more of a treat than a trick

A Halloween cruise works out well for both of us. I get to celebrate Halloween with costumes and a boat to decorate in addition to our house and Sam gets to go out on the water on a weekend I normally might opt to stay on shore.

This Friday evening when we left the dock it was calm and 60 degrees. Sad to say it was warmer than most of the Friday evenings we left during the summer. There wasn't even enough wind to try and sail since it would have been more of a drift and we wanted to arrive before dark. It was an uneventful ride up to Edmonds.

Saturday the skies let loose and it was a sogfest. It wasn't normal Seattle drizzle where you can still be outside instead it was torrential downfall. Those with the large powerboats were probably wishing they hadn't upgraded so they didn't have so many soaking wet people on board their boat. I am sure they started to wonder just how many of us could possibly cram on board without capsizing.

On another note what is up with carpets on boats? I have to say that just seems like a bad idea in my opinion. I am convinced this is why you get on some older boats and they have that mildew smell. Everyone who has been on an older boat with carpet knows just what I am talking about with the smell and I blame carpets.

Sunday we were the last ones to leave the dock and head home. The wind had picked up quite a bit and it was a bit rough for the beginning of our trip. It was just windy enough where Sam didn't even mention sailing. It turns out he has really learned a few things about his first mate and sailing.

But overall it was a pretty uneventful trip. While I wouldn't call it super comfortable during some of the waves it really wasn't that big of a deal. After we were tied up at the dock I realized it had been an uneventful boating trip. When had we last had one of those? Not that we always have dramatic or terrible happen but there always seems to be something that does. It seems that is just the nature of boating.

Or it could be I am getting a bit more comfortable on board since once I may not have thought the trip back wasn't a big deal. When you don't hear any odd noises, nothing breaks, no repairs are needed, docking goes well, and generally you feel like the boat can handle the waves it makes for very little drama. But I remembered we didn't put up the sails at all so in reality we were a powerboat with a big keel. So maybe our uneventful cruise had more to do with not sailing. I don't think Sam is going to buy it at all though when I mention it to him. Somehow I don't think he will view it the same way I did.

maybe i am a sailor

This past weekend Sam and I headed to Annapolis, Maryland for the sailboat show. On the plane someone asked why were were flying to Baltimore and I told them we were going to look at a boat. They commented that I must really be into sailing and I said that I enjoyed it. No they replied you are hard core if you are flying across the country to look at a boat. Not really I said but my husband is. They disagreed and said I was obviously going along too and I must really be into it.

At that point I didn't have an argument back or much to say which is a bit shocking if you know me at all. I thought about it and decided they just might be right I guess I am pretty into this boating thing after all.

For years I have blamed Sam for all the boats we have owned and the time we spend on the water. I have enjoyed it (well most of it there are some exceptions and trips I could have passed on) and have come to really look forward to any time spent on the water. But I always thought of him as the real boater and the one with a passion for it - I was just along as rail meat or the first mate.

But maybe now I have to admit I am just a bit hooked on the whole boating thing and if going across the country to see a boat is the way I finally admit it then the trip was even more successful for Sam. So yes I am a boater and on top of it I am a sailor. But I am still sticking by the statement I often repeat to Sam when there is a problem on board - "your boat your problem." I am not willing to give that up because honestly it might be a powerboat instead if the decision was entirely up to me.

And yes the boat we saw was worth the trip now I just need to know how to better fund this boating thing.

where to go next?

I have been thinking of places I want to visit in the world and my list just keeps getting longer. We finally made it to the destination at the top of my list, Italy, and instead of being happy it only made me want to explore more places. Well what it really did was make me want to live in Italy but I may have to save that for another time. If I could have figured out how to stay I am pretty sure I would still be there right now eating homemade pasta and trying to con my way into a glass blowing apprenticeship.

So while I crossed Italy on my list of places to visit for the first time now I keep thinking of new places to explore. So this is my new list of places:

1. Thailand - Thai food, cheap, and great beaches of course this makes the top of the list.
2. Costa Rica - I have never heard anyone who went there that didn't love it plus I have never been to Central America. I keep telling Sam we need to drive to Belize next time we are in Mexico but so far my powers of persuasion must not be up to par or the state of the roads in Mexico make my powers obsolete.
3. Barcelona, Spain - I seem to think I can speak Spanish so why not try it out at the mother country, I love tapas, and I saw the Spanish soccer men play during World Cup.
4. Hong Kong - shopping - need I say more? On a side note I really hope I have enough money to stay at the Mandarin Oriental for at least one night.
5. Greece - beaches, feta cheese, boating and island hopping. This is someplace I would like to try sailing so for Sam it just moved to the top of the list.
6. New Orleans - for the food which I have heard is incredible and if that isn't reason enough my sister and nephew live there. See you there soon C really you put it on the list.
7. Desolation Sound - this is my token boating adventure - you are welcome Sam.
8. Bocas del Toro, Panama - noted as one of the last "undiscovered islands in the Caribbean" - so this is for when we really need to relax on the beach and soak in the sunshine.
9. Azores Islands, Portugal - scuba diving is some of the best in the world so I should see something when I snorkel, fishing, bull fighting, and plenty of handcrafted items to bring back with me on the plane.
10. Turkey - sun, sea, beaches, all at a great price - count me in.

Looks like after reviewing the list I have a theme of sun, beaches, shopping, and food so I think I have come up with the right places. But if I am going back to places I have been Italy is still the top of my list.

agony of losing

I am a proud Cougar fan but the last few years of football season have been extremely painful. Typically I am very excited for football to begin but for the last 2 seasons it was more a feeling of dread than excitement. Dread because I knew it would be inevitable the Cougars would have a losing season. And by losing I don't mean a 5 and 7 schedule which I would be grateful and happy about. Instead we are lucky to get a win in. And any win we do get probably won't be against a Pac 10 team but instead a team who is happy to be in Division 1 football.

But still in spite of knowing the outcome won't be in our favor I still usually tune in or at least did. Part of me wishes I lived in New Orleans with my sister where she says they don't get any coverage. I didn't detect any hit of disappointment when she said it - instead I think she thought it was a good thing based on how poorly we have been doing. I could envision not knowing just how badly we lost or how many turnovers we had and it might make for a much better Saturday.

Last year it was easier since I knew the Huskies would be losing right along with us so that made it much easier to bear. Nothing like your arch rival getting pounded as badly as you to make the loss go down just a bit easier. Now this year they might win a couple of games and it just seems to rub it in.

Two weeks ago Tanya turned on the game and told me we were tied - my response was since the game had just started it must be zero to zero but no she told me it was 7to 7. We should have stopped there since that was as good as it got. I am too embarrassed to even repeat the final score though Sam seems to remember it all too well just to get a rise out of me.

So I decided it might be time to pick another team. I started thinking about teams I like to watch and tried to decide who my new team might be. The Cougars will still be my first love but maybe I need someone else to root for on Saturdays - a team who would at least have a chance come game time.

So I started going through the list of possible new teams to root for. Initially I thought maybe an Oregon team might be a good choice but since U of O is ranked number 3 they weren't an option even though I could think of how many dawg fans I could irritate as a Duck fan. I need an underdog team. I thought of Oregon State but then how could I give my brother in law Dave a bad time and orange and black together only seem cool at Halloween. California teams just didn't seem to work either - too many sanctions and too many sunny football game days. Football should really be played on crisp autumn days or in a snow storm not on 80 degree days in the middle of October or November.

Really in the end I just couldn't choose one - either I didn't like their school colors (hard to beat crimson and gray and the sailboat is much too expensive to repaint), they were rated in the top 20 and I like an underdog since that is what my experience is, or they were located somewhere I didn't really enjoy visiting. I really didn't find any team that appealed to me.

Instead I have decided to go another route all together. When I asked Tanya which football game in Pullman we should buy tickets for at the start of the season she said she would go to a basketball game instead. So I am going to choose basketball as my new favorite sport. In the meantime I am going to try and pretend football is only played on Sundays and not on Saturdays. If by any chance the Cougars do pull off a win please let me know - I can easily be convinced to go back to my first love of football I just want to know we have a chance on the field.

summer in the rear view mirror

As a kid I couldn't understand how mom and dad thought time went by so fast. Now I wish I still didn't understand. How can summer be careening towards fall at a faster clip than I want? It hit me yesterday fall is just around the corner when I sat inside the cabin on Labor Day afternoon hearing the rain fall against the metal roof and smelled the clean scent of rain when I went outside.

So here is a quick recap of just some of the things I am going to remember from this summer:

Italian drivers, cappuccinos in Italy, watching glassblowers on Murano Island, seeing Venice, first glimpse of Positano, homemade pasta, a 10 course meal, how many stairs we dragged our luggage up and over in Italy

weekend walks/runs at the lake, how Lake Chelan takes your breath away when you first jump in, smell of oysters on the BBQ, s'mores, long lazy breakfasts, runs/walks ending with a latte at Kelly's, unloading the truck in the dark at the cabin, carting the same food from our house to the cabin and back again - several times

sunsets from the boat deck, dinghy rides, reading snuggled up in a blanket at night on the deck, laying in bed gently rocking on a bouy, laying in bed with the boat swinging wildly on a buoy, fresh goat cheese at Salt Spring, hiking at Succia, Shaw Island race in the rain and no wind, sailing on the sound after work

Sam turning 40, dancing on the deck while cruising to our destination, blasting the 5 o'clock Friday song, viewing the Seattle skyline from Elliott Bay, much too chilly summer days, the feeling of seeing the sun finally breakthrough and make an appearance, fresh corn on the cob

Summer has gone much too quickly but then it seems like all the months move along faster than I am ready for anymore. But at least fall is around the corner and that means Halloween, leaves changing (love yard service almost as much of Sam this time of year), and the sound of leaves crunching under foot, fires in the fireplace, and pumpkin spice lattes. But summer if there is any way I can still get a few more sunny days I would be most grateful and maybe then it won't be so hard to let you go this year.

smith island again, again, and again

We have always had pretty smooth seas on our trips up from Seattle to the San Juans and back down again so it was inevitable our luck would run out. I don't mean to say we have never encountered any wave action or chop but it wasn't too bad for the most part and we managed to get through it without any threats from me that it was the last time I would be coming up the outside.

Sunday heading back from our vacation in the San Juans changed all that. Heading out of Friday Harbor it was calm with little wind. By the time we hit Cattle Pass I was heading up to the deck to find out just whose wake we had encountered. It wasn't boat wake it was tide wake and it just kept increasing.

The winds had started to pick up significantly and the tide was a big change and those 2 conditions together made for some rough seas. Rough enough that I was willing to delay my morning shower for over 6 hours.

I took a look at the charts and realized at the speed we were going it would be a long time before we hit some smoother waters. We were going to be in it for a while. After over 2 hours of constant pounding getting tossed around like a cork I finally started to understand what people meant when they say they just get used to it. I started to get used to it. Mind you I wasn't comfortable still but more just resigned to the waves and tossing. Since we had made it so far there wasn't any reason to think we couldn't make it the rest of the way.

About this time I saw Smith Island and was happy to note that we would eventually be getting to the turn at Port Townsend. A half hour later I wasn't quite as happy to note Smith Island didn't seem any closer. Almost an hour later and it still seemed like Smith Island wasn't any closer. I asked Sam if we were making forward progress and he assured me we were but I was a bit skeptical. Another 30 minutes and we still seemed to be in the same spot. While I wasn't as bothered now by the waves not making any progress was going to do be in.

At times it even seemed like we were going to go by it and suddenly the island would seem to drift back in front of us. Happily we finally did get by it but it took much too long for me. I think even Sam was starting to think the same thing but most of his time and attention was taken up by trying to surf down the larger waves and keep us going in the right direction.

I do know that seeing Smith Island not disappear behind us for so long just proved I am not cut out for a long ocean voyage. If an island does me in I cannot even imagine what would happen being in rough choppy seas and seeing nothing but more water in front of me.

So while I did learn I can become used to rough seas and almost numb to it I need a change of scenery on a regular basis. I now feel I have seen enough of Smith Island to last me for a long time or as Sam has pointed out at least until our next trip up to the San Juans. As for an extended ocean voyage I am out. After all my complaining about when we were going to ever get by the island I am pretty sure Sam is in complete agreement that I am not his top choice as first mate.

the race that wasn't

For the 4th year Sam once again signed us up for the Shaw Island classic at the end of our boating vacation in the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Each year there has been very little wind but the day before it was blowing pretty well. Heading back from Succia on Friday we had quite a bit of wind and it looked like that it might continue for Saturday. The forecasts were predicting 10+ knots of wind so maybe this year would be the one we weren't trying frantically trying finish before the deadline.

Turns out we are once again hoping next year brings winds since they had completely died by the noon start. As in previous years boats were drifting to the starting line and it took many almost an hour just to get across the line. It was a huge tide change and the currents weren't in our favor for the first part of the race. But if we could get through the currents and go counter clockwise around Shaw we would be good for the second half of the race.

The problem with that thinking was that we never actually got to the halfway point. In fact we never made much progress at all. Boats starting calling the committee boat around 1:30 to quit which was the earliest ever. The reason? In addition to no wind we had plenty of rain. I can't even count the number of times the boom filled with water and dumped. Sam was on his second set of foul weather gear by 2:30. It wasn't the best day of sailing we ever had.

We did see Friday Harbor from every angle. We floated by it, drifted back by it, saw it from far away, up close, almost got close to getting past it and then drifted back by it once more. After several times of this over the course of almost 4 hours Sam decided to call it a day. I had suggested since we were drifting back maybe we should just try to go around the other way - after all we were headed in that direction. Both Sam and dad told me we wouldn't make it and I pointed out it didn't seem like we were going to make it this way but they didn't give in.

Getting back for the awards ceremony we wondered if there would even be any awards but there were. The fastest time, fastest corrected time, and first in class all belonged to one boat - the only one that finished. And of course the only boat to finish had tried to go the way we went and turned around when they drifted back. As I heard this I gave Sam the "I told you so look" and let him know he really should have listened to me.

The skipper then told the story of how he finished the race when none of us had even gotten close. Turns out it was a bit of a wild ride with 10 feet of depth when he drew 7, dodging docks and buoys, and hugging the shoreline and then hoping he had enough wind to head out when the depth was too shallow. It sounded like a bit of a harrowing experience and suddenly I wasn't too angry we hadn't gone the other way. It was a bit more of a race than I had been looking to participate in. While I am competitive that seemed a bit more than I could handle even if it would have meant a wind.

I still think the only reason Sam called it a day was that he didn't have a third full set of foul weather gear and we were running out of places to put it so it could eventually dry out. I am pretty sure it was almost a week before some of it did dry out. The only good news is that I didn't ever have to say once during the race that we were leaning over too far or to let out the sails a bit. In fact for once I was actually hoping for wind, much more wind which isn't something I think has happened much before.

Of course Sunday once again we had plenty of wind just in time for the trip home. And then I was complaining about the boat leaning over too far which is normal except we didn't even have the sails up.

Italia

Sometimes when you blow something up in your mind it doesn't quite live up to your expectations. I had wanted to visit Italy for a long time and we had talked about it for years. I just knew I would love it with the beaches, scenery, food, shoes, shopping, blown glass, and did I mention the food. Well Italy surpassed my expectations.

I fell in love with all of it. It was the first time I have ever landed in Seattle and didn't smell the air when I stepped outside and wasn't instantly glad to be home. I wished I was still back in Italy. I tried to convince Sam to leave me in Venice to learn glass blowing but for some reason he didn't sign up for my grand plan so I got on the flight back home.

We are already planning our next trip back but the problem is I want to go to all the same places but have a dozen new places I want to go as well now.

In Milan I loved all the shopping - I have never seen so many high end shops and all the Italian designers I had ever heard of. It was an amazing sight and a shopper's paradise just not easy on the wallet. In spite of my search for the perfect Italian purse I didn't find one but I am sure Sam thinks he saw every purse in Italy and he might be right.

Lake Como was as pretty as I imagined and Sam got his water fix in - after all he hadn't been near a body of water in 1 1/2 weeks when we got there.

Positano was magical once we arrived. I was pretty glad we got car service from Naples to Positano as the road was crazy and then you add Italian drivers and the no lane concept and I was happy we had an experienced driver. I can't believe there is a city that looks like Positano does. Our day on a small fishing boat with a 10course lunch will be an experience my stomach will never forget. I really wanted to eat dinner later in the evening but couldn't manage it so gelato sufficed.

Sam will remember Capri for what he recalls as the best meal of the trip - I will remember the views of the island from the water.

Tuscany was so green and all the towns were on the tops of hills which made for interesting roads and driving. Walking around towns like Sorrento, Cortona, and Montepulciano was one way to burn off some of the incredible food we had. It just blew us away how old it all was.

I had always thought the Venetian in Las Vegas was pretty over the top until we got to Venice. I realized that the Venetian could really step it up a few notches. A city with no transportation other than boats made Sam want to stay forever. Even I was pretty enamoured with the concept myself. It was Murano Island where I finally for the first time ever got my fill of blown glass and didn't even make it to every shop. It is truly one of the most beautiful over the top places I have ever been.

After all the homemade pasta we were eating Sam started wondering aloud if maybe I would start making homemade pasta at home. While it was so much better I don't yet see myself making it from scratch. If he really needs it that badly it might be time for another trip to Italy. After all we elected for a boat trip instead of the cooking class in Positano so it is his fault if I didn't learn how to make it since we know who was pushing for the boat trip.

Of course once we were in Positano Sam started planning how the next time we could rent a sailboat and tour the Amalfi Coast and cruise down even further along the coast. It seems that while we took quite a few boat rides it wasn't quite like being the skipper. I was not quite as gung ho on this idea as he was in part because there aren't many marinas and it would call for anchoring out for most of the trip. So we will see - though Sam might have forgotten the small fact I am the one who plans all the details of our trips while he just packs and shows up in time for the flight. So we will see if I "remember" to make the sailboat reservation or if a hotel reservation will be more to my liking.

Benvenuti in Italia

With our trip to Italy coming up soon I have been trying to learn a bit of Italian. What I have realized is that I don't think I have the gift for learning languages. Italian and Spanish are pretty close so that has been helpful somewhat but they roll their r's as well and I can't seem to do that for the life of me.

I have been listening to my Italian CD's in the truck on my way to and from work but so far I wouldn't say there has been a whole lot of progress. Plus what I really want to know doesn't seem to be covered.

Personally if I was producing an learn to speak Italian CD I would start with things we really need to know when visiting a foreign country. I think asking where the bathroom is would be a great place to start. That would be a phrase you will be using on a regular basis. I would also cover ordering food, asking for the check, and of course shopping! But instead they cover the months of the year, days of the week, and then verb tenses. So right now I can go around saying what month of year it is and the day of the week. To me this isn't a huge priority because on vacation I don't really care much what day it is - isn't that really the point of vacation? I only need to know it is Monday if I have to show up for work.

I also think types of food should be covered as well - I want to know what chicken and beef are so I somehow don't end up with meat I don't recognize when it is meal time. Knowing which words to avoid would come in very handy when looking at a menu in Italian. At least I should recognize the word pasta and cappuccino so I will have a back up though when knowing what comes in my pasta could be a bit of a toss up.

Sam is much further ahead of me - he has been using the Rosetta stone and has been more diligent than I have on the studying part so far. It also might be the fact that he has been working on his Italian off and on for 2 years now.

Fortunately this trip he won't be working for much of it so he can be my translator. Usually I am in the one figuring it out while he is working so this time it can be his turn to try and communicate. I won't remind him that when I was in charge we were in countries like England, Germany, and Amsterdam where finding an English speaking person wasn't too terribly hard. I did somehow get us around in Japan though some of our dinners were in the don't study it too hard category and we were often surprised when the food showed up at our table.

Maybe miraculously in the next 2 1/2 weeks I will become more proficient but I guess at this point I will be happy to get through at least 1 more CD. Sam didn't seem very impressed when asking what CD I was on to find out I was just starting the second one, guess he thought I should be a bit further along by now.

But if anyone wants to know it is Thursday or how to say I like to travel I am your person. Just don't answer me back in Italian as that is when I will get very confused, and I don't even know how to ask someone to repeat their question or statement back yet! I think I may just work on finding my speaking Italian translation book and working on learning how to say where to find a shoe store, where is a great restaurant, how much is it, and where is the bathroom. That should really cover most situations I will be in. If I can eat well, buy great Italian shoes, and know how much I am paying it should all be good.

Plus there is iGoogle where I type in words in English and it will give it to me in Italian though I haven't found out where it will say it to the person for me yet since that is really what I need. Maybe all I really need to know is if they have wifi so I can use the Internet to look up the translation - that seems a bit easier to me.

shrimping season

Sam and I made our reservations early this year for shrimping season at casa del Schober on San Juan Island so this year we could get our share of shrimp and make it in time for the super short season. Last year the season closed early and we missed out on getting very many so this year we wanted to make sure we got plenty.

After meeting dad down at the boat on Friday evening we ate the dinner mom had made us. I don't know if it is bad form to eat shrimp on the boat where you are going out to catch their friends and family later but I didn't feel too guilty and ate way more than my share. Luckily for me Sam and my parents were much too polite to comment on my greediness or maybe because I ate them quicker they didn't notice. But I filled up on the grilled shrimp and was hoping we would find some more in the pots since 1 shrimp dinner wasn't going to quite cut it.

Finding your pot always seem to be a big of a challenge but since everyone else had mostly pulled theirs and headed home it made it much easier. That and the fact dad figured out how to track his pots on his GPS screen. I am pretty sure Sam received the message loud and clear that he might want to figure out this neat trick for himself soon on our boat.

Spotting the pots can be easy sometimes compared to grabbing the buoy and dragging it onboard. Sam and dad though have this routine down and they grabbed them on the first try. I just observed and applauded their performance since sometimes less assistance is better. I also took this approach when it came time to pull in the pots. When I reminded Sam we need to practice our man overboard drills for the upcoming summer he told me had been doing it all weekend when bringing in the pots and I really didn't have much of an argument against his theory.

Dad invested in an electric puller and this is the way to go. He doesn't mind hard labor but I think pulling 1 or 2 in by hand convinced him some things are really worth the cost. I think that is one thing my mom hasn't commented on how much it cost and she always reminds us boating isn't cheap but somehow the cost of the electric puller is never mentioned. But then I don't think she wanted to try her hand at manual pot pulling either which might have happened if she brought it up. Guess we know where I learned to pick my battles from.

Both pots had shrimp in them but not quite as many as we had hoped. Turns out the commercial boats had come in the day before and cleaned it out a bit. But we got enough for a couple of dinners so Saturday's evening menu was saved and mom didn't have to pull the ones out of the freezer she had just frozen.

Friday evening after much discussion and deliberation Sam and Dad decided on the best time to go fishing and shrimping Saturday morning. While Sam is not a morning person if it involves boating morning suddenly isn't a bad option. Sometimes I think more planning and strategizing goes into determining where to go fishing and when than corporate takeovers.

Mom and I decided they could come pick us up later when it was time to pull the pots since Dad had told us how choppy it was on Middle Bank on Friday morning when he went out. If my dad mentions it was a bit choppy and nasty I know I probably wouldn't want to be out in it on a destroyer much less his boat.

Lunchtime the guys called primarily since they hadn't taken along snacks and were hungry and hoping we would have a solution. If they had brought along food I am not sure when they would have contacted us.

We didn't get as many shrimp as we had hoped again but it was a decent catch. So if you don't limit out it must be time to move the pots. If it is a Saturday during shrimp season and you don't see any pots close by yours it might not be the best place to put your pot. Of course this was all discussed in hindsight when 1 pot came up empty. So the pots went down for the 3rd time. By now it was time to go eat some of the shrimp we had on board before we pulled the pots again.

Once again I ate way more than my fair share and we had fresh halibut as well. It is hard to beat fresh shrimp though when crab season comes around I will think that about fresh crab. After dinner we headed back out to pull the pots once more and try to limit out our 4 licenses. While we needed 3 licenses the 4th wasn't needed. But we did get some pretty good sized ones.

Sam and I got enough to have shrimp again for dinner on Sunday night and again on Monday night plus more for our freezer. My mom also gave me some to take to the cabin and share with my sister this next weekend. I wonder if she will tell her exactly how many she gave me. Something tells me I had better show up with all of them though I am tempted to do a shrimp appetizer instead. With an appetizer you can get away with serving less! Plus these shrimp have to last me until next year now or at least until crab season. This is one of those times when I wish I was married to someone who didn't really like seafood.

Sam - don't forget you need to figure out how to set the tracking system on your GPS. While it may be fun to see who all set pots in the bay driving right up to our pot would be much more efficient and leave us more time to drop it again if we don't limit out. I promise it won't reduce your boating time.

keeping it green - within limits

I try and do my part to help out the environment but there are limits to what I am willing to do. I turn off the water when I brush my teeth. I try to recycle whatever I can in terms of cans, paper, and cardboard. We don't have grass so it cuts down on watering and I reuse my towel for a couple of days. Sam likes to remind me how much fuel we save by sailing - his own version of being green.

But there are a few things I refuse to do even for the environment:

1. Reuse hotel sheets and towels - I am paying money to stay here and when I pay I want fresh towels and sheets every day. I conserve at home by not washing my sheets every day but if someone else is willing to do it I want fresh linens.

2. Use a compost bucket in the kitchen. I think the garbage smells bad enough if I don't take it out every day - I don't want anything decaying on my counter. Plus I have enough dirt in my yard already.

3. I love my thick toilet paper - 1 ply is not enough. Plus this is one place where I don't want to conserve paper - enough said.

4. Paper towels - I have a bit of a sponge phobia and I think sponges are nasty. I know you can put them in the microwave but then those germs are in my microwave now at least in my mind. I do put them in the recycle bin though if they don't have food on them - does that help?

5. Bottled water - I try to reuse a water bottle but then I leave it at work or at home and then after a while I think it smells. It probably doesn't but in my mind I think it does get a bit nasty and I need a new one. Hey the new arrowhead bottles smash down very small and I throw them in recycling so it doesn't seem quite as bad. Plus it is important to get in my 8 glasses of water a day - bottled water helps me do it.

6. Buying used items such as mattress, clothes, shoes, and furniture. It just freaks me out to think that someone else wore something before me that I don't know. Getting these items from friends and family works otherwise it is a no go. Instead I send my used items to family and the Goodwill so I am recycling in my own way.

7. Collecting rain water. Our yard gets enough mosquitoes I don't need to have another breeding ground and I am allergic. All that anti-itch and bug spray can't be good for the environment either.

But really the biggest way I have worked on saving the environment this past year is by buying a Kindle. Now I didn't initially buy it to help save on books but it turns out I really prefer reading on my Kindle. In my estimation that is about 200less books a year I now purchase. Now I did get many of those used so I was being environmentally conscious (really I just couldn't afford to buy that many new books) but now I am leaving them for someone else to enjoy.

Who knew that would be such a good decision and so environmentally correct at the same time? I wonder what next electronic item I can justify purchasing all in the name of saving the environment. Maybe an IPAD? Now I have an excuse to buy the latest technology all in the name of keeping it green.

jump aboard

I have come to the realization Sam must think I was some sort of long jump champion in high school and I still have this ability. I am not sure where he ever came up with this but in his mind I can leap from a dock onto our boat in a single bound from yards away. No matter how much he thinks or wishes this it simply isn't true.

I can't jump very far and I prefer to not jump even shorter distances than I probably could just to be on the dry side. Sam on the other hand seems to think I can somehow leap from a dock onto our boat when they aren't even in the same zip code.

This weekend was no different and reinforced once again Sam's distorted view of my leaping ability. We were docked via side tie between slips and as we started to untie Sam wanted to push out the stern since the wind was blowing us into the dock. While this was all well and good he wanted me to leap aboard the bow from the dock and then somehow getting myself over the railing. While I nicely declined he kept pushing and said the boat was leaving. So I clambered aboard in a most ungraceful fashion and somehow kept myself dry.

On board after I caught my breath I once again reminded him that while he can climb over the rails it doesn't work quite as easily for someone 7 inches shorter. He blamed it all on my jeans and insisted that it all went smoothly - I asked if he had seen my clinging for dear life hoping that someone would give me a boost up but he seemed to have missed that part.

Just a few hours after this conversation we were leaving the fuel dock in pretty windy conditions and had some unneeded assistance from the fuel attendant. Instead of untying the midship line first as I requested he untied the stern and allowed the boat to drift out while I was untying the bow. Sam started vigorously encouraging me to jump aboard but I declined and instead started retying the boat while trying to remain polite to the fuel attendant. I insisted that we redo this and I would get on board when the boat was actually in near the dock.

Sam came back to the dock - well I actually pulled him back in - and we tried again with me just stepping aboard instead of trying for a new long jump record. Once again I asked him why he thought I could somehow jump that far and he tried to say it wasn't that far but he wasn't the one on the dock looking across the water towards a rapidly drifting boat. At least this time there was someone else involved so we could blame the person "helping" and remember why we prefer to manage the lines ourselves.

Maybe I should be flattered that he has this much confidence in my athletic abilities but I am not. If it comes down to him leaving by himself or me taking a chance on an unexpected swim in the very chilly sound he is on his own. Maybe this is his way of seeing just how far I am willing to jump but by now you would think hes knows the answer is "not far". Or maybe it is that from behind the wheel his distance vision is distorted and docks seem much closer than they are. Once again it looks like the only way to overcome this one is to be the skipper and not the first mate. Somehow it always comes down to this - I just need to be the skipper.

spring cleaning

So this past weekend Sam and I finally made time to head down to Zig Zag (the boat) and spend some time on her and get her ready for our cruising schedule. It might be a good thing that it wasn't too light out when I arrived. It was a mess! Typically the boat gets a good scrub down from Sam each time we take it out and it was long overdue.

Seems we hadn't gotten out much this winter - maybe due to seasons passes at Mission Ridge and some good skiing days. Personally when it is chilly out I would rather be skiing plus the clothing is designed for those chilly days on the slopes. And of course I needed to ensure I was getting my money out of my seasons pass.

So really it was one of the first weekends we could make it down. We decided to stay on the boat for a few days while we worked on getting it cleaned up. Plus there were some new restaurants and old favorites I was wanting to try. When I saw the boat in daylight I was a bit horrified and was glad I hadn't succumbed to my idea of inviting some friends down for some appetizers Friday night. Turns out the birds had taken quite a liking to our boat this winter and had really made it their home.

For once I was happy with our division of chores - Sam cleans the outside while I concentrate on the inside. During a warm sunny day I haven't always appreciated my choice, especially when Sam closes all the hatches and windows and I am stuck inside a sauna. On Saturday though I was feeling pretty happy. While the birds had really made a huge mess of the outside the inside was pretty clean - for some reason a boat doesn't collect dust - mildew yes - dust not so much!

So while Sam spent hours scrubbing the outside I cleaned out cabinets and reflected on my good fortune. I didn't even really have to do much scrubbing on the head since we had only been on board for an evening. I would have to say my Saturday morning was much better than Sam's.

Finally he had it cleaned up and we were once again looking presentable on the dock. We headed out for a few hours and when we came back the birds had made their presence known once again. After speaking to liveaboards across from us they told Sam they had never seen so many birds and I would have to agree when we checked out some other boats across the way with their spreaders full of birds. Maybe a chilly, snowy winter in Seattle isn't such a bad thing since then the birds head south.

After a few days on board I wasn't quite as happy with my inside cleaning job - after all a few days in a small space and I really needed to clean up each day. Then I took a look outside and the birds had been paying us a few more visits. Really I would prefer to clean up after people (or animals) I know so being on the inside duty wasn't such a bad deal.

I have decided we will stick with our current responsibilities - as long as Sam is still in charge of the pump out station and any boating problems in addition to cleaning the outside. I may have to go take a few pictures outside to remind me come summer but I think I may have gotten the better end of this deal. Just don't tell Sam and if the boat looks dirty on the dock blame him.

new recipes

So one of my resolutions this year was to try a new recipe once a week. I know when I came up with my list it all sounded pretty good and easy on paper and reality definitely didn't enter into the equation. Pretty much like it was in 2009 when I came up with the same resolution. I had high hopes for all that I would accomplish once again before day to day life got in the way.

Really after a long day of work what I really want is someone else to cook and clean for me. My mom says it is easier to eat at home but I don't buy into her theory at all. I think it is much easier to go out any day and have someone wait on me and refill my drink as needed.

Honestly I had really somewhat forgotten my recipe plan - probably was right there along with my plan to update my blog 5 times a month. But then of course someone asked me and I was busted. So I started thinking back to whether I had come close or not and was surprised when really I hadn't done so badly. Of course it probably helped that this week alone I made 3 new recipes all at one meal. My sister Carla told me it was 4 recipes actually since the marinara sauce and meatballs were 2 items - I like how that gal thinks must be a genetic thing.

So when I thought back I had done pretty well for the most part and had tried quite a few new recipes though not all would be back for a second round. Some were easy like the Brie, apple, turkey paninis I made while others like the sauce I made took a few hours. What I realized is going to be the true challenge is when we are spending more time on the boat.

With my limited space on board I don't have the vast array of ingredients to choose from and an oven that really just gets hot doesn't bode well for any temperature sensitive recipes - especially desserts. It seems I primarily make the same things that I know are easy and where the pans clean up easily. For this reason alone I have banned eggs with the exception of baggie omelets. Eggs on a boat just make me nervous - from breaking in the fridge to cleaning the pans they just don't seem like a boating ingredient.

So I am going to take this resolution to the next step - probably since I am not currently on a boat and ideas always seem better in theory than practice - and try a new boating recipe each time we head out for the weekend.

I am sure Sam and our guests are eager to try something new beside what I (and Tanya) consider boat food - Ceviche, brownies, veggies and dip, chicken skewers with peanut sauce, cheese and crackers, and blue cheese dip. Though I have to admit any of those items right now sound pretty good and I am not tired of any of them, but when anyone who has been on the boat a few times has the menu memorized it might be time for a bit of a change.

Now I am starting to wonder how my Kitchenaid mixer and my Cuisinart can be used on board or nailed to my limited counter space. I can't really think of many new recipes which didn't use at least one of these. I might actually have to learn how to stir by hand again or chop onions on a cutting board. I think for this new plan I am going with simple though that might mean I need a panini maker now - wouldn't a new type of panini sandwich count here? So really this just means I will be bringing new items on board the boat - I just will need to figure out what I can get Sam to get rid of in the name of new good eats!

stocking island

When I found out we were going to the Superbowl Sam said since we are already in Miami the Caribean or other islands aren't very far away so why not extend the trip. I wan't a hard sell and started my Internet research. After looking all over I finally found something that had a vacancy and was in our price range. I thought that would be easier but with less than a month notice it was a bit challenging.

I found a place online called Stocking Island. Best of all I found out that this area is where many cruisers hang out in the winter and the place we would be staying was where quite a few of them would gather in the evenings. While Sam would have preferred being on a boat ours wasn't going to be arriving down there and this could be the next best thing. Besides this place was only accessible by boat and that definitely increased its appeal in Sam's mind.

About a week before we left Sam opened up one of his sailing magazines and the Georgetown regatta was featured - this was right where we would be. He was excited before but this was the true stamp of approval and I was now quite the travel planner.
After the excitement of the Superbowl a bit of relaxation and down time sounded pretty good. Where we stayed was an 8 person resort and you could walk for miles on the beach without seeing anyone else. Being the first one to have footprints in the sand is a pretty incredible thing - especially since I could never ever get out of bed early enough before - now I could head out at 10 and still be the first.


Sam loved the interaction with other sailors but really what he wanted to see when he looked out over the harbor was his boat sitting there. I reminded him that we might have to get a bit better at this anchoring thing when the winds picked up to the 30's one night. When some of the boaters we spoke with talked about taking shifts during the night while at anchor in windy conditions I didn't share quite the same excitement. Sam then cut his losses and pointed out the mooring pin options. Hey he knows when to make a transition and sell me on something new.

Turns out where we were you can actually make it in day trips from Florida - long days but all in daylight hours if all goes well. Now when we say that I am well aware with boating more goes wrong than right but at least it was something I would attempt in hopes I would be one of the lucky ones. Many people we spoke with stay most of the winter and really don't venture much further than Exuma. This only made me look quite adventuresome since even I would want to venture further as long as I could make land in a day or 2.

The vacation was everything that we hoped. Sam got in 2 dives (though I am still a little bitter he didn't catch the lobster he saw for dinner), we snorkeled a bit, walked the beaches, rented a boat and went exploring, and made a quick adjustment to island life. If we had been there on our boat I might not be writing this as Sam would still be there figuring out how to leave for good.

So in reality maybe it was a good idea that we flew down there so we could return back to reality and be a bit more prepared before we head off. Plus we need to figure a way to get our boat down there that doesn't include me going down the Pacific Coast through the Panama canal. Unfortunately for Sam this is going to take a bit of time, planning, and even more importantly a ton of selling on his part. Now one good thing in his favor is that one lady we spoke with mentioned how cheap it was to have her laundry done for her so I might be okay now without my washer and dryer.

So please if you want to take a boat from Seattle to Exuma Island please wait a few years to let Sam know. I don't want to be the only one living in Seattle and I am pretty sure he would be gone without a backward glance.

1 item checked off

Well I checked one item off the bucket list - going to the SuperBowl! It was a once in a lifetime experience but now I want to go again.

Sam and I decided to root for the Saints since they hadn't gotten there before and amazingly enough they won. All the teams we had been rooting for in the playoffs seemed to keep losing so having the Saints win was great. I have never been to a game where it went by so quickly. I couldn't believe when it was already halftime an when the end of the 4th quarter rolled around I didn't want it to end.

An amazing experience and one I hope that someday I can repeat again. Maybe now my bucket list will have to read - attend the SuperBowl twice! Now I just have to figure out how to get the tab picked up again.

snow birds

The 2nd week in January Sam had to go to San Diego for work. Now San Diego in January sounded pretty appealing so we decided to make a weekend out of it and spend some time in the sun.

Granted I had just taken time off around the holidays but who wants to get back into work mode all at once so I decided a few more days of vacation would do me good especially if I could go somewhere warm with water.

I have always wondered about the snow bird phenomenon - I enjoy sun and warm weather during the winter but a break or 2 always seemed good to me and I was ready to go back to Seattle. On Sunday on the boardwalk in the sun in San Diego I changed my mind - I was starting to understand the concept. Having a place in San Diego to visit in the winter while still living the rest of the year in Seattle suddenly sounded like a fabulous idea. I mean I could really get into this sunshine thing during January, February, March, and if I am honest about our weather April, May, and sometimes June as well.

Not sure what was in the air down there but I began fantasizing about a vacation condo in San Diego. Of course then Sam mentioned that he would definitely need a boat in San Diego since the water is right there. I was the voice of reason by reminding him that bringing our boat down in November or December along the Pacific coast wouldn't be a very smooth easy ride and he would need to find a new first mate. Of course that didn't go so well since then we would now need 2 boats for this to work. Suddenly reality set in I was back on board with winters in Seattle. I can visit warmer destinations to get some sun and then head home once again.

So while I understood the snow bird deal for a brief, brief time I realized probably I had gotten a bit of sunstroke while getting so much sun all at once after months of deprivation. Really I think much clearer in a cooler wetter climate and now I am back to not understanding the snow bird thing but that may be my lack of ownership in San Diego.

2010 resolutions

In the spirit of 2009 and the resolutions I made I am going to do the same thing this year. I want resolutions I look forward to and want to accomplish instead of being disappointed or setting resolutions for things I should do like loosing weight, eating better, exercising more, and all those other ones that we all wish would happen each year but suddenly we need to have the same ones again the next year since they didn't quite happen like we had hoped.

So I will leave the gym in January for the rest of you and concentrate on what I want to do this next year.

visit a country I haven't gone to before . . . try making homemade cheese . . . take 2 days off every quarter for no reason other than I need a break . . . run a 5K in less than 32 minutes . . . decide to fly somewhere on a weekend with less than a weeks notice . . . live on the boat for a month or 2 . . . take at least 10 random pictures every week . . . go visit 4 new places we haven't gone before on the boat . . . write 5 blog entries per month . . . try wakeboarding . . . try to stay off email on the weekends . . . learn to make sushi . . . call a different friend each week I don't normally get a chance to talk with much . . . drink more tea . . . try new entrees at my favorite restaurants . . . take more walks in the rain . . . go to to the Superbowl in Miami . . . go somewhere warm and tropical . . . do absolutely nothing for an entire day . . . send a handwritten letter once a week to someone . . . try a new recipe every week . . . go swimming or wading whenever I have the opportunity . . . give out more compliments.

Now these are reasons to look forward to 2010. Goodbye 2009 I am ready for the next year and all it brings.

fond farewell to 09

Dear 2009,

While many seem to be happy to see your end I am sad to see you go. 2009 was my favorite year yet though I have to admit I told 2008 as well, and I hope to tell your close friend 2010 the same thing in a year.

Your first month started out well for us. January started with chilly weather and snow but finished with sun, beaches, and incredible food in Mexico. If I had made losing weight a resolution I would have been far behind the eight ball after that trip but I had a bit of foresight and didn't make a resolution that I would have broken in a few weeks.

February brought more chilly weather but it came with skiing so that was all good. It was finished off by a birthday party for a 6 year old with Wall E being the theme.

In March you kept the snow coming and the skiing was still pretty incredible if only my skills had kept pace as my nephews were starting to give me a run for my money through the trees. I decided I am more of a groomed run skier now and will leave the trees to them. The end of the month brought us a new nephew though he had to literally be yanked into the world to make the 1st quarter cutoff. March also included my favorite new toy - a Kindle that I still haven't been able to put down since.

April and you still allowed me to go skiing and get a head start of my seasons pass for next year. It is a great month when both skiing and boating are involved and the weather was perfect for both. It also brought out some good boating weather and we got in some time on the boat though Sam of course wished for more.

May was kicked off by opening day of boating season and the Cougar Yacht Club. Again the Cougs showed their spirit and the 2 oldest nephews joined us. Their loud voices came in handy chanting Go Cougs through the cut and I am sure they will be joining us again. Memorial Day brought incredible weather and a great boating weekend in Bremerton. Sam is now a bit more concerned about currents now in a marina though.

June seemed like a Seattle July or August with all of the sun. All of our free time was spent on Zig Zag and the month flew by. We even managed to get in a round of golf in Port Ludlow but sadly our golf game showed we hadn't been getting to the courses much. We talked about fixing this but by the time November rolled around we realized it didn't happen again. Too little summer and too many things to do. Unfortunately the end of the month we had to say goodbye to Calvin our dog for 14 years. It was a great run and we had been in a bit of denial he wouldn't be with us for another year. The house has never felt so lonely and even by the end of the year I was still expecting he would come running to greet us though towards the end it did take him a bit to hear us in the house.

July was another great boating month. We spent the first week in Poulsbo commuting via a ferry and realizing living someplace where a ferry would take you into work would only work if you didn't have to be in the office every day. We took Zig Zag to Anacortes and enjoyed some weekends in the San Juans though the weekend when our engine wouldn't start was a bit more exciting than I would have liked. After that I am not super eager to do a transoceanic crossing since sailing at night isn't quite my idea of a relaxing evening. The crabs found our pots so the fresh crab alone was often worth the Friday night rush hour traffic on I5 getting to Anacortes.

August started off like how every month should - on a boating vacation in the San Juans. We had a bit more wind for our race this year except at the starting line. Once again I wished I could climb aboard after the start. Zig Zag was our new entertaining venue and we invited many friends to enjoy a sail with us.

In September Sam went to Paris over Labor Day weekend and I headed to Wenatchee so at least one of us could get in some boating over the 3 day weekend. Turns out that if it is choppy on Lake Chelan and looks like it might get a bit nasty heading out might not be a great idea. Dave was able to learn first hand how his boat handled in some chop and wind and luckily the results were good. Sam learned you can't fight jet lag when he flew in from Paris, immediately boarded Zig Zag and headed to Bell Harbor Marina, went to the Coug Game, and then headed to a wedding all within 24 hours. Turns out this might not be a good idea after all but we managed to get it all in. The month ended with a long weekend in Poulsbo where I got to see Sam run for the first time - when I convinced him it would be a good idea to train together.

With October came back our Seattle weather and tons of Halloween decorations. We spent time in Chelan and realized the lake is just as pretty if not prettier in the fall. For the first time ever I couldn't wait for the Cougar football season to end and put me out of my misery. I even convinced Sam to carve some pumpkins with me since we were too busy entertaining at our carving party to carve our own. The Halloween cruise was a bit scary with the winds and rains but the boat gave me another place to decorate since our house was already covered in decorations. It was also my first 5K where I ran the majority of it and even decided I might be up for another one.

November didn't bring the snow I was hoping for on the slopes but it did bring plenty of good food for Turkey Day and a nice long weekend. It brought some early, dark morning when I tried to get my runs in hoping I would be ready for the Jingle Bell Run.

December as usual was a short, crazy month. Even without having to do much Christmas shopping it seemed to fly by. All the holiday baking gave me an excuse to eat way too much fudge and almond roca candy. I ran the Jingle Bell Run 5K and ran the whole thing until the hill at the end but running all of it except for a few hundred feet I thought was pretty good considering. Of course I promptly undid any good I might have done with a large brunch. Christmas was a beautiful day with just Sam and I in Chelan in direct contrast to Turkey Day. The end of the month brought some good ski days so we could use our seasons passes and be happy we decided they were a good investment. 11:00 at night on New Year's I was sledding on a hill racing towards the lake so the year ended zipping by too quickly once again and I was left wondering what happened to all of it.

2010 if you are as good to us this year it will another good one. Looking forward to it but also looking back on 2009 wishing it was still here.

2009 resolutions in review

In 2009 I decided to try resolutions I would look forward to and want to do so I thought I should see how I did.

1. Try out a new recipe at least once a week - for the most part I accomplished this though sometimes it would be a couple a week or then I would get home and just go for the old standbys. . .
2. Don't pass up any opportunities to travel - I am sorry to say in 2010 I didn't travel nearly as much as I would have liked but at least I visited our neighbors to the south in Mexico and our neighbors to the north in Canada. Both countries could use another repeat very soon. And I plan to do it the same way - Canada by boat and Mexico by plane at least for now.
3. Eat more of the good chocolate - mission accomplished and then some! This may have been the easiest resolution to keep and I discovered new brands I love like Theo's and Choxie.
4. Go out to dinner with friends or have them over at least once a week - well looking at my credit card statements from the past year I definitely got the eating out part done though I needed to have more people over this year.
5. Take a day off at least once a quarter for no good reason - done, now I think I need to shoot for 2 a quarter.
6. Spend more time doing crafts with the nephews - not as much as I would have liked but we did do their photo albums again. Maybe next year I can actually do one for myself at the same time.
7. Take more pictures - what I should have said here was to actually organize the pictures I take and stop deleting all the ones of me I don't like which is pretty much all of them.
8. Shut off my cell phone occasionally - does it count that I turn it to silent at night while sleeping? Sam would beg to differ and remind me of all those times where I didn't even turn it off at night. Sorry - but if I remember correctly your phone was the one with the alarm going off the other night - not that I would keep track of things like that.
9. Spend more time in the water - a pool, a lake, the ocean - while I didn't grow scales I did spend more time in the water and I could always use more time in the water - warm water that is.
10. Work on my Spanish - while in a Spanish speaking country - well I went to Mexico and tried to speak Spanish though the locals may not have realized what exactly I was trying to say.
11. Book our trip to Italy - didn't do this I am sorry to say but isn't it good to still have things to look forward to?
12. Reach out to old friends I haven't been in contact with recently - did a little better but I am sure some of my old friends may be reading this and don't remember I did so I will have to keep working on this one.
13. Try a new restaurant at least once a month - now this was a fabulous idea if I do say so myself. Several times with a few friends we checked off 2 or 3 in the same evening having appetizers. Yum just thinking of some of the new places my mouth is watering - though I am sure my hips and waistline will attest to how often I found new favorites.
14. Have a date night with Sam at least once a week - done and needs to be on my list every year.
15. Redecorate at least one room in my house - as amazed as everyone will be this is one I didn't do this. This doesn't mean there wasn't any shopping done but not a single room got redecorated this year, maybe this means it really is time to move.
16. Have more fires - in our fireplace and out in the fire pit on the deck - had more fires in the fireplace but not on the deck though that could have been that we were gone almost every weekend and we haven't quite figured out how to get a fire pit on the boat yet.

Going through this list made me want to have a redo on almost all of them but we will see if I can get just a bit more creative and try not to recycle all of them even though it is hip to be green.