{"product_id":"welcome-aboard-the-view-from-renee-rivera-a-membership-9798250378963","title":"Welcome Aboard- The View from the First Mate: Journeying the Erie Canal with Heart and History","description":"\u003cp\u003eSome journeys are measured in miles.\u003cbr\u003eOthers are measured in sunsets shared.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eWelcome Aboard: The View from the First Mate\u003c\/i\u003e, Renee Rivera invites readers aboard \u003cb\u003eThe Lola\u003c\/b\u003e, a classic Chris-Craft cruising the historic Erie Canal. What begins as a boating adventure becomes something far richer - a meditation on patience, partnership, history, and the quiet magic of small canal towns.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTraveling west to east across New York's 600-mile canal system, Renee shares life from the first mate's perspective: navigating locks and lift bridges, watching herons rise from still water, learning the rhythm of tides and temperature gauges, and discovering that slowing down is not losing time - it is gaining presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlong the way, readers will meet: \u003cbr\u003e- Lockmasters who guard the waterway with quiet pride\u003cbr\u003e- Marina families who turn docks into community\u003cbr\u003e- Fellow boaters with stories that stretch across oceans\u003cbr\u003e- And Flare, the little boat dog who greets every harbor like home\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWoven through each chapter is the living history of the Erie Canal - the mule-drawn boats of the 1800s, the stone chambers carved by hand, the towns that flourished because water connected them to the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut at its heart, this is not just a travel memoir.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is a love letter - to partnership, to family, to first dogs and future first mates, and to a waterway that continues to carry dreams two centuries after it was dug by hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor boaters, dreamers, history lovers, and anyone longing for a slower, more intentional pace of life, \u003ci\u003eWelcome Aboard\u003c\/i\u003e is a reminder that the best journeys are not about speed - they are about who stands beside you when the lines are tied.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStep aboard. The lock gates are opening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Renee Rivera a. Membership\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798250378963\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/03\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 100\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.32lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.24d","brand":"Renee Rivera a. Membership","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48440736678143,"sku":"9798250378963","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_475bf055-b6c5-4d60-9356-1114741f3850.jpg?v=1777184474","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/welcome-aboard-the-view-from-renee-rivera-a-membership-9798250378963","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}