Dreams Adrift (A River Dream Novel) Read Online Free PDF

engines and we started to taxi toward the runway
threshold, we were truly on our way.
    We changed planes at JFK and boarded our
flight for Madrid. Eight hours later we landed in Spain. One last
hop and we were in Gibraltar. We'd spent eleven hours on one plane
or another and four more hours waiting around airports for
flights.
    Maeve and I were exhausted. Our bodies thought
it was morning when in fact it was lunch time where we
were.
    “ I think we should grab a bite to
eat and then check into our hotel for a nap,” Maeve suggested. I
heartily agreed.
    There was a quaint little bistro near our
hotel, so we stopped there for some lunch before settling into our
room for a nap. After waking up only long enough to enjoy dinner in
the hotel's restaurant, we went back to our room and slept off the
lingering effects of our flight.
    A night of rest left us in good spirits as
Maeve and I headed for the marina the next day. We boarded our
chartered forty-one-foot sailboat and spent a day on the bay
learning her ins and outs. The next morning just after sunup, fully
provisioned and provided with the charts and paperwork we would
need for our voyage, we left port. It was June 27.
    We docked the first night at a marina near
Sabinillas. Not wanting to miss the experience of Sabinillas’
Friday Street Market, we’d arranged our sailing schedule to allow
for a couple of days there. Sabinillas had a wonderful small-town
feel, and we were tempted to stay longer, but the sea beckoned us
onward.
    Our second port of call was Marbella. Marbella
was quite a change from the quiet little town of Sabinillas. After
enjoying the sites and nightlife in Marbella, we sailed on to
Fuengirola. In Fuengirola we enjoyed a visit to the zoo and Sohail
Castle.
    At our third port of call, Malaga, we finally
spent a few nights away from the boat. Leaving the boat in Malaga,
Maeve and I traveled inland about fifteen miles, or twenty-five
kilometers to be metric about it, to a horse-riding resort in
Alora, where we spent a few days riding the beautiful hills of
Andalusia. The cabin we stayed in was somewhat austere but
comfortable.
    “ They remind me of the cabins at a
KOA campground back home,” Maeve commented.
    The horses were not Andalusian stallions.
Instead I rode an Anglo-Arabian gelding while Maeve's mount was a
Thoroughbred mare. We spent a couple of days working with the
horses before going on an overnight trail ride into the
highlands.
    Around the campfire that night Maeve confessed
to me. “Michael, you know I love sailing with you but, really, I
think this has been my favorite part of our trip.”
    As much as I loved sailing, I had to admit it
was pretty nice being off in the wilds of central Spain, camping
out with my true love.
    “ I never knew you were so into
horseback riding,” I told Maeve.
    “ I used to ride a lot when I was
younger. My Aunt Nancy, my mother’s sister, paid for me to take
riding lessons at day camp before I started going to Camp
Riversail.”
    She leaned back and put her head on my
shoulder. Looking up into the night sky, she said, “There are so
many stars out tonight. Isn't it beautiful?”
    I joined her in admiring the stars and with a
slight twinge realized I couldn't recognize Star Jillian in that
Spanish night sky.
    “ It is beautiful. For some reason
I never thought European skies could be so dark and
clear.”
    Maeve laughed. “Out here we're miles from any
city lights. It's almost like being out in the middle of the sound
at night. The stars shine through in all their glory.”
    Our ride the next day took us through some
beautiful country. All too soon it seemed our days on horseback
came to a close and we were in a taxi on our way back to
Malaga.
    Leaving Malaga, after restocking our
provisions, we sailed the longest single stretch of our voyage to
date, reaching Almunecar just as dusk was falling. It was a little
tricky picking up the mooring buoy, but we made it on the second
try, thanks to some helpful