Reverse Commute For A Week

We're down in Lake Union for the weekend (or until we feel like going back) and I must say that I love the You-Don't-Have-To-Pack advantage of living aboard. Just untie the lines and *poof* it's a vacation where you have everything you own with you. How completely cool is that? So there I was hanging out in the lounge chair, relaxing up on top when suddenly...



...You Know Who is at it again. The man just does not quit. Usually I'd be out there with him; this time I just offered to make him some hot chocolate. But he's still up there scrubbing away despite my efforts to lure him inside. So you know where I'm off to...

Beverly Hillbillies of Boating

At the risk of sounding like a terrible boat snob, which I'm really not, I must say I have never seen so much stuff piled on one boat before. I particularly like the checkered flags. This picture doesn't even include the mass of crab pots piled on the swim step. I looked out my window and was quite surprised to find these folks floating about 10 feet off of my stern (much, much closer than in this picture!).

Apparently I have definite ideas about how close other people should be to my boat uninvited and this set off all of my internal proximity alarms. That may be where my "hostility" toward them came from. OK, that and cruising with fenders down. How can you trust a captain like that?

Weird. It does make you wonder what might go on around your boat when you're not there. KJ-cam anyone?

The Reason I Bought This Boat

Sitting on the aft deck, drinking a Corona, after a long day sanding and oiling the boat...that's the good stuff. We've made amazing progress in the last week or two. KJ's really starting to be serious eye-candy with all of the attention to detail she's been getting. It's funny how the more you do, the more the little things that still need doing pop out at you.

We donated a three hour cruise to the Kiwanis auction the other night and I was very pleased with the amount she made for the club. She is absolutely available for charters, with captain or bareboat, so c'mon people ~ tell everyone you know! I'd love to see her getting out even more frequently.

We're heading to Seattle again for 4-5 days this week; it'll save Brock the commute and will give us a change of scenery. We'll be helping with the annual Canal Clean-up in Portage Bay, me and a couple of friends in kayaks and Brock in an Argosy boat. We'll be hitting the Ballard Locks at about a -3.5 tide, so the lift should about 23'. I'll post pics, of course.

Decks Complete

Ta-da! We beat the incoming rain by finishing up late last night and having a dry day today to let them cure (or whatever you call it!). They lightened up a bit; I was worried they'd end up too dark, but I'm reasonably pleased with the way they turned out.



We also found that the box here is a lovely teak, which we've now oiled as well. Everything was covered up by the dark whatever-it-was that they had put on the decks previously. I also sanded and touched up part of the caprail with varnish. I'm not going to chance getting that rained on though, so the remainder will have to wait until we get some decent weather!

Rob's Wager

Alright, Rob, I wish I had taken you up on your bet that the other half of the decks wouldn't be finished for three weeks! You underestimated the new captain on the block and his endless energy supply! Had it just been me working on the project, your bet would have been a safe one. But when I came home from work the other day, Brock had not only finished stripping the decks, but was well down the starboard side with a sander to touch them up and ready them for finishing. Did I mention that he had also put several coats of Seafin on the rubrail as well? When we get the final coat or two on, I'll post more pics ~ it's lovely. The man shames me into working much harder as well ~ not purposely, but it's rather difficult to lounge about indulgently when he's out there "earning his keep" as he puts it.

The only thing really slowing us down at this point is the weather, which has not been what you would call cooperative. The weekend should be nice and I suspect we'll have a new round of photos for you by Monday!

Just for Bowiechick

..who finally complained that I needed to get my butt in gear and post something (of course, she did it in the most genteel fashion ~ such a cool chica, that one).

Just to get back in the swing of this whole blogging thing, I present you with...(drum roll please) The Work In Progress:



Left side is the newly stripped fir; right side is the old grungy oiled decking. Still need to do more to even out the color on the left side and then, mmmm, a nice coat of Seafin, I think. Meanwhile, I am just loving the look of the "new" decks. Much less dirty and industrial looking. If only the weather cooperates a little bit! Where is spring anyway??



Meanwhile, the rubrail is completely sanded (starboard, anyway ~ baby steps, people!) and ready for a coat of Seafin as well. It's quite useful to have Brock around ~ I'm notoriously good at starting projects and working hard, but equally adept at not quite completing that last 10%. He follows around and attends to the detail work, so it's a great partnership on that level!

Off to work ~ no, the real estate market is not nearly as bad as the media would have you believe!

The Twins

This was a photo taken on the day after they were born; we were all still in the hospital then. You couldn't really see the little ones in the previous pic. It's amazing how much they look like their dad.

Must Look Worse...

...before it can look better. Currently stripping the varnish from the rub rail in order to re-do it. Think I'll be oiling it in the future rather than varnishing, as it's much easier to keep in good shape and it is a working part of the boat, after all. Besides which, that's what my dockmaster recommends and as he's one of the best shipwrights around, I'll follow advice rather than winging it. No sense learning ALL of my lessons the hard way!

And I've graduated up to using actual chemicals for varnish removal rather than the tedious hand-sanding method I chose last year. I do know my limits ~ there are several things with which I should not be allowed to play: bleach, expanding foam, and most solvents. Each has resulted in minor disasters in the past ~ something about "if I can't see immediate results, I must need MORE."

But I'm learning a little bit of patience (for instance, I'm blogging while letting the stripper do it's work, rather than impatiently chipping away at the wood...yay, me!) and that seems to be improving my project successes.


It's been a bit cold this week and when I wandered into the forward head, there was something in the porthole. Something moving around, actually.


Three little birds were snuggled up. They didn't stay long, but made me smile while they were here. Sure hope the weather begins to warm up soon. At least the heat issue seems resolved onboard!

Imagine My Surprise...

...when Brock handed me this month's issue of Sea magazine, opened to page 29. There, in full color, is a photo of my darling KJ, with this accompanying information (the fact that she is designed by Bill Garden is the only correct fact in the entire thing):

"William Garden-designed Katherine Jane. Photo courtesy of Brooke & Phomia Pierson. Built of carvel-planked mahogany at the Stephens Brothers Shipyard in Stockton, California, this 60-footer was used as a showboat. It was purchased in 1962 by Pabst Blue Ribbon, which named the yacht Miss 102 after a favorite batch of brew. Owners Brooke and Phomia Pierson are selling the yacht (repowered in 1993 with twin Cummins diesels that output 1200 hp) in order to buy a larger vintage vessel. Potential buyers can email the couple at ..."

Huh. Go figure.

I think what happened was some sloppy editing in their photo section there (there is no info for photo #2 and I suspect it all got jumbled from there). I dashed off a quick note to the editors of the magazine and will be most curious as to their response!

I guess that happens when you're famous, eh? All sorts of misinformation begins to appear??

Post Partum Depression?

Yeah, nope, not one whit of that around here! I've been off playing and playing and playing since the twins were born ~ no time for blogging!



We've wandered to Victoria for a stay at the Empress, taken Katherine Jane to Jetty Island multiple times (the kids enjoy building bonfires out there), played at Pike Place Market and downtown Seattle, are off to see Cabaret tonight, road tripping to do some mountain biking in southern Utah soon, as well as doing the Vegas thing on that same trip...life is just too much fun! I didn't expect to have any difficulty giving the twins to their family, but I know a lot of people thought I would. Ummm, NOT!!

It really does help to have an exciting new love in my life (especially after a rather challenging 2007!) and I'm just happier than I ever imagined. So if I'm not blogging as much, just know that I'm off having fun ~~~ updates whenever!