It’s 4:30am and as usual my brain tugs at my sleep, my thoughts a thorn in the night.
I’m getting married in a few months.
For the first time I’m in a relationship that works. We both have the same dreams & life philosophy. We are both travelers, independent thinkers, students & teachers.
We know how to take care of each other and make each other laugh. Most importantly we are comfortable in the silence of each other’s company, and Love (understanding) flows through our time.
I cant believe I’m getting married at 48! My smile is long this morning. When I left the matrix (2003) I never knew how far my journey would bring me. It’s much farther than miles ever could.
We fly to Buenos Aires (Argentina) at the end of October.
We have a few days of blood tests and family before we take off to Patagonia. The trip to Bariloche (Patagonia) is about a 20-hour drive from Buenos Aires. If you’re a skier and want to ski in July, Bariloche is the posh place to be.
We will spend a few weeks bombing around Patagonia visiting Carla’s friends & family and return to Buenos Aires on the 19th of November or so, we get married on 
the 22nd.
The big day is pretty simple. We sign papers in an office with friends & family then go to a Tango club that Carla’s dad has reserved for the occasion.
Carla’s mom rented a house in the country for the following week so the family can all kick back and enjoy some time together.
I know Carla’s parents & brother and I love the family as much as I do Carla, truly genuine people, I’m really so lucky!
Speaking of family. Carla’s dad arrives for a visit at the end of the week and a few weeks later her brother (from Miami) , his wife, and three-month old daughter will arrive for a visit as well. Her Mom is even coming from Argentina.
I’m really excited about seeing Argentina. Everything that I have read leads me to believe I’m going to really love the country, especially Patagonia! As you know 
I’m all about nature and wide open spaces.
Argentina produces great chocolate & wine, not to mention it has the best beef in the world. What more could I ask for? A great woman and nice Yacht you say…, check!
My life is an adventure and I now have a partner, I’ll drink to that!
I’ve started work on building a new refrigerator box.
I had to demo the old one and I pulled out 6 or so large trash bags of wet foam.
Carla’s brother is bringing our new refrigeration unit in a month or so and I’d love to have the box finished.
The box is not a cheap thing to build given foam and epoxy expense. That being said once this project is done it will really change our life. A 27GPH water maker and refrigeration, wow, that’s fancy 
When we come back from Argentina we will have to figure out how to make some money for a haul-out, and to put the finishing touches on Splendid. We are both ready to leave the Caribbean for cooler destinations. We are thinking about Europe the following year, or sailing for Hawaii, Alaska, and spending some time in British Columbia. 
Does anyone have experience with Webasto diesel heaters? I’ll have to figure out how to keep Splendid warm and livable in colder climates.
Freedom is something we must demand in our lives. It is the light that guides us on our path through life which brings us to what we all need, Love (Amor).
Life is more than grand, it’s priceless. It’s hard to understand how there is so much hate, war, and violence in the world when life is such a precious gift.
Peace, LOVE, and Coconuts.
-alex
Alex,
I have followed your journey, I’ve dreamed with you, I’ve supported you, I’ve bought your DVD’s, and Now I wish you true happiness. No matter where I’ve been, and if I need to excape from this world, I simply log into Project BlueSphere… You have up lifted me, why my life was broken, You’ve allow me come ago with you with a clip of a mouse. So I wish to give back. And if anyone else feels the same way, I hope you will support me in giving back to Alex, and soon to be his wonderful wife Carla, a gift.
Alex, what would help you the most? and how can we help you and Carla? Please let us know and how and where do we send our gifts to you both?
I can’t Thank You for all the past years and the years to come, wish visuallizing my dreams thru your logs and post. Thank you, Rodney
I too have been following you from almost the beginning. The more time goes on, the more and more I realize just how right you are about a lot of things. I’m having a lot harder time de-programming myself from the matrix and, let’s face it, I’ve bought into the lie a bit more than I’d care to admit. But these days it’s almost like I’m living an alternate version of reality, the ‘Evil Empire U.S.A.’ where corporatists run the government and truth tellers escape to Russia in order to be free. Wages are dropping, foods are genetically altered and can cause cancer, and your 401k is now a 41k.
So I sit here, reading your wonderful life and think to myself, ‘Good job Alex.” And really. Good job man. Smart move. Family and friends is what life is about – not your pension or how many days of sick leave you have saved up. Not how many gold stars tucked away in your personnel file, nor the speed of your 2013 sleek black import sports car. Certainly not the watch you’re wearing.
Blue skies and love. Enjoy it man. We all wish we could be there with you.
Rodney,
Thanks for the words :) what really jazzes me is knowing people read my blogs and that it touches them in a positive way. We really have what we need, and with any good conscience couldn’t ask for anything for our wedding.
Project BlueSphere doesnt really bring in money anymore. I only get one 50$ monthly donation and sell a few film downloads, in total under $100 a month. What it does provide is my sense of worth. I feel like im contributing to society in a positive way. That being said donations are always welcome and go a long way in keeping the website & dream alive. “Ask not how much you can get, but how little you need” has been my philosophy for many years now, and has guided me to where I am. Its really not about the money.
Carla just sugested something fun and it doesnt cost anything.
All you guys know so much about us and we know nothing about you. It would be really fun for us if some people made simple videos introducing themselves and their family and house/boat/pets, whatever, and we could watch & share it with our friends on the big day? It would help me explain what I do to Carla’s people. There isn’t really a good description for what I do?
I could set up a youtube channel and share the login info and people could upload some videos.
It would be great to put some faces with the names of our BlueSphere friends.
Yoda mouse.
As far as 401k’s and investing in the “system” you know where I stand on that one. I hope to pass this life with a hole in my pocket and a lifetime of living & Love.
I just couldnt survive in the system anymore, nor would I want to. Its hard enough for me to see the news 3 times a year.
When are you pulling the plug?
Alex,
I wish I could give a certain date as to when I’m casting off, but it’s nigh impossible. My parents, who’ve lost their home during the 2008 recession, are living with me at the moment. On top of that, I’ve been fighting chronic unemployment in a county which has Florida’s highest jobless rate – Marion County. That and the fact that I’m flat broke makes any plans for the future nothing but an exercise in futility.
Having said that, I do have a house that’s paid off, a 4×4 car that works – mostly – and a little 20 foot flush-deck trailer sailor that I plan to learn to sail on in the keys. I have maybe 30 days of work on it before it’s ready for the water. (I just finished a MASSIVE job, removing the old plywood decking and replacing it with 3 layers of 17 oz. biaxial fiberglass. All this while working ‘upside down’ with huge strips of glass. I never ever want to think about it again, but I think I’m now the premier expert at gravity defying fiberglass layup. And at least the thing is a tank now.)
Anyway, I helped the folks put a down payment on a home in Hungary and they will be moving out around March of next year. After they’re gone, and once I get at least 2 months of sailing experience under my belt, the time will come to sell my house and cast off the lines. The specifics and order of operations are a little fuzzy at this point. My life is somewhat chaotic and every time I make a plan, something happens and things change. But right now I’m more focused on making this happen than I have ever been in the past. Especially since now I’m literally weeks away from getting on the water and being able to really get a taste for what sailing and cruising is about.
And I give about 95% of the credit to you. PBS is the reason I’m doing what I’m doing today. Without it, I doubt I’d be doing much more than dreaming right now…
YodaMouse
Sounds like a good plan, taking care of parents is a priority for sure:)
I know about upside-down fiberglass. I’m building a refrigerator/freezer box now and often lay on the counter with the upper half of my body working in the hole, arrrgggg!
Carla’s dad arrives today for a week. Last time I saw him I asked him for his daughters hand. It’s a funny thing to do when your 48 years old, but he appreciated it.
Peace everyone, its a beautiful day!
Hey Alex,
I always enjoy your posts because they ring true in my ears. Regarding the Webasto or any one of the forced fan diesel heaters. I dislike them because of reliablity and acces to parts. In my experience they work great when new, then become a huge maintence issue a season later. To make a long story short we now have a Fab-all diesel furnace with a balance tube and a computer fan to force feed the air supply. We used this setup going to Alaska and didnt have any poblems with fuel because its just a flame in a oldschool combusion chamber that can be adjusted. It uses a carb to set the heat and we use the computer fan to fine tune the flame. Keep dreaming and doing!
Darren and Cindy Matwichuk
Darren,
Thanks for the input. Ive have a Fab-all in Splendid’s main cabin and i cant count how many times I promised to take it to an island and shoot it.
Do you have a photo of how you have the computer fan rigged?
This one has a tank I need to pump up with pressure. the one I had on Namaste had a fuel pump and seemed to work much better.
I’ve also been thinking of a solid fuel ships stove like this, would be super cheap to run, smell good, and I’m sure a 1/2 cord of wood would go a long way?
http://www.shipmatestove.com/Results.cfm?category=6
Cheers
These are nice too:
http://www.marinestove.com/sardineinfo.htm
But in the end I’ll probably go with Dickinson. I’ve had a few on other boats and they were great.
Like sailing, watch this:
youtu.be/lxWzuCH_u3A
A buddy I know is moving up to a catamaran and selling his 45′ Colombia cheap. It’s a lot of boat for the money and I know its solid, good for a family, check it out:
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1973/Columbia-c-45-2633967/West-Palm-Beach/FL/United-States
Wholly Crap that a great boat!
Good Morning Amigo…
Just checking in… It’s been a while since I’ve put ink on this site, but I’ve been lurking. Your ramblings are as inspiring as always. That’s why I support you and your site. Carla is amazing and the two of you together area a package.
Keep on sharing the sailing life with everyone. By the way, I’m trying out taking care of Panaceas wood a bit differently this season. Stripped the toe rail of varnish and used a 2 part cleaner and sealed it with a marine sealer.
Nice thing is it’s water based so the upkeep is pretty amazing so far. It takes 2 hours to put two coats on and if you drip a little, I take a rag and wipe it off. No worries. I’m thinking that it lasts about 3 months in our latitude and then another couple of coats and good to go again.
I guess I’m getting to the age that I need less time on my knees and multi-coats of that pretty varnish. I’ll still keep the varnish on the cockpit combing but for all the trim work, I think this may be the answer.
All in all surviving summer in SW Florida.
Continue being blessed brother and I’m dropping you a note I need some art work from you for a banner on the FantaSea Sailing website.
My best to Carla…
Capt. Paul
s/v Panacea
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