Last minute chores....

If the weather powers that be cooperate, we should be leaving tomorrow for a little mini cruise. Most sailors refer to these little test runs as "shake down" cruises. Its a chance to see how the boat and equipment are functioning and to ensure that all systems are go before heading out far away from chandleries, shops and marine repairmen.

 I like to think of our little jaunt as a "Suck!!" down cruise. As in, 'we do not have XYZ on the boat and man does it ever suck'. Take for instance the fact that currently our water tanks are not plumbed as we await checking the refurbishment of the water system off the check list. So we are going to have to jug the water which is not ideal at all but it will work.

What should add to the suckage is the unmerciful heat we have just now. It is stupid, stupid hot. Hovering right at 100 Farenheit in the afternoon and if you are in the sun it feels even hotter. I've never been one to perspire in a dainty manner and you can't say I sweat like a pig because pigs do not sweat. I sweat a LOT. August in Texas usually means I am absolutely covered in a thick sheen of perspiration. This is why I perpetually look as if I have just stepped out of a swimming pool in summer. I am just trying to function while my face is melting off. Jumping in for a swim to cool off isn't really an option. The visibility of the Gulf of Mexico water here on the Texas coast is about 3 inches. I do not mind swimming in the ocean unless I cannot see what/who I am swimming with. That kinda skeeves me out. So Sweaty Betty I shall be. I figure if I can keep a happy disposition while I am being baked to a golden crisp by the sun, with no opportunity to rinse off the sweat, with a cranky and hot preteen and toddler on board I can do anything.

We are ticking off last minute items of our check list. One of the big ones was removing our main sail (Baggy MacBaggerton) to replace a missing batten and patch up the batten pockets which had torn. Poor sad little sail. It has seen some abuse in its lifetime and now as it winds down its career its like an aging athlete who is held together only with tape, physical therapy and an iron clad, unescapable contract. Hang in there Baggy, you shall be retired soon.

Mark took photographic evidence of me actually sewing a patch on the sail. Me sewing, by hand with the evil sail palm which refused to sit properly on my hands and insisted on rubbing my hands raw. My sewing machine is no longer my arch nemesis, the sail palm is. Seems no one makes them small enough for people with T Rex hands such as mine. Its like shoes- if they are too big you get blisters. Thank goodness Mark took pity and finished the other patch up.

So we are off to put the main sail back on, finish up the last minute items, check off the provisions list, load up the boat and tomorrow we head out to see how we do. How long are we off for? A couple of days then its back home to port to put the final items on our work list for the boat to shorten the suck list.

14 months....

Hill Country Slacking Part Deux

After our hotter n' hell hike at Enchanted Rock, we made our way back to the hotel for a nap. That is the first commandment of traveling with a toddler ' Thou shalt respect nap time for the toddler is a tired toddler and her wrath is mighty.' The second commandment is something along the lines of 'Thou shalt have no other blankie than the beloved blankie for I am a picky toddler and will forgo the nap if thou should try to foist another blankie upon me'. Fortunately, the preferred blankie was merely hidden under the bed in the hotel and a short nap ensued vitalizing the wee one and her parents for our jaunt to Luckenbach.

What was once a real town is now the coolest beer joint in all of Texas. Kitty couldn't wait to kick her shoes off and hang out. There was a pickers circle going on and familys, bikers, retired couples and local poets all hung out in the shade of the trees enjoying the music and some cold beers. Okay, the kids enjoyed dancing on stage to the music but did not have beer. No drinking until you can order it yourself. A really great way to spend a late afternoon and early evening, just doing a whole bunch of nothing. Highly recommended

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We headed back to Fredericksburg for dinner. Since Fredericksburg trades on its German heritage, every restaurant in town serves up hearty faux German food. My favorite name of a dish was schweineschnitzel überbacken. I didn't actually eat it, but it is fun to say. I was able to find stuff to eat at most of the restaurants that was appropriate for 100f+ weather. Except at the Bavarian Inn that is. We went in to look at the menu and while the early 1980s did not delight my aesthetic senses and there was a weird odor, what put me off was the menu listings for 'On the Lighter Side'. A German sausage sampler plate or chicken fried steak. They have a very different definition of what constitutes light than I do.

The next day we headed out to Johnson City to see a man about a camel. And a zebra. And some goats. This was the highlight of the trip for Kitty. She not only got to hand feed a buffalo( who has a very raspy tongue) and play with some goats but got to actually pet a zebra foal as well. She has been kind of obsessed with zebras lately. I grew up on a farm so the first thing I noticed was the condition of the animals. All of their feet were healthy (the first thing I look for), their enclosures were big and roomy and everyone appeared to be really well fed. Its actually a good business model. Breed and raise the exotic animals you love and have tourists pay to  feed them. They also have highland cows. I love highland cows.

We drove past vineyards and sunflower fields on the way back to Fredericksburg. We procured the ubiquitous peaches and preserves. After an afternoon nap and long soak in the pool, we wandered around the shops of Main street. We opted to skip dinner and instead had peach pie with Blue Bell ice cream at the Tootie pie company. It was worth every single calorie.

We woke up bright and early the next morning, hit the road and by late afternoon, Mark was back on the boat working. Seems that it was time for our regulator to receive some attention. More on that later but all in all, Fredericksburg provided a much needed opportunity to do a whole bunch of nothing. I hope to be doing a whole bunch of nothing on the boat very, very soon.

Saturday in the park

Maura, originally uploaded by CidnieC.

While Mark slaved away on the chainplates on the boat, I took the girls to the park. Mark is in a rather messy part of the job- there's lots of sawdust flying and sharp tools scattered here and there so its best to keep little fingers out of the way.

The weather was perfection- cool and sunny. We stopped by a toy store and picked up a kite for $1. You would be amazed at how happy the kids were with this kite. Maura enjoyed putting it together and attempting flight. Kitty liked watching her sister run back and forth and laughed hysterically every time the kite made a crash landing. Who says you have to spend big bucks to have fun? Not us.

Saturday in the park

Kitty, originally uploaded by CidnieC.

There is nothing quite as lovely as the golden sunlight of autumn, except perhaps a roly poly baby sitting on the grass in golden autumn sunlight.