Our Front Porch

When I was a kid I was intrigued by houses with front porches. There was something about seeing, and being seen by the people in your neighbourhood that just struck me a nice. It was so much more hospitable appearing than a back yard with a deck--where life seemed to happen privately and unless you were invited, you never went. But if we saw our neighbours in their front yard, or on their front porch they were approachable-and the reward for stopping by was often great things, like warm cookies.

When we moved to the East Coast and saw there were entire neighbourhoods where everyone had a front porch I was completely sold on the idea. I decided that my house (if I ever got off a boat and became a dirt dweller) would have a front porch.
Something of this idea must have carried through to our boat--because there is some sort of magic energy that has made our foredeck the front porch in every anchorage and it's become the go-to place for sundowners and potlucks for crowds greater than 14.
Last night it was Amanda's (Britannia) birthday. And after a day that we collectively agreed one of the best ever that our happy group of 11 has ever had--we were joined by three more boats for an awesome moonlit potluck on our foredeck. The combination of amazing food (how the heck we all keep pulling such great stuff from our diminished stores never ceases to amaze me) and really good people came together in an epic night of happiness. Seriously, there was so much mutual appreciation going on that cynical types might have gagged a bit. But, the truth is, somehow in the gamble that is buddy boating we have put together one of the nicest combos of boats I could ever have hoped for.
We each have different strengths and different skills and generosity flows freely through the group--and happily our foredeck has been the meeting place for some of the best moments. And I didn't even need to become a dirt dweller to get my front porch.
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