Deja vu

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

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

A private moment shared with a perfect stranger...

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

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

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

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.

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more random stuff

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

double rainbow this evening

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

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

Rock House Creek anchorage

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

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

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

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more of Hamish killing the coconut

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Hamish kills a coconut

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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

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.

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

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.