Reviewed by Brenda Ballard for Readers' Favorite

Lin and Larry Pardey lived an adventurous, free gypsy life on the seas for over a decade before deciding to build a new yacht and focus on writing. Their decision to move to a friend's stone house in Bull Canyon, a desolate place without power or telephones, seems absurd to their friends and family but also to the residents of the area. The challenges they face in first making the house livable, rid it of vermin and build a boathouse in which to build would surely cause most to quit altogether.

The two are a team like most will never know as they persevere through flooding, infestations, fire, theft and then the sprawl of population as a freeway finds its way into their area. Lin pushes for phones and power, her unwillingness to be bullied bringing changes to the canyon that are bittersweet. Lin's writing and Larry's boat building find a parallel path as they strive towards the goal of living on the new yacht, "Taleisin," and once again adventuring the globe.

When I first saw the title of the book, I wasn't sure what to think; but soon the pages had me drawn in, and when finished, I not only understood the title but felt as though the cover photo was that of a dear friend.

Lin Pardey captures the essence of her characters, scenes and situations to the point that I felt like I was one of her guests, sitting at her table with a cup of tea and a warm cookie. I find this author to be not only inspiring to women but to anyone who has a dream. From the information in her book, she is a known author of sailing articles and books. I fully intend on finding many more things that she has written so that I can enjoy her tales even more!!