Boat Work

This is how the salon looks right now:

And this is some of the work that has been done so far:

The fronts of these steps  were peeling teak panels - looked really bad.  This looks much better.

The railings are much improved.

and so is the ceiling - no more droopiness there.

The ice is melting with today's above-freezing temperatures, so we will get out and visit Second Fantasy again today. Can't wait!

Dead of Winter in Little River

Once again we find ourselves on the receiving end of abounding generosity as we spend our time, not on the boat, but at Crawford's comfortable, elegant "beach house" (as misleading a moniker as "pool house" is for our temporary Baytown abode).  This was not our intention; we were eager to spend some quality weeks in our natural home, our boat, but were dissuaded for two reasons:
     1.  It's cold and, since we winterized our boat, we have no water aboard.
     2.  Leigh Jones, all-purpose boat-worker guy, who has been working on Second Fantasy since we left here, is not finished, and she is still torn up, hardly habitable.  And we keep giving him more tasks to accomplish.

Winter Storm
It hit last night, and its effects should persist for about 48 hours; we won't be leaving the house for a couple of days.  Pavement surfaces are slick with ice.

 Looking down at the neighbors' place from the second floor.

Currently uninviting back porch on second floor.

Looking toward the front of the house from the street

Walkway toward the water

We're talkin' real snow here, the kind that will last for a couple of days.

We have electricity and water and plenty of provisions; we're good.


Crawford's Beach House

 Yes, we're doing fine.

These were taken yesterday, before the storm hit last night.

Race Day

The speed of the cars was almost unbelievable, with some going 180 mph. Imagine maintaining that speed while remaining alert and aware enough to avoid the myriad other cars around you, some trying to pass on the straightaways or the banked turns.  What skill -- what concentration. No, I'm not going to add "What idiocy."  These drivers have found their passion, and, while they are taking a risk, it is what they are compelled to do.  Go for it, guys (no gals here, as far as I could tell, though the grand marshal did announce, "Drivers [not 'Gentlemen'], start your engines.") 

Weighted down

Being able to view the race from so close, right in the infield, is one of the advantages of this race. Note that no one is in the grandstands.

Instead many of them are camping out . . .

in varying levels of luxury . . .

some sitting in the temporary infield stands,

or standing right up at the fence,

 or watching from atop their trucks.

while the kids amuse themselves in various ways.

We paid for a camping spot so that we could park close and have access to the infield, but, though we were somewhat charmed by the convivial goings-on at the camp sites, we were happy that our old bones and ears did not have to endure the cold and the all-night noise. 

Instead, we had a great, warm room with a kitchenette in the official race hotel right on the beach, enabling us to have our regular yogurt breakfast and a couple of simple suppers with items from the nearby Winn-Dixie.  And our view of and access to the beautiful beach was extraordinary.

It was great fun, but two hours of the actual race was enough for both of us.  A good birthday dinner out on the town was our last-night treat before taking off yesterday for Little River.  http://msn.foxsports.com/speed/sports-cars/action-express-racing-wins-52nd-rolex-24-at-daytona/

Getting Ready

R

Daytona Rolex 24

When Tom asked, many months ago, if I were interested in attending the Rolex 24 race at Daytona Speedway, my response was, basically, "No."  I may have prefaced this simple statement with a "Hell" for emphasis, especially when I learned that it would be on my birthday weekend.  But in almost no time I reconsidered - why (the hell) not?  Another interesting experience for me, something I would surely never consider on my own, another photo opportunity, and a delight for Tom.  A Songwriters' Festival was much more my type of event than Tom's, but he enjoyed the experience, and the reverse would surely work in this case, too.

It did.

http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/Tickets-Events/Events/2014/Rolex-24-At-Daytona/Rolex-24-At-Daytona.aspx

We had garage passes, which proved to be fascinating and great fun, though the presence of gawkers (many wanna-be's and has-been's) like us was probably not all that fun for the crews.

 This cutie appeared to be the only female mechanic on any of the crews.

And I was not the only cameraperson interested in the backstage workings.  Check out her (photographic) equipment - long lenses and expensive cameras abounded through the crowds.

Auto racing is a colorful sport.

We surmise, from the number seeking his autograph, that this guy is famous.  Tom prides himself on not caring about individual personalities in these pursuits - he decries the "up-close-and-personal" parts.  Not me, but, this not being my particular interest, I have no idea who this driver is.

It was exhilarating to watch (and hear) the colorful cars go by, heading to the track for a practice run.

Lust and the need for speed are international male characteristics. 

Bye to Cheryl and Curtis

At the Songwriters' Festival, Friday night

And so we say so long for now to our gracious hosts. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we're off to see Bert and Janet in Panama City, then on to Daytona for several days for the Rolex 24 race before going on up to the boat after too long an absence.

30 A Songwriters' Festival

 From Teddy Thompson

to James McMurtry

to Richard Thompson (Teddy's dad)

and Loudon Wainwright III, the artists have been great and the weekend fun for all the old white upper-middle-class folks*, including us, in the audience:

Saturday was a cool, sunny day, perfect for the outdoor venue at Gulf Place, a quick walk across the street from the beach house.

And the night before, Friday, the first night of the festival, was fun, as we staked a claim at a table right behind the sound board (Yes, that decision did have its drawbacks, but overall it was a good one - the sound was perfect, we were close, we could order food and drink and have a place to set it, and we made friends [and shared wine] with the happy young sound guy from South Carolina.) and heard a range of singers.  Some snippets of their music:

Shannon Whitworth singing.  Onstage and taking turns performing with her were Grant-Lee Phillips and Dave Franklin (the scary-looking one on the right - he was very good.).

Aargh - my videos have stopped uploading.  I will try to come back to this later, to give you, my faithful readers, a sampling of the good music we heard.  In the meantime, I'll include some links to some of my favorites:

Richard Thompson:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5V0RkCIaXo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tx3Po07iPs

Teddy Thompson:     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLGlJ4hd5-s

Curtis's knowledge of and interest in music, particularly of the singer-songwriter variety, is legendary, and the rest of us were happy to let him lead the way in choosing our musical options. He did well.

Sunday evening he and I heard Allison Moorer (wife, incidentally, of Steve Earle and sister of Shelby Lynne), again across the street (though this time in the small room of a restaurant), while Tom and Cheryl stayed back at the house watching the SF/Seattle playoff game; though I very much enjoyed hearing Moorer and the singer who shared the stage, Garrison Starr, I opted to come on home after their performance while Curtis continued on to the next venue, taking full advantage of the last night of the festival.

'Twas a great weekend.

*Tom had the darkest skin in the audience - very odd.  And it could have been a boomers' convention for all the young people who attended.  There are young people who play this kind of music, but there aren't many who listen**.  As for the whiteness, we have noted before how un-diverse is the Florida Panhandle.  How very different from the area where we've spent most of our adult lives, Southeast Texas, where ethnic diversity is the order of the day. 

**Had they been listening, though, to Garrison Starr, they may have delighted in her folkie rendition of Snoop Dog's "Gin and Juice." We did.

 http://www.americansongwriter.com/2013/11/garrison-starr-covers-snoop-doggs-gin-juice/

Kinda Sorta on the Way to Florida . . .

We made a detour to Sabine Pass to see our friends Art and Barb, who are climbing out of the darkness that they have been inhabiting since the first (and only, so far) day of their long-awaited cruise. I'll let Barb speak for them in this one-minute synopsis that she wrote of their terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day. Try reading it aloud in a sing-song, Dick-and-Jane voice, as she intended.

 "Journey Day One: Seabrook to Sabine Pass

Barnacle Barb Fahrenholz

December 2013

Art and Barb prepare to drive their boat from Seabrook to Key West. The boat’s name is Work of Art. Their friend John is going too. Art goes to the doctor for motion sickness patches and comes home with the flu. Barb gets the flu too. They oversleep. They leave anyway. Tide is going out. The dock hits Work of Art and chunks off some fiberglass. A shackle scratches Jim’s boat. They make it to the fuel dock. Tide drops more. They leave the fuel dock. Current turns the boat around. They come about. They go out the wrong side of the bridge. A shrimp boat dodges them. Work of Art gets stuck in the bay. Sea Tow pulls her out. John drives all night to make up time. Seas rock and the boat rolls. Barb hugs the floor. Art can’t swallow. Waves crash over the bow. It’s dark. The engine dies. They set anchor. Art gets the engine started. They go to Sabine Pass and anchor out. Everyone goes to bed and sleeps for 14 hours."

Art and Barb are still there, anchored out near the Sabine Pass marina where they were docked for years, and where we stayed for almost a week at the very beginning of our cruise back in 2011. What is it about Sabine Pass that draws one back?  But they have a plan now, so their spirits are lifted.  Their Key West mast-installer will truck the mast to them and install it, which should enable them to carry on across the Gulf with a smoother ride.

It was great to see them and to know that their optimism about their great adventure is returning.

Sunshine State Rescue

Passage to the beach from Cheryl and Curtis's beach rental

Just shy of a year ago, we drove to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, ready to be guests of Cheryl and Curtis at their lovely beach house rental, ready to escape the stultifying confines of the rent house in Channelview that we had inhabited since Tom had been released from the hospital,  ready for release of some sort.  What a difference a year makes -- this year we made the drive, not for rescue but for companionship, conviviality, and the beach.  And, after both drives, we found what we were seeking.

Looking through my photos, I found these, interiors of the house, from last year:

and these from outside:

It was cold here last year, and it's cold this year -- oh, that's right, it's winter.  But we love it.  We will be here for about another week before we head to Daytona for the Rolex 24 race, then on to the boat for a few weeks.

But first comes the 30A (Highway) Songwriters' Festival, beginning today. The rest of us are happy for Curtis to serve as tour guide; he has mapped out what should be a very good weekend, poring over the map and the website, choosing plans a and b and, I suppose, c, anticipating how early we'll have to be at site a and b and how long we will have to wait at each of these.  Eat before we go? Pack a picnic?  Buy food there?  In any case, we know that we will hear some good music and generally enjoy ourselves.  Check it out:  http://www.30asongwritersfestival.com