The Not-My-Two Update

Time flies...


...and the twins are suddenly a year old.


Their birthday was today and I was surprised at the depth of the happiness I felt, as I thought about the whole process. I'm so very proud of the role I played in creating this little family & I'm unspeakably grateful that Brock was there to help me through it. Cyberangel basically said a few months ago that she thought Brock was a gift to me for the amazing gift of children that I gave my friends. And I think she has a point...truly a profound journey. And a fun birthday party for the little twerps as well.


Nothing like a couple of babies and their first chocolate cake!

Play One, Work One

There he goes again...dismantling my helm. This week's project is two-fold. He's mounting the remote auto-pilot to the station on the flying bridge. We've found that it's the only place it gets used, so the wires will now be hidden and it will be secured in a safe dry place. It's really the most useful for the rudder angle indicator also, so when we're docking, it's readily in sight.

Secondly, he's adding a jog-stick, also to the flying bridge. Rather than spinning the wheel sixteen times (which will still be an option, of course, just not mandatory), there will simply be an electronic button to push to move the rudder left or right. Again, simplifies docking so that even a Jamie can do it!


Which beings us to my interior projects for the day. I've been touching up some paint, but am stumped when it comes to these cracks. They're from the boat moving underway and are probably inevitable, but I'd like to control them as much as possible. So I need help, people (Rob, Tana, Tim ~ I'm counting on you guys!). Do I sand and repaint the wood? Caulk? Tape? Help!

Attacked By Bison

No, seriously.


And yaks.

And zebras.


The elk...did I mention the elk?

This week's adventure took us to Olympic Game Farm in Sequim. Though SB was initially reluctant (he's 15; really, what else would I expect?), we all piled into the car early this morning and headed out on the ferry. Turns out the early start was a good move, because by our second round through the park (and 6 loaves of bread later), the animals were significantly less hungry than on our first round, in which we were one of the first cars. The yaks were actually mellow the whole time and were definitely my favorite. The bison? More like aggressive panhandlers. And their tongues? Truly amazing. Very rough and dry on the top, but extremely slimy on the bottom (Brock told me I "had to" grab one. Not one to back down from a challenge...yeah, you know). We all ended up laughing so hard we could barely breathe..and SB conceded that he had a great time.

I'm working back at a medical clinic now, which is banker's hours and feels a little strange. But having the structure of predictable weekends is kinda cool because Brock and I make a point of having at least one adventure every time. I've been working on a list of everything I've always wanted to do in the Puget Sound area and now that I have the best playmate ever, we're getting them done!

The Most West-Northwestest Piece of the US

Cape Flattery is the farthest northwest point of the contiguous United States. It is in Clallam County, Washington, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca empties into the Pacific Ocean. It is also part of the Makah Reservation, and is the northern boundary of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Cape Flattery can be reached from a short hike, most of which is boardwalked. The westernmost point in the contiguous United States is at Cape Alava, south of Cape Flattery in Olympic National Park. However, the westernmost tip of Cape Flattery is almost exactly as far west as Cape Alava.

The Cape Flattery Lighthouse is on Tatoosh Island, just off the cape. Makah Bay and Neah Bay are on either side of the cape. Neah Bay, Washington is the closest town to the cape.

It's a great little trail down to the lookouts and the boardwalks are fantastic. Brock and I both needed a day away after a somewhat stressful week, so this was really good connection time.


And on the way, I found my dream house. If I were ever to move back to a land-based existence, it would have to be here. Not huge by any standards, but just perched out on it's own tiny peninsula. I fell in love instantly.

Happy Valentine's Day

Came home to a table full of Love from Brock tonight. Nity made me an awesome Valentine too. Luckiest girl in the world, that's me!


We went for a little dinghy ride around the lake earlier today and saw one of my favorite boats out there, Argonaut II. She's one of the nicest kept wooden boats out here. It was particularly good to catch a glimpse of her hull. I've been thinking about changing KJ's hull on the next haulout. I love the dark green look, but it's a major change. We're playing around with pictures of her to see how she would look. I'm really liking the idea so far.

Sailing on Elwell

I haven't spent an evening sailing since I was probably 14. We took Clark's boat, Elwell, out of the marina last night after Brock tinkered with the transmission cable a bit (reverse is such a nice gear to have occasionally...). It was awesome being on the water in a slightly different mode than my KJ. Brock said I had a perma-grin on my face.


It wasn't the only one onboard. So nice to chill out with family!

It made me realize that all those years in Hawaii on sailboats and then in Oregon with mom and our 14' Sunfish really stuck with me in some deep, barely remembered ways. That feeling when the boat heels just right and picks up speed ~ wow. There's a sailor in me too, I think...

Date Night

We went out for a short drive to the water tonight and played the game of "What's that and what is it doing?" Short tug, long tow. Long tug, long tow. Three lights, four, is that green (Brock has really sharp vision, but less perfect on color at serious distance)?

It was a lively evening, as there was police activity, slow and oddly-lit large vessels, one tug whose towing lights went out as we were watching (and we surmised from the disappearing/reappearing light on the mast, somebody went and scrambled up top to fix the problem). The Victoria Clipper IV flew by ~ we know her schedule after avoiding the shipping lanes while she was in them a few weeks ago. At roughly 30 knots, she always takes precedence!

I've got it so good ~ when was the last time you got to make out in a car with a hot guy?

And I forgot to mention that the other night when we took KJ over to pump out the holding tanks, I docked her and un-docked her myself without any help. No muss, no fuss. Brock threw lines, of course, but I didn't require assistance. We are such a great team ~ I love his calm, relaxed demeanor. No freak-outs necessary.

I've learned a lot by watching him over the past year and getting an idea of how Katherine Jane handles (quite sluggishly) and responds (not exactly "well"). I was rather proud. I've still got tons to learn, but this was progress.

Teredo Worm

Not on my boat, luckily.


The Teredo worm (shipworm)has been the bane of wooden ships, boats, pilings and retaining walls since man has ventured to the sea. A type of clam, the Teredo worm has two shells, enclosing only the front end of the body which function as a tool rather than a protective covering - they are a boring clam. Each shell has toothed ridges which shave away bits of wood into smaller pieces and then those are ingested.

Teredo worms have been known to achieve a length of up to 2 ft long, although the shells remain only about a foot long. The British and Spanish navies estimated that a wooden hull in the Carribean in the age of sail would last ten years.

Mariners as early as 500 BC tried to protect their wooden ships by various combinations of arsenic, sulfur, tars and oils. The British Navy experimented with a sacrificial covering of wood covering tar, but it wasn't successful. It wasn't until the invention of copper hull plating that the Teredo worm became less of a problem.

I was under the impression that they were more of a problem in warmer waters than we have in the Pacific NW. But apparently they've damaged seawalls around here and gnawed on some boats. Yeesh...