Blog 3, May 17, 2015

     Last week we were visited by Kieran on Friday.  Projects always seem to get finished rapidly  when Kieran’s enthusiasm and past experience on boats is shared with us. Kieran's presence means Mike has someone he knows and trusts with boat knowledge to bounce ideas off of.This often spurs them on to finding a creative solution to some technical problem needing to be solved on the boat. 

     On Saturday Mike and Kieran took a long look at the standing rigging for the mast. After some research and experimentation Kieran was able to find a rather simple solution to the problem. It seems the stern stay (the metal rope at the back of the boat that helps hold the mast up) must be attached to the boat before the bow stay. If not done in this way, on this particular boat, the tension is all wrong. Anyhow this “problem” had been one of those things one spends too much time worrying about, only to find that the solution is much simpler than one expected it to be. Sometimes I think we believe we have to worry about a problem before it can be solved. One of those illusions we go through life living out without ever examining it closely. Somehow I find myself believing the worry is essential to the process but it's just self generated anxiety. It's not necessary but I often believe it is.

     

     On Mother’s Day I didn’t cook or prepare any meals. We went out for breakfast at the Blue Moose Cafe. Serves you lots of good food without robbing you. Mike brought lunch from the grocery store deli, complete with a dozen red roses. For dinner we went to the local brewery for excellent beer and burgers. Kieran concocted a dessert for us consisting of warm brownies, fresh strawberries, and ice cream. I had calls from all my children interspersed with jokes and comments from Kieran and Mike while the conversations buzzed over the phone lines.

     Betsy joined us on Monday and we happily got all the new running rigging attached to the boat. This involved melting the ends of all the new lines and taping them. Then attaching the new lines onto the old lines by sewing the ends together. This way as you pull the old lines out, the new ones are threaded  into their proper place. Sometimes the lines pass through the mast, sometimes through the boom, out and around and througn different blocks and so on. It’s not rocket science, it just requires time, attention and patience.

     Another project was in progress when they arrived. It was abandoned so I could help with the rigging project. When we finished the rigging I returned to the other project. It involved hooking up a new hose to a footpump for getting fresh water to the sinks without having to use electricity. Kieran and Betsy helped me complete this project also. It’s so satisfying to cross these things off of our “to do list”.

     We had fun with with those two. We went out for tap room beer and pizza. They baked goodies in our newly overhauled propane stove/oven on the boat. They brought their dog, Lissie, and she is lots of fun too. She is black with a curly tail, small, and hot wired with energy. She is also super affectionate. When we weren’t on a group walk we would take turns taking her down to the beach at low tide and watch her run like a deer over fist size rocks, chasing seagulls joyfully into the salty water. I realized how much I miss “dog” walks. Lissie’s delight in everything was infectious.

May 20, 2015

     The weather is in a holding pattern this week. Clouds and fog in the morning, burning off by noon into a clear, cool day. It’s nice to experience both climates in one day. In the evenings in the last of the sunlight while we are out walking, there are huge New Mexico thunderclouds over the mainland. Last night they were a pale peachy color at dusk and we could see the Olympic Mountains. On super clear days without haze, cloud, or fog we can see Mount Baker and Mount Rainier in the Cascades on the mainland. Western Washington certainly has it’s share of majestic mountains.

     Work continues as usual. Not at the fast pace that happens with Kieran around but we keep chipping away at things. The project taking most of our time is definitely the electronics. It involves taking out and putting in small screws in tight, almost inaccessible places. All the wires then have to be labeled and attached using a heat gun. Then the wires have to be attached to the bulkhead or some solid part of the boat where they won’t chafe when the diesel engine is running. Whatever happened to simplicity? Our technology is so complex. It makes me nervous. Are we deluding ourselves maybe a little by being so dependent on it for so many things?

     Well it is time to post this. Until the next time, Tina