think the birds and dolphins will ever stop mesmerizing me. We practiced with the anchor in the marina until I was comfortable getting the chain to drop the anchor without fear of losing a finger. Our second class with the Southport Power Squadron, Tides and Currents, sure came in handy on our first overnight trip to Topsail, NC, about 40 nautical miles and five hours. It was a new moon, so we saw first-hand the lower low tides and higher high tides. We felt the pull of the currents when the tide was going out to the ocean. We ordered a moon phase calendar. Larry taught me about “reading the water”, which coincidentally was the name of an article in the NC Wildlife magazine this month.

    Topsail dinghy sunset
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  • May 2026 – 10 Months To Go

    This spring has been busy! Our boat is in our home port of Southport, North Carolina where she’s been hauled out, received a fresh coat of bottom paint, been buffed, waxed and added some lights to the swimming platform. We had many maintenance tasks performed as well such as a new horn, new hoses, and a new hatch for hose access in the starboard cockpit.

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  • The Countdown Begins!

    We are Larry and Lisa Mitchell, and we will embark on America’s Great Loop from Southport, NC in March of 2027 aboard the LiveMore (formerly Ripple). We expect to finish the loop, or “cross our wake” about a year after that. We share many reasons for taking this voyage: strengthening our faith and our marriage, taking stock and setting intentions for our next phase of life, having awesome adventures, seeing new places and meeting new friends! At the same time, we each have our own aspirations for the journey. For Larry, this is a challenge between man and machine that he wants to conquer. For myself, I want to simplify and recalibrate my life. With life’s finite nature, there are things that persistently tug at my soul, and I am compelled to examine how to respond more fully.

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  • Welcome to Our Adventure!

    It is said that “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” So, one day, in search of adventure, a civil engineer and a risk manager dared each other to take the journey of their lifetime – America’s Great Loop, one that would either forge an enviable intimacy in their marriage, or be the end of it. Ha! Ha!

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