Want to get Loopy? First approach -



In 1995 Jim asked if I wanted to loop with him; well, I really had no idea what he was talking about and thought he was having a midlife crisis? I told him to lower his voice because we couldn't have sexy talk around the kids. After a blank stare and a deep breath, he explained that the Great Loop is 6,000 miles of connected waterways allowing boaters to travel the Intra-Coastal Waterway as north as Canada, through the Great Lakes, down to the Mississippi/Tennessee River, Gulf of Mexico, around Key West, to only return travel north back to Virginia. Jim explained the goal was to ‘cross your wake'. Bless his heart, the smile on his face was beautiful. I am pretty sure my response was I thought he had already crossed his wake and lost his mind. He was still smiling - I hadn’t said no.


Now, my Jim Beck is a patient man - this wasn’t the first time he had mentioned a boating adventure. When the kids were a little older, he asked me if I wanted to get loopy and sail around the islands. Almost positive, I asked him about installing a machine gun for pirates and hand grenades for rogue sharks or squid that were sure to pull us into the ocean and eat us alive. Doesn’t matter that my responses were senseless; he saw panic but kept smiling - I hadn't said no. Like all great captains, he decided to reevaluate his approach.


NOTE: Since we’ve been married, we have had lots of boats: fast/slow & power/sail. Our kids are natural waterbugs because of the creek and I have enjoyed ever second watching them grow up here. The creek is a magical little spot on Earth and I hold this community dear to my heart.

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