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harbor reflected a perfect inverted reproduction of the breathtaking scene.


to Becky.


“It’s like a postcard,” I commented “Better,” she said, “A perfect


postcard with music.” We wandered among some million


dollar mega yachts that looked like floating condominiums, huge classic schooners and sleek racing sailboats. Our little sloop wouldn’t even make a decent dinghy for some of these elegant boats.


And then it occurred to me — the


owners of these stunningly expensive yachts were the same people who had been eating hoagie sandwiches, drinking pop and dancing on the grass to the music made by a bunch of guys who had never even been to Utah. They were the same folks who danced beside us, ate at the same picnic table and enjoyed this perfect evening in this ideal setting. We were all the same, at that moment, smelling the same aromas, hearing the same music, feeling the same evening breeze, witnessing the same birth of a sunset. Something swelled in my throat


We danced a while, then sneaked away hand in hand to walk the docks again while still listening to the music in the background. The sky started to pink up a bit, and the distant Olympic Mountain range began to glow.


and started to fill my eyes. I squeezed Becky’s hand. She always has been the girl of my dreams, and here I was in paradise with the love of my life. “Honey,” I started. She looked up at me, smiled and squeezed my hand back. I cleared my throat so I could say


what was in my heart. “You know something?” I asked. “What?” she whispered. “We must be rich.” And I meant every word. Being


rich has nothing to do with the size of a bank account or the size of a boat, for that matter. We are rich because of the blessings of living in a free land where we can go places and do things like sail a small boat, dance on the grass, witness a perfect sunset, listen to music and be with the one we love.


Rich Johnson is author of Rich Johnson’s Guide to Trailer Boat Sailing, available at www.trailerboatsailing.info/


48° NORTH, JULY 2011 PAGE 39


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