Sunday Summary #90

Holidays on the Loop

Hi ,

Welcome to Scho & Jo’s 90th Sunday Summary. This edition of the Sunday Summary was written on a Monday aboard PIVOT who is still located in Chattanooga, TN.

Last Week.

The past two weeks have been exactly what we didn’t know we needed: community, rest, and time. We got exactly that in Chattanooga.

When we arrived in Chattanooga, we expected to be here for 3 days before turning around and heading back down the river. Once we got here, we settled in a bit and quickly grew to love Chattanooga. We quickly filled our days with work on our computers, and nights seeing friends both new and old including some internet friends turned real-life friends,

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We also had the opportunity to meet up with one of our Patreons which was so fun to learn about how he learned of the Great Loop.

A major highlight was having Jen’s aunt, uncle, and cousins drive up from Atlanta to spend a night with us on the boat. We had an awesome time exploring Chattanooga with some incredible views from above on the Lookout Mountain Inclined Railway, learning more US Civil War history at Point Park, and eating delicious pizza at the Community Pie. We ended our night with a looper tradition of “little beers” aboard PIVOT. The following day we enjoyed a chilly cruise down the Tennessee River through the Grand Canyon of the east. We had an awesome time with them and are so glad we had the opportunity share a piece of our daily life aboard PIVOT with them.

One of the amazing things about being part of the AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association) is having access to their resources, specifically the Harbor Hosts. If you’re unfamiliar with Harbor Hosts, they are AGLCA members who volunteer their time to help loopers cruising through their area. Chattanooga has two very special Harbor Hosts, Maggie and Bruce, who you may remember from our

Oriental

or

Norfolk

video. They’re two of our looper friends here in Chattanooga and are incredibly kind and generous helping us fill our propane tanks, get groceries, and let us do our laundry in their home. They invited us to join them as well as the other loopers in Chattanooga over to their home for dinner.

The loop is a beautiful and strange all at the same time. “Looper brain” or “Looper time” are phrases thrown around to describe concept of time when traveling on the loop. Time passes in a way that is unlike a traditional life at home. Each day is different, special, and the sense of routine is much different. Holidays come and go on the loop, but most of which are spent celebrating while looping or on the boat. We’re grateful for Maggie and Bruce to have welcomed us into their home and to their dinner table to share a holiday with their family. Maggie and Bruce are two very special people because they make us feel like family, intrigue us with questions, and leave our cups overflowing with joy. It was so special and a Thanksgiving we’ll never forget.

Our last few days in Chattanooga were spent with Jen’s family who drove 8 hours up from northeast Florida to spend time with us. We’ve loved having them aboard PIVOT and sharing some of our day-to-day life with them. During our time in Chattanooga, we watched the holiday boat parade and fireworks as well as visited the Aquarium and Rock City. We’ve shared so many great memories that we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives. We’ll be spending the next few days cruising with them downriver.

This Week.

After two weeks in Chattanooga, we’ll be heading back down the river, retracing our miles on the Tennessee River. The first few days will be spent with some extra crew members on board PIVOT, so you can expect some delayed videos this week. We’re really looking forward to sharing some of our daily experiences with our family. It’s one thing to watch our videos but it’s a whole new level to experience it firsthand.

"I don't think quantity time is as special as quality time with your family."-Reba McEntire

 Videos. 

In case you missed it, here are all the vlogs we’ve released since our last Sunday Summary:

Anchoring in the THOUSAND ISLANDS and the COAST GUARD was called on us...

A Day in the Thousand Islands (Cruising to Clayton NY)

We're PREPPING for CANADA - Time for Boat Work (Clayton, NY)

 Updates. 

After giving a presentation on Anchoring and Loving It at the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) Fall Rendezvous this October, we’ve been invited back to attend the AGLCA Looper-palooza in Fort Meyers, Florida this January! We’re excited to be sharing our Anchoring presentation again. If you’re planning on attending the event (registration has not yet opened), make sure to find us and say hello. We’d love to meet you!

 Great Loop Recommendations. 

We are looking for recommendations for destinations and spots along our Great Loop to go see, visit, and enjoy. It's been a real challenge for us to keep track and stay organized with the many wonderful recommendations we've received thus far. So we've created a Google Form to help us stay organized. Thank you to everyone sending us recommendations so far! We really appreciate it.

 From the Eyes of Ollie. 

This week we had a lot of visitors. I ate so many treats, had some great belly rubs from my Aunt Patti and Grandma Carol. When we didn’t have visitors, my parents took me on runs with them. I got back to our home and napped for hours afterwards. This new place has a lot of great sniffs and I’ve met a lot of dog friends!

 Gratitudes. 

We’ve been traveling full-time for the past 3 years and one of the biggest challenges is being away from family. It brings us immense joy to have our family visit us because we’re able to combine our love for travel, seeing new places, and experiencing new things with our family. These moments we get to share with them will last forever and that, to us, is priceless.

Peace and love,Jenn + Elliot