The Joys of Travel and Life: No Place Like Home

photo by Dan Harding provided by Ventura Harbor Village

blog by Ken McAlpine

Welcome to our weekly blog about the joys of travel and life. For the two are one. Travel, like life, is about making the most of our moments, for we only have so many. With that in mind, another moment together. Thank you for coming along for the ride…

No Place Like Home

One bright Caribbean morning I boarded a ferry for the 15-mile northerly passage from Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda to the tiny island of Anegada. I sat on a wood bench beside a Yamaha keyboard and a hubcap. The man across from me said, “It is for my brother.” I had two choices. “The keyboard?” “The hubcap. My brother is a car lover. Though there is small need for a car on our island, he cares for his as if it were a baby. I am bringing him this hubcap.” I gave the hubcap close inspection. It was a very nice hubcap. “It’s a very nice hubcap.” “Thank you,” the man said. “I went to some effort to find it.” He watched me. Maybe he made some decision. “Anegada is the last frontier,” he said. “It is the last pristine place. It is also very low to the water. We have some trouble with hurricanes. Each time a hurricane approaches, they dispatch a boat to our island to collect the residents and ferry us from harm. Each time the boat leaves empty.” It was a long speech. Perhaps the effort made him tired, for he leaned back and closed his eyes. A salty breeze came across the water. In every direction, the world sparkled. — Ken McAlpine has traveled the world as a writer, from the depths of Palau to the heights of the Andes, but no matter where he goes, he can’t wait to come home to Ventura. We hope his stories remind you of why you love the place you call home, and this gift called life. For more info, please go to www.kenmcalpine.com. Top image by Sienna Streamfellow provided by Channel Islands Adventure Company.