January at the Funny Farm

The birds are all a-flutter . . .

Like father, like son

Sweetie rebonds with her love, Rachel.

. . . as are the people

 

 Laura, Wesley, Doris, and Gerri Lynn at a fun new place in Baytown, Cork Grinders

Happy New Year!

After an eventful year, we're wishing and hoping for one a little less so.  It's been 2014 for ten and a half hours, and thus far it has cooperated with that wish.  Herein, some photos of some of the friends we've seen and frolicked with on this trip back to Texas:

Visiting with Levanche and Gene at their wonderful place out in Angleton

Christmas 2013

Back in Texas this Christmas, which means that we are able to enjoy the season with family and friends -- and that we are nice and warm.  Last Christmas was one of those sweet, simple holidays on the boat in Virginia, but while this one was somewhat less low-key, it was no less unusual than the last one, at least the Christmas Eve part.

Christmas Eve

Hoi Ching, Gerrilynn's exchange student from Hong Kong, Gerrilynn, Pat, me, Tom, attired in some of our gifts.  Pat sports a tie and cap from Gerrilynn, I have donned the most excellent hat she gave to me plus the most excellent Underarmour sweatsuit that Tom gave to me, and Tom proudly wears his Gerrilynn-gift-cap plus the "disentangling" puzzle that she gave him; this explains, maybe, the clawlike pose of his hand.

 Gerrilynn gave Hoi Ching this wonderful teddy bear, and many other wonderful surprises.

. . . and she surprised Pat with this fish candle holder for his New Mexico home.  Tom tried it on:

Tom and Pat looking dashing in their caps.

It was a fun Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day
We dined on a wonderful traditional turkey dinner at Susan and Marion's house in Beaumont, exchanged gifts, and generally enjoyed their company.

 The boys will be leaving for a "Young Life" snow ski trip in Colorado on the 27th; in the meantime, they relax with their dogs.

Susan and her dad

Moving Back to "Cruising"

No, we're not cruising, but we are aboard Second Fantasy again, so I will revert to that blog: cruisingonsecondfantasy.blogspot.com

No more on this "dry land" blog until we leave SF again in about three weeks.

Hasta luego.

Have You Missed Annie?

Annie was born of a feral cat in David's boat repair shop; we acquired her, a tiny kitten, when her mom and siblings disappeared, apparently killed by critters of the two- or four-legged variety.  So perhaps it was no surprise, given her heritage, that she seemed to adapt to life as a stable cat at the Seigelman's. She was friendly and sweet to us on our daily visits, cuddling and rubbing, but her aggressive side showed itself as she dealt with the other cats.

An adaptable cat she has been, having lived in her short life (She's not yet a year old) in our house in Lakewood, on our boat in Virginia, in David's rent house, and in Peacock Stables, and has mostly-silently traveled by car multiple times for multiple days (staying in multiple hotel rooms) at a time. But we worried that she might not adapt back to the good life on our boat, away from the delicious smells of horse, texture of grass, and provocation of birds. Our worry was misplaced.

Our first night on the road: Annie and Tom at La Quinta in Slidell, Louisiana.

And the same couple onboard Second Fantasy. Annie can not get enough of Tom.

Her brief stay in the barn seems to have improved Annie's personality, making her a more-grateful cat. We recommend stable boarding for anyone whose pet/spouse/child may be taking his owner/spouse/parent for granted.

Last of April, First of May - Our Last Week in Texas before Departing

Such fun having Elizabeth visit for a whole week!

Susan and Bryce spent a lazy afternoon with us on the farm, eating and visiting, watching a couple of horse women (literally) strut their stuff, strolling about to see the garden, the koi pond, and other delights. Then Tom, Liz, and I spent an evening in Beaumont, first at Bryce's baseball game (he pitched for a couple of innings!) and then at Josh and Naomi's place, indulging ourselves on short ribs and potato salad and catching up.

Bottom row: Kathie and Gene (two of Bryce's other grandparents)
Middle row: Elizabeth and Tom
Top row: Susan and Marion (plus another bball mom looking away)
'Twas a lovely Texas spring evening.

Tom and Elizabeth took Gerrilyn and Rachel to dinner at LYC one night while I attended Ellen's birthday dinner, and Elizabeth and I worked in a Groupon massage and a couple hours of shopping. (Under her tutelage I tiptoed into the fashion world of tapered pants, though I wouldn't go as far as she wanted.) We hosted Gerrilyn and Rachel for dinner at the pool house another night. And virtually every meal was stepped up from our usual, as Elizabeth brought her precise, food-channel-educated persona to the table (and the stove).

Friday, the day before she left, Liz carefully placed rows of blue masking tape on the beautiful glass doors around the pool house, Tom's attempt to thwart the lusty, aggressive peacock that, seeing his reflection in the doors and taking it for a competitor, had been ceaselessly attacking (and dirtying) the doors. The look is not, I'm sure, what Gerrilyn had in mind when she designed the house, but it did seem to work; the peacock returned again and again, perplexedly examining the glass, but did not attack again. He did have the last laugh, however, as he pooped all over the treadmill, right outside one of the taped-up doors, that Tom had been using.

And she got to see for herself that despite his stroke, Tom is, as she said, "still [her] dad."

After dropping her off at the big airport (IAH, Bush Intercontinental, as opposed to Hobby, the [relatively] little airport), at 5 a.m., we sleep-drove back for a two-hour nap, finished cleaning and packing, hightailed it to the storage unit for a quick exchange of items, and finally headed east at about noon on Saturday.  We made just one visit on this trip, to see my mother's friend from Portland days, Betty Chiles, in Fayettville, N.C.; she seems healthy and happy with a good life.

It took us two and a half days to get to the bay.

Back on Second Fantasy

Just a note til I get more time for more info: We are back onboard, arriving last night at the Chesapeake Boat Basin, where we will stay for several weeks until we return to Texas for doctors' appointments the first week of June.  It's great to be here. Our address while here:

Chesapeake Boat Basin
1686 Waverly Ave.
Kilmarnock, VA  22482

More later!