Cat on a shelf...

Those with cats know that they have their favorite places to perch... but, are also always on the lookout for "the next best place."  Little Izzy found this shelf in our entryway...

Just enough room for her on there.  Unusual for her, because she usually goes for "the high ground."

I got to visit with our friends, Leonard and Doris, this afternoon; haven't seen them since last spring, so it's always a treat to catch up.  I was happy for the short walk to their place, without a jacket.  When I got back, Joan was working on financial stuff...

A nice smile - that's a good sign. ;-)

A patch of blue...

After 5 days of "winter" weather (gray solid overcast, chilly, temps in the 40s, windy, and drizzle), this morning we got up to... mostly gray, but a few breaks showing some blue sky.  It was 51º - warmer than it has been the last 48 hours.  The high today is supposed to be 58º... about 12º below our normal high, but heading in the right direction.  Wind down to 18 out of the north northwest.  The prediction is Tuesday before we make it into the 70s again.

I know, this is not a weather report... but, weather often dictates what you do... especially if you don't have to be out in it.  Didn't feel like boating, no walks on the beach.  I did download an app that eliminates the need for song info on paper (OnSong); easy and fast.  And Joan and Izzy have gotten plenty of "concert" time.  I changed strings on a couple guitars... yes, they do have a useful life; and strings do make a difference in sound and feel.

We did some online research and made reservations for upcoming travels.

Our outings for the past few days have been limited to a trip to the store, out for lunch, over to check on a boat for a friend who is out of town.  That patch of blue is a sign... relief is near! ;-)

No doubt, friends in the frozen northland and the Pacific Northwest will have little sympathy.

So, my wife doesn't want to go look at a new boat...

NO, not me.  That was the gist of a post from the Ranger Tug owners forum.  Here's my response...

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Plan a romantic getaway to quaint Apalachicola. Call Marc at Wefings to get a recommendation on the best accommodations... oh, and while you're at it, ask about his current Ranger inventory. After a nice evening and a great breakfast, take your wife by Wefings to see a Ranger in person.

If she is not smitten by your thoughtfulness and unwilling to even look, you have several options:

* Resign yourself to being a dirt-dweller, and live a life of quiet desperation
* Buy the boat anyway, and hear about "that damn boat" the rest of your life
* Beg, plead, play the "I'll never ask for anything ever again" card
* Try the guilt-ridden, "I feel sorry for you, having to be married to a man with broken dreams" speech
* Consider if you could live on the boat, alone, on half your income
* Use your veto power to derail any purchase she will ever want to make (see the line above)

OK, mostly kidding. A boat isn't for every couple. The happiest cruisers you see are couples who work together on the boat. The partners share the chores and support each other. The saddest ones you see are when one half of the couple is miserable.

Be honest with yourself: why do you want a boat? What do you really plan to do with the boat? If it isn't part of your "lifestyle", it will be cheaper to charter one once in a while. I've seen plenty of couples who talk about "the escape" of a boat or RV, jump into it, and find one or the other hates it... an expensive learning experience.

Be even more honest with yourself: have you done other hair-brained things in the past? "Honey, let's buy a vineyard!" when you know nothing about grapes, wine, or running a business. Or: "Honey, I think I want a Harley," when you've never ridden a motorcycle in your life... it is painful and expensive to have that giant back tattoo removed. Or: "We should get a live-in nanny - that girl who came in second in the Hawaiian Tropic Bikini Contest is looking for a place to live, I heard." This is especially bad if you don't have children.

See what I'm getting at? Have you done things in the past that would make your wife dig her heels in over "just looking at a boat"? You didn't mention what model you're interested in... leading to the big questions: is it in the budget and do you have the skills necessary to safely operate the boat? Safe Boating classes are available. So is marriage counseling. While I don't have first-hand knowledge, I hear that if the wife isn't onboard with getting onboard, the outcome isn't likely going to be good.

Good luck.

Jim B.

PS I am fortunate that my wife and I support each other in decisions like this. She looks forward to time on our current boat. Last year, I suggested we "just look" at an interesting (to me) motorsailor withering away in a nearby marina. Definitely one of those "over the horizon" kinda boats. We have had sailboats in the past... she knows what work is involved. She indulged me, and went to look at the boat... lots of wood, all of it in need of "sprucing up." She looked at it from the bow to the stern and said, "You can do this with your next wife."

So, there are options.

Mother Nature found out!

Remember that old TV commercial: "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature"??  Yeah, well, Mother Nature must have found out that our daughter came to visit.  Steph's visits here are well known around our neighborhood, to bring a norther.  She has had damn little proof that our winters here are much nicer than Phoenix.  Steph left last week, and Mother Nature didn't get to rain on her while she was here... oh, it was chilly one day, but not the typical ugly norther... with the cold temps, biting north wind, and drizzly rain blowing sideways.

Apparently, Mother Nature is making up for it this week, with a predicted 4 to 5 days of this crap.  The high today didn't make it out of the 40s - very unusual.

Joan said, "We are staying in today."

To which I replied, "Let's go out for lunch... grandma food or pizza!"

Grandma food it is.  For those unfamiliar with that terminology, grandma food is something made with gravy, generally some frying involved, some mashed potatoes... and guaranteed to "stick to your ribs."

We drove over to the island.  Yep, it is even uglier than looking out our windows at the canal.  Whitecaps in the bay.  The water is brown.  Most of the pelicans and seagulls are hunkered down.  Low visibility.  Ugly.

Blackbeard's has good grandma food that fits all the qualifiers: chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken.  Served with mashed potatoes and greenbeans.  A good size cup of white gravy on the side.  And, of course, Texas toast.  Yes, we still call it that in Texas.

After our leisurely lunch, we drove by the county RV park (Isla Blanca) - it is a good indicator of how many Winter Texans are here.  Not as many as usual at this time...

In the past, there has been a waiting list for RV sites at this park by January 1st.  Maybe the crappy weather has been keeping them up north... but, it sure hasn't been any better up north.


We drove by the beach.  45º, wind out of the north at about a million miles per hour, and drizzling (yes, sideways).  I shot this image of the water through the windshield...

On the way home, we picked up the ingredients to make chili tomorrow... it isn't supposed to be any better weather-wise, so we'll likely be cocooning.

Just looking around...

I can't help it - I'm at that "curious age"... for those who aren't familiar, old enough to be retired, but young at heart enough to still look around.  Don't get me wrong, I am in a committed relationship... several of them, actually.

But, you know, sometimes you just want to see if what you've heard is true.

What's that?  Checking out what??  Hey, I'm taking guitars here, take that someplace else.

A norther blew in, and my lovely wife had a slight case of cabin fever (my case was more advanced).  She suggested lunch out, a stop for some fabric she wanted, and I could stop at Guitar Center to pick up some strings.  The high E-string on my 814 has started sounding a bit "warbbly"  (yes, I think I made up that word... maybe "twangy" would be more accurate?).

After lunch and fabric shopping (yes, I live an exciting life  ), we stopped at our nearest GC.  I picked up a few sets of different strings to try out, while the Blonde looked around.  She said, "I assume you want to look in the acoustic room before we go?"

Yes, a silly question.  Nothing I need, but, like walking on the beach on a nice day, it's always a pleasure to look.  What's that??  Yes, I'm talking about the shells and the pretty water - what were you thinking??

Where was I?  Oh yeah, looking at guitars.  I'm really not a "comparing" kinda guy - I know what I like.  I am crazy about what I have.  The young man who sold me the strings asked what kind of guitar I have... I led with my favorite and said, "A Taylor 814."

"Ohhhh - really nice!  That is my favorite guitar in this place.  I play that one every chance I get."

Now, I'm sure that he is just doing that for the eventual owner, helping to move along the "opening up" process.     OK, I am digressing again.  There was nothing in that place that turned my head.  I happen to think the bursts on my 814 and T5 are as pretty as it gets.  Then, I saw a Rainsong (a carbon fiber guitar - no wood on it anywhere) hanging up high.  Just making conversation, I asked that same young man, "Have you ever played one of those?"

"No, I haven't.  I like wood."  I nodded in agreement.  He said, "Want me to get it down for you?"

"Nah, I was just wondering what they play like."

"Let's find out," he said and scrambled up the ladder in a flash.  He handed me the guitar.  Interesting carbon fiber texture under that glossy finish.  I pulled out a pick and sat down to give it a try... it sounded good.  The guitar felt nice... I guess I was expecting it to be cold and lifeless.  If that's what I was expecting, I was wrong.  Don't get me wrong - it didn't move me like my 814 does.  But, it was a nice instrument.

No, I'm not considering any changes.  For full disclosure, though, I have been around long enough to know better than to say, "If I can get that _______ (fill in the blank), I'll never ask for anything ever again." 

The idea of "humidity be damned" is interesting.  We used to race sailboats - I understand the allure of carbon fiber.  I also appreciate the warmth of wood.

When I handed that guitar back to the young man, I said, "Now, you play it - see what you think."  He played... well.  The guitar sounded good from this side, too.  As he was putting the guitar back, he said, "It's no 814, though."

Smart kid.

Layering...

Clothing, not fiberglass.  A norther blew in yesterday... it was 70º when we got up in the morning, and slowly lost ground... um, degrees.  Today, it was rainy and windy, only making it into the mid-50s.  The local folks call this "winter."  It will last about 3 days, back into the 70s by this weekend.

We both had a small touch of cabin fever, and decided lunch out and a visit to Guitar Center was in order... well, Joan wanted to pick up some fabric, too.  So, we headed out of town.  I layered for the first time since we left the San Juan Islands... a turtleneck, a fleece vest, and a waterproof windbreaker type jacket.  I was perfectly comfortable.

Yeah, January in the Tropical Tip is a lot like June/July in the San Juans.  ;-)

Happy New Year!

As expected, we were treated to a "private" fireworks show from our deck...

Didn't have to fight the traffic or crowds... a bit of bubbly while watching.  A pleasant night with just the two of us (well, three, 'cause little Izzy was watching the fireworks, too), and a very nice way to ring in the New Year.

Izzy note: four years ago, she was brand new to the family.  New Years Eve 2008 was her first overnight on the boat.  We still think of her as "the baby kitty," but she has traveled lots of miles, visited quite a few states.

(one of my favorite photos of Izzy, taken in New York City, during our Erie Canal summer cruise, 2009)