Too busy to miss the boat?

Somebody asked me a couple of days ago during cocktail hour what I miss most about sailing. Didn't really want to think about it at that time, and let all the memories go through my mind, so I answered  "being anchored".  Of course that's not all of it:

Getting to an anchorage, preferably on a beam reach, with steady winds 10-12 knots. Then celebrate with a cold beer on the rocks, and possibly host  a cocktail hour. The swimming around the boat, one lap at a time. When the wind changes direction, and your boat would be exposed to winds and waves, weigh anchor and find another sheltered spot. Doing this for 2 weeks at a time, without seeing a marina. The freedom to just leave at will, and seek solitude or the company of other boats.

Here some pictures of some of this

What I don't miss is beating into the waves and wind, or being surprised hy the sudden 25-30 knots gusts while sailing because "winds and waves may vary due to shoreline effects", or being anchored and a sudden squall will come through with a thunderstorm to boot. It seems to us that we have more of those events these years, and if forecasters are right, it will only get worse.

And now for what we look forward to once the garage project is finished:

Having a heated garage/workshop. The cars will be grateful, and so will Tim, the mechanic, be. I will be happy as well to see all the tools gone from the house into the garage.

To open a door in the garage and then be able to walk two steps up to a landing with a choice of taking the stairs going up to the loft, or go into the foyer, and then into the kitchen.  

A bedroom big enough to walk by each other, have our dressers up there, not spread out through the house, a closet that will be big enough for our hanging clothes, and a second bathroom. One bathroom for the two of us works, but when we have guests, not so much.

It will also be nice to convert our current bedroom into an office. All the laptops will be in there, the printer, a small filing cabinet, etc. 

Instead of a mudroom we will have a foyer with enough room to hang your coat(s), take your shoes off, and a chair or two to put your shoes on while sitting down, instead of this strange balancing act while hanging onto to doorpost or just the wall.

So, do we miss the boat? Yes, and no. We have a lot to look forward to, and good memories to look back on, and we do have a beautiful property with some amazing trails for walking, biking, or snowshoeing, and a public dock with a view out over the North Channel just two kilometres down the road.