June 30, 2010

Blog???   What blog?  Oh man, does the time fly when you are having fun.  And even when you’re not!  There has been some of both in recent weeks, she whined.

Our stay at the Sleep Inn turned out to be 15 days.  We did get some good stuff done--hull washed and waxed, I went to the Apple store in JAX for another class in ‘how to use the Mac’, we saw a movie (The A Team), and every day we were back and forth as the fiberglass work and replacement of the rails and swim ladder progressed.

Sad to say, on the morning of the day the boat was to return to the water, the first thing Fred noticed at 8 a.m. when he arrived at YA was that the door was unlocked.  It went downhill from there.  During the night we had an unexpected and most unwelcome guest who departed with more of our possessions than we’d think could be carried away.   From the tool chest in the engine room (complete with socket sets) to the +/- 60 dvd’s on the bookshelf--with stops along the way for jackets, pocketbooks, passports and most everything else that wasn’t tied down, we were thoroughly burgled.

Note to Mirage owners:  you might want to rethink that ‘hiding’ place for the key to your boat.  Our key was used---and left on the bed--we hope with traceable fingerprints!

So we spent an extra day in GCS doing police reports, replacement costs, and shopping for the few things we’d need to be safe on the water.  With new binocs, a new handheld and our old headphones (don't know why they were overlooked!) at the ready for docking, on Sat. June 19 we headed north. 

You’ll think we’re pretty silly if I spelled out our activities over the next few days--we had boat and car to move north, and a commitment to be in Aberdeen, SD on Friday, June 25.  Suffice it to say that by 7:25 a.m on the 25th the boat was tied up in Shelter Cove at Hilton Head, the car had been moved from GCS to the dealership in NY and was having work done, and we’d driven to Albany to board plane #1.

I’d retrace the boat part of the trip, but honestly, all I can remember is that the ride up Broad Creek on Hilton Head Island was delightful, and Shelter Cove is a great marina!! Thanks for the recommendation to Jim on LONE WOLF!

You can’t get from Newburgh to Aberdeen, so we flew from Albany to Mpls. and rented a car for something different--a 6 hour ride.  Had a wonderful visit with my family--I re-enacted my duties as Maid of Honor for my sister--only now it is 50 years later!  (I must have been 4 when they were married!  Those pictures just lie.  That’s all there is to it!)  

We returned to Newburgh just in time to meet son Geoff, his wife Amy and 11 year old Pete.  Geoff will begin a year at the Navy War College in Newport, RI next month, and they’d left Ft. Huachuaca, AZ about the same time we left Hilton Head.  2 of our other 6 children and their families were available for a pizza party last evening, and a good time was had by all.

Tonight (Wed. the last day of June), we’re taking a deep breath and looking ahead to the summer.  

Plans??? What plans?  The Chesapeake is waiting, and we're looking to see how much cruising we can squeeze into the next few months.   So little to do, and so much time to do it in, as Willy Wonks wisely said.........Until next time, stay well and keep in touch!

June 5, 2010

Moving right along....or not!   We did do the separation thing for a few days.  I flew to NY and attended all the afore mentioned events--and had a great time!   Who knew that 6th 7th and 8th graders with very little prior experience could put on such a fabulous song and dance show in Damn Yankees!  Katie played her violin and sang like a pro (a 6 year old pro, that is) and Molly and Jeff had a very relaxing and well attended Cinco de Mayo party.  It was really nice to hang out with family and friends.

The dedication service at the UUCRT (Unitarian Universalist church that burned to the ground on 9/12/06 and has just been rebuilt) was a very special event. (www.uucrt.org)  Although I was a long distance participant for the construction phase, the post fire decision making, right up to the ground breaking, was a very big part of my life--pre-YA.  The building will be a wonderful addition to Orange County, NY for many generations to come,  and the tiny group (66 congregants) that worked together to get the building built while carrying on their participation in the church, their personal lives and the community deserve kudos!  A job well done, by all!

Meanwhile, back at Green Cove Springs, the days were filled with ‘boatwork’.  The microwave was examined and the washer/dryer repaired.  Fred set out to hardwire the small GPS we use as a backup, and got lost in the electric panels behind the computer screens.  When he re-surfaced about 5 days later, nearly 50 feet of excess electric wire had been trimmed away, and tidy, well organized  and labeled panels have appeared.  The last 2 steps, actually hard wiring the GPS, and cutting the floor of the box where the wires live in half (to ease the access process for the future), were finally accomplished.  Whew!  

And then, when June arrived and the insurers were setting the rules, the boat was hauled. Since we've not taken YA north of Savannah now that the Hurricane season has begun, we have special ‘trip’ coverage for the month of June--turns out the whole policy would have been null and void without it.  No charge for the trip coverage, but if named storm coverage is expected, well, that’s a different story.  So the extra premium goes onto the list of expenses incurred as a result of someone’s negligent operation of a watercraft.  

The wooden rail is off, and sanding and fiberglass work have begun.  We’re ensconced in the SleepInn--have a suite that feels bigger than the boat!  While the boatyard people do their magic with the damage repairs, we’ll be doing more ‘boatwork’ and expect that when we depart GCS--in the not too far distant future, we’ll have a truly shipshape vessel!

Will keep you posted!