Have We Been Missed?

I am posting this on both my land and boating blog, the last post on land and the first on cruising for a while, probably four months. So welcome back to "cruising on second fantasy"! It is certainly good to be back.

We were happy, as we drove up to Tiffany Yachts, to see that our boat was back in the water; the last time Tom had spoken to owner Randy, they were still working on the stabilizer and she was on the hard. But by Friday at 11:00 a.m., when we arrived, she was happily afloat. Dirtily, too, I might add, but what can you expect when workers have been in, out, and around her for months? And what workers they are -- the entire crew is hardworking, competent, cheerful, and accommodating. It's a family affair; so far we have met three of Randy's family members on the staff, and I discovered today that "Tiffany" was the original owner, Randy's dad's, name. Sounds like there's a story there, but I haven't heard it yet. We should be here a bit longer, so I'm sure I will. I already feel like these folks are family -- I hope I don't end up having to work here like the rest of the family, rather than cruising off as we'd planned!

 Taken from the bow on a beautiful evening.


We took our time, and a different route, getting here. Stopped in Sherwood, Arkansas, just north of Little Rock, to see Doris R., with whom I worked at Laying the Foundation and whom I haven't seen since before we began cruising. She seems to be happy and relaxed in her retirement, which is just as it should be.

We also stopped for the night in Winchester, Kentucky, to see the Elliott cousins, the three children of my dad's oldest sister. I wanted particularly to pay my respects to Harold, just recently widowed when Betty Jo, to whom he'd been married for nearly sixty years, died recently. It was wonderful visiting with them, salt-of-the-earth people and reminders of many of my happy childhood memories. I can see why my mom fell in love with the whole clan when she entered my father's life.

We are busy getting settled and organized (and cleaned up) and doing the electrical and other tasks we need to do. Tom's dexterity is not what it used to be, and he now calls on me and hires shipyard workers more, but he carries on. And we are both happy to be aboard, sleeping the gentle sleep that the boat induces and living the simple life that it enforces.

With great delight, we did take a break from the shipyard to go to KC's Crabs and Cues down the road to see friends from Chesapeake Boat Basin and to watch the Rockets cream the Clippers and thus move on the semifinals of the NBA Playoffs! I've just been reading online predictions that the Warriors would beat the Rockets in five, but what do they know of Clutch City? Let's take 'em on.

 Playing with different effects. No, the sky is not golden here, but we are in a little jewel of a spot.

Very cool bird, one of many interesting species around the shipyard. And there are two osprey nests in viewing distance. Nice.

And We're Off!

Not on the boat, but heading to it, a good and necessary first step. We sleep tonight in Texarkana, Arkansas side, having wandered up through East Texas, wet and green and lovely. A brief stop in Jefferson was pleasant and reinvigorating (5 cent coffee at the Jefferson General Store), and the buffet at the Pizza Inn near our La Quinta hit the spot. Tomorrow we will have lunch with another Doris, my friend and LTF colleague from my previous life, and then head toward Tennessee. Next day, Kentucky cousins, then on to Ol' Virginny. And then the fun begins and this blog goes on hiatus.

Can't wait!

Wellness

Note: I drafted, but never posted, this weeks ago. Just saw it in my drafts and decided to post it, though the conditions it describes are long past.


. . . It can't be overemphasized. My two-and-a-half-weeks of feeling poorly reminded me of how fortunate I am, and also of how devoutly I admire those who live with a chronic weakening condition and manage to carry on, and also of how much I hope that I will never be one of those people.



Having finally given in and gotten antibiotics from our g.p., I am feeling myself again. To wit, yesterday I got my car inspected and washed, got cash from the ATM, picked up my Clinique bonus gift, arranged to have one of my photos framed, fixed three meals for us and cleaned up afterward, swept the floor, talked on the phone with Tina, went for a mile-long stroll with Tom -- no, not that heavy a load. But a week ago that amount of effort would have plumb worn me out and sent me into a coughing fit and, probably, a sleep-interrupted night.  I no longer have to husband my strength, and, as a result, I am happy again.

Now Tom is a different matter, He lives with any limitations and discomforts with grace and fortitude, barely ever mentioning them. May I never cease to appreciate his attitude. Perhaps I can even learn to adopt it?

I am at the airport, waiting to board the plane that will transport me to California, and Elizabeth and Nathan, for a quick trip. It's been a while since I flew, and I am no longer a road warrior. But so far it's been easy, with short lines and no glitches, and I look forward to the trip. I'm eager to see how the   Airbnb lodging that I've booked will work out -- this will be my first experience with the concept.

This and That

Another long delay -- sorry. My anxiety index has ramped up to the point that blogging feels like an idle exercise when there is so much else to do in getting ready to leave Texas and head to Virginia and the boat.

But never fear, my friends, for the "much to do" includes some social activities. For example, attending the 60th anniversary of Lakewood Yacht Club, sharing a table with Steve and Ellen and Candace and Ken and Patty and Rick and indulging in indulgent food and dancing to The Fab Five, ever-excellent Beatles cover band. Steve dressed as a 70's nerd, I suppose, and danced like one, too, entertaining all the old ladies like me:

Another opportunity to dance came my way last night, as the culminating activity of a day filled with them, a day that began with a stint working at the ticket gate of Keels and Wheels, followed by a tour of the event with Tom, Billy and Martha, and Tommy and Tina, followed by a viewing of the Kentucky Derby at our house, complete, of course, with mint juleps in our silver mint julep cups:

. . . which was followed, after being joined by Teddy and Peggy, with a golf-cart ride to Bakkhus Taverna in Kemah for dinner, and then, finally, with a brief but active (at least for Tina, Tommy, and me) stint on the dance floor at the season's first "Jammin' on Jarboe" event. A good day.

Some photos from Keels and Wheels:

Tom owned a '72 Fiat Spider 124 when he was courting me back in the day, so we had to have a picture of this one. We both recall that I was not impressed at the time, since I neither knew nor cared anything about cars. My Gremlin was perfectly serviceable for me. Amazing that Tom overlooked that glaring deficit in my personality.

A 38-foot "Limousine Cruiser."

And our next grandbaby's first cradle?

I was taken by this woman's attire:

'Twas a lovely day for K & W, as is today. In a couple of hours I will go back to meet Ellen and celebrate her upcoming birthday with champagne and dinner.




And then there was the 1st Annual (?) Crawfish Cookoff at Jarboe Park; we were guests of our generous neighbors Kurt and Theresa:

The winner, Priscilla, exults. That's neighbor Kurt on the right.

 Tom feeds Doris . . .

and Todd feeds Kelly.

Kelly and Nancy.

Old Friends Again

. . . though these are not from as long ago as some of those we've seen in the last six weeks. These are friends from our Baytown days, so our friendship dates from fifteen or twenty years ago.

When Diana lived down the street from us, her two older kids were little bitty and darling; they are now teenagers and just as darling. And now there's another darling kid, though he had fallen asleep by the time we took this photo, and so did not pose. His friend was happy to take his place, though!

 It was such fun to see have Diana and family here, and we felt honored that Alci- Lou happened to be in town on a weekend trip home from college, and also that Eddie was able to join us -- they are both delightful young people.

 Pat, another old Baytown friend, rounded out the party -- and, of course, his excellent dog Captain (here apparently staring down Annie, keeping her off of her porch).

And an old photo of Diana with young Nicholas, asleep here as well. Diana's smile tells all about her joie de vivre -- she always makes me smile and laugh.

More from California Trip: Google

My second trip to the Google campus. Nathan was once again a good tour guide.

One of many, many "extracurricular" activities offered by Google for its employees during the work day. One could spend the entire day taking part in such activities; Nathan noted that most employees do figure out that such indulgence in non-work activities is not conducive to career advancement (or even job retention). But how much healthier, when one is fading, to indulge in a 20-minute workout rather than a coffee-and-sweet-thing break. 

 We ate our lunch at one of these pleasant tables.

It was great to see the two of them clearly happy, though a bit anxious about their impending parenthood.

Mike's Wedding

The night before Byron and Doris came, we rode with Kathie, Gene, and Susan (Thank you, Gene, for driving us that long way.) to Cypress for a wedding, that of Mike, son of Bob and Sara. What fun seeing and spending time with the whole family!

Kathie and Bob

The next afternoon, as we sat on the front porch with Byron and Doris, Bob, Sara, Weldon, and Peggy came by and sat with us. Later that evening we met them at Gilhooley's. Again, great to see old friends and family. Not much better. 

Byron and Doris's Visit

Many decades ago, Tom met Byron at Dick's motorcycle shop in Ann Arbor. These three young men, who surely would never have met otherwise, were brought together by their love of motorcycling and dirt-bike racing, and they have remained friends to this day.

I had gone to dinner with Byron and Doris about five years ago when I visited my brother in the Seattle area, where the former had settled about the time that Tom and I married in the late 70's, but Tom hadn't seen them since that long-ago decade. Yet being with them both was easy, as if we had been seeing them regularly since. It was a lovely visit, one that ended the day before I flew to California.

A tasty and relaxing Easter Sunday brunch, consisting of Tom's boudain omelette with fruit dressing, Doris's country-ham-with-red-eye-gravy Danish, mimosas, and coffee.

Once again, Tom had boiled shrimp, a great, stressless (at least for me) solution to the "What-to-have-on-hand-when-guests-come?" dilemma. I think he's figured it out.

A golf-cart ride to Kemah and dinner at Gilhooley's were a couple of the high points, as they have been with other guests. Unlike others, though, Byron and Doris live on an island in the Seattle area, so our watery site is not as amazing to them as it is to some. But they enjoyed it, and so did we.

Air BnB

My first experience with Airbnb was a perfect one:

My bedroom, part of a private suite, all comfortable and elegant and inviting.

VJ's plant-laden back porch.

I was blocks away from Elizabeth and Nathan's apartment, about the same distance as the Hampton where Tom and I had stayed on our other visit, good walking distance, but in a better place, a home, where I met a delightful woman originally from Portugal ("Bom dia.") and enjoyed the coffee she made for me each morning. I spent all day each day away, and really just needed a place to sleep well, and I got it. I saved some money and enjoyed it more. I'm a fan.

Big News

Woo-hoo!

Trip to California

Returning to my hubby, my cat, and my house on Saturday was wonderful, and we have mostly hibernated since, the hibernation mode reinforced by an intermittently rainy, near-constantly cloudy weekend. We did venture out for frozen yogurt and a trip to HEB, the latter trip more fun for us than some might assume (think lots of good samples, access to good, fresh, sushi, and an opportunity for Tom to buy bakery oatmeal cookies).

But the trip to California, to Elizabeth and Nathan and Bauer, was also wonderful, and I am so glad I went. This trip was not that of a tourist, but of a mom, though the exposure to a mountainous, cool, conifer-laden environment was soul-nourishing as well.

Elizabeth's looking good.

Byxbee Park

 . . . a reclaimed landfill on the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, with lots of walking trails and birds and art installations such as this . . .  good place to walk.

Nathan's looking good.

 Downy babies, being led away by Mom from intruding humans.

WRX

 Nathan's new baby.

 Elizabeth's happy for him.

Flowers

On the Front Porch - and Off

Judy and Lonnie's Vist

Judy and Lonnie, she of my traveling friends, paid us an overnight visit over the weekend for a look at our new house and community, and for a long-overdue visit. After the requisite golf-cart ride (both around the neighborhood and over to Kemah), dinner at Gilhooley's (which we knew they'd love, and which they did), and a relatively-early night, Tom graced us all, the next morning, with a delicious boudain omelet "dressed" with a fresh-fruit-and-orange-liqueur topping.

Judy took this shot that morning:

and I caught her about to climb aboard for the trip home:

I hope that Lonnie was able to concentrate on driving home, given Judy's provocative (in Lonnie's stated opinion) attire.

Other Porch Doings
Man, these doves are bold, as well as prolific. Are they on their third set of babies this spring?

Annie and Papa (?) Dove Face Off

Another Sunset:

And some close-ups of our giant bird-in-paradise plant, flower:

and leaf:

Glenn and Anna's Visit

We had also taken a golf card ride to Kemah when Glenn and Anna were here the weekend before, stopping for lunch at Bakkus Taverna. We were taken by this Lotus (Note the license plate, too.), and Anna wanted a photo made to send to their son Daniel, a car buff. He was impressed, as was Tom.

Art, Barb, and David's Visit
No pictures, but we enjoyed seeing them on their day-trip over from Sabine Pass. Sitting on the front porch peeling and eating Tom's boiled shrimp, we caught up until it was time for them to run errands and for Tom and me to run to Baytown for a doctor's visit. That evening they went to the South Shore Harbor boat show while Tom and I met some of the CLS gang at T-Bone Tom's for dinner and live music. That was a good day.


I don't know why I wasn't inspired to take pictures of our guests during their visits. Well, actually, I guess I do: I suppose it is because I am not quite myself, nor have I been for more than two weeks, since I've been suffering, on and off, with a cold or allergies. Just when I think I'm getting better and can resume my normal activities, my coughing and sleepless nights resume, and I decide that I'd best just rest, momentarily regretful for dancing at T-Bone Tom's or walking through the neighborhood, causing a setback. I've finally decided to go to the doctor, which I will do tomorrow. I will be flying to California to see Elizabeth and Nathan next week, right after another busy weekend with more guests, so it's time to grab this thing by the throat and strangle it.

Sick of Being Sick

Just sayin' . . . .

And perhaps Tommy was right last night, when he told me that I probably should take it easy and not dance last night at T-Bone Tom's (Luther and the Healers -- great group to dance to), but what the heck . . . it was well worth it.

I'm getting over it, and looking forward to our next set of guests, Judy and Lonnie, tomorrow. Guess I should clean the house . . . .

What Are Those People Doing Over There?

A trio of young people had stationed themselves at the concrete table and benches on our little waterfront area, so I strolled out to figure out what was going on. Turned out that they work for a drone company, and were getting shots of the marina across the way. After chatting for a bit, they agreed to take a shot of our house from above, using their cute little drone. Very cool:

Our house (the one in the middle) is just as cute as their drone. What about that interesting roof-line? Looks much bigger from this perspective, too.

The drone:

The company: D&C Inspection Services, DCI Aerial Division, in Seabrook. Ask for Mitchell.

And its operator:

'Twas a very interesting encounter with some young, pleasant, earnest people, and with a drone, my first. They didn't seem very concerned about privacy concerns, concerns which are probably of more note to my generation, though Mitchell was willing to discuss them with me. They are, of course, of the generation that has happily given up privacy, through their use of smart phones and such, for convenience. And though it gives me pause, I have largely done the same. I want my I-gadgets to know where I am so that they can direct me, either in the boat or the car, to where I want to go.

A fun encounter. Glad they chose our table to set up on. Thanks for the photos, guys.

Saturday

Saturday in Clear Lake Shores generally calls for a stroll over the the Farmers' Market, but that looks unlikely today due to the steady rain. But with the door open, the sound of the rain is friendly, soothing, relaxing, and the back part of our front porch remains dry. And we still have some of Glenn and Anna's beautiful home-grown produce that they brought to us last weekend from Baton Rouge. So we're good, thank you.

The doves have raised another pair, now adolescent and having flown the nest:

I did take down the newly-reinstalled curtain sheers to prevent Annie from shredding them in an attempt to get up to her intended prey. We love Annie, but bird-stalking is in her bones. We think it's odd that Mama and Papa Dove continue to nest as an obviously-interested cat stalks, but, as Tom says, God made doves tasty and stupid and fast-breeding.

Glenn and Anna, along with the produce, brought over several salmon steaks cut from salmon that he had caught in Alaska. Is there anything better? Well, yes, combining them with (Glenn and Anna's) collard greens, grits, and homemade biscuits. Oh, and smoking them in the stove-top smoker* that G & A also brought (bday gift for Tom) -- what generous friends! This was the menu earlier this week, and resulted in a pretty, tasty delight:

Tommy, on his own for a few days while Tina was in Louisiana with her church women's group, joined us for dinner.  With his ready laugh, Tommy is always good company.

Tom and I have both been a bit sick. I have either allergies or bronchitis, depending on whom I speak to, and Tom has a cough as well. But we're both improving, and about ready to re-enter the world, a delightful spring-y one now (complete with rain).




*Highly recommend. Will be perfect for the boat. While G & A were here, we smoked shrimp and onions in it, and they were also outstanding.

More Movin' and Shakin' in Clear Lake Shores: Debbie S's Party

It was to be a major birthday for Debbie S, and her best bud, Karen, planned a major party in celebration. The theme: "Her Favorite Things." In need of a creative project, apparently, I jumped on it, writing a Debbie-skewed parody of the Sound of Music song, with Karen's help, a song that we printed out and then performed for Debbie's benefit. Debbie loved it, and it was all great fun.

Karen and Ray hosted a great party, anchored by Karen's delicious grits and grillades.

Some of the "girls."

The ladies sing (and some sway) . . .

and Debbie reacts.

She liked it!

From tears to laughter, both good for the soul.