Locks & Pictures

     Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. We're getting so close to home! We're more than halfway through the canal system and expect to spend tonight anchored somewhere on Lake Champlain. Perhaps, if things go as planned, we might arrive back at home late tomorrow night or the next day.
     This morning my mom called down and urged me to come on deck. Expecting a calamity of some sort, I immediately rushed up to find her pointing at a pasture full of peacefully grazing Holsteins. Cows, how exciting! We're really on the home stretch now!
     The air is smells earthy and fresh, a smell distinct to the northeast as it comes alive in the spring. (This odor is supplemented by cow manure in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, creating our own extra-special brand of Eau de Springtime.) Everything around, from the mosquitoes to the vegetation, is reminding us of home.
     The locks have been fun. The novelty of riding a water elevator has yet to wear off on me and my dad constantly sends me scolding glances as I excitedly prod at everything around me with a boathook.
     What can I say, the inner six-year-old within me is entertained.
     When we get home, my parents will move into the house and reside in the guest bedroom, the only bedroom that isn't currently occupied in our house. I personally think that I should be allowed to live on White Seal in by the falls in downtown Vergennes, but my parents aren't quite buying this proposal. I'll probably end up downstairs on our renter/ friend's couch or something until she moves out next month.
     I have a busy schedule the second I step ashore back in Ferrisburgh. I have to start work ASAP, get in for meetings with my teachers, and somehow try to attend my cousin's high school graduation on Nantucket. Life is about to move in fast-forward compared to the laid back, unscheduled life I've lived for the past nine months. Living on land like a normal person is going to be odd.
     After weeks of sketchy Internet, I am pleased to announce that I now have a connection strong enough to allow me to upload pictures. Enjoy!

The 'rents in New York City. This was taken on the Highline, a
park made out of an old elevated railway.

Times Square!

Grocery shopping on Broadway

The Bear Mountain Bridge on the Hudson

     I'll definitely post again when I get home. Within the next few days I also hope to upload a blog post consisting of a summary of the trip, including both statistics and fun 'top ten' lists. After that though, I'm afraid that my life will return to a depressing state of un-blog-worthiness. Mary's Year of Sailing is coming to it's inevitable end, I am quite sad to report.