Christmas in Florida

We think the boat is ready to go!  While Captain Man was working on some system issues, I traveled back to NC last week to check on my parents and drop off the car, (and grab some extra love from baby girl) then flew back to Florida to hop on board Sun Daze.  After provisioning for the trip, we left our dear friend's dock and headed to Fort Pierce to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The Town Square has a light/music show on Christmas Eve, and people were enjoying synchronized lights to Christmas music.  A fun evening putting us in a bit of spirit. 

Christmas morning, we enjoyed our coffee in the sling seat on the back of the boat and was surprised by an alligator making his morning rounds.   A fellow boater in the marina informed us he is a local in the basin, looking for free breakfasts.  Guess no swimming here!

The rest of the day was spent making phone calls to NC to wish my family "Merry Christmas", then relaxing by reading and napping.  We will be leaving the marina this morning heading further south until Wednesday, which looks like a weather window to cross over to the Abacos.  Will see, as the weather could change.

Sunrise at the marina

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!

Sun Daze

While Captain Man was busy selling Kittywampus, he was also busy looking for smaller boat.  And he found one....Sun Daze, which is a Gemini catamaran.  While he was transitioning from the larger boat to this boat, he was in bit of a hurry to get back to NC, so he just transferred stuff to Sun Daze without sorting anything.  He tried to warn me that this boat would be dirty and cluttered.  This is what it looked like when we got to Florida on Sunday.  😟

I put on my work clothes and got myself into cleaning mode.  It has taken me a few days of scrubbing and organizing, but it looks a little better.  Still tons more to do before we take off, but now at least I am able to see what the boat looks like.  Not real fond of the striped hunter green cushions, but they are in good shape, so we will make it work.  

Both Captain Man and I have been working up a sweat, as it has been in the upper 80's and low 90's here during the day.  The pic below shows the area where Sun Daze is docked.  Beautiful!  

Yesterday, while I was on the boat, I heard splashing outside.  Rushed out to see a pod of dolphin playing in the water.  Later, our neighbor for the time being, called my attention to a manatee and her baby swimming by our boat.  I ran backed inside to grab my camera and by the time I got back on deck, she was gone.  Dang!!!  Oh well, time to get back to work...

Heading South! Our Journey Has Begun...

It is finally time.  We are officially heading south.  This trip will be different for us in that the new boat is already in Florida, so we are driving to Florida rather than sailing down the coast.  We packed the car, turned off water at the house and off we went.  The first leg of our journey took us to Charleston.   We spent a day with dear friends who live on John's Island, SC.  John's Island is an island in Charleston County, the 4th largest island on the east coast.  Approximately one third of the island is within Charleston city limits.  The movie The Notebook was filmed here in 2004.

One of the Saturday Markets in Charleston

The Old Citadel in Charleston

Inside enclosed courtyard of the Old Citadel which now operates as a hotel

Both Captain Man and I love to visit Charleston.  Each time we come, we find something new to experience.   The flavors...like shrimp and grits or tomato pie, the sights...cobblestone streets with horse-drawn carriages and the Battery promenade, the sounds...jazz artists playing in the streets and clapping of horses hooves on the stones, along with the rich history of this town, keep us coming back. 

Fortyeight Wine Bar

We were also introduced to Fortyeight, a wine bar with 48 "wine stations" where wines are offered by the glass for wine tasting.  The wines are in these stations and served at the appropriate temperature.  You browse around with your glass, find a wine you are interested in, place your glass under the dispenser and a sampling taste is poured into your glass.  If you like the wine, you have the option of purchasing another "taste" or you can purchase 1/2 glass or full glass.   It's wonderful...this process allows you the opportunity to taste a really expensive wine (one that I would never buy), or find a wine that you really enjoy and get a 1/2 or full glass (and purchase bottle for take home).  We enjoyed a few hours of good wine and a few tasty nibbles.  A great afternoon!

Later in the evening, we went to one of our favorite restaurants...Wild Olive.  This wonderful restaurant offers a simple menu with outstanding dishes.  If you are in Charleston, please find this place and have their lasagna made with lamb sausage...absolutely the best lasagna I have ever had.  Although the other dishes on the menu sound amazing, I always get the lasagna.  The BEST!!

As much as we love to visit our good friends in this wonderful city, this was a short visit...it was time to move on.  The next morning, we said our goodbyes and continued our journey south.  Next stop...Eau Gallie, Florida, where our new boat...Sun Daze is awaiting us!

A Wonderful Thanksgiving!

It is hard to believe Thanksgiving has come and already over!  I know many of us spent hours in the kitchen, then sat down with family and friends and it was devoured in less than 30 minutes!!  What a wonderful blessing!

This year I am especially thankful...my mom was sitting at the table with us, and looking very lovely I might add. A couple of weeks ago, mom had a heart attack, but she is doing very well, so we are so very thankful.  Initially, my daughter was thinking she would stay home for Thanksgiving, but then had a change of heart and surprised my parents with a visit. My mom and dad were thrilled to get to see their granddaughter, her husband and their great grandchild, my sweet Pookie.  Baby girl is growing so fast, and has stolen our hearts.  Also, my sister from Charlotte is here for a couple of days.  Any my sweetie is back!  Woo Hoo!  A Great Thanksgiving!!!

I am hoping that everyone had an equally blessed Thanksgiving day, with lots of good food on a table surrounded by the people you love.  Enjoy your weekend!

Our Fixer Upper

Our Fixer Upper! Craftsman Style Cottage Bungalow

It happened!   When Captain Man and I came back from the Bahamas almost 2 years ago, we threw around the idea of buying a house.  After working on the large catamaran, we found out early, that a boat that big was a bit much for us.  We discussed it, and decided that what would probably make us happiest would be to buy a small house and a smaller boat.  So, we set about looking for just that.  

First, we needed to find out where we wanted to set down roots.  We absolutely wanted to be close to the water, and we wanted something small and manageable.  Once we decided on Washington NC, we then started looking around.  There were, and still are, plenty of lovely homes, but most were too big, or too much work, or not on the water, and so on and so on.  None really "spoke" to me, except for two smaller bungalows in the historic section.  

I know, for those of you that know me, you are probably wondering why in the world would I want to live in town, being a farmer's daughter.  I do have enough of my dad in me that I do want a small yard so I can dig in the dirt.  But, I also have my mother's love of the water.  She was born near the North Sea and spent all of her young days on the water.  And, I am a Pisces, so I feel more at home on or near the water.  

The two homes that kept speaking to me were not for sale, but were being rented.   I set out on a mission to contact the owners and was initially told "no, not for sale".  Captain Man and I were disappointed, but kept at it.  We respectfully kept in touch with the owners and told them that if they ever had a change in heart, to please call us ASAP.  

Well, after almost a year and a half, and sending prayers up above and sending good mojo toward the houses over the months of walking (the houses are on my walking path)...we finally got a surprise call from one of the owners stating she may be willing to sell.  We met her at the house and instantly upon walking inside, I feel in love with the house.  Captain Man too (I think!!!)

However, it is a fixer upper.  I was initially worried that Captain Man would say "NO WAY", as he has been working on a boat fixer upper for almost 2 years, and is tired of working every minute.  But after the home inspection, he said yes.  I was so happy!  The house backs up to the river (but is high enough!) so I will be ON THE RIVER!!!

Back yard view, the property goes to the river

It will be a while before we can move in, but I will chronicle the process.  We are so thankful and excited!!!!!  I can't wait for the renovations.  I absolutely love this place!

Kittywampus is Sold!

Well, this post is a bit dated, as it has been a few weeks since it has happened, but Kittywampus is sold.  Captain Man has worked almost 2 years in revamping this boat, so that we could take her south.  We were hoping to make that journey last winter, but she just wasn't ready.  So, the work continued into the spring, (and still some).  Kittywampus is a beauty, and all his hard work shows.  It is with mixed emotions that she is going to someone else after all the efforts, but we feel good that the proud new owners will use and enjoy her.  Captain Man will be taking her to Mobile, Alabama very soon to meet up with the owners.  

I met Captain Man over 10 years ago and he introduced me to the world of cruising.  Since then, I have been privileged to enjoy four great boats...Cats Away, Felix, Fat Chance, and this boat.   With Cats Away, I visited Captain Man in the Bahamas for extended trips.  But Felix and Fat Chance, I stayed on the boats while cruising and I got attached to the boats.  Especially Fat Chance.  And now, it's the same for Kittywampus.  We haven't sailed her much at all, but we have been working on her for a long time.  For boaters, it is a labor of love.  Not only do you want the boat to look nice, but your life depends on her while you are at sea.  Captain Man goes to great lengths to assure any boat is sea worthy and safe, but for me it goes a little beyond that.  Some may think I a bit touched when I say this, but there is a sort of kinship with the boat when you are on the water...with just you, your partner and the boat.  All are dependent on each other for survival.  So, yep, I do get attached to any boat that takes us on that journey.

But, it is always great to know or feel that the new owners are going to respect that kinship...and I know for Captain Man, (the one who has done such extensive work on this boat), it makes him feel good to know that the owners will use and enjoy her as much as we had hoped to do.

So to the new owners...Congratulations on obtaining Kittywampus!!  She is a beauty,  sails great and I know she is happy to be back on the water.  I hope you have many, many wonderful adventures on this great vessel.

Beauty with Aging!

A lot has happened since my last post...and hopefully I will be able to share soon.  So in the midst of everything going on, I am trying to keep my anxiety to a manageable level by keeping up with my walking.  This morning, as I walked through through town, I had to stop and snap a few pics of the beautiful, old oaks around the Episcopal Church.  They are gorgeous!  

I bet these have weathered some tough times through out the years.  The gnarly branches look as though they have been twisted back and forth, probably through several major storms.  

This morning there were two squirrels scampering about the limbs, don't know if they were playing with each other or scurrying about getting ready for stormy weather.  I have always heard that animals can tell if bad weather is approaching.  I am hoping these two were simply full of energy and happy to be playing on this ole tree, and not in a tizzy trying to get ready for something we don't want to see around here.  

Anyway, stopping by these old oaks this morning got me to thinking, with age comes beauty.  Beauty in that the outside appearance reflects our experiences that make us who we are.  When these beauties were planted or seeded by the wind, they probably would not be been described as "beautiful trees".  But now they are beautiful old trees.  For this oak, the passing of time is revealed by its size and twisted branches, showing how it weathered its life.  For us, we have our scars, gray hair and wrinkles...showing how we've weathered our lives. The scars, wrinkles, twisted or gnarled bodies...they are a representation of what we have been through, of what we have seen and experienced.  To live life's experiences and wonders, well that is beautiful. 

So, in this era of fashion and beauty, with ads of young, beautiful people without scars, wrinkles, sags, or graying or receding hair, and "anti aging creams, lotions, potions, etc.", why don't we view aging as a beautiful experience.  The next time you see an elderly man or woman, embrace their beauty... those wrinkles you see are real beauty marks. 

Early Morning Beauty

I arose early this morning, greeted by a wonderful sunrise.  The sky was beautiful.  And the temperature was perfect.  Almost a bit chilly!

Calm waters at daybreak

The morning sky just before sunrise

It's hard to believe we are on the last leg of summer, and this morning Mother Nature gave us a hint that the season will be changing.    A breath of fresh air, without the heaviness that we have been feeling over the last few months.  It was so nice that Captain Man and I had coffee in the cockpit.  Haven't done that in a while!  During our morning walk, I noticed the water lilies are now brown, getting ready for their dormant period.  Also, some of the trees are beginning to change colors.

I know there are many who will be sad about summer coming to an end...but I welcome the cooler temps.  Every season has its beauty, and I feel privileged to live in this area where we can experience all four seasons.  Here, we can enjoy each time of the year without getting too tired of one particular season, before the next one rolls around.  And this morning...a glimpse of autumn...put a smile on my face.

80th Birthday!

My sweet dad turned 80 last week, and we celebrated his birthday this weekend.  Yep, that's eighty candles being lit on his birthday cake, however by the time the last ones were lit, the first ones were melting into the frosting!  He blew them out in one breath and I am surprised the smoke alarm did not go off.  

It was great spending the day with him.  He does not do social media, so he will never see this post, but wanted to share with all how fortunate I am to have him for my father.  He still works part time as a farmer, plants a garden every spring that is large enough to feed the county, and continues to enjoy his tobacco chew, despite our warnings for him to quit.  Dad is a man of few words, instead we know what he stands for by the way he lives.   He's a good man, who has always work hard, and a man who would give you his last dollar if you needed it.  Love you Pop!

Ocracoke

Entrance to Silver Harbor Lake

For those of you that have never been , you should really go to the charming little island of Ocracoke, the "Pearl of the Outer Banks".  Captain Man and I take the boat and dock at the National Park Service Docks, in Silver Lake Harbor, but if you are not a boat owner, you can take one of several ferries that make the trek to the island each day (a few times).   This little village is a tourist Outer Banks hot spot, but maintains the island village charm, and we love it.  

We left our dock last Sunday morning and headed that way.  A beautiful sail and we were there by lunch time.  After getting the boat secure and tidied up, we headed for our favorite spot, SmacNally's.  It's on the harbor, in front  the charter fishing boats dock, so we enjoy having a beverage and watching the sport fish boats come in with their catch.  It seems they were having a great run with fishing, as we saw plenty of Mahi, tuna, spanish mackeral and even a hugh grouper (our favorite).  

A pitcher of Mimosas at SmacNally's

 

 

The next day, we rented bikes and rode to the beach, thinking we would enjoy a picnic on the ocean side.  It was hot!!! We stayed for about an hour, and then looked at each other with "what in the world are we doing" looks on our faces, and packed up, headed back into the village, for a spot at our favorite bar.  

Walking back towards Captain Man hoping he is ready to get somewhere much cooler!

It's interesting, when I was younger, I could have stayed there basking in the sun for hours, not anymore!  But, it was fun, and it is always great to sink your toes into sand.  Later, we walked around the village shops, ate great seafood, and enjoyed another wonderful sunset together.  The next few days were spent eating, walking, reading, napping, and just plain relaxing. 

Lemon ice cream on the porch!

Amazing Ocracoke sunset view from cockpit of Kittywampus

We left Thursday morning, heading to Oriental to spend a night, before winding down our week long vacation.  It was a wonderful, relaxing few days in one of our favorite places on the water. 

Leaving Ocracoke

After having such a relaxing week, it will be hard to get back into work mode again.  Ugh!

Sailing to Oriental

I came home from work on Friday and Captain Man suggested we take Kittywampus to Oriental for a long weekend trip.  WooHoo!! We get to sail the boat and relax for a few days.  So, early Saturday am we left the dock and headed towards Oriental.  By car, Oriental is approximately an hour away, by Kittywampus, well...a tad bit longer.  We sailed south on the Pamlico, crossed the Hobucken Canal into the Bay River, then down the Neuse River to Oriental.  I was pleasantly surprised...we had light winds and the boat was swishing through the water.  Nice!

Heading to bow of boat to check out his new "watch"

 

Of course, the captain was playing around a bit with the boat, trying out his new gadget...a Garmin smartwatch that wirelessly interfaces with the navigation electronics (chartplotter, radar, etc).  So...basically, he can wear it on his wrist, ( it looks like a watch), and can navigate the boat with it.  Worked really well, and he was smiling.  Me, I was enjoying the sun, breezes and views.

Enjoying my coffee in the cockpit as we head south on the Pamilco River.

 

A view of the Hobucken Canal, which links the Pamlico River to the Bay River.

By 3:30pm, we were at the Oriental Marina, ready to freshen up and head to the Toucan Tiki bar to meet a friend.  Afterwards, dinner at M&M's.

  Captain Man backed her into that slip flawlessly.  . 

Sunset view from the porch of Toucan Restaurant

Leaving Oriental, heading home

Another beautiful morning!

Early Monday morning, we left the marina and headed home.  A short trip, but relaxing and fun.  It's great to be back on the water.  This little trip...we felt like cruisers again.   Can't wait for our next excursion....next week we are headed for Ocracoke!

Breakfast Guests

One of the many perks of staying on your boat is having unexpected guests stopping by.  It's not unusual for boat enthusiasts, fellow boaters, interested passerbyer's, etc, to wonder over and ask questions or to simply stop and daydream.  However, a couple of mornings ago, we had guests stop by of a different sort.  I was inside the salon and heard noises coming from outside.  Rather loud noises...so I got up to see what was going on.  Too my surprise, I was greeted with about 50 geese, about 15-20 feet from  the  cockpit of the boat.  I was so excited,  probably scared  them with  my     squeal of delight, and hurried back inside to get our camera.  Of course, I could not put my hand on it, so I grabbed my pad to grab some photos of the geese.  By the time I got back in the cockpit, the flock had moved further away from the boat, but I did manage to get a few pictures.  The pictures are not the best quality...as our camera would have done a better job, but still I managed to grab a few pics to share. 

 

Sunset Dinner on Kittywampus

We are finally able to relax and enjoy the boat!!! After more than a year and half of working to remodel and restore the catamaran, we are taking time to wind down a bit.  This is our first dinner on Kittywampus' aft deck, relaxing over good food and watching the sun set over the river.  Life is GOOD!

Four Generations!

Four Generations!

A good friend told me to publish this picture, as it is such a privilege to have four generations of girls that are together and having a wonderful day!   This was taken on Mother's Day 2016.

Summer Time!

Hard to believe that winter is over and spring has slipped by....June is here.   Captain Man has finally slowed down a bit working on Kittywampus, and it was a busy, busy spring for me.  I completed a Legal Nursing Course, taught a class at the local community college, and I am doing a sort of internship with a local canvas couple, while still working as a nurse part time.  Plus, I am trying to spend time with my daughter and beautiful granddaughter. 

Pretty baby girl and pretty mom!

The boat is almost done and she looks good.  We are hoping to take a long weekend very soon and sail to Ocracoke for a mini vacation.  We will work on her leisurely this summer and fall to finish up some minor stuff, but she is ready to go and to finally have some sailing fun!!

Sailing on the Pamlico!

If the summer passes by as quickly as the spring, Captain Man and I will soon be getting provisions for our Bahamas trip!  We can't wait...it has been too long!!

Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I last posted, and a lot has happened.  First, we are still in North Carolina.  Before Thanksgiving, Captain Man and I decided that he was working way too hard to try to get the boat finished enough to take off.   Plus there were a couple of family things going on...so we discussed it and decided that maybe this year wasn't the right time to head south.  Whew....what a relief.  Now let me state that we really did not want to stay in NC another winter, but it was the right decision.  And it took the pressure off of Captain Man.  He is now working at a much more relaxed pace, and doesn't have a constant look of strain and worry on his face.  And the boat is looking great!

Next, there is an addition to our family, my granddaughter, was born on December 10.  Both baby girl and mama are doing well, the best Christmas gift ever!  Since we are hanging around another winter season, I will be able to enjoy seeing "Pookie" (my nickname for her, not what mama and daddy named her).

And....I am no longer full time employed.  Our plan was to leave after the baby was born, so I gave my notice at work a long, long time ago.  So, when we decided we would not be going to the Bahamas this year, I figured I would take the next 6 months off anyway.   No more

2 hours a day drive time!! Woohoo!!!  So my last day of work as full time employee was December 1.  I was able to enjoy the holiday season at a more relaxed pace...able to bake, entertain and spend time with my family.  Very nice!!

And here we are, in NC, starting off 2016 working on Kittywampus and awaiting spring.  Hopefully, Captain Man will get the boat in the water by the end of February and maybe we will take her to Ocracoke for some R & R.  I must say, Captain Man did a wonderful job with her.  Can't wait to actually enjoy her on the water!

Happy New Year!!!