St. Monans Harbour

St. Monans Harbour- 56º 12'N, 02º 44'W
Tel- 01333 739000

Ah the  East coast of Scotland. So many lovely little villages, so very little water at low tide. Again, you might want to skip this one by boat because the harbour master only works part time. Whether or not he is working is dependent upon the tides. There are 2 dedicated visitors berths in the harbour. A grand total of 2. but you still might want to skip it because:

And why not just anchor out? Because this is what you would be anchoring in-

Maybe you would trust your ground tackle in this, with huge tidal swings. I don't think I would.

Still, I love this tiny little village.

I love that someone has taken an ugly, old slipway and created a Wellie boot garden.

I love "the Fishermens Church" with it's boats hanging from the rafters, a reminder of how powerful the sea is and how tiny are our boats upon it....

I love the graves or sailors and fishermen from years gone by looking eternally out to sea.

I love the walk along the shore. You must hop a stone fence and walk along a narrow path- (and take a break if needed)

past cows and castles ( or remnants of a windmill but when you are walking with a 4 year old they are all castles)

I love that on a clear day you can see the outline of Bass rock, shining white in the sunlight. You look out upon the sea and see it shimmering, glistening like alabaster, looking as if it might be inhabited by some magical being...

Then your mother in law says "That's Bass rock. It's a bird sanctuary. The huge amount of bird droppings make it appear white". Shimmering, glistening bird poop. It's the poop that makes it pretty. So much for waxing romantic.

Wandering Paris

Our first day in Paris, we arrived via train in the early afternoon.  Before we even got to the hotel Kitty spied a park and we stopped by for a bit to let her run and play a bit. The weather was spectacular but I could not help but notice that Paris smells like pee. Cat pee to be precise. The whole city too, not just one area. I suppose it's to balance out all the ridiculous beauty of the city.

We eventually made it to our hotel in Montmarte. Here's a tip. Hotels are about 1/2 the price in Montmartre as other areas. The same holds true for cafe's. Yes, there are some really seedy businesses you might have to walk past but big dang deal. You don't have to actually go in, just keep on walking. We stayed right around the corner from the Moulin Rouge which is kind of a seedy business too, just with better PR.

View from our hotel window. Quiet neighbors.

Mark has been to Paris so many times that he really knows the city. It was fun to see him so excited to show Kitty and I his favorite parts. So on our first day, we spent the afternoon walking down the Champs Elysees and hanging out in the Tuileries gardens.

I walked around the city with my mouth hanging open, I think I was just flabbergasted at the care and effort put into making every bit of the city, beautiful. From beautifully laid out gardens, to boulevards with room for trees AND vehicles. Intricately detailed lamp posts and grotesques embellishing bridges. It was a bit overwhelming. Usually if I find something beautiful, its a forest or a mountain or a river valley. This might be the first time I have ever seen an entire city devoted to beauty. Even in the small streets, modest little shopkeepers seem to put an effort into the aesthetic of their space that is unlike any other place I have been. It's actually kind of refreshing to see that yes, humans can live in a densely populated area and it does not have to look a hot mess. It was just beautiful, the scent of cat pee not withstanding.

Not where we ate dinner, where we SHOULD have had dinner!

After dinner in the 6th arrondissment (big mistake, really overpriced for what you get. lesson learned) we went for a walk along the Seine. The canal boats who call Paris home were moored along the quay. As we walked by, I thought about how great it would be to bring the boat up to Paris for a bit. Then I thought about all that would entail from paperwork and expenses to unstepping the mast and trying to store it on deck and I relegated the idea to the "maybe someday, not a priority" file. Still, I can certainly see the appeal of buying a canal boat and traveling the canals of France and Europe for a bit. Then I realize that would mean unleashing Captain Perfecto to refit yet another boat and truthfully, I only have ONE refit in me so for now I shall just be happy with the few days we got to spend in Paris away from sanding teak and painting fiberglass.

If It's Tuesday It Must Be Paris

We took the chunnel over to Paris for a couple of days. Mostly because I had never been before but also because A: it's one of Mark's favorite cities anywhere and B: it is not London. 

Sorry London, there is lot's to like about you but you've got some work to do on being welcoming. Let me just break it down for you like this- the Parisians were nicer and friendlier than the Londoners we came across. How is that for turning a stereotype on it's ear? With the exception of the management and staff at the wonderful Horse and Stables pub in London, everyone in London was polite if cool. The  Parisians, on the other hand were friendly and patient to a fault. The staff at Horse and Stables were the London exception to the "distant and cool" rule. Wait. Though they were in London, they were French. Never mind.

I find myself at a loss for words about our time in Paris. I understand now how people can fall in love with a place and never want to leave. I need to break it down into manageable bites if you will so for now I'll just leave you with some images and with this- find a way to get to Paris. Know you will need more time to take it all in. Know its okay to feel a little cheesy about gawking at cliche monuments and landscapes, they are well known for a reason. Know that you are not the only one with your mouth hanging open at the sheer beauty of it all. More to come....

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.

Movin' to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches

This past week supposed to be our preliminary shake down cruise. Mark had arranged for time off from work and I was getting our provision lists together in preparation for week cruising along the Gulf Coast. Unfortunately, by Friday the day we had to give the green light, the track of TS Debby was uncertain. She would probably head east away from us, but no one could promise the high pressure area over Texas would hold and Debby wouldn't head west towards us. Since I have a firm and steadfast 'do not play with possible hurricanes' rule, we had to put the shake down on hold. I am all for testing our anchoring equipment and technique but testing it in possible gale force winds when you have a heads up seems kind of stupid.

So we had a choice to make. Use the extra time off to keep on keeping on with the refit or take some much needed R and R. Mark has been keeping a schedule of 3 days in the office, 4 days refitting for 2 solid years. I've been trying to keep up with the kids, the boat, the houses for those same 2 years. Decision made. R and R it is. So we headed out to the most beautiful part of beautiful Texas- the hill country, to do a whole bunch of nothing for 4 days.

We stayed in Fredericksburg, an old German settlement which was the hometown of CHESTER NIMITZ! (man are they proud of that factoid) and is now a tourist destination thanks to the fact that it produces some of the most exquisite peaches in the country and also produces some mighty fine wines. There are tons of great shops for those so inclined and plenty of breweries to please the beer fans. Our hotel- Fredericksburg Inn was on the banks of Baron's creek just off Main street and had a really outstanding pool and lovely grounds for chasing a toddler around. Maybe the room was decidedly circa 1980s motel pedestrian but the grounds more than made up for it.

We drove up to Enchanted Rock for a morning hike. We got there as early as possible as the high for the day was supposed to be 105f. That is stupid hot. We started our ascent with Kitty tagging along until it go too steep then it was into her carrier and up to the summit. Mark thought to bring an umbrella to shade her and he made quite a spectacle climbing a giant boulder with a baby strapped to his back covered by a big umbrella. It did make him easy to spot though.

 Enchanted Rock is a big ole hunk of pink granite. While the hike is not a long one, it is steep. Really steep. So much so that when I happened to pause and turn around about half way up the dome, my fear of heights kicked in and I had to sit for minute to let the anxiety pass. Yes, heights freak me out. So much so that I purposefully lived on the 28th floor of a high rise where I would go out on my balcony every morning and peer down and think to myself "Yep. Still freaked by heights". I refuse to let fear ruin my fun so after a minute or reminding myself that it seemed much steeper than it appears I soldiered on. This is me on the summit smiling because I've yet to realize that I have to look down to get off the darn thing.

I've got more on our hill country get away coming in the next post but for now I will leave you with a moment of Zen from the summit trail. I call this one 'Rock. And some flowers. Om.'