Ever After Days

2011-06-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

Deja vu

2011-06-15T18:38:00.001-07:00

Tonight is the first night I go to sleep knowing for sure where our next home is......tonight is right under me and over me, floating on the water, which is where it should be. I thought I would be sad because I really did not want to change and leave Ever After. Life has ways of making things easier
and because the process of finally finding Deja vu, was difficult.......Lily May, Morada, and finally
Dragonfly burning and sinking.......finally finding a boat that would 'stick' is nothing but happy for me and I think Barry feels the same way.

Tonight Barry and Bill are upstairs on 'the salon level' talking and getting into the rum. I cant hear what they are saying but I can hear them and I am glad we will have such a good friend as Bill helping us get to our summer destination, Myrtle Beach. And I am SO excited that Lynn will be able to join us in Port Royal for the few days trip from PRLM to MB. It will be so much fun seeing our PRLM friends and hell, now we can fit ALL of them on our boat! What a bunch of parties and visits we will have on Deja vu.

All that is left now to do is get back to Stuart via The Horn of Florida, transfer our things from Ever After to Deja vu and then I will cry....maybe a little sad because you do get to loving a boat almost like a child, or horse, or home......hell I cried when I sold my Chevy truck! No, really I did! I will cry when I step off Ever After for the last time, because she saved my soul. She sheltered me, and helped me get through a really hard time in my life and come out the other end whole and happy.
She is a wonderful one of a kind boat, and I think if she were a person, she would be one you could count on through thick and thin. A friend in the most basic sense of the word.

Some very nice people will be living on Ever After now and they have what sounds like a really wonderful adventure ahead of them. She will be the perfect boat to get them anywhere they want to
go. They dont build them like her anymore....she is truely one of a kind.

So tomorrow I hope to add pictures and stories of what will be a calm and fun trip back to our homes.....there are many now.

Turks and Caicos Water

2011-04-24T07:28:00.002-07:00

This is just a short cell video of the beautiful water in The Turks and Caicos.

2011-04-24T07:28:00.001-07:00

2011-04-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

A private moment shared with a perfect stranger...

2010-11-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Our updates are very boring sometimes……I have been doing a lot more on FaceBook because it seems to be easier to do…….easy from my Blackberry and I can do quick and easy stuff including pictures even without an internet connection….which I have had very little time to do, plus its slow and the signal has been weak these past few days. Barry has been able to get online to teach but its slow going.

Sometimes tho, something so funny and wonderful albeit a bit off color, happens and I have to share.

Yesterday afternoon when we pulled into the Wahoo River for our evening anchoring, there were two fishing boats tied stern to bow with Crown Royal in front and William Patrick snuggled up behind it, tied to its stern.
Its hard to see it in the picture but there are two boats inline.

We anchored what we thought was going to be a safe distance and courteous, leaving room for other boats coming in to anchor here later in the day/evening. If you have never anchored out like this, let me explain a little….especially when there is a tide like along the coast here , when the tide comes in and out, your boat will swing around with the tide. You have to plan ahead for it, but usually all the boats swing at the same rate at the same time so no one hits as long as the rule of thumb for length of anchor chain to let out is followed.

So we get settled and enjoy the evening and watch another sailboat and a motor yacht come in and anchor with us. About 6:30pm the tide begins its 2 a day dance and we begin to swing around. Well…..evidently the two fishing boats were not tied snugly at all, but with about 30ft of a line connecting them, so that second fishing boat, the William Patrick was a hell of a lot closer to us than was comfortable but still safe.
Or so Captain Barry kept telling me.
Then it dawned on us that the two might not swing around at the same time as we do at tide change close to midnight and as you can see from the pictures they have the outriggers with nets hanging off 25-30 feet out to the sides. I had thoughts of their nets in our rigging and horrible sounds in the middle of the night. We set our alarm to get up just before the tide changed and sort of slept a few hours. We could hear their music and even hear them talking so well that we could tell two were from Jamaica mon. Also I learned a dozen new new rap songs. Oh joy, but it did make me giggle…..laying there in bed listening to Jamaican patois and rap music all the while Barry is reassuring me that we are not too close!

When we got up at midnight, sure enough the William Patrick was very close and we had started to swing and in the dark it was hard to see if they had……so we started the engine and put her in reverse at idle and swung back away for about 15 minutes till the WP started her swing, then the Crown Royal in front of her began hers and we shut the engine off and let Ever After go ahead and swing back around too before the boats BEHIND us did their thing! Dressage….Paux de deaux on the water I guess. We went below and slept (sort of) till dawn and sure enough everyone had swung back around ok. …….now the funny part. Segue to this morning…… Im sleepy and maybe a teensy bit grouchy (in a Nice Way) from lack of slumber and acquiescing to the Captain about how we handled the situation……..so I see the fishing boat guys (how could I MISS them) stirring about and one of them comes to his stern and shouts (why is he shouting? He is so close) but their music is so loud he HAS to shout to hear himself…….about how they are going to have to back up and “will der be nuff room…mon?”

Barry was below and I suggested (I was Nice) he come up and converse with this fella since he IS the captain etc………they talked it over and nothing was decided so I suggested (I was Nice again)
that they use the VHF to communicate and I was sort of ignored……then Barry did try to hail them on the VHF but again their music was so loud they could not hear him. He went below and I got on and tried to hail both boats by name but the music…….anyway the guy came back along the side of the boat towards the stern again and ended up sitting down facing me. Music blaring, just sitting there. So I start waving the microphone of the VHF out the side cockpit window so he can see I want him to go to his VHF and talk to me. He just sits there looking my direction but not giving any indication he sees me but I KNOW he can.
Im baffled for a few minutes until I see him stir around a little doing something fidgety , then hike his pants back up, zip buckle and belt. DING DONG Sami…….poor guy was trying to take his morning constitutional and here is this woman waving the VHF microphone at him like I have something to say!
I lost it right there and fell out on the cockpit floor laughing. Barry thought I was having an episode…….it took me a while to explain……and right about then the captain of the WP came to the back of the boat and said no worries, he has two engines and can spin her out with no problems or us having to move.

The look that one guy gave me as they cruised past us was priceless.

Heading South and Groovy Lasagna

2010-10-18T05:16:00.000-07:00

Savvy Dave Opening Meet 2007

Groovy Lasagna

Baby Isaiah

Hatch Kitty

Poor Barry has been wildly busy teaching a heavy course load and working on the boat getting the mechanics ready to head South. We have really been enjoying the beautiful weather....getting up a bit earlier and wearing SOCKS!

The biggest news if you are not a FaceBook friend, you know we just had our first grandchild! Barry's son and his wife Tiffany had a little baby boy Isaiah Nickolas Shreve.

We go see him this weekend and are so excited to meet the little guy. Will have a very quick visit with friends and family and I will get to ride Pat's big horse in the Green Creek Hunter Pace as well. Also I found out on of my off the track Thoroughbreds, Savvy Dave may have a new job as the huntsman's horse for Tennessee Valley Hunt. He is one of the coolest horses I have ever owned and I'm so glad for him. I had some of my most memorable hunts riding him.....we just connected right away and he was such a nice horse to have in our little herd when we had the farm.

It will be a whirlwind trip but very cool! I can't wait to hear about Daddy's trip with the Honor Flight in DC. It sounds so wonderful and I'm looking forward to seeing all the pictures.

I have been cooking madly (no surprise) and I think I have gotten my groove back but I'm tellin' ya, cooking on a boat is still a challenge for me. I'm getting there tho and have really enjoyed learning to cook Thai. All my already favorite flavors and I'm finding if you buy ingredients in an Asian shop its about 1/4 the price of a restaurant! I made a slow cooker lasagna last weekend and it was, well....groovy! It was a low fat version and as good as any I have ever made......had a low fat bread pudding with an Amaretto carmel sauce..........SO good! Got to use up all the leftover bits of homemade bread I have been making. So life is wonderful and this weather is just such a joy. Hope it holds for our trip south at the end of the month!

Barnacle penises and why I wont save the ruined TP

2010-09-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Im afraid sometimes some of the blog entries are boring cause its been kinda boring around here lately but in a good way. Lots of reading and relaxing and writing fiction.

For example, the most exciting thing that has happened lately has been the leak that ruined almost $50 worth of TP and paper towels. We store them in the absolute driest place for storing such things and NEVER in the 4 years we have had Ever After has there been so much as ONE drop of water or condensation in this particular area.

Until of course I store all these paper products for our trip to the Abacos because as everyone knows, paper products are dear there. Keep them and dry them out you say? Well Im pretty frugal and normally I would but they were soaked with 'raw' water. NO not THAT kind of raw water .....this was water from the river........leaked from a hose that carries said water through the AC and fridge/freezer systems which wind around under the living spaces of Ever After.

Read on and you will find out why I don't want to keep them.

Evidently the 100 days of 95+ heat we had here in a row have allowed all kinds of brackish water creatures to go nuts multiplying. Mostly we are talking about barnacles. Interesting little animals. And not too picky either. But that is not all folks.......Barnacals can choose what sex to be according to where and who they end up next to............. and "compelled to mate but firmly attached, barnacles have evolved the longest penis of any animal their size. Up to 8 times their body length-so they can find and fertilize distant neighbors"

Can you imagine the conversation over that one? "You be the boy" "No YOU be the boy, I was the boy last time and kept getting my very long barnacal penis........ "

well you get the idea right? Im glad we can't hear THAT conversation.

So while its kind of hard to fault them for trying, I still don't want them or their penises fouling up our valuable paper products! Especially our cache of TP, which if the charts and Explorer books are to be believed, one really does not want to run out of.

So really Im all for romance and the Long Hot Summer but these horney little buggars are wreaking havoc.

So its off to the store again to buy more TP..........I really do lead a rather boring life. Isn't it great?

Oh....I almost forgot, now you know, given the job of TP and the nature of barnacles why Im not going to just dry out the ruined TP?

summer 2010 a quick re-cap

2010-09-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

Pat had this in her barn and I just had to take a quick cell phone picture of our wedding day!

Beths graduation dinner L-R is Andy, me Beth, Barb, Chris and Billy.

hound races at FENCE

Elaine and I at the Welcome Party The Yellow House

Beths Graduation In May

Barry and I at the hound races BBQ August 2010

It is way past time for us to update this blog. I guess FaceBook has kind of taken its place to a certain extent. Tho I find it hard to post stuff when we are just tied to the dock, still fun stuff has happened this summer. Beth graduated, then married cute cute Andy and now Chris and Tif are expecting their first child. Exciting stuff.

Inbetween, we have been working, looking at boats (more about that later) and visiting friends.

I got to attend a Green Creek Hounds event and even did a trail ride on Pat's wonderful horse Leroy. Leroy and I go way back and he is perfect for me these days because he is just such an easy ride.

We are looking forward to another visit to Boone when little boy Isiah gets here. I have been having to not buy baby clothes for him because there is another little baby boy just ahead of him and he has drawers full of cute clothes already! How nice is that?

Barry has been working online with classes and we have been doing general boat fixin' stuff. I have been cooking my brains out and eating too much as evidenced by the wedding pictures where my chest looks like two pigs wrestling under a blanket! Beth has graciously agreed to omit them from the rest. Dear sweet girl!

So now we are looking forward to Boone and I get to maybe ride in a hunter pace and see my foxhuntin buddies again soon. Here are some random pictures from this summer.

dolphins_playing.3GP

2010-05-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

dolphins_playing.3GP

more random stuff

2010-05-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Lynn and I found the perfect shop for two old Hippies!

Ok this boat needs to go! Its making us look bad. The sad thing is, the dock staff stayed late to accomodate it and got tipped a whole $3 for their trouble. Geeesh.

random stuff

2010-05-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

double rainbow this evening

2010-05-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

It was a cool and and overcast day today.....we got the tail end of the horrible flooding back west I guess. There was hardly any rain left in that storm but it did leave perfect conditions for a beautiful rainbow. Hope you enjoy the video as much as we liked the real thing.

Full Moon setting

2010-03-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

Barry snapped this photo this morning as we prepared to leave our mooring early for a long day.

Rock House Creek anchorage

2010-03-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

We are at what was our favorite anchorage on our way south last fall......this time tho, no fog or cold weather! Today was probably one of the best days we have had in a year weather-wise. It was a teeeeence cool but sunny and with a sky so blue I wanted to cry. We dingied over to the small beach area to let the dogs play and flip the dingy so we could scrape the barnicles off the bottom.

Its been on of the best days overall so far. Weather, fun with the dogs, and after the dog beach, we got them cleaned up and put them back onboard and took off to Ponce Inlet to explore. Its a very dramatic inlet and one we are familiar with as well. When we brought our boat home after buying her, we sailed 'outside' in the Gulf Stream up from Canaveral FL., but after 8 hours of me being sick, I asked the guys to come inside.....or at least just head west out of the stream. It was that bad.....anyway we ended up going into Ponce Inlet at midnight and its not an inlet that is easy on the best day in daylight! Barry was at the helm after a very long day and some seasickness as well......the rollers/current almost slammed us against the rock jetty and if he had not acted quickly, well......

So it was interesting looking at it today from a safer view. We walked along the beach and collected shells and these pictures. This poor wee little sea horse was dead....so sad.

Later we came back, rested up a bit took showers and were invited to go to one of the other boats in the anchorage for cocktails. Got to visit with Don and Margaret and of course their cat Tiller....who enjoys dingy rides and is not opposed to hopping from his dingy to your boat! Really neat feline!

We hope we have lots more days like this......we are headed out tomorrow about noon or so....will be sad to leave this beautiful place but there are so many beautiful places to see.

Hope you enjoyed these pics and videos........

Travel to Rockhouse Creek

2010-03-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely day today. A little cool but sunny on and off. The dogs caught up with their sleep and we actually did a little sailing! Tried out our new stay sail.

Low Country Hunt

2010-03-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we combined taking my car back to Port Royal and seeing our friends there, and seeing my Green Creek hunt friends. It was an amazing visit and so wonderful seeing my friends Anna and Colleen, Elaine , Deb Bundy, and Christy and making new friends as well. Seeing Anna and Colleen at Friday nights dinner at Carmines in Walterboro, actually made me cry. Tears just burst out from me. ....unexpected.

I am already in love with the Low Country, so following hounds on a fixture like Airy Hall Saturday morning was heavenly. We were invited to car follow with a whip without a horse, Scott (sorry I didnt get his last name). Scott had the back of the Suburban filled with wine, champagne and OJ.....cheese, sausage and crackers and thought ahead far enough to ask someone else to follow us who had the best Bloody Marys ever.....yum!

Then a Hunt Tea after the hunt around the pool at Airy Hall, which literally blew me away. Huge crystal bowls of mamoth size pickled shrimp, ceveche, shrimp and grits and every other southern and Low Country food......dont even get me started on the desert table! They really know how to do it right and I felt like a welcomed guest indeed!

By Saturday night I looked like I had been rode hard and put away wet, but I rallied and had a great time with our PRLM friends as well Saturday evening.

Bill Mote did his usual great job grilling steaks and Elaine Hobbs joined us from earlier in the day! She is a sailor from way back so fit in beautifully. Loved seeing our PRLM friends and especially having coffee with Bill and Lynn on their boat Sunday morning before we had to head back. Krispy Creams and strong coffee. Does it get any better?

So now we are on a schedule to leave Stuart this week and wind our way back to SC, stay a month or so and head to parts further north.

more of Hamish killing the coconut

2010-03-10T16:42:00.001-08:00

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more of Hamish killing the coconut

2010-03-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

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Hamish kills a coconut

2010-03-10T16:36:00.000-08:00

Hamish_Video.3GP

We took the dogs to the park yesterday and I found this coconut......they just fall off the trees here......and told Hamish there was a mouse in it and as you can see he tore into it!

yes another sunset but its so pretty

2010-01-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

While some of my buddies are socked it with ice and snow I thought I would share some pretty sun again.

When the sun sets, the moon takes advantage.

2010-01-28T16:08:00.000-08:00

I think these are some of the best shots.....they almost look painted they are so 'soft' I was sitting there watching the sunset and turned around and the moon was saying "hey!" The sunset lit the moonrise......kinda cool.

sunset Jan 24th

2010-01-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

I always have to just get these things posted because so often I wait for them to load and then I get kicked off!
The sunset was beautiful tonigh and we had such a nice afternoon listening to some good live music.
I wish I had something less boring than that like catching a big fish or saving someone's life but its just been nice and warm and wonderful.

sunset light on the water

2010-01-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

Ever After

2010-01-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

2010-01-21T16:42:00.000-08:00

2010-01-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

sunset Jan 21, 2010

2010-01-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

Wednesday Jan 20

2010-01-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

Dont really need to add to these do I?

2010-01-20T16:01:00.000-08:00

2010-01-20T16:00:00.002-08:00

2010-01-20T16:00:00.001-08:00

2010-01-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

no words necessary

2010-01-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

The cold spell, and warmer weather!

2010-01-18T15:58:00.000-08:00

Leave it to us to arrive in Florida just in time for the record breaking 13 days in a row freeze. With a broken heater.......not to worry they rigged the heater to get by till the correct part could come in and we were cozy most of the time. We do not like to run the generator all night, so we warmed it up as best we could but woke up about 3 am most mornings and turned her on! It does not take long to warm up our cabin and we pulled all the blankets out! I even absconded with Gypsy's blanket one night!

Its over now and the days are longer, warmer and sunnier! Florida is the place to be in the winter.
For boaters and horse people. My friends Leon and Deb Gerard are here and my lifelong friend Penny came down for the winter with her hubby and a horse.......Alfie. Alfie is kept at the same barn as Leon's horse Maestro. I have made two trips so far and plan to make as many as possible in the next 6-8 weeks. I might even ride. Yep!

The marina life is good. The place was literally full when we got here. We were lucky to get one of the last mooring balls left out of...80 or so I think. Last year the city added docks and a lovely area for cruisers. The word got around and its loaded. There are three nights a week where they have Meet and Greets for the boaters. Everyone brings a dish and talk. There are mostly sail boaters but many trawler folks too. LOTS of smart Canadians.....Ill bet half the boats here fly the Canadian flag.

Its a blast to sit and listen to the talk of smaller groups. Talk of bad weather, rough crossings, great anchorages and the best way to get to the Bahamas or Bimini! Boat talk, diesel talk, generators and windlass's.

We have met so many interesting people. One couple in their 70's have been doing this cruising thing full time for 17 years! They lived in the Med for 8 years! Turkey, Paris, Italy, London!!! All in their sailboat about the size of ours. Turkey! All I can think about Turkey is Midnight Express....that movie. But they say its top of the list of favorites. Beautiful, cheap, clean, great friendly people, lots of things to do ashore and easy to get around. Who'd a thought?

Then another Swedish couple who have sailed all up around north in Sweden and over to here. Hell I think Im hot sh** because we went from the Chesapeake to Stuart!

Anyway, Barry is teaching twice as many classes as normal, so he is busy but that comes in handy with two kids getting married this year.

Casey passed his big test and is set to graduate in March. The test was a NREMT, National Registry Emergency Med Tech. So now he is officially an EMT. Next phase may be to go on to OCS if he qualifies and then to become a PA. Im so proud of him. It is not an easy test and he has been busting his butt to do well. His unit graduates March 5th.

Anyway.........the dogs and cat and Sami and Barry are happy cruisers just twirling out here on our mooring ball. Also......I learned how to drive the dingy. A good thing to know.

Life in Stuart and Wellington.....Sunset Bay Marina

2010-01-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Back to the basics

2010-01-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

Me and Alfie.....He is SO handsome!

Hurrah! Can I just tell you how wonderful it was to get in the car on a pretty day and drive 'to the barn' which I have not done in a long long time Im here to tell ya. Blue Marlin Farm is where Leon keeps his horse Maestro and Penny moved her horse Alfie, from Nashville for the winter. Pen and I only had a few hours but it was so much fun and Im looking forward to spending a lot of time 'at the barn' the next few weeks!

Today I was able to learn how to drive the dingy by myself! We finally got the outboard fixed and I can start it and we dingied around for a while.....took the garbage out, visited a sick friend....brought them chicken cutlets for dinner....OH and we moved to a new mooring ball closer to the dock. I should get better WiFi connection and its a much shorter ride to the dock. I scrubbed the decks this afternoon and just loved being outside.

Lynn and Bill's ivsit

2010-01-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

Lynn and Bill Murray visited for two days just after Christmas Day. We had an absolute blast!

this says it all

2010-01-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

Its been cold most places in the US but poor Florida has been hit hard and it just does not seem fair!

This is how Barry and I had to dress going to and from the boat Saturday afternoon and then later after the pitch in dinner at the marina boaters lounge Saturday night. It was not overkill believe me! I was still cold going way out to our mooring ball that night in choppy water and 15mph winds! But we were laughing and good sports nonetheless.

Its supposed to warm up a bit this week. We sure hope so!!! The people in this picture are of a great couple we met here at Sunset Bay Marina. Rod and Susie have been all over in their sailboats including Paris, Italy, Turkey and of course the Bahamas and South America.

from cocoa beach to Vero

2009-12-20T16:34:00.000-08:00

random shots

2009-12-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

St Augustine Municipal Marina......etc

2009-12-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

We pulled into the marina Friday afternoon....bad weather was supposed to get us but so far its just some rain, tho it is starting to build up a bit and more boats are coming in, including one named c\:esc Get it? Anyway we probably came in one day too early because the weather guys got it wrong again. Its just now raining and noon on Saturday. We didnt want to be at anchor in a bad storm when we could be tied to a dock in here. Been there done that and this is more fun. I am sitting in a pitted out boat tho because I want to take advantage of good WiFi and get this blog caught up! I thought the video clips would load faster than they are......Gypsy is up in the cockpit now with me trying to get some sunshine and there just is not any. Has not been much for a week at least. She is going to try to sneak out of the cockpit soon I just know it.She is fascinated with water....except the water we put out for her which is usually freshly filtered and she wont touch. She has taken to sneaking out on deck and lapping up whatever water collects there. Oh and anything in a glass especially if its red. She loves to chase ice cubes and will lick at one till its gone. Silly Tulsa cat! Such good company and the dogs respect her.

Im listening to Sirus classic vinyl. They are playing some great music. Traffic, CSNY, Hendrix, CCR,Yardbirds, Aeorsmith, Beatles White Album, Moody Blues LINDA SPENCE!!!!!!great stuff. Listen to the tide slowly turning....

The mess in this photo is of the reconstruction of the Bridge of Lions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_Lions ) just before you get to the municipal marina here. Click on the link to see what it looked like before they started restoration. Actually it is a beautiful bridge or will be when they finish......in 2010 hopefully. In the meantime the big iron looking thing is a lift bridge which opens on demand. You radio to them and say abracadabra and it opens......sort of! You can see the draw part of the old bridge which is permanently open while they work on it. They will just dismantle the new one once the old one is finished.

We actually looked a buying a boat moored out here a few years ago and they were just starting the process on the bridge.

The sailboat in the foreground is one we anchored out with last week. They have two kids on board and we got to listen to them giggling and the older one climbing on the rigging like a monkey! You can see her in the above picture on the main boom standing. She was all OVER that thing!

We e-mailed them the pictures....ya know its seldom you get a picture of your own boat going along!

Exciting sailing....and hunting! So much alike!

2009-12-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

I have discovered that riding and sailing are very alike. The boat must be finessed and cajoled sometimes like a good horse. It must be done right, yet sometimes each is very forgiving in its own way. Thankfully. It does seem our boat is alive. She protects us and we take care of her, this old girl. We officially got her declared as an Antique Vessel this month. They do not make them like this anymore. Overbuilt and like a tank and tho we cant go very fast, we get there safely. Remember when they used to build cars better?

Anyway.....

Today was a doozie! After a nice but busy day at Golden Isles Marina we had a great meal ( see above...Barry's huge and delicious burger...I had Thai!) at Coastal Kitchen......rather more upscale than it sounds. We started out about 9am and went through 2 sounds. The winds were really strong and the waves eventually got to 4-5 ft but were not rolling us side to side so we were pretty comfy.....tho Hamish stuck to me like glue. Poor thing does not like big wave action and as you can see in the picture, wedged himself between the cowling and me and stayed there! Its all pretty exciting and if you saw my post on FB I said it was like foxhunting and the hounds are 'on' a scent and screaming along and you are galloping at breakneck speed for an hour and no way are you getting this horse to stop. The jumps are huge and the footing is wet but damn its great to be alive!
Speaking of hunting Im posting a picture of fellow Bad Girl Carla with her good horse '41' who I am happy to report is back hunting at the ripe old age of 23 sound again after some pretty serious injuries this past year or so.........

We saw several other sailboats and a couple of odd motor yachts but other than that it was pretty much just us out today.

It was pretty warm and I even got to go up on the bow for quite a while and enjoy some sunshine on my legs and face. We did end up running into some fairly bad weather but it was brief. Dolphins were surfing on those 4ft waves out ahead of us. Somehow I feel better when I see dolphins hanging around with us. The Coast Guard kept announcing over CH16 that there is a Northern Atlantic Right Whale and to steer clear of it and not go within 500 yards....evidently there are only300 left in the world and most are killed in collisions with big boats. Especially the cows with calves since they stay near the surface.

Im having a terrible time with Face Book and computers in general. Mine is toast. I can not access FB from Barrys computer but can on my BlackBerry but on a limited basis. Im so frustrated! If anyone knows why I can not access all areas on FB from Barry's computer please tell me! I cant post a thing on it or read mail or multiple comments.

I have to wait till Barry is done teaching to get on his computer and usually by that time Im tired!
Right now Im waiting for my pictures to download so I can post them here along with some video. I was going to post some from FB but, again I cant.......not sure why. Its like it does not recognize Barry's computer but Im all signed in etc......weird.

Update...my computer is fixed! I dont know if it self medicated or what but I turned it on just for the hell of it and it worked!

some sunrises and after a storm shots

2009-12-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

We are at Golden Isles marina tonight. i got a bunch of laundry done, went to the grocery store (Tweeter Deeter Mom!) and we just had a very good meal at Coastal Kitchen which is an upscale restaurant here at the marina.....Really wonderful fare......

If its not too bad tomorrow weather wise we will leave tomorrow and try to make about 35 miles......near Jacksonville hopefully!

December 6th Moon River to Wahoo River Anchorage

2009-12-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

Well I had a wonderful LONG post all ready to share and the computer froze up.
Im pissed and tired.

The big story was this morning a pod of dolphin came righ tup to the boat while I was 'walking' Hamish.
Two youngsters rolled on their sides to get a better look at us and we had eye contact! it was cool..

Good night.

Saturday Dec 5th....Bull Creek to Moon River

2009-12-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

We are safely anchored at the mouth of Moon River off Skidamore River. Not my favorite anchorage so far but reasonably out of the way. We made about 30 miles today and hope we make 40 or so tomorrow. Next year we are leaving before Thanksgiving. Its just going to be nicer weather that way. Its cold and windy so I doubt many evening boaters will be out tonight. Barry is in he galley making dinner.

Today I remembered why we are doing this. I learned that Campbell's Tomato Soup .....or should I say remembered that it cures most evils including a dreary day because right after lunch the sun came out and tho it was still cold, it was pretty and we were inside of our Isinglass enclosure! The dogs have settled into a rhythm again and sleep most of the day. They squatted and hiked so fast again and I was reminded that it is the little things that matter. Potty-ing the dogs has not been an easy process to work out! We listened to music and NPR and just the puttering of the motor too.

Barry thought he was getting sick tho I think he is better now. Something sure smells good and I can see him from here whomping up dinner!

December 4th our first day sailing south

2009-12-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

We left PRLM about 10:30 this morning. All went well getting away and thru the day as well. It was a bit chilly but we zipped up the enclosure 'curtains' and were fairly comfy. My legs got a little cold but tomorrow I will fix that if its as cold.....and its supposed to be.
We had dolphins all around us as we got closer to Port Royal Sound and several beautiful shrimping boats working hard to fill their nets. There were so many sea birds, dolphins and my favorite....pelicans. Lee Hubby.......shut up and you know why! Pelicans are such throw backs to
dinosaurs. Pterodactyls. Those flying monsters who put fear in the hearts of the biggest dinosaur rats!
Kind of like Hamish right? Speaking of Hamish....boy has he learned to tinkle fast when I walk him
up on the bow! Today he hiked his leg on thin air on the forward hatch and peed away. Phoenix squatted right where she was supposed to on the little throw rug! Good dogs!!!! Then our new and improved deck wash rinses off dog pee as well as pluff mud from the anchor chain! All the icky stuff goes overboard!

For lunch we had homemade raisin bread, peanut butter and apple sandwiches. YUM

Tonight we are safely on the hook in Bull Creek with a few other sailboats. I sure hope our new anchor light is working. Its so hard to see from the deck! We have already had our light dinner and Im watching Dr Oz! Our over the air antenna works great most of the time! Gotta love that right?
Its cozy and warm below and we have not even had the heat on!

Gypsy's Hidy Hole....new place to sleep

2009-12-04T06:02:00.000-08:00

Not that she does not have the run of the boat......but this is her special new place to hide out.

so this cubby is usually filled with my stuff....which I got rid of. It normally has a good looking wood cover. She investigated about 10 seconds after emptied it and I thought it made a great place for her to have for her very own, so I put a cushy blanket in there and voila!
2 seconds ago ·

Finally....we sail in the morning

2009-12-03T12:04:00.001-08:00

Well we might not actually 'sail' tomorrow but maybe. The weather kept us from leaving Tuesday but tomorrow and the next few days look pretty good so.......we head south. We took my car to Leon and Debs and they are kindly letting us keep in in the driveway of their beautiful house. We are so excited for them because its just such a lovely home......it needs some TLC but they are starting with quite a nice canvas! We could fit our whole boat in the kitchen/family room combo.......and at night, the pool looks like its going to take off, or that a UFO has landed in it. Very sexy!

The trip down and back was torture but its done and now my little Honda is there waiting for us once we get to Stuart. Looking around me right now Im not sure how we are going to get it all done before tomorrow but we will. Its not like I cant come below and continue any project of stowing properly......

We will average 25-35 miles a day if going south is anything like going north. We will miss our friends here at PRLM to be sure and will look forward to seeing them again in spring!

So I will try to keep up daily with adding the updates..........and pictures.

Thanksgiving 2009!

2009-11-27T14:03:00.001-08:00

Tootsie

Rilely

Leo

Mother and Daddy came for a visit. It was so much fun to have them. We had some great food on Thursday and then breakfast at Blackstones........we have to stop eating!!!! They brought their cute little dogs, Riley the Yorkie and Tootsie the Dachaund. They thought the boat was COOL!!

Hamish Kills a Rat!!!!!!

2009-11-21T08:08:00.000-08:00

This is what JRT's live for. This morning I lifted Hamish up the companionway steps for our morning outing.

Right away he got on a scent line of something 'went to ground' behind the cockpit cushions/chair back.

For a second I was afraid it was a lost pigeon or the neighbors cat Vinny (but he likes Vinny) but then he came back out of the hole with his prize still alive but not by much.....and I screamed like a little girl.

I am so ashamed but have never liked being surprised by vermin of any kind. Barry talked me down off the mast (kidding) and by then Hamish had gotten off the boat with his quarry in mouth. He has only gotten off the boat without permission one other time.....see Hamish Jumps Ship from an earlier post.

He tritty trotted down the dock head held high with his prize and I calmly called him back with a high pitched

"good bouy Hamish" and he turned right around and came back and dropped the now very dead thing at my feet, tail wagging faster than light. He has caught up with field mice and an occational lizzard but this was a true rat. note: I like dead vermin better than live....

I could not have been be prouder, and called over to Kelly one of the dock hands to Come see and Witness Hamish's Greatness. And to tell all seagoing folk of his prowess and bravery. Oh and how freekin' cute he is.

I feel like my kid hit a homerun with bases loaded in the world series but for Hamish its just what a JRT lives for. Nothing more.

So now all will be told and Hamish will be famous.......my snugly sweet little JRT who loves everyone and everything except other dogs ,..........and rats.

I see your frog there and what's it for?

2009-09-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

In Georgetown I sat down to pee. Eye to eye with this little one inch long tree frog. He was so cute and scared and trying to blend in and be invisible. We are not sure how he got in but the screen in the head porthole was open a bit and he snuck in but where from who knows?

We caught him and let him go up in the bushes next to the water but caught this pic before we did...........

So it comes full circle again. One day while staying in Middleburg on a Bad Girls Tour at a TB training barn (pool to swim the horses) and there was a very quiet guy there....barely said a word to us until one day when Carla had the dressing room door to her trailer open and there hung a frog bottle opener. Kind of a long fancy one on lanyard if I remember correctly. After a minute he came over and in a cute little Irish lilt said......."I see your frog there...and what's it for?"

So THEN John and Carla got this funky looking white African something or other frog who lived in a cool coffee table aquarium. His name was Frank. Frank was just kind of funky looking and didnt do much except look wierd. Well one day they got Frank a MRS. Frank and guess what Frank did? He started SINGING. Carla and John were as surprised as could be but loved that he was so happy and said to Frank "Sing frog SING!"

Charleston and a regatta

2009-09-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

As you would expect Charleston has some unbleieveable homes right on the water. Im sure these pictures do not do them justice.
The homes on Johns Island were........just huge and on big plots of land with these VERY long docks. Palacial actually. It was where we saw most of the dolphins we saw today and was very pretty.....these homes were set so far back off the water, but still on the water, I did not even bother taking pictures because you would not get the idea....they would look like specs but they certainly were not.

Dolphins

2009-09-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

Its not the greatest quality.....and ya have to be patient. We saw a lot of dolphins today. Lost count actually. SC has so much marine life.

We got grounded on a sand bar today where there was supposed to be 19ft of water. I had overshot our turn off and then Barry took the helm for his turn so we were coming in from the other direction and he cut a corner but like I said it was supposed to have 19ft of water. It didnt.

It went from 10ft to nothing in a split second. We had to put the jib and mainsail and wait for the tide to come in for about an hour and finally the wind, sails, and tide carried us off the bar and into fairly deep water. OH plus there was ONE crab pot in the whole area and of course we ended up 3 feet from it....from our prop! So we had to really watch that too...... We handled it and had a nice little rest while we waited for more water.

Charleston as always was beautiful and full of boats and regattas. Ill add video of one race we happened by as soon as I can. It takes forever to upload to this blog.....even short videos take forever unless I have a really fast connection.

We are at our last anchorage for this trip which was also our first anchorage. Its a beautiful quiet spot and I hope we will visit it again next year. This has been such a fantastic, relaxing, exciting trip. We met so many nice folks and laughed every day. We are looking forward to the next few months at Port Royal Landing Marina and being with our friends there. Then on to Florida for the winter....not sure exactly where yet and there are so many choices.

9 knots

2009-09-18T17:01:00.001-07:00

Last week we had the current AND wind with us and did 9 knots! Pretty dern good for our old Perkins 50hp engine! Pushing this heavy old boat....and that was without sails up.

Shrimp boats and sail boats

2009-09-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

2009-09-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

2009-09-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

this place is for sale....small but managable and on the water!

2009-09-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

2009-09-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

2009-09-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

2009-09-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

2009-09-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

2009-09-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

2009-09-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

2009-09-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

2009-09-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

Town Creek in Beaufort NC to Mile Hamock NC

2009-09-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

clips and more clips

2009-09-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

clips and more clips

2009-09-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

Plastic Dinosaurs and Deputy Dawg

2009-09-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

Sept 8th
Oh boy what a day! We knew we had to go through the Albermarle Sound. We got to Coinjock yesterday afternoon and I think I told you it has this really great restaurant. REALLY great prime rib. We got cocktails, buffalo shrimp for appetizers and each of us got 15oz prime rib...a huge piece each but they also serve a 32 oz!! Anyway, its not just a big portion, its a really well cooked prime rib with real au jus and a properly prepared baked potato. A really nice crisp salad with great blue cheese dressing and a dreamcicle cake for dessert! I cant tell you how wonderful it is to eat like that after a couple of days underway. We have enough leftovers to get us to Charleston!!!

Anyway, there is this big 'not a tropical' system I told you about that blew through but left some strong winds so we were going to wait to go across the Alb. Sound till Wednesday but we rechecked the weather and saw that the wind was going to be behind us and the rain was pretty much gone. So we headed out about 11am after topping off water tanks......and the sound itself was fine and we made 6 knots without the sails up. I was so relieved once we got to the 2/3rd way marker! But I got too excited too fast I guess because as we left the sound a storm blew up on us....the winds picked up even stronger as we approached the anchorage we decided on.........it took us a long time to motor over to it because we had turned back into the wind to try to get to the back side of land.....but it was just so icky....anyway we dropped anchor after dodging crab pots right and left and the anchor held but after
10 minutes we decided we would be miserable worrying about the anchor dragging all night and looked for the next nearest marina.

Alligator River Marina was only 4 miles on and on this side of the swing bridge (which was not opening because it was such lousy weather!). We hailed them and they had room for us so we booked it for them......dodging the FREEKING crab pots everywhere..... and trust me after Barry diving in perfect weather the other night to get the fouled prop untangled from a line......this is not weather we wanted to get a prop fouled on some SOB's crab pot line!!

Hell we could barely stand up once we turned and the wind was on us broadside.......I HATE crab pots. And these guys are not supposed to set them in the channel but they do......the channel is for boats to navigate safely but we dodge crab pots every day right in the middle of the channel.

I might start a grass root movement encouraging boaters to drag pots off or hook them, cut the lines and let the crabbers figure it out for themselves.....just the ones in the channel tho.

Anyway we didn't have far to go but once we turned west just before the bridge, to get to the marina the wind was at us broadside and VERY uncomfortable. Thank goodness Barry is the smartest man alive and went out to set up the fenders and dock lines before we turned west. We could not see a thing and had never gone into this marina which in good weather for beginners like us is always stressful. It was just a few more minutes to the marina but EVERYTHING on Barrys navigation station ended up on the floor. A quick note here that everYTHING I stowed stayed put!! I learned my lesson from that first horrible Alb. Sound crossing last spring. We still have too much stuff......Ill put more in storage when we get back to PRLM.

So back to our story, we called the marina and got this deadpan womans voice. She gave us directions how to get to the marina and of course we could not see a thing but she assured us begrudgingly that once we got closer we could see fine.

'Oh.....just come through the two jetties and....oh god there are TWO jetties we have to slip through?

Then she gave us some funky thing to do that made no sense because once we got safely thru the jetties and yes it had instantly calmed down and we could see and that horrible side to side rocking had stopped......there was the beautiful calm little marina. But she had told us to turn left behind the building and there was no where to turn left behind the building so I called her back and she said
“Oh did I say left? Just pull up on the face dock but no one will be there to catch a line because its rainin'”

So you know what this means right? Sami gets control of the helm so Barry can jump out off the boat and tie us.......we have these cool head sets so we can quietly talk to each other and not have to yell when we anchor. We call them marriage savers and they are. We can calm each other down or give instructions and I recommend them highly. Anyway this one of of my first times bringing the boat in and I was brilliant.

We got it tied off and the Marina Unhappy Woman came over the VHS on ch 16 and said “Yall are gwin to have tu pull the up up further” But I ignored her and we stayed put.

Remember its still raining like crazy and Barry is already sopping wet. Once we got settled in I told him to chill and I would go up to the marina office and pay for the night. So I don my rain gear and boogie up. This is one of those places....a Shell station actually that just happens to back up to this fairly nice new marina docks......so its a gas station plus a few groceries and deli.....anyway she comes over and I smile the big Sami Smile few can ignore but she does.

So I say....”Hi how ya doin'?” …....ok when I say Deputy Dawg........a human woman Deputy Dawg, thats what I want you to picture ok?........and she says “Im fine” and I say “are you sure?” and I think she has not been hugged or kissed in 35 years......I desperately want to run back to the boat and get some of my estrogen for her.......honestly its the first thing I thought of after Deputy Dawg......so I tell her Id like to pay for this evening and she says........"We don't take checks and finally smiles a little.

She is tickled inside that I have to walk back to the boat in the rain and get the credit card, but I wont let her know that bothers me one bit and I say cheerfully, “Oh Ok.......I want you to meet my husband anyway and what smells so good in here? Is that fried chicken?” and I just walk out.........I think she mumbled something about closing at 8........but I know she is thinking how she is going to kill herself soon. Maybe she has already tried because her wrist and hand are bandaged, but later she tells me she burned herself but I do not believe her. I think she got it handling a snake last Sunday in church. Poor snake.

So I head back to the boat and Barry is finishing tyeing up and plugging our shore power in. I said “They don't take checks and you gotta come in a see this woman for yourself” So we get his wallet and walk back up to the office and she pulls out this form......and asked questions like we were trying to borrow money from her or something but she was bored at the same time like this was the billionth time she had to fill out this form and was going to die when she was through with us. Poor poor woman.

I think I will leave her some estrogen in a little envelope tomorrow morning and tell her they are magic and if she takes them she will grow a personality. And then maybe someone will hug her.
Maybe I will leave her a plastic dinosaur. So she will maybe keep it in her pocket and when she remembers its there she will remember not to take herself too seriously. my friend Carla discovered this..........Yes I will. I hope she wont hit me. Maybe Ill just leave it with the estrogen in an envelope and a note saying Do Not Open Till Thursday.

Anyway we are here safe and sound and Im so happy we are tied to a dock. And we have not lost a day of traveling and its only going to get better. Also Im turning into a sailor and doing stuff like this is the only way one can learn right? Barry took a Tylenol PM and I may do the same tho I think Ill sleep safely tonight for sure.
More tomorrow......I will load pictures tomorrow....

Sept 7th

2009-09-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

September 7
Today was fun tho the wind was 20knots and 3ft waves it was not bad. It only took us about 4 hours to cross the Carituck Sound and get thru the storm. I was actually at the helm for the worst part of the storm. I did really well. We are in Coinjock Marina now. Today was just a half day sailing. We did two in a row that were 10++ hour days. And I told you about last night!! See Sept 6. What a nightmare which did turn out alright tho.

Its VERY peaceful and quiet and nice in a country sort of way here at this marina. They have an absolute kick ass restaurant, so we enjoyed our lunch after three days of eating very light, which we seem to do while underway. For example all I had yesterday was a tiny bit of canned chicken with some mayo and onion in it, then for dinner some tomato soup and a half a kaiser roll. Add an apple or piece of fruit and thats about all we ever eat when we are moving. But hell, we more than make up for it when we get to a marina and it seems we plan those stops according to what we can eat while we are there!! We have a huge stack of paper menu's from places we go or pass!

I should weigh 300lbs.

He (Barry) was exhasted last night but had to work teaching for a few hours even after a 10+ hour day and diving on the boat to free the fouled prop and anchoring in the dark!!! We are trying to figure out how to get to the Bahamas this winter. its just a day sail in good weather from Ft Pierce FL......and I have found out most marinas have WiFi but staying at a marina week in and week out gets expensive. We may just stay 4 days a week and anchor out and sail around the other three to save $$, tho this is pretty cheap living. Our fuel costs are very low because we are sail power and our diesel is an old 50hp Perkins that sips fuel.......now, we cant go fast but we dont really want to. Its the journey.
So Im just chillin' this afternoon with the cat sitting next to me while I write this.

Ok gotta go top off our fuel tanks and pump out the holding tank(poop).......then top off water tanks and we are all set.
ps the engine didnt want to start last night because it was still hot.......we learned something new, because its done that before when we were going thru Camp LeJune when they were doing live fire drills in the ICW and we had to stop and drop anchor for an hour!!!

Sept 6 WARNING Sami says the F word in the video clip

2009-09-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

I added pics, clips and edited some of this Monday afternoon......

Sunrise in the anchorage Sunday morning

Norfolk, ICW
Sunday afternoon

Wow what a day. We left our anchorage at dawn this morning. We traveled until almost dark. About 65 miles which is a LOT when you think about going 6 knots!! Anyway it was an absolutely glorious day. Perfect temps perfect water.......lots of crazies out because its Labor Day weekend so several skiers tried to commit suicide on our boat but that is getting to be normal. I will never understand why adults think its necessary to drive their boats as fast as they can in crowded waters.......I like to go fast. I understand power and why guys like power and going fast and loud noise. But figure out a time and a place for it. NOT in a crowded harbor with boats going back and forth and barges and container ships and sailboats criss crossing. I like to ride fast powerful horses but not at everyone else's expense.

I took this video of one family blissfully pulling their 12 year old daughter skiing along in a narrow ICW canal which is famous for stumps and dead heads.....you have to stay in the middle of the channel......or at least we do because we draw almost 6 feet under us. So here comes this ski boat going fast enough to pull this little girl skier and she is going right towards us. There was about 10 feet between us and her as they passed.
Dont even get me started on the boat full of teens stopped in the....you guessed it middle of the ICW
mugging and goofing around with us coming up on them and we had not where to go......they finally noticed us and moved back a little. They were oblivious seriously.
Anyway when we finally did reach the anchorage, we got a line fouled around the prop and with 45 minutes of daylight left....barely....Barry got his wet suit on got in the water with our air compressor going and octopus breather in his mouth and unfouled the prop. We were like a finely tuned machine working together to get it done before it got too dark......because guess where WE were? Yep in the middle of the channel....in front of a bridge dead in the water and if a barge were to come through which they do at night we would be dead. Anyway we got the prop unfouled and the engine would not start......we could not believe it. Barry did all the things he knew to do but it still would not start.

So we called Boat US for them to come tow us into Coinjock.......after we got that all figured out and they were on their way.......sort of, we tried the engine again and it started. So we puttered our way across the ICW in the dark , cancelled Boat US, and dropped anchor again out of the way this time......a lot more went into this but all in all we rose to the occasion. Its been a long day.
warning....turn the sound down if there are kids around

this one is of the kid skiing 10 ft from our boat...no cussing on this one.

And were OFF!

2009-09-05T15:41:00.001-07:00

We left at 7:30 this morning and are at anchor as of 5pm.....in Poquosam or something like that river. It was a beautiful day..... we sailed and motored and made about 6 knots all day! We actually got further than we thought we would which is good because tomorrow is the lock and then a tricky bridge......then Norfolk. All kinda tricky stuff because Norfolk is going to be wild tomorrow I imagine it being Labor Day weekend and all. We will get up as early as sunrise and get the show on the road so we can get the choice anchorages. Barry is calling Coinjock right now to make sure we have a slip overnight on Monday before we cross the Albermarl Sound. Keep your fingers crossed its a hell of a lot more quiet than it was going north.

All I can think about is getting to SC on time so I can get inthe car in time to drive to Ft Knox to see my son for one day before he goes on to AIT in San Antonio.....a very cool city by the way. Will maybe make the graduation from that as well and do a little River Walk!! Especially in springtime when wild flowers go on for miles and miles.

Anyway we are rocking gently on the hook tonight.......somewhere

New plan

2009-09-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Well if the marine forecast stays the same, we will leave in the weeeee hours of Saturday morning. Our padding of days to get to SC is dwindling fast. If I do not make my son's graduation from National Guard (Army) boot camp Im going to be one unhappy momma.
Plan now is to just dock and rent a car if we have to no matter where we are, and drive to Ft Knox.
Its a plan.....you know what God thinks of plans wee mortals make right?

So today I play with Dianes new puppy, bike to the grocery store and maybe hop into the gourmet food shop on the way back.

Im not looking forward to any choppy water but Im ready to get underway. Its never to have to be somewhere on a date when you live on a boat and are at the mercy of Neptune and Mother Nature.

Always a Silver Lining

2009-09-02T08:16:00.001-07:00

Its so hard to take a good picture of a black dog.....gotta have the right lighting, but isnt she a doll?

sleeping with her head on a chair base

One good thing about having to wait to leave is.....we got to see and play with Diane's new puppy. Diane is the Dock Master here. She also shows and breeds high quality Akita's. Her new puppy

came in on the red eye yesterday morning from the fires and smoke in California........no name yet tho her registered name is Kari On........and it might end up being Kari, but will wait to see. Diane said even after her long flight, she came out of the crate bouncing and happy and show ring ready. A good sign. We got to play with her this morning in beautiful sunlight and a delicious breeze.......the same breeze kicking up 4ft waves in the bay and 20knot winds......but making a glorious day here.

Change of Plans

2009-09-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

Evidently a LP system blew in and there are 4ft waves and 20knot winds in the bay......setting our departure day back to possibly Friday instead. Sucks, but such is the life on the water. Mother Nature makes the decisions for us and we abide. We are here without a car now, but the trolley begins running Thursday at 3pm and we have bikes. Normally it would not bother me but Im anxious to get back so we can get to Ft Knox........ackack.

Oulalala !!! Indeed....lunch with Paula

2009-08-30T17:43:00.001-07:00

My friend Paula Cortner was visiting some of her MS colleagues in Virginia Beach so I decided to drive down and join her for lunch on the beach. It was a great lunch and we had so much fun aftwards doing some turbo shopping. Paula and her husband Mark are charter members of The Greater Tulsa Area Semi-Gourmet Serious Fun Dinner Club formed oh so many years ago. Its still together and I sure miss the group.

I drove on to Port Royal where Barry and I met up and spent the weekend with our friends and dropped off our car so it will be there for us when we return in a few weeks. Then we will go to Ft. Knox for Family Day with Casey! We are looking forward to the trip back south on the ICW and then head west for a week or so....

People are so nice...

2009-08-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

People are so cool. Especially older ones. Some boaters came in earlier this afternoon just for a short stop. They remembered Murphys Drug store and wanted to go get something to drink.....its an old fashioned drug store anyway I mentioned they have great rootbeer floats. They had to walk there....a short walk up to town. Well don't you know they came back with RB floats for myself, Barry and Lewis todays dock master. I know it was the older guy.......he reminded me of my sweet Dad......he would do something like that too! Made my day.

Jean Leaves us sad......

2009-08-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

Barry and Jean after docking Po Chang

Jean below throwing off the lines.......

Barry (at the bow)was first mate on the short trip up Urbanna Creek for Po Chang's haul out.

Monday we helped our friend Jean move his boat Po Chang up the creek so it could be demasted and then hauled out in preparation for it being shipped first to the west coast then on to Malaysia some where......to be determined. We meet good folks along our way and sometimes make great friends we know we will stay friends with forever. Jean is one of them. We will miss him sorely. Barry has been going around speaking with a French accent and in the little bit of the language he actually knows....and saying Ooo Lala. The cat loves it and of course I laugh and think we are going to be doing this french accent thing for a long time to come. I hope we left Jean with some good Sami colloquialisms. Like 'chicken one day and feathers the next' (thanks Penny).

DC and the Smithsonian......sort of

2009-08-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to say I have been looking forward to this forever.

It would have been great but it was not. It was a 2.5 hour drive to get there. No big deal.....but once we got there (and we drove right to it) it took over another hour to find a place to park. NO spaces, lots full and at one point we ended up at Regan National Airport asking how to get out of Regan National Airport. We saw others making really dangerous U-turns because evidently THEY were also lost.....but I digress. Eventually we did find a parking space with a meter. A 2 hour meter. Well we could come back out and feed it again....ooops guess what? NO change. We got together about a dollar but that only got us 15 minutes. No kidding. So I did the fast walk into one of the closest museums only a block away, got searched, had to walk down several flights of stairs, the thru what turned out to be the coolest part of the trip.....moving sidewalks thru a tube like tunnel with little white lights......that led to the food area where a very nice woman gave me what I thought would be enough to get us the 2 hour limit. I fast walked all the way back to the car, fed another $3 into the meter and got a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes. Its by this time raining.....grab the umbrella...... F...It. Lets go.....we walked about another 4 blocks to the right museum.......and I learned a few things. First of all I learned I still dislike rubbing elbows with the unwashed masses. I love people. You know I do......but loud mouth, stroller pushing rude parents of misbehaved snot nosed rude children I do not enjoy. People were sneezing and coughing right and left and if I did get close to one of the exhibits I was excited to see, there was so much filth on the glass I could scarcely see. I saw the Hope Diamond for about 3 seconds and even it looked dirty......I did see some 20carat natural yellow diamonds I did like.....earrings. Beautiful but I had to push a kid out of the way to see them.........then put my elbows out to block his siblings. For some reason their mother thought it necessary to talk at the top of her lungs about inane things but showed absolutely no stress about her three snotty nose miners.

I could not wait to get the hell out of there. Who knew I was such a snob? My friend Penny had a friend who used to tie her kids arms to the high chair when she fed them so they would stay cleaner. I used to thing that was pretty severe but now I think how many fewer boogers would end up on places YOU have to touch if we did this more often especially in public places. I think we should consider this as a new law.

The good news is we found an Uno Chicago Grill and had some great pizza tho our waitress was Bi=Polar (she told us this upfront) and would not stop talking to us....tho she did say she thought I looked 40 so she must have something going for her!

When we went to Jamestown, one of the skeletons was out to loan to....you guessed it The Smithsonian so we got to see it......and you know they are right...you see one really skinny guy....you have seen them all.

So Barry took this shot of the Capitol Dome from his rear view mirror. I did like driving around seeing the sites from my airconditioned car. It was 90 degrees. You cant get close enough to the White House to see it from a car.....THANKS terriorists.

Anyway we ran into some really serious weather on the way home....some trees down and scary straight winds.....and really interesting clouds.

Middleburg

2009-08-10T09:51:00.001-07:00

We had lunch at The Red Horse.......was ok. Meant to go to The Red Fox but ended up here. The trip was great. We loved seeing our friends Liz and Chuck again. We met some of their friends who sail andor hunt so there was lots to talk about indeed.

We had a great time and I threw a leg over a nice quiet QH mare who needed to shake out the cobwebs as well. The weather stayed decent for us on Saturday. I was also able to connect with some hounds tho it was way too hot to take hounds out even for roading. Liz and Chuck have two German Sheppards....Anna and uh oh....forgot the big boys name.....geeeesh Im getting old.

Gypsy loves Barry

2009-08-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Gypsy is THE best cat ever. She is calm and cool and clean and very loving. She comes when she is called and loves to be with us. She is 13 this summer and came to The Carolina's with me from Tulsa....my foxhunting buddy Mac Braly had the momma cat and litter. She climbed up onto his shoulder from the companionway steps last night and came to bed with him.......I called her name and she looked over and I took this shot.

Buy Boats...more of the same

2009-08-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some more shots and some shakey (sorry) video below, of one of the bigger boats coming in.....very close to our boat and in the beginning Jean's boat. He is actually in his kayak at the bow of his boat watching but at one point surrenders by putting his hands in the air.........you have to look closely but he does.....sorry the video is not more clear.

me in the dingy with our boat at anchor in the background.

more later but here is what a buy boat looks like

2009-08-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Our boat with the 1st Buy Boat that arrived on Thursday in the slip next to us....we had to leave to accomodate one of the other 18.

Buy Boats

2009-07-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

These boats are all from the 1920's and 30's and some have been in the same family since then!

Our boat still in the slip with the first Buy Boat to arrive.

tomorrow I will be taking more pictures close up.......check back in.

http://historicjamestowne.org/the_dig/

2009-07-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

We are only about 45 minutes from Jamestown and Williamsburg. We did just Jamestown yesterday so we could enjoy and really read all the displays and not stress our backs too much! Our tickets are good for 7 days so we will go back and see Yorktown Monday.
This statue is of Pocahontas. This is a very pretty statue but I don't think the pic does it justice

resident goose with the river in the background. The inhabitants of Jamestown that first year nearly starved to death the first winter. They pissed off the Indians and they would not let the settlers leave to hunt or fish, so this goose would not have lasted long.

They brought 4 mares and 2 stallions, goats and pigs and dogs and cats and ate all of them that first year. For more info go to the link in the title line. Its pretty cool. Click on 'the dig' to see pictures of what they have been digging up!

Behind me is a monument dedicated in 1907 to celebrate 300 years since the founding of Jamestown.

the outside of the bell tower

Jamestown ...we dig it!

2009-07-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

this is the oldest standing building in the US...a bell tower

there is an ongoing dig at the site of the original jamestown. We were able to watch as they dug through layers of a well. Wells when they ran dry were used as garbage pits, so they find just about anything you can name from back then.

Phoenix takes a dive

2009-07-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

EVERY morning Im in charge of walking the dogs. No biggy. Except Phoenix who is 14 years old has not gotten the idea about calm and submissive yet, tho I keep trying. Its dangerous getting off of a boat on to a dock even without dogs, and this morning we had success with getting her to sit and stay in the cockpit till I had Hamish off and safe He is always calm and helpful. Except when he is biting any other dog that gets in his face that is!

So PDawg is sitting and staying, I tell her 'ok' and she jumps out, and proceeds to puppy play with her butt in the air up and down the dock back and forth to me but not quite close enough for me to get her leash and ends up falling into the water between the dock and the boat. She paddled around for a while till Barry could get in with her and send her the 20 ft to shore but in the meantime he has barnacle scrapes all over his feet and jelly fish stings tho they are very mild.

So who would think in a million years the 14 year old golden mix would be the brat and the Jack Russell would be the calm steady one? Im going to either cut Phoenix back on her meds that make her feel so good or start taking them myself. Or both.

Casey sneaks a pic of his new hairdo named Guu!

2009-07-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Rule number one
never take a picture of yourself with a phone camera just before any kind of Army training. When he sent this to Emily the subject line read : 'Guu ' and I can not think of a better name for a haircut. He used to have blond curly locks and I cried when he got his first haircut and so did the girl cutting it!

Casey arrives safely in Ft Knox

2009-07-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Casey joined the National Guard. gulp
these are pictures Emily has laminated and put on to magnets so Casey can have them in his locker during boot camp. He will be there for 9 weeks. Im having mommy issues. Barry tells me its JUST like army boot camp.....and of course I have seen way too many movies about army boot camp and Im afraid they will be mean to my Casey!
He is too wonderful for that.......I mean he loves little kids and old people. Anyway.......Im so proud of him and Emily because she is right behind him.....in three weeks she does the same thing! How about that? More pics of Emily and Casey are on the blog..........somewhere. Cute kids who will someday have cute kids I hope.

Sami puts make up on for the first time in 7 weeks

2009-07-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

Ok I had to. I was going out 'among the English' and had to at least put some mascara on. This is a big deal for me but I was off to the Aveda Salon in Gloucester VA and didnt want to scar anyone.
Its a big deal for me NOT to wear makeup and now I guess after being a boat wench and having boat wench hair, I had to make amends. So sue me!

Back to Port Royal, but just for the weekend.

2009-07-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

We ventured back to Port Royal via automobile this time. We decided it would be cool to have our car here in Urbanna so we rented a car and drove back to PR this past weekend. It was great to see our friends at PRLM and we picked a great weekend to visit as it was the opening weekend of the water festival. As in every year, Port Royal Landing Marina Pirates entered the raft race. This picture is of most of the team and significant others watching the first heat. If you look really close Barry and I are both there......He has a faded red ball cap and Im in a black and white top just next to Anna Lewis in the straw hat and pink t-shirt, at the rail.
Our friends Bill Mote and Bill (black t-shirt,short grey hair) and Lynn Murray (back to camera in white)are easier to find! The Pirates lost their heat but they was robbed!! We fed our hurt pride at Blackstones for breakfast so all was well later.

Mike Lewis(brim hat with black band) started smoking a Boston Butt roast Friday evening and we ate it Saturday night and celebrated Barry's birthday as well. The BBQ was absolutely some of the best I have ever had in my life and we can only hope Mike will do it again when we return this fall. It was amazing. Pull apart melt in your mouth tasty!

We arrived back in Urbanna Sunday late afternoon happy to have our car. It took us 5 weeks to cruise here and 8 hours to drive. Funny.

It was wonderful seeing all our PRLM buddies......wish Gene could have made the BBQ Saturday but someone has to WORK! Looking forward to seeing you all again in October.

Da Big Cityof Plymouth/Norfolk

2009-07-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

Sami (BOAT WENCH HAIR) at the helm leaving Portsmouth/Norfolk

War ship

guess who has the right of way? This bad boy did not even throw a wake! Each one of thos containers goes behind a semi cab! Now thats a big ol boat.

random trip shots.....from our back up digital

2009-07-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Before you get to Portsmouth you have to go thru a bunch of bridges.....................and a lock system which was pretty easy and cool but again nerve wracking for me because it was my second time and the first time was years ago when we brought her up from Florida.

Ever After hauled out of the water to replace the cutlass bearing

The haul out at Ross Marine the second week into our trip north

kind of a cool thing to watch tho nerve wracking

plus there was about $400 worth of food in the freezer and no way to 'plug it in' because its a raw water cooled system. Even after 24 hours out of the water the steaks etc. were frozen solid.

Phoenix enjoying the view

just insidethe NC border from SC.....I think

going thru a swing bridge

this is coming into Moorehead City....

sunset in Beaufort North Carolina

interesting driftwood

seen from the cockpit.

Mystery solved......what is in the water and what is it doing?

2009-07-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

Nancy came up with this.......its rays mating. Evidently she has seen this behaviour before and it does make sense!! Thanks Nancy.....

July 3rd Boat Parade

2009-07-03T16:39:00.001-07:00

Heat index was 76 actual temp was 83. Unbelieveably beautiful weather. Is supposed to stay this was another week. Im a happy camper. Urbanna Va. went from sleepy little town to
a very popular place this afternoon. There is an annual boat parade and it goes right by our marina. We sat on the back of the boat and watched the boats go by. I tried to take a few seconds of each one and will try to upload them here for your viewing enjoyment.

We are told there will be a hell of a fireworks display this evening as soon as its dark. We will have the best seats in the house right off the stern of our boat. For such a small town (850 year round residents) there is a LOT of activity on the 4th. Lots of people come out and there is music and dancing and hot dogs...... Every slip in the marina is full with weekenders. Its fun but we will be happy when its quiet again I think.

July 2nd

2009-07-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

I have no earthy idea what this is.....a ray maybe???

June 30th morning....Good Morning!

2009-06-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

This morning we had our coffee in the cockpit, I walked the dogs and Barry worked online for a while. Then we decided to have breakfast so we mounted up on our trusty bikes and peddled over a whole 5 minutes to the corner drug store (again) and had breakfast. They were out of biscuits so I had a cheeseburger....you know the kind where they toast the bun then steam it? Oh and a vanilla coke. Barry had eggs and toast. We found the cutest toys for um er uh Alex and Elizabeth and Sami and Lynn too truth be told. We scooted to the hardware/marine supply store and pet supply store and found some things we had to have. The dogs are scratching like they have fleas so that has to be nipped in the bud. 6 years on a farm and no fleas and now they picked them up at Coinjock Marina we think. We were there long enough and there were lots of dogs wandering around. So........

Then we biked over to Paynes Crab House which is run by two sisters, who used to do it all by themselves including setting the pots out and collecting them, then cleaning and steaming or frying and picking out the meat all by themselves....now the son helps set pots and collect them.

Well, as we pulled up on our trusty bikes, here the two sisters are messing with a big old rotten piece of plywood and some fence posts.......with hammer and chain saw and I said Uh Oh......they were so cute and the one sister was so proud of herself because she put the chain on the saw by herself and by golly sawed that post to the right size....of course Barry offered to help drive nails and made some suggestions and we had a great time getting to know the sisters.

The funny thing is, the day before yesterday when we arrived, Barry said in passing that this was the kind of small town that you will find yourself talking in passing to someone and find out you are talking to the mayor!! Guess what? You got it. One of the sisters is the Mayor of Urbanna. Both were delightful and call each other sissy. Im going back tomorrow to get some warm steamed soft shell crabs for lunch and try to talk them into showing me how to clean (or how they clean) crabs. Bill Murray showed me but I dont do it enough to remember how. So it might be an adventure. I could use the social activity.

So now we are cooling off below and will go to the grocery store this afternoon with Fred and Denise who have a car here. Not that we need that much. Goodness we still have plenty of food in the freezer. However their rib-eyes are on sale for $6/pound so I cant resist.

There is all kinds of activity going on here. Prepping for the 4th. Evidently its a pretty big deal and we have front row seats for the fireworks. PLUS I found one of those big ring bubble blowing toys I love and will sit on the dock blowing huge bubbles as my way of saying Happy Birthday America!

Deltaville to Urbanna on the Bay and Rappahanock

2009-06-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

Barry at the helm on our way from Deltaville to Urbanna. The Rappahanock River is wide and deep an a great place to sail.

Rounding Sting Ray Point alongside another sailor.

Left...Beth and Andy came for dinner! She is only 2 hours away now.

Gypsy comes up into the cockpit most evenings. Otherwise she is content to sleep all day. Right...Phoenix loves sitting on the foredeck.

Hamish fast asleep on his haunches. Even big waves dont worry him anymore!

Morning Coffee

Osprey nests with two chicks and a momma

the views from our slip at Urbanna Town Marina