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Just Imagine: a New Life on an Old Boat: A New Life on an Old Boat
After 30 years in the computer software industry, Michelle and Paul Caffrey relinquished their careers determined to reinvent themselves. The fifty-something couple sacrificed everything they owned to buy a converted 1906 Dutch barge, Imagine, to seek a new livelihood in the boat charter business, "Barge and Breakfast." The memoir is packed with the adventures - and misadventures -of their first year with the barge as they travel from Holland, through Belgium to France. A must-read for boaters, European travelers or would-be travelers, anyone who has reached a crossroads in life, those looking for pre-retirement inspiration, and everyone who has wondered what it would be like to live out a dream.
260 pages, Paperback
First published February 17, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 11, 2021
Michelle Caffrey's travel memoir "Just Imagine: A New Life on an Old Boat" is a wonderfully written account about how she and her husband, Paul, came to purchasing an old barge, restoring it, and sailing it as a bed and breakfast for paying guests, but things didn't always proceed so smoothly for them.
The book is unique. The adventures of Caffrey and her husband are not something you read about every day. Plenty of people hit midlife and want to travel, but how many of them do you know that quit "safe" software careers, sell almost all of their belongings to take on the barge vacation life in Europe, and then barely make it through some of their days as they sail from Holland to France despite all of the challenges that will entail, sometimes dangerous challenges as well. This is not the usual path taken. Caffrey writes with honesty, humor, and creates wonderful descriptions of the lovely towns, delicious food, and the diverse people and their personalities the couple meet along the way as they push forward toward their docking destination.
Perhaps what is also interesting is Caffrey's observations about life and how things change as we approach midlife: her notes about people's attitudes in general, life in Europe compared to life in the States, and how she felt "homeless" at the beginning of her story only to discover "home" in a larger context in the end rather than simply the four walls of a house. This memoir will appeal to those ready for a new adventure in their lives.
The book is unique. The adventures of Caffrey and her husband are not something you read about every day. Plenty of people hit midlife and want to travel, but how many of them do you know that quit "safe" software careers, sell almost all of their belongings to take on the barge vacation life in Europe, and then barely make it through some of their days as they sail from Holland to France despite all of the challenges that will entail, sometimes dangerous challenges as well. This is not the usual path taken. Caffrey writes with honesty, humor, and creates wonderful descriptions of the lovely towns, delicious food, and the diverse people and their personalities the couple meet along the way as they push forward toward their docking destination.
Perhaps what is also interesting is Caffrey's observations about life and how things change as we approach midlife: her notes about people's attitudes in general, life in Europe compared to life in the States, and how she felt "homeless" at the beginning of her story only to discover "home" in a larger context in the end rather than simply the four walls of a house. This memoir will appeal to those ready for a new adventure in their lives.
August 10, 2024
Great read funny witty and informative. I wished she had written more. Great read.
December 13, 2016
The author & her husband leave the computer industry behind, buy a 1906 barge and plan to refurbish it and cruise the canals of France, carrying vacationers and becoming, in effect, a Barge & Breakfast. And they do! This is the story of their adventures. Michelle Caffrey covers all the details of their first season including refurbishing struggles, language problems, the delicious foods and wines of France, the intricate navigation and work required in passing through series after series of locks in the canals, and how all of this affected their personal relationship. I enjoyed the book tremendously!
January 4, 2016
I believe Emily Dickinson said "There is no frigate like a book."
This frigate took me to France where a charming American couple who had quit their jobs bought a barge, renovated it, and started a barge chartering business. I really enjoyed their tales of leisurely trips along canals,enjoying the scenery, stopping off for French food and wine, anecdotes of people and other boats, and some light history.
This frigate took me to France where a charming American couple who had quit their jobs bought a barge, renovated it, and started a barge chartering business. I really enjoyed their tales of leisurely trips along canals,enjoying the scenery, stopping off for French food and wine, anecdotes of people and other boats, and some light history.
October 8, 2013
A fine read if you're barging along French canals. Not recommended otherwise.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews