To post, or not to post, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to not let my readers suffer the pains of too much detail, Or to take arms against their thoughts And by opposing post it anyway.
The following post is one that I have wrestled with whether to post, or not. It’s extremely wordy, but it was fun to write. It gives a lot of detail on what a typical week might be when we’re working on the boat. I’ve tried to shorten it, but then I feel it loses something. So, for what it’s worth . . . get yourself a cup of tea (or a beer), get comfy, and have a read.
main salon windows
prepping for the new glass
protection from falling debris
Just like John Grogan in the movie, “Marley & Me”, I’ve decided to try to “list” how life was on the boat during our Thanksgiving holiday. There’s always so much that doesn’t get mentioned, so maybe this will touch on a few more things. Maybe too much!
Starting Friday night at about 9:30 pm . . . Arrive to boat. Plug in power. Found ice on deck. Ice too heavy for bimini. Fabric stretched. Turn on heaters. Unload entire truck (cab & bed), Wil at truck, Colin on boat transom, Justine at top of stairs, Jenny in cockpit. Like assembly line. Find night clothes. Get ready for bed. Drive to bathroom. Drive back to boat. Boat warmed to 42 degrees. Crawl in bed. See breath. Try to stop shivering. Fall asleep.
Saturday . . . Wake up with full bladder. Too cold to exit covers. Rush from covers to shoes. Drive to bathroom. Back to boat. 20+ birds at top of mast. Bang stays. Swing boom. Birds fly away. It’s a poop deck! Wil still in bed with iPad. Reading Cruisers Forum. Pour bowl of granola. Make coffee. Check email. Sun starts to warm boat. Extra jacket comes off. Slippers come off. Fingers warm enough to put contacts in eyes. Get dressed. Place new microwave in galley. Colin wakes up. Eats a doughnut. Justine reading in bed. Unpack clothes for the week. Colin goes to play with boat friend. Wil takes out salon windows. Jenny labels, records, and stows food. Justine gives up book for doughnuts. Colin & friend return. Salon seat cushions on floor. Food provisions piled on tables, floors, and seats. Bed sheet hanging from open salon window. Wil cleaning out old caulk. Black caulk pieces falling everywhere. Three kids squished together in one small space. Fellow boat mom shows up. Invites Justine & Jenny for a “Breaking Dawn” matinee. Continue placing new provisions. Wil puts coat of paint on generator pieces. Most of generator still in back of truck. Wil measures and cuts new glass. Wil looks tarred and feathered. Ride bike to bathroom. Wil brings cheeseburgers & fries from corner store. Yummy & yuck! Still putting away provisions. Help Wil cover open salon windows. Get ready for movies. Reschedule movie trip. Justine & Jenny go for a long bike ride. Go to West Marine. Colin brings boat friend’s younger sister. Eat at Panera Bread. Take little boat friend to her family at their friend’s house. Quick drop off turns into longer, fun visit. Bring oldest sibling back to her boat. Drive to bathroom. Chat with friends. Return to boat. It’s 11 pm.
Sunday . . . Repeat morning routine. Colin’s friend shows up at 7:30 am. Friend waits for Colin to wake up. Little sister shows up to wait for Colin too. Wil paints another generator coat. Colin wakes up. Happy to see friends. Goes to play. Man tells Wil about big black bear in parking lot last night. Jenny returns to stowing provisions. Wil returns to salon window project. Wil hears man fall from his boat. Help man. Wait for ambulance. Return to work. Wil places tape & new caulk. Jenny primes window & places spacers. Jenny on top of salon. Wil at bottom. Together stick new window. Beautifully done! Ten minutes to get cleaned up. Girls’ go to movies. Boys go for pizza & visit with Grandma. Meet back at boat. Drive to bathroom. Return to boat. Get ready for bed.
Monday . . . Wake up earlier. Repeat morning routine. Write blog about man who fell. Make room on tables for school books. Kids up for school. Kids don’t want to do school. Wil starts prepping next big salon window. Colin takes history test. Justine studies for history test. Kids schooling in salon. Jenny on deck with Wil. Administer school help through open salon window. Finish placing last big salon window. Colin finishes school. Goes to play with friends. Justine finishes school. Kid boat friends stay over while parents go to town. Rig mast halyard, block & tackle system, and Toyota Landcruiser for process of hauling generator aboard. Justine videos the scene. Beautifully done! Learned from past mistakes. Coil all lines and put everything away. Cook dinner for six. Overcooked quinoa & wild rice in pressure cooker. Served mush like prison food. Kid friends go home. Hook up TV. Watch Terra Nova. Drive to bathroom. Back to boat. Off to bed.
Tuesday . . . Last day of school before Thanksgiving. Colin has cold. Wil has cold. Wil works on generator. Wil removes wood frames for next window replacement. Jenny covers bunks with old sheet. Colin finishes math test. Jenny helps Justine study for geography test. Justine glad school finally over. Jenny & Justine peel paper and tape off new windows. The reveal is beautiful! Help Wil place small triangle windows. One window not sticking. Wil forgot to peel tape backing. Pull window up. Caulky mess! Move quickly to prevent a “re-do”. Get tape peeled & window back on. Hearts can slow down. We can breathe. Clean deck. Jenny & Justine go to Food Lion for Thanksgiving supplies. At grocery checkout. Colin phones. He’s locked out of boat. Wil at showers. Drop food at Grandma’s. New mattress sitting at Grandma’s. Load truck. Rush back to boat. Wil & Colin watching TV. Grrrr. Prepare dinner. Eat dinner. Place new mattress in our bunk. MUCH better! Repeat bedtime routine. Colin miserably sick. Falls asleep at 8:30 pm.
Wednesday . . . Happy to have day off school. Colin & Wil still feel bad. Cancel bonfire dinner plans. Boat work a blur of projects. Go to Grandma’s to make pumpkin & pecan pies. Justine helps. Get Wil from boat. Eat dinner at Grandma’s. Return to boat for bed.
Thursday . . . Relaxing morning. Morning showers. Drop Justine off at bathrooms. Deliver pumpkin pie to friends’ boat. Return to boat. Justine not there. Go look for Justine at bathrooms. Can’t find Justine. Hear tap on truck window. Justine hiding in bed of truck. Remainder of day spent relaxing & celebrating an awesome Thanksgiving Day with family.
Saturday . . . Wil gets up first. Jenny too tired to get up. Check email from bed. Wil goes to West Marine & marine salvage store. Colin wakes up. Crawls in bed with Mom. Get up and serve leftover pancakes. Jenny drinks coffee & works on next blog post. Colin watches YouTube videos. Justine reads. Wil phones. Friends from Raleigh are dropping by in a couple of hours. Ride bike to shower. Return to boat. Take Justine’s bedding off. Justine helps. Put memory foam mattress on Justine’s bed. Remake her bunk. Hatch cover guys come aboard. Take hatch numbers & dimensions. Tidy boat. Do dishes. Colin plays with his homemade blow dart. Justine reads. Friends show up. Great visit. Friends leave. Grandma & Pete show up. They take Colin to a shooting range. Wil, Justine & Jenny ride bikes to ship’s store for candy & a drink. Relax at store. Make bathroom stop. Ride bikes back to boat. Wil sets up hose and bucket of water. Jenny tries to start port engine. Doesn’t start. Wil re-attaches spade terminal from relay switch. Engine starts. Run for 30 minutes. Water circulating, but engine getting hot. Pour in anti-freeze and turn engine off. Project for later. Engine ran, so check fresh water tank for hot water. No hot water. Have to keep doing dishes in ice cold water. Project for later. Wil gets water bucket ready for starboard engine. Finds all battery cables disconnected from starter. Someone didn’t complete job they were paid to do. Re-attach cables. Chase birds away. Justine falling down on her job. Starboard engine starts. We cheer. Run engine for 30 minutes. Jenny works on blog. Starboard throttle doesn’t stay in place. Wil keeps pushing throttle forward. Keep checking water level in bucket. Discover port engine leaked antifreeze. Simple fix. Whew! Jenny goes to store for chocolate, marshmallows, and beer. Go to a bonfire dinner. GREAT fun! Return to boatyard. Drive to bathrooms. Justine’s friend sleeps over.
Sunday . . . Usual morning. Add laundry collection. Start the packing process. Serve 3 kids breakfast. Wil scrubs deck & window covers. Colin practices guitar. Girls play online fashion game. Water sprays in open hatches. Add to blog. Go back to packing & cleaning. Wil still scrubbing deck. Load truck. Depart the boatyard for a week of paid work.
Don’t know about you . . . but I’m exhausted just reading that!
2 Responses to to post or not to post . . . the full monty!