To Be or Yacht to Be?

A month of rest since my barrage of May posts! A nice break for us all.

Our family vacation to seven Mediterranean countries simply expanded our awareness of the magnificence of God’s creation! The scenes from the ship were incredible and were rivaled only by the views of the ocean from a mountainside or from a city wall.

Some of the great views were of what people had planned and executed, such as the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, or the harbor at Monte Carlo, or the rooftops in Dubrovnik, Croatia. But even then I had to marvel at the minds God has given humans that they can produce such wonders.

One of the most entertaining afternoons was spent at Poseidon Beach (“Poseidon” as in Greek god, not as in Adventure) in Paleokastritsa, Greece. Children and adults enjoyed the paddleboat with a slide. Yep, right into the ocean water! Multiple splashes into that frigid water required more bravery than I had. In fact, even one required more bravery than I had! But others were more courageous. And I loved just riding along and taking pictures.

While out on the paddleboat, I snapped a picture of a luxurious yacht nearby. It seemed far too large for such a limited cove, but there it was, helicopter and all.

Evidently we weren’t the only ones fascinated by it, for when we ate at a beachside restaurant, two different employees asked if we’d come from the yacht! Believe me, we did not look yacht-worthy, after two hours on sand and surf, but perhaps it was just the idea that we were Americans. After all, aren’t all Americans rich?

Subsequently, we viewed each yacht we saw in light of how it compared to “our” yacht. Was it as big as “our” yacht? Probably not. No room for a helipad. Did it have as many decks as “our” yacht? Perhaps. Fun to imagine. All fantasy.

Even though I love to travel, I love being home. I love the relationships with people I’ve known for forty years—or forty days. I can’t imagine the life of a jet-setter, nor would I want it. I love the warmth of being surrounded by family and friends, whether in person or by phone and email.

And being in other countries always reminds me of what a wonderful, bountiful, and amenable country we live in. I can praise him every day wherever I am, but I prefer my earthly abode to be in the good ol’ USA.