Flying Without a Net, By H. Michael

The other night Janet Lee and I were having cocktails with some friends. We shared our goal of moving onboard Adventure Us 2 with them (they shall remain nameless) and one of them responded with, "oh, I could never do that".   I thought to myself, well isn't that precisely the point?     Allow me to explain.

When I was a teenager growing up in Dallas, I was lucky enough to have parents that loved going to the movies.  Even before we moved to Dallas, we would go to "drive in" theaters and watch double features into the late hours of the night, and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning.  This manner of distraction allowed my imagination to run out of control with unrestrained frenzy.  I easily identified with the lead character, or any other character I choose, and in that context I would make choices and decisions for the character based on my own youthful idealism, and perception of the world.  Whether I was identifying with Lloyd Bridges in his role as the Karl Wallenda,  John Wayne in the Alamo, or Omar Sharif in just about anything, I created my own sensibilities.  Movies somehow filled in the gap between who I thought I could be, who I would like to be, and who I really was.  Yea, in my youth I could totally perform a high wire act without a net.  To do anything else would be so uncool.  Besides if you are confident in your ability, skillful at your craft, and courageous in your mission what could go wrong?

 



Somewhere along the line I stepped away from a romantic perception of life and allowed  conventional structure to dominate my existence.  I became what I was expected to be; a consumer of everything traditional culture told me I wanted from life.  Now don't get your butt up in a roar because this post is not a rant about consumerism,  and it certainly is not a cry of regret for things I have or have not achieved.  The fact is I have been blessed with a life free of depravity and full of adventure that has left me sane, healthy, happy and free of undesirable habits.  But, always bubbling just under the surface in the cauldron of life was an irresistible essence, or spice I wanted to taste.

Occasionally someone, or some event would stir my soul and quixotic thoughts would invade my spirit and bestow an irresistible desire to swim against the grain of convention.  Some of you (if anyone is reading this) may say that the very spirit of quixotism makes for an ugly blend of impracticality at the expense of romanticism.  I ask you; did Rooster Cogburn fuss over the impossible, or impractical odds stacked against him when he mounted his horse, a Winchester in each hand,  reins in his mouth, and charged hell bent for leather toward the bad guys?  Hell no he didn't.  He was prepared to stay the course, trust in himself, his abilities, and his equipment because he learned from his quest for self realization that he had true grit.

 



The roads we travel in life are many, and a few of us must lead the way for others to follow especially when it means going against conventional wisdom of how our time on earth should be spent. Romantic, impractical, or naïve as it may seem to those who do not share our mindset, Janet Lee and I have decided to explore the undeniably different lifestyle of living on a cruising sailboat, and if required to make personal changes in our lives to achieve our goal.  Do I want to wash clothes in a bucket? Not really.  But, if it is a necessary requirement then I'll take the ugly along with the bad and the good.   Perhaps somewhere along the way we may even discover that flying without a net can be fulfilling, as long as we stay away from uncontrolled landings. 

Spider, Shadows, and Bears! Oh my! By Janet Lee

Michael and I recently went to Greensburg, PA (near Pittsburg) so I could check several items off my bucket list before we sail away.   1) I wanted my extended family to meet My Michael.   2) I have always wanted to take my mom to see my daughter, Erica, race (mom is 85 and has never seen her race),  3) I wanted to spend some time with my cousin Teddy, in the mountains.  And 4) I wanted to see and smell a real autumn again!   And trust me, it's only coincidence that the world's largest Steeler fan store in Station Square along the Monongahela River, at Liberty Bridge, happens to be not too far from where we were to land.   

        

                          

 

The first morning, after arriving in PA, we traveled across the state to the Reading area to surprise my daughter on her 30th birthday.  She and her husband, Richie, were racing in an NHRA event there.   When she saw me walk into her race car trailer, her jaw dropped and she said, and I quote, "What the heck are you doing here??  You are crazy, momma!!!!"  

                               

My mom, yours truly, and Erica 

First time a husband and wife

 have run against each other in pro stock.

Mom & My Michael watching Erica & Richie race
 

My cousin Teddy and his wife have been living totally off the grid for over 40 years, and leave behind a zero carbon footprint.  Teddy has written a book about living carbon free called Off on Our Own  and you can find a copy of it here.  It is truly an inspiring book full of encouraging ways to become better stewards of the planet.  If you think you know how to re-cycle; read this book and learn from the ultimate re-cycle pros.  (Teddy has even figured out how to capture methane gas from his compost to heat his sauna and hot tub.) Teddy and Kathy call their home Stone Camp and it is located on Laurel Mountain just outside Ligonier, PA.  For power, they rely totally on wind and solar, everything else is wood fired.  Spending a few days at their home is always a memorable experience.  They live in a 12 volt world, which is where Michael and I are headed! 

The road to Stone Camp

 I snapped a picture of this handsome buck

              hiding in the fall colors.               

Stone Camp

                                                       
The fist thing Teddy told us upon our arrival was to get up to the guest cabin and build a fire since it was predicted to get down into the low 40's that night.  He told us where we could find some dry wood and a hatchet.  The little guest cabin in the woods is not wired to Stone Camp, has no electricity, and occupants must rely on candle power or a flashlight for sight, and the wood stove for heat.  Any water that is needed throughout the night must be carried in and out.   After chiseling some of the wood into slivers, we accomplished our first job by making a fire without paper!  

The little cabin in the woods

                                                       

After a wonderful dinner of soup, assorted cheeses, and bread, we visited with Kathy and Teddy over some wine.  Before long Uncle Sneezy  (Teddy's dad) and Aunt Janet (my name sake) showed up with Timmy, Teddy's brother, his son, Casey along with his wife and two kids.  Yep, we had ourselves an Appalachian Mountain, homegrown, backwoods social, complete with triple distilled 90 proof moonshine.   Teddy, being a flamboyant story teller, entertained us with stories about a 750 pound black bear, and other stories of unrecognizable cries in the night that he could not identify.  (Note to self... such stories are not conducive to a restful night's sleep.)  A black bear has actually broken into the breezeway between the house and garage at my uncle Sneezy's house (he lives a half mile down the mountain from Teddy) and vandalized his triple locked freezer to get to his stash of ice cream.  Hearing how the bear ripped the lid off the freezer and sat eating the ice cream was comical until I compared the door at the little cabin in the woods to the heavy metal locked door on the breezeway at uncle Sneezy's house.  
 

The impromptu family gathering began to wind down so we grabbed a flash light and several candles and headed up to the little cabin in the woods. Once in the cabin, I opened the trunk to find clean sheets for our bunks.  With no moon to cast any light, the dimly lit room gave way to a spooky scene that nearly chilled my bones.  When I opened the first sheet and saw movement on Michael's bunk I said:  "Michael, flashlight please!"  I'm not one to scream because of critters, but after Teddy's stories of unidentified wales in the night, if Michael had not creamed a certain unwelcomed bed buddy, Teddy may have heard yet another unidentifiable blood curdling scream!

Mr. Spider, who was about the size of a quarter, was making his way across the center of the bunk when from out of nowhere, with lightening quick reflexes, My Michael pulled off his cowboy boot and brandishing it as his weapon of choice, ended the spider's life.  If I didn't know better, I would think that spiders make Michael squeamish because he moved with such stealth, agility, and quickness that the poor spider didn't see it coming.  RIP Mr. Spider.  As you would expect, I thoroughly inspected the whole area for any friends or relatives of Mr. Spider and continued to make our beds. 

If you remember my post on things I will not miss, you know I have a lack of love for 'the bra', but on this night I was sleeping in everything I owned.  I removed my cowboy boots, but kept my socks on, and slipped into my PJ  bottoms.  Bra, shirt, and hoodie stayed on.  I was so inspired by Michael's skillful dispatch of our unwanted bunk mate that I put my hood up and tied the strings so that nothing was exposed but my eyes; like a Ninja.  Now dressed confidently in my spider fighting Ninja attire I was prepared to kick, wrestle, chop, brawl, or squash any friends or relatives of Mr. Spider making their way onto, or into, any part of my body.  If they are seeking revenge for Michael's actions; I'm ready.

The silence surrounding the little cabin in the woods, combined with the moonshine, and  blackness of the cool October night, permitted me to fall asleep quickly but, with rigid shoulders.  At one point in the night, Michael got up to stoke the fire, leaving the stove door cracked open when he returned to his bunk.  Uh oh.  Big mistake.  The flickering flames created dancing silhouettes that jumped all around in the little cabin in the woods.  My mind went on a journey filled with big man eating rats morphing into gigantic blood sucking spiders, mean grizzled black bears, and an assortment of zombies for good measure.  Yea, I was a little freaked out when the dawn started to show the next day.  

 

Now that we are safely back in Texas, at sea level, I can say our trip to PA was a complete success, and I got to cross items off my bucket list.

 

                    1)          Family got to meet My Michael (and we got to meet my

                                 moms new boyfriend, Fred).

                    2)         Surprised Erica for her 30th birthday.

                    3)         Mom got to see Erica race.

                    4)         Spent time at Stone Camp with Teddy and the Family.

                    5)         Got to taste, smell, and see a real mountain autumn.

                    6)         Stocked up on Steeler gear (just in case).

Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

The Sisterhood: by Janet Lee

My last post mentioned the Facebook page, Women Who Sail.  Sunday I had the delight of meeting one of the women who is a member of the page.  We had both made a  comment on the same conversation stream about how hot and muggy it was because of all the passing showers.  Her comment positioned her in Kemah, TX which surprised me because Michael and I were at West Marine in Kemah, Texas

We both diverted to personal messaging and continued to communicate.  I happened to mention we were headed to Outriggers for some lunch with friends.  Well,  just as we were finishing up our lunch, I noticed a woman looking around as though she was looking for someone, and then our eyes met.  She pointed at me, and I pointed at her!   You would have thought we were long lost friends who had not seen each other in years!   What is it about women that when we share viewpoints, experiences, and goals with other women, even though it is only in print, we feel instantly connected?  You don't see men running up to each other hugging.  Probably a good thing!  I guess it is some kind of sisterhood we share, or some kind of inner web that connects us.  Whatever it is, I am happy to be a part of that sisterhood, and I am extremely happy to have connected with another sister.

After our friends left; My Michael and I visited with Diane and Paul at the restaurant for awhile.  We invited them over to have a look at Adventure Us 2, which was only minutes away.  During our visit we chit-chatted about our pasts, about our plans, and about our beliefs while the boys conversed in their own macho language that only men seem to understand.   I noticed at some point they opened the door to the engine room, so I'm quite sure they were bonding at some kind of stereotypical, masculine, chest pounding level.  The afternoon was very pleasant and Michael and I we hope to do it again soon.  Before they left, I had Michael take a few photos of Diane and I.
 

The pose....

ENOUGH!!!!

Top Ten Comforts, by Janet Lee

Tammy Kennon, of the Plodding in Paradise blog, wrote a blog titled Tammy's Ten Things that make her life on board better.  She asked the Women Who Sail Facebook participants to make their own list of items, and since I am a participant I recorded my own top ten.  At Tammy's suggestion I offer my top ten list to our blog followers, not necessarily in any order or significance.  Save one.  I would also like to point out, at this juncture of the post, that Adventure Us 2 has not yet cut the dock lines.  It should therefore be understood that my top ten list of things that make my life better on board will most certainly change as we make our way out into the wild blue.

The first item up and probably definitely my number one boy toy item would be: My Michael.  I'm not saying that he is an item but, he posses a certain item that makes me a happy girl.  Least you think I suffer from some kind of item envy, there happens to be two other reasons for this choice.   My Michael can do almost everything.  He can cook, sew, and make me laugh. He can fix just about anything and if he doesn't know about something he gathers information until he can figure it out.  He can shop, he can paint a pretty an awesome picture, he can decorate the house, and he has great ideas.  The other reason I want to keep him on board is because he has my heart and he won't give it back. 
 

What a hunk of burnin love.

 

Second item that makes my life better is Vodka.

                                                     

The third item that makes my life better is wine.

Fourth is food.  Food is a necessity, (although vodka and wine are made from food and might make good substitutes) we all need food.   Sometimes, when I get home from work the first thing out of my mouth is: "Man, I'm starved."  My Michael's response is always, "Are you whining"?  "No, I am not whining, but if we are out of vodka or wine you will hear me scream like a possessed banshee". 

Yum
 

Water is the source of life and is my fifth item that makes my life better on board.   Rain is sent from the heavens by God to wash His earth in a shower of love.   Rain makes the flowers grow and the rivers flow.  Someone recently said:  "Rain makes corn, corn makes whisky, whisky makes my baby a little frisky".  Seriously?  If you ask me, rain makes grapes, grapes make wine, wine makes my baby really, really, really, fine, and oh so sexy.    Besides, how is a girl to rinse her hair?  In salt water?  I don't think so.  Seriously!   

Splish Splash!
 

One thing I cannot live without, and my sixth item is: music.   Music makes me happy, especially when I have to go to my special padded room place.  Music takes me back,  makes assist me in remembering certain events from my past, and fills me with joy, inspiration, and happiness.    Music makes me peaceful, and if we run out of vodka or wine, music drowns out my whining.

Cause your kisses lift me higher
Like the sweet song of a choir
You light my morning sky
With burning love
Ah, ah, burning love
I'm just a hunka hunka of burning love

Remember the Oprah Show when she went out and about talking to women in grocery stores, gyms, and on the street asking them just one question?  "Are you as cute as you can be?"  If you have to go out into the world, you should at least make an attempt to be as 'cute as you can be', so as not to frighten anyone.  Especially little children, or the hunk of burnin love sitting across the salon.  This is why I will never be without my seventh item that makes my life on board better; mascara and lip gloss.  

                                 

                                                     

 

The Internet.   Nuff said.  What would we do without it?  It's like water, the source of life, and with it I can hunt down the best prices on vodka and wine. 

The interweb

All of us have addictions, vices, and weaknesses.  Mine is not something that one needs a Hefty garbage bag of fifties to purchase.  Mine is not one that will hurt anyone.  Mine is  not one that will make me look younger.  Mine is....drum roll....

You know those juicy, red, flimsy sticks of chewy, luscious candy that taste so scrumptious when they are fresh.  I have to force myself not to walk down the candy aisles because if I see them, I need them.  It wouldn't be so bad if I could eat just one here, or one there, but Nooooo !  I want them all, right now.  I want them to gush between my teeth.  I want to drink milk through them. I want to lay them in the sun and get all soft and juicy.  I want, I want, I want.

Okay, how many is that?  Ten, eleven?  Well that's my list for now of ten items that makes my life sweet on Adventure Us 2.  But, the main thing we all need on our boats, to make our lives better, is the basis of all peace and happiness:

 

Love

Let me offer this disclaimer just in case you think I have a drinking problem.   In all honesty we have had the same bottle of vodka for at least, oh I don't know, the last 2 days, and our wine collection has dust all over it cause My Michael took away my key to the wine cellar.

Treasure in the Bilge, by H. Michael

Last week while I was finishing up a project on Adventure Us 2, I happened to notice that there was water standing in the bilge under the forward head.  Usually any water that accumulates in that area drains into the lower, main bilge and gets pumped out.  I was alarmed by the volume of water that was standing and promptly employed my wet dry vac to extract what tuned out to be about 15 gallons of water.  The whole time I was working to remove the water, I had visions of various problems I could have created back in May (JL wrote about it here) when I removed the old plumbing, and holding tank. Yikes.  What if I inadvertently created a slow leak in the hull by removing the wrong plumbing, I thought to myself.  I was even contemplating contacting the marina for an emergency haul out to spot any unknown issues with the hull.  Once I got most of the water removed however, I traced the problem to a condensate line from the air conditioning unit supplying the main salon, and residing in a cabinet in the forward birth.  It's hot and humid in Texas this time of year and I have been running the air almost full time which explains the volume of water, but did not explain why the condensate was not draining properly into the main bilge.   I used my fish tape as a rooter from the main bilge forward under the head to dislodge any trash that may have accumulated in the drain, and low and behold the last of the water came streaming out just like it is suppose to.  I decided to let the area dry out for twenty-four hours, without running the air conditioning, and then try to vacuum out any "crud" that might have found a home in the dark, dank recesses of the bilge.  The area I was interested in cleaning is not highly accessible, and at best can only be reached with advanced boat yoga technique.  It's a good thing I am a yoga master skilled in the ways of discipline that promotes spiritual unity with old crap.

 

Access to the bilge under the head

 





Bilge Treasures

(back in May I removed a rusty screw driver and 3 stainless #8 screws from a different area of the same bilge)

 

The smaller of the two holes at the bottom of this picture leads to the forward bilge.

 

I wonder what kind of dip wad thinks it is acceptable to drop an item into a hard to get to place on a boat, (car,  plane, or                 , insert your personal favorite ) and walk away thinking it's okay.  I personally would toss and turn in my sleep all night long worrying about any item I dropped and did not retrieve, no matter how hard it was to get to.  Especially when it has the potential of causing problems down the road. 

 

Just last week while I was replacing the battery on JL's Corvette, I accidently dropped my open end wrench while tightening the last nut on the battery cable.  Corvettes have a sealed underbody so the wrench did not fall to the ground.   It took me 10 minutes to replace the battery and 25 minutes to remove enough of the under carriage to access the f*#@/n wrench.  Even then I had to get JL to reach in and get it because my hand was too big to get into the tiny, tight spot where it landed.  It's a good thing she rewards me regularly with her fantastic  awesome awesomely fantastic smile.

 

 

 

The end.









Amazing Women by Janet Lee

One of the group members from the Facebook page, 'Women Who Sail' read our blog, AdventureUStwo.blogspot.com, and invited me to join their page.  

After being exposed to the Facebook page for a few weeks, I am amazed at the talent, dedication, and versatility these women radiate.  They are all so welcoming, friendly, and ready to share their wealth of knowledge with other women who have a love for sailing and adventure.   I find their points of view inspirational and welcome their estrogen into my life.  Although, it has been brought to my attention, by one of the members, that not all of them still have estrogen!  Be that as it may, they all seem to have passion, enthusiasm, charisma, and a sense of humor that I find refreshing.  Being the newbie that I am to the cruiser lifestyle, I am looking forward to absorbing their knowledge, wisdom and womanly perspective as we prepare ourselves and Adventure Us 2 for departure.  Sometimes Michael just doesn't connect with my requirements.  I can't believe he said I can not have a whirlpool tub in the admirals head.

Soon we will be moving onto our boat and I am sure that I will have lots of questions and will need support as I go through a major change in lifestyle.  

Ladies, thank you for being there!  

I am looking forward to many 'online chick-fests' with every one of y'all.... however, it might be a little difficult to top the 'bra rant' thread!

You can read all about these Amazing Women here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenWhoSail/

Our New Salon is Well Worth the Wait, by Janet Lee

Remember when you were little and your family went on vacation in the car?  About every ten minutes you or your sibling would ask, "When will we get there daddy?"  My father always used to say, "See that big cloud in front of us?  When we get past it; we will be there."  As a young girl I never could figure out how my father knew that  stuff.  How could he possibly judge distance when he didn't know how big the cloud was, how far it was up in the heavens, or how far away it was from us? I just knew that I had the world's smartest daddy!

While we were engaged in the mini remodel of Adventure Us 2, time seemed to stand still.  Every week I would ask Michael, "When is the sole going to be completed?"  and he would say: "see the little fish in the water, when they turn into big fish; the sole will be finished". Time went slowly, but that big cloud way out there in front of us is finally behind us, and the shad swimming around the dock are a lot bigger. 

We have done nothing but work, work, work, all summer and as a result Michael's knees have taken a beating.  Although I relish bringing a man to his knees, I am excited that my view of  him is no longer me looking down the companionway at his back while he is below working on his knees. It may have taken all summer but we have a new salon!  New cushions, new sole, new pillows, empty checking accounts.
       

Before

 

After

 

Before

 

 After

 

Before

 After

 

 

Next up on the never-ending quest to pour money into upgrade Adventure Us 2 is: cushions for the cockpit.  We hooked back up with Jackie from Island Furniture  and she is on the payroll for toast inspired cushions.  In anticipation of completion, I already have a few water colored decorative pillows in the shopping cart of Overstock.com!