Even more projects while we wait

Disclaimer:  I am writing this under the influence of a variety of forms of NyQuil, antihistamines and 'allergy' remedies as well as general malaise and an utter lack of any sense of humor.

It's Wednesday morning and Mark and Jon are preparing to go to a local hardware store in search of a unique bolt needed to finish the install of new port lights in the new front windows.  After a delay due to a ordering error I think, the port lights arrived yesterday, complete with hardware we didn't need but without a bolt that we absolutely do need.  That is pretty typical.

After a week here with Just Catamarans, the windows are close to done but the rigging person has been non-existent.  I will claim the theory that it is because they didn't actually call him to get us on the schedule until Mark brought it up again.  But it now appears we are on the mysterious schedule so we've got that going for us.  The results of that inspection will decide our fate for the next couple of weeks.  The delay in getting here has put us up against the Christmas/New Years week and, like everyone else, the folks here want to be able to take time off for the holidays.  Who can blame them?

Something really nice that happened was that Bob and Bev, our dock neighbors on Icaros, had us over for cocktails Monday night and that stretched into dinner.  We also got a fantastic batch of cookies and rum balls from them...I'd show you a picture but they are pretty much all gone.  Yum!  What a treat and what a couple of really fun and super nice people.  Icaros is a lovely Catana and she is here for a new mast and rigging.  We've (the men folk that is) been watching the fiberglass work with much respect and admiration. 

We also took a bike ride back to the Quarterdeck last night but with a working freezer that is now up and running--and freezing, dinners out need to be cut back and a shopping trip is in order to fill it.  Dinners ou need to be a fun treat, not the norm because they are very expensive and we are eventually going to get a bill from this place too, ugh. Considering what the market did this week, we are even less thrilled about settling up.  You can't take it with you but that doesn't mean we want to give it all to Just Catamarans either - haha!

We are eager and anxious to get things wrapped up but also to make sure the work is done well and properly of course.  Kenny does take pride in his work and the windows are looking great.  Rigging is not the kind of thing you play games with as you can imagine but at the same time, I could do with leaving this "working" marina as soon as it is reasonable to do so.  So as much as we get the impression they would like to get us out of here, I assure you that we are three times as eager to be gone.  We will for sure be looking into the services available close to home in Deltaville next year.

The good news is that all the tasks on the Task List are being addressed and that would not have happened otherwise, all the provisioning items I ordered have arrived, there is a perfectly nice beach less than two miles away and the weather has been just lovely. Plus this is where we are so that is the "is" of it.  Where are you. "here". what time is it. "now" who are you. "this moment".

 Our most recent project scrapbook...

My cork project underway

Getting close

Yay, done...not bad, if I do say so myself

Finally did my 'craft' project

I do have a strange love of baskets ;-)

Jon organizing all the sockets

Mark cleaning the sealant off one port light

Jon indulging my paparazzi tendencies while he cleans the other port light

Jon installed a 12v charger in his cabin!  Very nice addition.

The seemingly simplest tasks always take the longest...installing tie downs to keep the diesel jerry cans in place.  This took Mark most of the day but Jon also crossed "clean cockpit storage hatch drains" off this list for us so win!

I didn't get a shot of him with only his legs sticking out because the rest of him was under the floor.

Tidy and secure -- and clean!

Jon also installed anti-slip along the side of the catwalk between the tramps...I for one am very grateful because I have slipped on that bare aluminum many many times!

The all important sealant! He then smoothed it down by hand to get a good and clean looking seal.

Shiny!

Waiting for the sealant to cure and plan to have the front two finished up with new port lights tomorrow.

And because I need a little Christmas...I put up these; a little hard to see but at night, it's a sweet remembrance that it's the holidays.  What matters is faith love kindness hope joy and being an active participant in the gift of life that we are given (while hopefully leaving a trail of 'good' along the way).  XO Suzanne