New Camera!

My birthday and Christmas present from Tom arrived about ten days ago, months late only because of my delay in ordering it. Tom's been wanting to get me a new, better camera with interchangeable lenses, and my research has been extensive (and enervating - I became paralyzed with indecision - as if this were the most important decision I'd ever made - crazy). But I finally broke through and got myself an amazing Sony Nex7 with a zoom lens (18-500). It is remarkably compact and light for such a camera, and promises to perform wonderfully - if I can learn to use it.

I've done some practicing, experimenting, trying to remember my old pre-digital knowledge about shutter speed and apertures and such, knowledge that, in my lazy way, I have not used much since finally going digital. But this new mirrorless DSLR is too special not to make use of all that it, and I, can offer.

Trying out the panoramic feature - in the salon of the boat

And, in both the shots above, trying ot the 200mm lens (at beautiful Brookgreen Gardens, about an hour south of Little River).

And these are examples of the micro setting, 18mm - also taken at Brookgreen Gardens.

I'm feeling less overwhelmed by my new Sony; I think I can do this, and I look forward to both the learning process and the product.

Plan . . . D?

New move-in date: May 1. Aargh!

When we set Tom's doctors' appointments for the end of February, we planned to stay in Baytown until time to move in, which we thought would be imminent . . . But no, so we came on back to South Carolina. All along we've planned to settle in our new house, then head back here to SC and boat, and then cruise north. But with this new development, we've developed a new plan.

We hope to get the haul-out and everything else completed here in South Carolina by early in April, at which time we'll set sail for the Chesapeake. Ideally, we would get to our Chesapeake home marina in Kilmarnock, the Chesapeake Boat Basin, by the last week of April, and then leave the boat there while we head back to Texas for the great move-in.  We'll be there well into May and then drive back to the boat and resume our cruise to more northern ports of call.

Time is of the essence when going north. If we get up into Maine or Canada, we'll want to have time to enjoy it thoroughly before having to start back south to avoid cold weather. So we don't want to get too late a start.

But I want time to nest in our new house before abandoning it for a while, too. And Elizabeth and Nathan will be visiting us there a week after we move in!

So . . . we continue to play it by ear.

Did You Miss Me?

I think not, since few people have read my last two posts. But for those who are hanging in there, let me apologize for my laxity. I simply haven't been inspired to write, at least in the blog, for some time, though I have begun trying to get to know, to understand, my mom (and my relationship with her) through my own private writing.

A quick encapsulation of the last couple of weeks:
1) We drove to Texas in two long days, and enjoyed our brief time there, visiting with Susan, Beau, and Bryce; having dinner out with Steve and Ellen one evening (Cadillac Bar!) and Courtney and Larry and Pat another (El Toro!), and enjoying another dinner out (the Monument Inn!) with Pat.
2) Tom saw his three doctors and had tests run - nothing to report on that front.
3) We got our tax info ready and in to David Start, on time for once.
4) Nephew Eric and his partner Mike paid us a visit at the Funny Farm, getting to experience it for themselves for the first time (and being appropriately amazed).
5) Annie learned to trust us a little bit again, though not as readily as before, as we had left her for about five weeks. She looks good, well-fed, sleek, and shiny.

6) Another two-day drive, this time back to Little River.
7) We enjoyed spending last weekend with Crawford and Mary, including celebrating Tom's birthday early with a good salmon (with a balsamic vinegar reduction) dinner followed by homemade apple cobbler.  (Helpful hint: Don't substitute fine flour made for gravy [all that was available in Crawford's kitchen, I discovered too late] for regular flour when making pastry.)
8) Leigh Jones has almost finished his work on the boat, and Tom and I have been working on it, too. My latest project: painting the walls around the portholes in the stateroom, teak walls that have suffered water damage. The result is good, lighter and brighter - a very, very pale yellow. And never fear, my traditional friends, the room is still massively, classically, nautically teak.
9) We now await word from the shipyard that it's time to take her in to be hauled out for cleaning and painting and such.

Back in Business

Got started cleaning the electric cords and fenders with my new product, Imperial Cleanwoode, and was pleased:

Our super boat mechanic and all-around boat maintenance guru Leigh tells me that the major ingredient in this cleaning product, toluene, can be purchased by itself, thus avoiding the second ingredient, acetone, which leaves a slightly sticky residue. Every day I learn something new when I'm on the boat, another reason I love the life!

Tomorrow (Sunday) we will start our car trek back to Texas. Our new thought is that, if the fates allow, we will not stay long, but will head back here to live on the boat until we can move into our house. It's hard to keep up with us, isn't it? We hope to get a better, firmer idea of our move-in date while we're back.

Happy February, all, and if winter's got you feeling down, I recommend  Pharrell's video, "Happy. "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM Happy  Music like this, plus projects like the one above, work for me!

Dead of Winter in Little River, Part II

Second ice storm since we've been here - who could have predicted?  But in a year when a section of Interstate 10 was closed over the Atchafalaya Basin in southern Louisiana, not due to hurricane but rather to ice accumulation, we have to acknowledge that the norms no longer apply. When Corpus has ice, northern Texas towns have earthquakes, and Alaska has heat waves, will the various sections of the country come to empathize more with one another? No more "Yes, you have to deal with sub-freezing temperatures on a regular basis, but we have to suffer through heat and humidity levels concurrently approaching three digits."?

Nah. We all enjoy our feeling of superiority, of distinction, too much.

Sorry --  cabin fever?

The ice in Little River has melted, leaving balmy, dry temps in the high 30's.  We are lucky indeed.

2/15/2014
 I wrote the above a couple of days ago, but never posted it, as it seemed incomplete and melancholy, just as I was, in fact, feeling. In the meantime, pleasant weather conditions have returned to this edge of the nation, and points north of us seem to be past the worst of it, too. Of course, in line with my above comments on unpredictable weather, South Carolina did experience an earthquake last night. Tom has already texted Cousin Crawford (who is in Charleston this weekend) that we did not notice any tremors, but then again, it was Valentine's Day. I admit, that was a bit amusing.

And to celebrate the occasion, we returned to our favorite area restaurant, Villa Tuscana, for an excellent pork osso bucco with garlic mashed potatoes and julienned vegetables. Tom is all abuzz about us replicating the recipe one day, but has satisfied himself thus far with the reheated version from our takeout box for lunch.

It was fascinating a few days ago to watch and hear giant branches (from this tree in Crawford's backyard) crash down, victims of ice buildup and wind. Thank goodness there were no electric lines nearby.

The water view is improved - small consolation.

Excellent to see from the warm confines of the enclosed sunroom - not to traverse.

I must note that, since my last posting, daughter Susan's father-in-law Labo, a fine 90-year-old gentleman, died, leaving a huge hole in the lives of the loving Tallaritas he left behind. Our hearts are with them all. 

With highs reaching up to the 60's and 70's next week, I hope to finally get some real work done on the boat. After reading of materials and procedures new to me, and having purchased those products, I plan to finally get our fenders and electric cord really clean, something I began attempting years ago in Rockport when the boat was new to us.

I have found myself at too-loose ends since we've been here, but feel myself coming back to life. About a year ago, as Tom and I found ourselves with a new, difficult, homeless normal, I wrote a list of what I needed to remain sane. One of the requirements was physical activity, something I have had too little of of late, but I am now back on a going-to-the-gym regimen. Tom pushed himself too hard there yesterday, though, and is paying for it today. We will return tomorrow, and then plan to go every other day until we head back to Texas in about a week.

Speaking of which, we heard from Ronnie R. today that they will probably not be moving into their new house until April 1, which means, of course, that we won't be moving in until that month. So it looks as if we will be living at the pool house for the entire month of March, waiting to get into the house, and then well into April as we get settled in. Those are great months to be in Texas, so we will continue to make the most of our nomadic life. One thing we know is that we will not ever plan to stay on the boat in the winter again without being in the Keys or other points very far south.

My wish for all: warmth, electricity, and hot running water. Aaaah -- the simple things. Oh, and love -- it's not, despite the Beatles' pronouncement (which I adore), all you need, but it sure does help.

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.