Mom's Bucket List

Alice, who will be 85 in August, came to Texas to visit for three weeks and to help me celebrate my birthday.  (She loves a good celebration.)  When she informed us she wanted to go sailing, I was pleasantly surprised because she is not a water person.  

We set a date, but I really thought she would back out especially with winds predicted in Galveston Bay at 17 knots on our sceduled date.  This was a tad puzzling to me because her entire life she has reminded her kids, almost daily, how much she dislikes water activities.  I explained to her how Adventure Us 2 would heel and she just shrugged her shoulders like she had no concerns.

Sunday rolled around and she was waiting for us by the front door with her bag full of accouterments:  sunscreen, sun glasses, visor, boat shoes, and barf bag.  Ten minutes later we boarded Adventure US 2 and prepared to motor through the Kemah channel and out into the bay.  It was a gorgeous day and we all looked forward to a great sail!  We sailed for nearly three hours and not a scream, whine, or complaint came from her!  Allthough I did hear one or two  squeels of delight.  It was amazing!  She enjoyed it so much she asked if we could go again before she travels back to Pittsburgh!

 

 

Celebrating with a bucket of cold Tecate at Outriggers after checking sailing off mom's bucket list!



 

 

We All Get To Be a Super Hero Once in a While. By JLee

Michael and I  went to the boat after our late Sunday lunch and as we walked down the dock Michael commented that something was not right.  The AC was not running and he definitely left it on.  After entering the boat he checked the water pump to find that there were two small fish in the strainer.  He handed it to me to clean and as the water from the sink was running into the strainer, one fish stared to squirm and wiggle.  Being the female of the species I screamed shouted: "It's alive"!  I scooped it up and ran up the companion way and dropped it into the water.  When I returned to the galley I finished cleaning the filter and started to scooped up the dead fish to dispose of it and it started to wiggling in my hand.

Round two...scoop, run, and drop. 

Synopsis....I saved two lives today! 
Someone please bring me my super hero cape.

Accessorizing

Finally we are at the point where all things are beginning to come together and AdventureUS2 is beginning to look like our boat! 

You will recall a few posts back (Stressful Fun), I was busy making the decision on what fabric to use  for our salon cushions and  lee cloth covers.  Well, the other day Jackie from Island Furniture text me to let me know our salon seating was finished.  I made an appointment to meet her in order for her to deliver and install the cushions.  I must say, they look absolutely stunning, and the craftsmanship is impeccable.  Now I can spend even more of  Michael's our hard earned money accessorizing.   

After surfing the net for weeks searching for  the perfect decorative pillows, I am leaning toward  sexy animal prints. ( I have never been a flower pattern person, flower child maybe.)  Perhaps a little bit of a zebra print, or tiger pattern. Or how about a sassy snake, reptile, or organic wildlife design? Maybe a pattern reminiscent of feathers or even trees

  .

Now the REAL fun begins! Accessorize, accessorize, and ACCESSORIZE!  Well, as much as I can without killing 3 miles of Velcro!  Hmmmm, I wonder if I can get Jackie to shoot and skin .... Nah probably not, but I bet I can talk her into putting her machine to work again.
 

What Will I Do Without Country Western Dancing?

By Janet Lee

One of my concerns regarding our sailboat adventure, other than the obvious lack of storage space, is that our everyday familiar objects and routine(s) will under go an extreme and dramatic change. The journey we have laid out for ourselves promises to be the adventure of a lifetime. There are many places we want to explore and experience, and the only way to fulfill our dream is to just turn the page and walk away from our comfortable life, and relationships. Honestly, it makes me a little apprehensive to think about the required transformation, especially when we cut the dock lines.

For example: most Saturday nights, for more than 5 years, we have been patronizing Masa Sushi for our fix of sashimi (we love the top quality fish, staff and management); then we make our way around the corner to Big Texas South for a night of getting physical on the hard wood dance floor.  I am almost certain that we will not find any cowboy dance halls in the Caribbean.  The idea of not whirling and twirling, with boot stomping, hat wearing, rednecks is a daunting thought, but a needed transformation if we are to continue with our goal.



For me, moving into this previously unexplored way of living carries a factor dependant on personal bravery and the courage to think of my life in new, tangible terms.  What will my life be like with out Big Texas, without my Corvette, without my spurs, boots, whips, costumes, and the rednecks, humanoids, cyborgs, and zombies I interact with daily?  I don't know the answer to that question.  What I can rationalize is that it will be different.    Different in a poignantly healthy sort of way.  But not like this:
                                                               
                                 

Still, I wonder if I can shrink wrap my life and store it in a cardboard box plastic bag in the V birth.

 

 

 

Getting Your Oxen Out of the Ditch

When a holiday comes around and we are blessed with a three day weekend, why is it we spend the time working on projects of various kinds?  We work 40 hour a week, plus travel time, and when we get an extra day off most of us like want to dive head first into 'getting our oxen out of the ditch'.   

This past Memorial Day weekend Michael set me up us up for a three day boat burnout project.  I knew it was going to be an exhaustive three days, but it never occurred to me that I would be crawling on my knees, (never should have sold my daughter's volley ball knee pads) and contorting my body into impossible positions while reaching over the side of the boat.  Michael had spent countless hours examining different products and methods of re-finishing the teak toe rail prior to our scheduled nail destroying, body baking, skin dehydrating mission.   His research on all the different products available led him to conclude Honey Teak was the best product to achieve the desired result he we wanted on Adventure Us 2.  Unfortunately for me us the required procedure to achieve the end results was long and involved : two coats here, three coats there, buff this now, then yet another final coat (or two).  All of this was subsequent to him spending several weeks, after his day job, stripping and sanding off the old finish.

 

I made a declaration to Captain Bligh Michael early Memorial Day morning that I was only going to work until lunch time; then I would mutiny and head out to our favorite watering hole on the bay for a bucket of Mexican libation and some raw oysters. At 2pm we finally finished and I was no longer in danger of acting out my interpretation of Fletcher Christian. After three days of bending and contorting every which way, I finally got my reward!

Ahhh, I love rewards.

 



"JL! Please Come Down Here in Case I Get Stuck!"

By Janet Lee

After weeks of research and making a template to make sure it would fit, Michael and I decided that we would purchase a composting toilet for the forward head.  I thought what a great concept; we can have an on board garden with all the dirt we make from poop.  However the thought of extracting all the old waste, and water lines, plus the holding tank (in our case a large bladder) did not appeal to me in the least. To say that I was ecstatically happy when Michael did all of the dirty work while I was occupied with other things (nail appointment, fabric shopping, liquor store for disinfectant, catching up with my daughter for lunch) is an understatement.

                                                                     

After hours spent networking with various people I returned to Adventure Us 2 to discover my Michael had pulled out most of the crappy old stuff, but he still had to get under the forward head to extract the last remaining toxic waste lines and to begin the installation of our new, improved pooper. I was pretending to polishing the port lights (can't mess up a new manicure) when I heard the most obnoxious noise coming from down below. I followed the desperate crying and all I could see his were his cute little legs from his knees down sticking out from a small opening under the V-berth.  I thought to myself, "Good Lord!  I hope he is not stuck!"  I walked over to let him know I was there for him when I heard a muffled yell, "JL please hang close by in case I get stuck!"  Great!   How in God's name did he ever get in that little opening and contort his body to get where he was, and worse yet, how would I get him out if he did decide to get stuck?  "Hello, 911. My emergency is....."   I assured him that I was there for him, but in reality I was not very comfortable with what he was doing.  (When did that ever stop a man? Right?)

Fortunately, he completed his mission and extricated himself without my help or having to call 911. 

Now we just need to make dirt.

Stressful Fun By JLee

Stressful Fun
By Janet Lee

With a degree in Art and a good 'eye',  I feel comfortable that I will be able to make AdventureUS2 quite comfortable for Michael and I.  However, the journey from thirty-year-old angry-maroon salon seating to comfortable and appealing just may prove to be 'stressful fun'. 

When The Contessa came to us in July of 2012, I decided to redo the salon seating. Countless hours were spent amidst books and swatches at a local upholstery business.  I thought I knew what I wanted but once knee deep in sample books, I figured out that I only knew what I DIDN'T want! 

This was supposed to be fun.  When I told my friends what I was doing they would reply, "Oh! What fun!"  After a few weekends of searching for the perfect fabric I came to the conclusion that my friends had a sick sense of humor!

With my daughter Erica's wedding approaching, I decided to put this project on hold until after the big event.  I never thought it would take so long to decide.  But, if you think about it, there are many things to consider when choosing fabric. It needs to be durable and not hold moisture.  It needs to be peaceful.  It definitely needs to be stain resistant because we love our wine.  And, Michael and I both need to like it.  .... for a long, long time! 

Once the big wedding event was over, I was not in a rush to begin the challenge all over again, remembering how much 'fun' it was the first time around.
 

Phase ll
Keep on keeping on!
 

Michael suggested that we find someone we liked and give them a small project to see the quality of their work and how well they followed our instructions.  We asked around and came up with a woman who many people said was one of the best in the area.  I met with her and we clicked.  Her challenge was to make a windless cover.  I sent her a picture of exactly what we wanted.

 

What we wanted

 

 

What we got

 

Phase lll  

Find a new upholstery shop.

One afternoon I convinced Michael to go with me to Island Furniture in Seabrook, Texas..   I went in there once and discovered some wonderful items that we could use in decorating our boat.  While walking around, Michael noticed a fabric section.  Turns out they do upholstery!  With a store front as a middle-man, we assumed it would be pricy, but we liked Denise and decided to have her come out and give us an estimate.  To our surprise, it was reasonable! 

 

 

So, tomorrow I start the 'fun' all over again.  This time it will be different.  Denise knows what we DON'T want and I am hopeful she will have samples already pulled for me to view. 

To be continued....