What a Catch! 09/01/2010
 
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Charlie and Brett had a great time.  They ended up both snagging Hammerhead sharks but Brett's got away just before it reached the dock.  Charlie ended up with his- By the time they reached the boat, it was too late to clean it for eating so our neighbor, Ed, a fisherman, skillfully filleted the shark in about 1 minute for and used him for bait.  Charlie kept the head for the jaws.
I had no idea there were Hammerheads here! 

I have been working on some paintings for a friend of her animals on her farm.  It's been great fun and really rewarding to have a goal with art. 
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I made my first fresh apple pie today. It isn’t pretty and a little mushy (I put more of a butter/sugar mixture into it than I should have) but it is very, very tasty.

We got Brett a 3-day fishing license so he could go out on a deep sea fishing boat today but the boat owner didn’t show up so Brett and his two friends went fishing off the shoreline at St George Island. I drove to Crawfordville and ended up driving to Tallahassee, just 20 miles further. I perused the expansive Bed Bath and Beyond store and bought nothing. Then I walked over to the Michael’s (my destination) and carefully picked the things I needed, watercolor paints, a size 4/5 circular knitting needle and added some black clay that was on sale. I also picked up a friend some beading materials she needed but couldn’t get where she was at in Crawfordville. I left all the other goodies I dreamed about behind in their aisles for another day.

Then I drove back and made my apple pie. I’m trying to make a hat with the small needles and my smaller yarn- so far, I am NOT liking it, I’d much rather be knitting my chunky yarn with big needles. We’ll see how the hat comes out.

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Boy, there is just NOTHING like going for a perfect sail to drop kick us back into reality. This past week, we’ve gone through some pretty low lows. We decided to go out today, by ourselves, to remember why we are doing what we are doing.

Awhile back, our dinghy ended up on someone else’s boat so we made a deal with a friend to work off their dinghy, a Walker Bay rigid dinghy. It was far lighter yet bigger than our heavy, leaking fiberglass Knot Yacht. I was skeptical of the plastic boat, comparing it to a toy. We took it with us today to try it out for the first time. It was a snap to fling it over our friend’s large boat and into the water. It is made of a type of hard plastic. It looks like a toy to me but it is SO much lighter than Knot Yacht and has way more room in it. Brett made our old wooden oars fit into it and took it for a test row. It was very easy to row and very responsive. We tied it to the back of the boat and took off.

We had a beautiful downwind run with just the genoa (forsail), doing about 2.5-3.5 knots. Slow but beautiful.

We ended up going to Dog Island to anchor just as the wind started to change. We managed almost 1 knot and finally got close enough to Dog Island to anchor and dinghy over. I went first in the dinghy, Brett was set on swimming. But after he tried to swim against the current, he decided to let me come get him. There were huge fish continually jumping out of the water all around us near shore. I stopped at one point to see if one would jump into our boat. They were much bigger than mullet and beautiful, a silver color with yellow streaking. About 18-24" long.

We waded around near the dinghy, spotting crabs and huge hermit crabs in their shells. I found the most beautiful shell I have ever seen but I didn’t get a picture. It was amazingly beautiful. But when they have crabs in them, we leave them be. We won’t kill anything just for a shell.

We walked over the "Sahara Desert" to the Gulf side. The water was completely flat. We waded out an amazing distance with just slight rolling water. It was amazing. The water temperature was perfect, not too hot or cold, probably around 80 degrees. The sun was very very hot so I got sunburned pretty bad even with all the sunscreen.

I found the few large shells I’d come there for and then we rowed back to the boat. It was the nicest day we’d had in weeks. We ate cheese and crackers and ginger bread while listening to Kenney Chesney’s "Be As You Are" CD (MY FAVORITE!) Even Benny did good this trip- The water was pretty flat this time and we had his "cooler" setup in his box.

Because the wind had changed, we had yet another awesome downwind run with the genoa. During the whole trip, Brett let me drive out of the slip, raise both sails, try lifting the anchor and even parking the boat back at our slip! It was great! Just before we arrived to the river, a huge rain storm was blowing through- We got some rain and a little wind as we entered the river and parked. We found out that the docks got a lot worse storm than we encountered with high winds and huge quantities of rain.

I did all the animal-spotting this trip- I first saw a sea turtle, then the jumping fish (we found out they were Spanish Mackerel!!!) Then I saw a HUGE Tarpon surface by our boat (They average about 5 feet in length!) which is probably why the Spanish Mackerel were jumping. Then I spotted a sting ray trying to figure out what was in a floating to-go box from a restaurant. And of course the cute hermit crabs in their magnificent shells.

It was a heavenly trip and I feel so much better being out on the water. I wanted to keep going out into the Gulf so badly but it isn’t happening at this stage. We’ll keep doing what we can to make everything work. Whatever we do, it’s to always strive for our happiness. We haven’t been very happy with some things lately but we’re working on it and are trying to find options that will work for our happiness.

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We're just trying to recover from the trip.  Trying to figure out what we're going to do.  We always have lots of ideas and are trying to figure out which is best.
It was weird to come back and have sunburn from Oregon and lots of rain in Florida. LOL  Isn't that backward?!
We took the boat out for a small sail last weekend on our anniversary.  There were a bit of swells.  We handled it fine but Benny got sick so we turned around and had a downwind run back to the river.  It was short but sweet.
 
Trip To Oregon 08/19/2010
 
Wow, sorry it's been so long!  I don't have good enough internet to blog but I have snagged my friend's modem for the first time in awhile :) 

OK- So - this post will be just about my trip to Oregon for those that are interested... I'll post more about other happenings above this one.... I know I will still leave all kinds of things out but this will give you a quick idea...

My trip to Oregon was awesome.  My family and friends were great. 

I flew to Oregon by myself which was really hard for me to do.  Of course, my greatest fear happened.   I was padded down at Tallahassee Airport, they don't seem to have anything better to do there, they are so small and quiet.  It went so quick though, I didn't have time to get my feathers ruffled.  I hate airports.  Brett had been searched and questioned FOUR times while he was there last Spring! 
I ended up in a seat next to a nice lady on the tiny plane.  They had bumped several people onto our flight and gave them our seat numbers!  Someone had mine but they found another seat for her thank goodness. 

I got into Atlanta and realized what Brett had meant by avoiding it at all costs.  I thought 1 1/2 hours would be plenty of time for a bite to eat and getting to my gate.  As I flew through the corridors for almost a half mile (or was it three miles????), I thanked God that Brett had CONVINCED me to take the wheel duffle bag!!  I grabbed a donut and coffee from Dunkin Donuts and stood to wait for my seat assignment, cursing that I was now sweaty and smelly.  On the 5 hour flight, I ended up in the VERY last row, next to the window, smelling the toilets, with a couple and a small baby next to me!! ack!  But it turned out ok, the baby slept and ate and us three adults all watched Top Chef on the small tv's.  The couple was just a fabulous pair, very funny and friendly.  I couldn't believe how incredible the air smelled as I sat outside the airport, waiting for Nica to pick me up. Oregon is truly fabulous for it's clean, crisp, green air.

My friend, Nica, let me crash at her place the first couple nights, even letting me drive her car around Portland!  I spent Thursday driving around awhile, going to Walmart and then spending 6 hours at Lloyds Center at Barnes And Nobles, using her laptop (hence the last entry I did) That was fun! :)  At 930pm, I was able to pick her up from her job, feeling eerie at sitting in the car in the middle of downtown Portland at night while waiting for her.
Then she let me drag her to my brother Travis and Leahs' wedding full of strangers and chaos. LOL  Nica was a trooper though and even ended up with the nickname, Tinker Bell. LOL  We hiked Smith Rock together, ate Indian tacos and fry bread in Warm Springs, searching for a non-existant waterfall and slept on the floor of my brother's house in LaPine with 4 other hilarious women! LOL Leah's family is fabulous and I wish I'd gotten to know them better.  They were all just as nice and funny as could be.

We got to the Batchelorette Party quite late after Nica kidnapped me to hike Smith Rock. LOL  (I am so glad she did, that was one of the most beautiful places, I can't believe I've never gone!!)  Shannon had made some Jello-O shots with Rum and Tequila for everyone.  We shared laughs, food and drink with several women.  I even actually had two Jell-O shots with rum in it.  They were pretty good and didn't taste like alcohol at all.  After Nica and I had both had our shots, we weren't so nervous and feeling out of place.   Dozens of cameras photographed Leah opening her gifts, it was great fun.  We ended up crashing Travis' batchelor party at midnight.  ALL of the boys had gotten completely smashed.  Not my scene but I am glad they had fun anyway.

The next day, the boys slowly crept out and everyone enjoyed the day preparing for the wedding.  My grandpa and his wife arrived early and we enjoyed their company as we all prepped and photographed. 
Just before the wedding, Shannon, Nica and I went to Shannon's motel room and we changed clothes and primped.  None of us wanted to wear our dressed or skirts. LOL  I ended up being the only one that stayed in my dress, and only for the ceremony.   I even ended up leaving the thing at Travis and Leah's house. LOL

The ceremony went well, a little chaotic and funny but really really happy.  Nothing seemed to bother Travis and Leah, they seemed to be the happiest couple I've ever seen.  Even when the pastor accidentally called Travis 'Trevor' in the ceremony. OOPS!  LOL  

I tried to take tons of photos but ended up very frustrated and stressed with the disorganization.  I gave up after the ceremony, seeing that there were dozens of other family and friends taking photos for Leah and Travis to treasure.  I put the camera in the car and joined the party to enjoy company rather than take pictures.  Yes.  I know. It's hard to believe.  But I wanted to smile, not cry, and the camera was making me cry.

The night after the ceremony, the 6 of us women and one of their 17 year old sons crashed on the living room floor as the new bride and groom slept upstairs.  We were up for hours giggling, bellowing and coughing hysterically at Leah's cousin's jokes.  She was absolutely hilarious. 
Leah's nephew was a trooper, wading through the jokes and teasing.  He finally took to scaring the crap out of us by sneaking in the back door and slinking on his belly into our dark living room.  The bride (Leah) tromped down the stairs to find out what the screaming was about.  We all covered our heads as she demanded to know what was going on.  With nothing but crickets outside responding to her inquiry, she went back upstairs and we all laughed quietly, whispering "muffled.  muffled" as we continued to joke.  It was a big slumber party and the most I'd laughed in all my life I think. 
The next morning, we found out that Leah (the bride) was desperate to come join our antics downstairs as her new husband lay sleeping next to her. LOL 

We said our good-byes to Leah's family as they headed back to Idaho and the valley.  Eight of us went for a "float" down the Little Descutes River.  It was an incredibly fun and quiet adventure after all the chaos from the two days of wedding events.  We spent 3 hours playing word games and catching rides on each other's floats.  I filmed a bit of it with my waterproof encased Flip video camera (which I LOVE!). 

After the float, Nica drove me to Springfield to stay with aunt and uncle.  I owe her forever for everything she did and put up with during that week!!! 

I spent a few days with my aunt and uncle, enjoying my aunt's yummy cooking, helping with yardwork, watching day lilies open every day, feeding the horse, kayaking the reservoir, playing computer games and hiking Shotgun Creek with them.  I even watched Debra feed a mouse to her Corn Snake, Snow! yuk! LOL 
Ray graciously lent me his new car while he worked on Wednesday.  I picked up my 6 inch stack of bills from the UPS store and headed to my old work.   The receptionist hadn't even realized I was gone. LOL  She buzzed me back and I reunited with my dear friend, Pam, first.   I had asked Shelley to lunch and shyly crept my way through the office as people took double-takes when I said "Hello".  Shelley and I went to lunch at our old standby place, Taco Bell, and I returned with her to continue seeing my old friends at the lab.  A half hour visit turned into three hours!!  But I was glad to spend some time with my old boss and some of my old friends.  I wasn't able to see everyone which was hard.

I finally scrambled off to finally visit Annie, my baby rabbit I'd left in care of Cathy.  We had a great, but very speedy, visit.  Annie looked HUGE and happy.  All of the rabbits looked great.  I got to visit her new baby Alpaca and drool over all the wool I'd been missing. 

After the Annie visit, I raced to Shannon and Nathan's for a wonderful dinner and visit.  They showed me all their yard improvements and their duck eggs.  They shoved a bucket full of garlic into my hand.  Brett's organic garlic that he had planted last fall had been harvested by Shannon's brother and they gave me a ton to take back with me.  I reluctantly got in the car to make the long drive back to Debra and Ray's before darkness set in. 

Ray and I and Debra and their dog, Quinn, had a fun hike through Shotgun Creek.  I loved every minute of my visit with the both of them.  Their home is my ultimate comfort zone, with all of it's love and history of me growing up there  and they are very near and dear to my heart.

Debra and I had visited Grandma, too during the week.  I even went to the library and shopping with them, the first shopping I've done with Grandma in years.  I enjoyed seeing her again and she seemed thrilled to see me.
Saturday finally came and I got up at 6am to say good-bye to my Uncle before he left for work.  Then Debra and I waited for mom to get there at 130pm and Mom and I left to head to Portland.  She stopped at Borders and bought us a magazine we wanted and stopped again at a great bookstore in Corvallis.  On our way up to Portland, we had great fun solving crossword puzzles and coming up with our own.  Then hung out at the airport a couple hours, talking and window-shopping.  It was great fun and very touching to spend some time with Mom before I headed back to Florida. 
ack, so much to the trip and it's been awhile, I know I've left all kinds of things out.  But all in all- it was so great to see everyone and to be there for Travis and Leah.  Their love and happiness together is very touching and inspiring and I feel blessed to be apart of the special bond they shared on their joyous day.

My family and friends were so gracious and giving, they each have a huge part of my heart saved for them for helping me have such a great visit.
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Annie's getting huge!
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Smith Rock
 
 
I had it in my head that I was leaving for Oregon on Thursday for months.  On Monday, I was feeling sick but knew I had Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare to leave.  Tuesday morning, about 10 am, I realized that it was the 27th and I was to leave on Wednesday the next day!!  I scrambled to get a ton of stuff done including making jewelry for the wedding party, laundry, packing and baking. 

I already can't wait to get back.  The preparation yesterday was stressful and full of struggles.  I like the slower pace and doing things in my own time that I've gotten used to being here this last two months.   But I am glad to be able to see my family and friends again.

I hope so much I can take some good photographs at the wedding for my brother. 

Brett is not able to go due to finances but he will be working on our boat while I am gone.  He is hoping to get the transmission back in the next couple days and go for an overnight sail with a friend. 

I'll update with news and pictures when I get back. 
 
Hi 07/21/2010
 
Howdy- Hope everyone is doing well.  I have a week till I get back to Oregon for my brother's wedding.  Not looking forward to the long airline trip but am excited to see everyone again! 
We got our tv mounted to the bulkhead, up off the table finally.  Benny is very happy about that!  We finally got another crockpot, too.  Brett's been dying for beans and ham hock soup! :)  I made beef stew the other night.  I've been varnishing the cockpit table/cup holder and the handrails- They are looking good.  But it's extremely hot/humid here and difficult to work in.  Some days, it's been so hot, the varnish would thicken before I could spread it out. 
I have been knitting and watercoloring again.  I knitted a really soft baby hat with yarn I blended and spun with angora and alpaca and silk.  I also watercolored yesterday, 3 paintings.  My first one in years was of Annie.  I can't wait to see her again when I get back to Oregon for my visit!
I'm sure there's more to share but I am in the office to use the internet and people are talking- It's hard to concentrate... But I wanted to update you a little.
 
Hi 07/14/2010
 
I have the internet so I thought I'd write. :) 
We got my plane ticket to Travis' wedding the end of the month which is a huge relief.   I'll be spending a few days in Springfield, too, to visit everyone.
We made a deal and got rid of Knot Yacht (the dinghy)- we ended up with a Walker Bay dinghy.  We can still put sail gear on it (we kept the sailgear off of Knot Yacht) and it's MUCH lighter than Knot Yacht was.   Any ideas for a name for it? :)
Brett fixed the van today.  It wasn't the strut, it was a torsion bar.  The torsion bar actually broke.  Apparantely it's common on these vans.  Pretty expensive and very complicated but my "miracle man" spent ALL day and got the new one on there.  So the van is in much better shape to drive finally.  We are SO happy to have it upright again. It still needs an alignment and probably needs the other one done eventually but we're on the right track.  So happy to have the van. Makes life so much easier.
I've been trying to work on the woodwork but the rain squalls have been keeping me from doing any this last two days.  I got the handrails sanded and one coat of varnish on them before the rain hit again.  They look so much better already.  I can't wait to do the toe-rails and the Mahogany winch bases. 
We had dinner with friends last Friday, we had a lovely spread of grilled corn on the cob, marinaded grilled pork chops, potatoes and my chocolate lush dessert.  
My friend, Jeannie, invited me to the library on Wednesdays to play on their huge WIii system.  It's been fun to play ping pong, air battles, kayak racing and golf with Jeannie and Gaye.  
We haven't been able to go sailing for 2 weeks, Brett has been working on our transmission and now we're waiting for parts.  I hope we can go this weekend.
I have been practicing my guitar.  My fingers are numb.  I am no good but it's fun to try and learn it. 
Well- there's our weekly update.  Just working on the boat and cleaning and organizing and waiting for my trip to Oregon.  
 
 
Saturday night, we gathered with friends and took their powerboat out. We tried anchoring in the high wind to watch the Coast Guard set off fireworks but the anchor drug and we were quickly blown to shore. We managed to get ourselves off the sand and back out into the middle of the river before the fireworks began. But the anchor wouldn’t hold and Ernie had to make circles in the river. While captivated by the fireworks, we almost grounded a few times again but were able to get off before it hit hard again. I, Betsy and Jeannie were wearing our cameras out taking pictures of the fireworks.  Betsy's dog barked the whole time, it was a fun fiasco of flash, barks and chatting.  LOL  I finally am around people that take as many photographs as I do. LOL  Betsy even has the same DSLR I do!
After the fireworks, we geared up to go back to the dock but only one of his engines would start. We were blown toward the dock and Ernie managed to steer with one engine. We all helped fend off as he expertly guided us into the slip, the state enforcement boat coasting next to us to make sure we made it in ok. Jeannie and Charlie went home and Brett and I stayed for a very late dinner of smoked ribs. I had made a salad up of broccoli, apples, raisins, walnuts and yogurt as well as some very gooey cocoa rice crispy treats. Yum! We finally made it back to our boat around 1am!

Yesterday, I spent the day spinning yarn and needle felting.  I broke 6 needles but finally finished two of the purses I'd been wanting to work on.  I also managed to make a cute little brown sheep with some wool I'd had for awhile.
In the afternoon, we found them gathered again at Ernie and Betsy’s powerboat and we joined them. We pumped out the dinghy that we’d left in the water from our row to the other side a few days before. Brett set up the sail gear and took it for a sail. When Jeannie arrived, she wanted to try it out. She made it across the river and the sail jibed and over she went into the water! We scrambled to get Ernie’s inflatable into the water and the engine installed. Luckily we had put a life jacket into the dinghy before she left and Brett had had her hand over her cell phone before she left. She was fine but the dinghy was under water. Two other boats beat us to Jeannie and pulled her out of the water. She was laughing and smiling as she walked up the dock but worried about our dinghy. Brett and the guy in the dinghy that was helping her spent the next hour pulling the dinghy, oars and sail to the dock across the river and pumping it out. Brett finally towed it back. We lost a few things but were glad that Jeannie was ok. She was more worried about our boat. Afterwards, we all enjoyed a wonderful fish dip with crackers that Jeannie and Betsy had whipped up. Ernie caught a huge blue crab and they smoked chicken.

We all had a great time.

The guy who owns the boat Brett's been working on came down from Tennessee yesterday.  He let Brett know that he wasn't going to be able to finish the wooden boat that Brett had been working on and would probably end up giving it away!!!  It was very sad because he had had the boat for a very long time but the wood had rotted and there was a lot of work that needed to be done.  Brett had already torn out the cockpit due to rot so he's going to have him put it back together.  He offered Brett the boat for free (a 38' wooden sailboat!) but we don't think we can handle it (the cost of having it in the shop, rebuild,moving to the water, slip, etc etc etc).  But I can see sparkle in Brett's eye at the thought of it.  He has ALWAYS wanted a wooden boat to rebuild....
So plans have been altered again but we have the money to get my plane ticket this week.  I am so anxious to get it and have it all set up to get to my brother's wedding!!!  It means a lot to Travis for me to be there and we have managed to come up with the money to get there and I have a friend who is going to pick me up from the airport and go with me to the wedding so it will work out really well.  I want to go earlier to go to my friend's celebration of life a week before the wedding but I am not sure I can yet.  It would be nice to have a week to visit with everyone. 

New pictures under our Pictures Tab of July 4th.  I have more pictures but the internet quit working for me.  So when I borrow our friend's modem again, I'll post more.
 
 
When will I ever learn? I just had a huge post for you and lost it because of this internet connection. That’s happened so many times, I don’t know WHY I can’t figure out how to do it first in WORD!  LOL

It rained a lot this week- We discovered a leak that waterlogged only one of all my books on that shelf and it happened to be my very favorite book, Good Boatkeeping, 2nd edition. I spent hours separating the 300+ pages and setting it in front of a fan but I think I'll need to save my pennies for a new one.

Yesterday we pumped out the dinghy (Knot Yacht) and rowed to the movie store after dinner. After picking out a previously previewed movie to buy, we walked out to a torrenchal downpour. We dashed to the BP and bought ponchos and pop and headed back to the dinghy in the downpour. We were soaked. As we rowed back, the rain let up but we were surrounded by lightening and thunder. We certainly weren’t bored after that! LOL We got back to the boat, rescued our neighbor’s heavy cockpit cushion from the river and made our way into the boat, changing into dry clothes and heating up some hot chocolate to settle down to our new-to-us movie.

Brett built an adjustable table leg for the cockpit table so I can use it now for my computer which is nice. He also did a few things inside and took the transmission off again to have Marine Systems help us with the frozen bolt that has kept us from replacing our leaky seal. If we could just get the bolt loose, we could easily replace the seal and no longer have to clean up an oily mess after each sail. The engine has been working great besides that.

We have a ground problem in the boat somewhere. It causes our hour meter to tick. Our wind generator seems to have quit working too, we think it might even be sucking the batteries dry, not charging them! LOL Brett will need to spend hours slowly discounting each wire and terminal until he finds the problem There’s a ground problem with it too so maybe it’s all tied together. The other day, when we went for a swim at the island, Brett had gotten back to the boat first and found himself being shocked as he pulled himself out of the water by the stern pulpit. He thought it was the inverter, so he turned it off. When Rick and I made it back to the boat, I grabbed for the pulpit and found my hand and arm warm with a pulsating sensation. Oh. That would getting a shock. Apparantely the wind generator was pumping 110 into the stern pulpit! LOL OOPS! We’d never caught it before because we had never come out of the water onto it while the generator was going. So Brett tied it up and Rick was able to climb out, shock-free.

. We have leaks of course too- the normal boat stuff. But it is all minor and workable. Other than those little problems, our boat is such a great boat. We’ve been looking at other boats online and around here and really have come to realize what a great boat we’ve re-built. Looking at what famous women cruisers say about galleys, I find ours to be almost the perfect setup according to their standards. After cleaning a very oily, hard-to-reach bilge in a boat next to ours, I’ve come to appreciate the painted, spotless bilge that Brett has tirelessly maintained. Our valves are easily reachable, our water and fuel tanks efficient and clean. Everything is easy access. Everything is overbuilt. Everything works (pretty much). Everything is ready for cruising. She really is a gem. And we’re so very glad to still have her.

I have been making polymer clay pieces all week. I made a jellyfish sculpture I am in love with as well as 3 hermit crabs in real shells and another turtle. It’s great fun to make these little guys.

I have sold a little jewelry online which has helped a lot, especially with trying to come up with a plane ticket to go to my brother's wedding the end of the month in Oregon. Brett has worked really hard to make sure that happens even with our finance woes because he knows how much it means to me and to Travis. It means the world to my brother and to me to be there for his celebration of love that he and Leah have found with each other. I’m so happy to see my brothers so happy and sharing their lives with such wonderful people, I am so proud of both of them and I hope they are proud of me.   Brett has been a saint in helping me get there.

Hopefully we'll get to do something fun tomorrow. Hope y’all have a great July 4th!!!