EV America starts Southbound

The most memorable part of the trip, was our rescue of a starved half-dead dog in a rundown neighborhood. We named her Georgia….for that is where we found her. We added her to our pack. She did a lot of sleeping at first, but once she was sure things were safe and that she would get fed, her playful personality emerged. She loves to play and cuddle.

Spring emerged and we had to leave Florida and begin our journey North. Once we hit Georgia, there had been glimpses and some mention of #C# sickness. Leisurely, we made our way along the coast, listening to the news and craziness that was taking place. People were reacting so many different ways. We were happy to have our own little stocked oasis away from the mainland. We traveled without much interruption until we found ourselves closer to New England. We encountered some challenges more restrictions the farther North we traveled. A few marina’s were closed and some states wouldn’t even consider letting you off the boat. We considered ourselves fortunate to have our own little oasis. Needless to say, the situation made us think very “out of the box!” Sometimes when we travel, we envision relocating….this time we thought that it would be nice to live in a much warmer climate?!? Our initial thought of moving South seemed nothing more than a fantasy. As we watched New England react with such harsh restrictions and rules, we thought why not move South?? During a stop in Coinjock, North Carolina, Tom found a property for sale along the water. We looked. We considered. We thought. We talked and talked and talked. Then we put in a bid! Why not live to our fullest extent? Why not follow dreams? We dreamed and schemed all the way back to Maine. We were trying to decide if we could actually make such and amazing change to our lives. I must say, #C# put such a spin on things, that it motivated us to live our best lives! An agreement was never met on the first property, but we were inspired to find the perfect one.

By late April, when arriving back in Maine, we had made a final decision to move South! We put Tiny Barge Transport business and boat-shop up for sale. Tom finished up on renovations on our adorable cottage and I started purging and packing.

I did have to part with my beautiful stained glass front door. Tom did not have the time to craft another, and a ready made door would not have done the house justice. I pray that one day I will have the opportunity to get that door back. One thing I have learned, things that are meant to be will be.

We considered purchasing a marina (Tom’s dream) with some land for gardens and animals (my dream). We searched the North Carolina coast and found many interesting properties. We found and bid on one, and were in negotiations. Since I didn’t love the property, when the owner countered our bid, I started looking for another option. It was a Sunday morning, and before Tom could respond with another offer, I searched again. I cannot recall the words I searched, but up popped an AMAZING property on the Eastern Carolina Inner Banks. It fit both our criteria of water and land….and it was affordable. We attribute this find to God’s divine hand. He made himself visible that morning in the most glorious manner. The property was a 27 acre defunct 20+ slip marina, complete with one acre pond. Located six miles outside of the quaint town of Edenton, on a quiet road in agricultural country. It had been for sale for OVER seven years. This answered both of our dreams. Needless to say, we did not counter on the previous property. We went full steam ahead and within one week, the Edenton property was under contract.

Tom made a trip to North Carolina and gave it his blessing. We WERE moving and going to own a marina with land and a one-acre pond! We were being led to fulfill bigger dreams than we could have imagined. In the meantime, Tom made many trips moving our boats, cars and belongings. I finally made it to the property on the second to last trip, a few days before our due diligence period was up. Well, I must tell you that it did NOT look like the photos on the listing…..those were from when it was first listed years ago. It was extremely overgrown and needed tons of love. All we saw was potential, and enjoy the challenge of hard work and fulfilling our dream. By the end of July, we had sold our business, business property, home and moved all our belongings.

Tom made five trips bringing our vehicles, boats, and tools. We purchased a 53′ tractor trailer and filled it completely with everything else! We would have it delivered once we arrived in Edenton. Once again, we loaded up America and waved goodbye to all the lifelong friends we made Friendship. We were closing on the marina at the end of August and the trip from Maine to North Carolina would take 30 days. We left August 6th, 2020.

Although, excited to get there, we wanted to enjoy our trip. We explored a little and dreamed of the many possibilities for the property. Tom and I felt so blessed. As we were on our way, the sellers were removing a sunken boat and a dilapidated boat someone had been living on. The overgrowth was roughly bush hogged and utilities turned on. The closing took place the end of August. Upon arriving, the property looked much better but still needed much love and care. We were absolutely thrilled to arrive and start our new journey.