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It take-a panache to be a pirate
Friday, October 3, 2014 at 10:44AM 
This is Jeff, my first cousin. He is proof positive that being a pirate runs in our family.
Jeff is the son of my late beloved Uncle Sherrill, my mother's brother, who left us two years ago.
My cousin Jeff was born with a birth defect that rendered his left leg useless. He has lived his entire life dependent upon one prosthetic gizmo or another, in order to get around.
But he does get around. Jeff has never allowed his physical infirmity -- or anything else you can think of -- to stop him from realizing both goals and dreams in his life.
Among many other things, Jeff is the loving and completely devoted, faithful husband of his sweetheart, Janice.
That in itself is a stellar achievement, and one which many men with two good legs never attain, or even aspire to.
Jeff is comfortable in his skin, a southern gentleman, and a person who is open to all of life's possibilities.
At some point Jeff underwent an amputation of part of the left leg, and he now wears a state-of-the-art prosthetic device that, from all appearances, works better for him than my left leg works for me.
The reason I am telling you this is that Jeff and Janice recently took to blue water, had an adventure on the high seas as it were, and Jeff made a YouTube.
Jeff explains the whole thing better than I could, at the start of the video.
The short version is that he and Janice spent a week on the sailing yacht Dream Away, a Hardin 45 ketch-rigged cutter.
With their experienced Captain Jim and First Mate Kitty, Jeff and Janice embarked from Delcambre, Louisiana, on September 25th, making their way first down the Atchafalaya River to the Gulf of Mexico, then across the Gulf to Clearwater, Florida, arriving on October 1st.
En route, Janice celebrated her fifty-fourth birthday.
And underwent chemotherapy treatments.
What a woman. Although she was less sanguine than Jeff about the trip, she stood by her man.
As for her intrepid squeeze, if the sight of Jeff swinging from the rigging doesn't put a grin on your face, his spinning routine at the end will surely make you laugh out loud.
Or at least chuckle audibly.
As for me, it brought tears to my eyes. Above all I am inspired by Jeff's exuberance, his joie de vivre.
Captain Jack Sparrow couldn't have executed that move with more grace or panache.
The bionic pirate and his princess may sail again in December, on a longer adventure. They've been invited.
Meanwhile, keep a weather eye on the horizon. You never know when a pirate may materialize.
And that's when the fun begins.
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Happy Friday ~ Smooth Sailing
Reader Comments (6)
Ah, the video brought back many warm memories of my sailing days on the Chesapeake Bay. The quarters were always a bit cramped, the weather was sometimes wet, but it was always restful and fun. Glad to hear that Jeff has adapted and thrived, given the cards that he was dealt in life. God bless him and his sweet wife! (I pray that her chemo treatments have been successful.)
How wonderful. I enjoyed each second of that marvelous video! It always amazes me how some people who have disabilities make the best of their everyday life, while others wallow. Your cousin
is a strong example of how to live and love! Thank you so much for sharing this, Jenny. And, like Donna I hope his wife is going to okay.
Thanks for the kind words. In case anyone is wondering, the prosthesis in the video is not my state-of-the-art leg. I have another one that actually has a microprocessor in it. But that's not something I'd take out to sea.
The second leg of the trip (Yes, pun. Ha ha) will be this winter. We'll sail from Key West to Guatemala. Janice will see me off and remain on solid ground (I'd say "dry ground" but we live in Louisiana).
I've been wanting to do this for years, and now it's happening. Blue water cruising is dirt cheap if you ride along in someone else's boat! They need extra crew, and I want the adventure. It's a good fit. And besides, they can forever brag about having a peg leg crew member aboard.
I loved this! I can definitely see the pirate blood. :) What a wonderful trip for both of them. And I can tell just b watching this that they both have an amazing attitude. Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful adventure from a chance meeting. Serendipity? Jeff is a man after my own heart. No whining, just enjoying life with the hand he was dealt. I have known someone like that in my life. He and his lovely wife Janice have my full admiration! Sail on Jeff and Janice, I'm sure more adventures are in your future!
G.
Awww! Loved the happy music too! Fun video...What a couple!!
hughugs