It seems that we have been getting ready forever! We are still excited, of course, but ready to be through the "Getting Ready" phase. We have been to the bank, the lawyer, West Marine, the phone company, the pedicure place, West Marine, the grocery store, Costco, West Marine, the pharmacy, the dermatologist, West Marine -- you get the idea. Tomorrow we are having the carpet shampooed, the TV set up, and loading more stuff!
On the personal front, we had pictures made today with Jeanne and the grandkids for our boat gallery. We are going to miss our kids and grandkids so much it makes my heart ache. And our wonderful friends. I gues it's a good thing that there are a lot of things still on the "Getting Ready" list so we don't have time to think about that!
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
We are now 12 days from departure and it seems that there is even more to do than at last post. We spent Monday morning with our insurance agent getting everything in order. We have sold Danny's motorcycle, swapped houses with Jeannie, both requiring changes, and added an umbrella liability policy - just in case! We loaded more stuff onto the boat, took the back panel of the enclosure to the canvas shop to have the screen replaced, and tried to waterproof the Bimini top. Danny worked on the dinghy and made a shelf for the "closet", or at least what boat manufacturers call a closet. I keep making lists!
When people hear about our trip, several questions always pop up. The first is usually "What do you do about washing clothes?" Many marinas have laundry facilities, and others offer a courtesy car so you can get to a laundromat. The second question: "How will the two of you survive all that time together?" We have been together 48 years, both retired for two years, and have spent most of that time together. On the cruise, there will be sunsets, river towns, boats, and lots of sights in addition to looking at each other. And it's easy to push someone overboard!
When people hear about our trip, several questions always pop up. The first is usually "What do you do about washing clothes?" Many marinas have laundry facilities, and others offer a courtesy car so you can get to a laundromat. The second question: "How will the two of you survive all that time together?" We have been together 48 years, both retired for two years, and have spent most of that time together. On the cruise, there will be sunsets, river towns, boats, and lots of sights in addition to looking at each other. And it's easy to push someone overboard!
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Two weeks from today we depart on our 5,500, 15 month journey on The Great American Loop. Our boat, Ellis Island is ready, we hope, we are not. So many details to wrap up, so many last minute tasks to take care of.. We are so excited to begin this adventure, but hate to leave our family and friends for such a long period of time.
Today we put the name on the back of the boat (thanks, Wes Wansley). The first strip, "Knoxvile, TN" went on horribly, lots of bubbles and crooked letters. Thank goodness Wes sent us two Knoxville strips, so we went on You Tube for suggestions. Turns out if you spray the area with soap and water, you can slide the decal around until you have it placed where you want it. Who knew? So now we are official. We did not follow the boat name change ceremony, hopefully the water gods will forgive us.
We are still working on storage systems. I have to keep reminding myself that I am not provisioning The Ark. Just because I have it in my home kitchen doesn't mean I need it on the boat. And clothes storage will be a challenge. Limited drawers, and most spaces are not square or rectangular. It's a good thing swimsuits and shorts don't take up much room.
Today we put the name on the back of the boat (thanks, Wes Wansley). The first strip, "Knoxvile, TN" went on horribly, lots of bubbles and crooked letters. Thank goodness Wes sent us two Knoxville strips, so we went on You Tube for suggestions. Turns out if you spray the area with soap and water, you can slide the decal around until you have it placed where you want it. Who knew? So now we are official. We did not follow the boat name change ceremony, hopefully the water gods will forgive us.
We are still working on storage systems. I have to keep reminding myself that I am not provisioning The Ark. Just because I have it in my home kitchen doesn't mean I need it on the boat. And clothes storage will be a challenge. Limited drawers, and most spaces are not square or rectangular. It's a good thing swimsuits and shorts don't take up much room.
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