Joan had to go into work early today: 7:45 am. I didn't have to go in until noon. Being the dutiful boat husband that I am, I did my chores, then took Isabella for a walk. I could tell she still wanted something when we got back to the boat... "Do you want to be brushed?"
Yep, that was it. Our other cats were not real keen on being brushed; Isabella loves it. I got the brush out, and she hopped right up on the cooler in the cockpit, ready to go. She nearly throws herself at the brush... it's kind of comical. When I was done, I started to put the brush away, and she bit my arm! Not hard; she's never bitten either of us so that it even leaves a mark on the skin... but, it was very clear that she wasn't done being brushed. Faking like I was mad, I put my finger in her face and said, "Don't bite your Daddy!"
She swatted my hand! She's never done that before. Defiant. I laughed to myself and put my finger back in her face... she swatted me again. "Isabella! What did you do?" She folded her ears against her head and swatted me again. I laughed out loud. I don't think she liked that.
"Are you ready for some chow?" She knows "chow," and her defiance immediately changed to sweetness. This is too easy. ;-)
The morning had started off foggy once again, but was sunny and pleasant when I walked to work. It was a great day for whale watching, and we saw plenty of whales. The highlight was an up-close-and-personal appearance from Blackberry. Honestly, I think he has a "thing" for the boat I drive. We left the scene with happy guests. I had a few extra boat chores to do before heading home... Joan waited, then helped with with one fix, and we walked home together.
There was a marimba band playing in the park as we walked to the boat. It was just shy of 70º, but the music gave things a tropical feel as we walked. Snacks and an adult beverage in the cockpit, where we could still hear the music. Not a bad way to wrap up the day.
Tomorrow is my birthday. I used to make a big deal out of NOT working on my birthday when we had the studio... everyone got the day off, with pay (kinda like a national holiday ;-) ). Yeah, I'll be working on my birthday. I'm going to be forty nineteen. :-D I'll get the next day off, so we'll celebrate then. In the meantime, taking a boat full of guests to see whales is a pretty OK way to spend your birthday.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Boat husband...
Joan had to work today, I was on stand-by. I did the grocery shopping, walked the cat, did the dishes, and picked up around the house... um, boat. We had a nice visit today from C-Brats (Kim Christine) Patrick and Kim. This evening, Patrick came by, and he and I discussed "the perfect boat" and bunches of other stuff. The Brats are like the old Honda commercial about "meeting the nicest people..."
I was sorry I didn't have a trip today: the weather was perfect! Not "nice" or "great"... perfect. It got up to about 72º, very light wind, bright sunshine, low humidity... perfect. My "house husband" work didn't take long, so I had some guitar-in-the-cockpit time... nice!
Today was also a first (due to the weather)... I put my chair out on the dock and soaked in the "vitamin D"... I think I might have even sweat just a little bit. ;-) No, I'm not rubbing it in to my southern friends (mid-west friends, too, with this current weather).
I was sorry I didn't have a trip today: the weather was perfect! Not "nice" or "great"... perfect. It got up to about 72º, very light wind, bright sunshine, low humidity... perfect. My "house husband" work didn't take long, so I had some guitar-in-the-cockpit time... nice!
Today was also a first (due to the weather)... I put my chair out on the dock and soaked in the "vitamin D"... I think I might have even sweat just a little bit. ;-) No, I'm not rubbing it in to my southern friends (mid-west friends, too, with this current weather).
Concert in the park...
The weather was less than stellar yesterday morning (rain that wasn't forecast), which slowed bookings so only one boat was going out. This is the first time in several weeks, but it meant I had the afternoon off.
I haven't been able to see any of the Sunday Afternoon Concerts put on by the Port of Friday Harbor, right here in the small park between the marina office and town. Larry Murante, singer/songwriter, put on a great performance. Outstanding singer and guitarist, he did a variety of covers and original music. Here's a link...
http://www.larrymurante.com/
And a look...
For those coming to Friday Harbor, these concerts are scheduled on Fridays and Sundays, July and August. A wide variety of talent.
----------------
We are officially half way through our time here with San Juan Safaris. We are both enjoying our work, the people, the area, and... living on the boat. I had some concerns - even though we have spent months cruising in the past, living in one place on the boat isn't the same as cruising. Always something to do here on San Juan Island (when we aren't working).
I haven't been able to see any of the Sunday Afternoon Concerts put on by the Port of Friday Harbor, right here in the small park between the marina office and town. Larry Murante, singer/songwriter, put on a great performance. Outstanding singer and guitarist, he did a variety of covers and original music. Here's a link...
http://www.larrymurante.com/
And a look...
For those coming to Friday Harbor, these concerts are scheduled on Fridays and Sundays, July and August. A wide variety of talent.
----------------
We are officially half way through our time here with San Juan Safaris. We are both enjoying our work, the people, the area, and... living on the boat. I had some concerns - even though we have spent months cruising in the past, living in one place on the boat isn't the same as cruising. Always something to do here on San Juan Island (when we aren't working).
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Friday Harbor Farmer's Market...
Just two blocks up from the marina, turn left just before you get to the theater. I hadn't been there before, so we took a walk up there before Joan had to go to work today (I have the day off). I had heard that it wasn't a big deal; I was pretty impressed when I saw the crowd...
It's not a huge area, but it is full of vendors, and they are selling all kinds of stuff: produce, baked goods, goat products, photo-art, sushi, pizza (yes, they have an oven in their booth, on a trailer), crafts, massage, and several musicians playing in different locations. It's not as big as the market in Ganges, but there wouldn't be room for any more booths in the area they have...
I couldn't resist the gourmet pizza offered by one of the bakeries here. There was a line, and it was worth the wait. Spicy! It was fun to walk around and take in the sights, sounds, and smells.
I bought Joan some ice cream on the way to the office - she was off to work, I had a list of boat husband tasks to get done. I didn't tell her, but I think I'll still have time to get in a nap. ;-)
It's not a huge area, but it is full of vendors, and they are selling all kinds of stuff: produce, baked goods, goat products, photo-art, sushi, pizza (yes, they have an oven in their booth, on a trailer), crafts, massage, and several musicians playing in different locations. It's not as big as the market in Ganges, but there wouldn't be room for any more booths in the area they have...
I bought Joan some ice cream on the way to the office - she was off to work, I had a list of boat husband tasks to get done. I didn't tell her, but I think I'll still have time to get in a nap. ;-)
Well, that was different...
Yesterday, we awoke to a light rain. As usual, I checked weather - no mention of rain for the day, nothing about it in the hourlies. I checked an hour later: rain until 10:00. We heard thunder rumbling; that's unusual around here. By 9:00, the weather forecast changed to: rain until noon, then sunny; they lowed the predicted high from in the 70s to in the 60s. At noon, the rain had quit, solid overcast.
The boat I usually drive is "the adult boat." The other boat has a table inside with kid books, coloring supplies, and educational toys. We had a family charter our boat: 5 adults and 7 kids (6 of them under 6 years old)... yep, that's different.
It was sunny when we departed a bit late, at 1:38 pm (Hey, the adults in that family were outnumbered! It takes extra time to herd kids around.) I got a report of where the whales are located... and a report of solid fog in that area.
We didn't run into the fog until around Cattle Pass. The water was pretty calm, and it was wispy fog at first. Looking to the south, I saw lightning... fog and lightning? Fun. I called Joan in the office and had her run a radar loop with predictions - looked like the convective activity would stay south of us. Within 1/2 mile of turning upisland on the west side, visibility was down to a couple hundred yards. I already had radar on, so we slowed. With the engine quieter at the lower speed, you could hear the rumble of thunder. The fog thickened... with visibility at an estimated 200 feet, it was going to be hard to see whales at 200 yards. I had a couple small targets that weren't moving; I assumed there were fishing. On the radio, the report was improved visibilty (a half mile) where the whales were (a few miles north of our position). We continued through the fog... I was concentrating on the radar, the chartplotter, and keeping a watch ahead - the naturalist said they thought they saw a dorsel fin. I shut down the boat, and you could hear a whale breathing, but couldn't see it. I could see the blip on radar.
We started up and moved north. On the one mile range, I could "see" a couple boats moving slowly; I asked distance and direction of the whales from them. As the visibility improved some, we saw our first dorsel. Then another. A big male and a couple females. Nearly surreal to see them in the fog. They were moving north, so we paralleled their course. Great viewing, and the visibility improved to a couple miles; we could now see the other whale watch boats that were on scene. The kids on the boat were giddy with the whale sightings. I kept looking back to the south... yep, a solid wall of fog, lightning in the not so distant distance.
I let the naturalist know that we'd be "taking the long way back." Choice: further distance with good visibility vs shorter distance, fog and convective activity. 18 knots vs 6 knots. Either way, we were going to be a little late getting back, and we'd have a quick turn for the evening trip. The water was nearly flat, sunshine, no wind... nice. The naturalist asked me if we could swing by Spieden Island on the way back... "We'll see. We're already running late." She told me that one of the guys and his son had fished near there yesterday on a charter and they wanted the rest of the family to see the sika deer and mouflon sheep. I called the office and let them know that we'd be late getting back, but would make up the time at the dock.
The family loved it - the kids got to see the animals, some seals, and a couple bald eagles. It was an excited and happy bunch when we got them back to the dock.
I swapped boats at the dock, got updated reports of where the whales were: same area, the fog had pretty well dissipated. Joan pulled up radar: nothing close by. I had a couple bites of chicken that Joan had waiting for me and headed back to the boat. We left on time and got to the whales just in time to see a whale breach twice! Whales to the north moving south, whales to the south moving north. The naturalist explained to the guests about two pods coming together. The only boats there were two small Canadian ribs and us. A great show, but looking behind us, I could see a rain cell moving fast on us. A few minutes later and the first crack of thunder! I counted the seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the rumble... getting closer. A few drops of rain on the windshield, then... the rain came pounding down! We handed out rain slickers - most of the guests wanted to stay outside where they could see better, with whales on three sides of us. It really was a good show, but it looked like we'd be taking the long way around again, this time to stay out of the lightning.
When we turned into Spieden Channel, I could see another cell moving west. The rain had lightned up a bunch as we moved north, and now it was picking up again. Moving south in San Juan Channel, the cell seemed to be chasing us. We made it back to the dock, and it was barely sprinkling. While picking up around the boat (it takes a long time to hang up 30 wet slickers and spread out wet blankets), there was a blast of lightning WAY close, followed almost immediately by the thunder... the music I could hear in the background went quiet and town went dark. I went into the dark office (we leave lights on all night) with the sound of beeping battery back-ups, checked out, and locked the door behind me. 9:00 on a Friday night... having no power for the restaurants, bars, and shops is going to be an inconvenience.
There was a glowing horizon to the west, and a light sprinkle as I walked the dock to our boat. I handed by gear to the Blonde and asked, "Do we have power?"
"I think so. I've been reading; haven't had the TV or heat on." I looked at the power panel... nope, no power on the docks, either. No matter, I was ready for a bite to eat and bed. Joan said, "I'll nuke that chicken and put it on a tortilla for you."
"Um, no power. Cold chicken will be just fine." ;-) With battery power on the boat, we were fine with the fridge, the lights are 12 volt, and I was ready for some rest. I went to bed with rain and thunder for a lullaby. In the middle of the night, I was feeling a bit chilly... after 3:00 am, and we still didn't have power. I went back to bed and pulled the covers around me. Around 4:00, I heard Joan get up... "It's 53º in here." She flipped the AC power breaker on, it beeped, and she turned on the electric heat.
Glorious sunshine this morning. No mention of rain, fog, or lightning in today's forecast... I don't trust 'em.
----------------------
On edit: talk on the dock this morning... "Wow! That was something last night! Better than the 4th of July!"... "I heard power was out on the mainland."... "Sure glad I wasn't out in that. What? You were? Ohhh..."..."We don't usually get warm fog and lightning..."... "I haven't seen anything like that in years."... "Yeah, once every three or four years at the most."
The boat I usually drive is "the adult boat." The other boat has a table inside with kid books, coloring supplies, and educational toys. We had a family charter our boat: 5 adults and 7 kids (6 of them under 6 years old)... yep, that's different.
It was sunny when we departed a bit late, at 1:38 pm (Hey, the adults in that family were outnumbered! It takes extra time to herd kids around.) I got a report of where the whales are located... and a report of solid fog in that area.
We didn't run into the fog until around Cattle Pass. The water was pretty calm, and it was wispy fog at first. Looking to the south, I saw lightning... fog and lightning? Fun. I called Joan in the office and had her run a radar loop with predictions - looked like the convective activity would stay south of us. Within 1/2 mile of turning upisland on the west side, visibility was down to a couple hundred yards. I already had radar on, so we slowed. With the engine quieter at the lower speed, you could hear the rumble of thunder. The fog thickened... with visibility at an estimated 200 feet, it was going to be hard to see whales at 200 yards. I had a couple small targets that weren't moving; I assumed there were fishing. On the radio, the report was improved visibilty (a half mile) where the whales were (a few miles north of our position). We continued through the fog... I was concentrating on the radar, the chartplotter, and keeping a watch ahead - the naturalist said they thought they saw a dorsel fin. I shut down the boat, and you could hear a whale breathing, but couldn't see it. I could see the blip on radar.
We started up and moved north. On the one mile range, I could "see" a couple boats moving slowly; I asked distance and direction of the whales from them. As the visibility improved some, we saw our first dorsel. Then another. A big male and a couple females. Nearly surreal to see them in the fog. They were moving north, so we paralleled their course. Great viewing, and the visibility improved to a couple miles; we could now see the other whale watch boats that were on scene. The kids on the boat were giddy with the whale sightings. I kept looking back to the south... yep, a solid wall of fog, lightning in the not so distant distance.
I let the naturalist know that we'd be "taking the long way back." Choice: further distance with good visibility vs shorter distance, fog and convective activity. 18 knots vs 6 knots. Either way, we were going to be a little late getting back, and we'd have a quick turn for the evening trip. The water was nearly flat, sunshine, no wind... nice. The naturalist asked me if we could swing by Spieden Island on the way back... "We'll see. We're already running late." She told me that one of the guys and his son had fished near there yesterday on a charter and they wanted the rest of the family to see the sika deer and mouflon sheep. I called the office and let them know that we'd be late getting back, but would make up the time at the dock.
The family loved it - the kids got to see the animals, some seals, and a couple bald eagles. It was an excited and happy bunch when we got them back to the dock.
I swapped boats at the dock, got updated reports of where the whales were: same area, the fog had pretty well dissipated. Joan pulled up radar: nothing close by. I had a couple bites of chicken that Joan had waiting for me and headed back to the boat. We left on time and got to the whales just in time to see a whale breach twice! Whales to the north moving south, whales to the south moving north. The naturalist explained to the guests about two pods coming together. The only boats there were two small Canadian ribs and us. A great show, but looking behind us, I could see a rain cell moving fast on us. A few minutes later and the first crack of thunder! I counted the seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the rumble... getting closer. A few drops of rain on the windshield, then... the rain came pounding down! We handed out rain slickers - most of the guests wanted to stay outside where they could see better, with whales on three sides of us. It really was a good show, but it looked like we'd be taking the long way around again, this time to stay out of the lightning.
When we turned into Spieden Channel, I could see another cell moving west. The rain had lightned up a bunch as we moved north, and now it was picking up again. Moving south in San Juan Channel, the cell seemed to be chasing us. We made it back to the dock, and it was barely sprinkling. While picking up around the boat (it takes a long time to hang up 30 wet slickers and spread out wet blankets), there was a blast of lightning WAY close, followed almost immediately by the thunder... the music I could hear in the background went quiet and town went dark. I went into the dark office (we leave lights on all night) with the sound of beeping battery back-ups, checked out, and locked the door behind me. 9:00 on a Friday night... having no power for the restaurants, bars, and shops is going to be an inconvenience.
There was a glowing horizon to the west, and a light sprinkle as I walked the dock to our boat. I handed by gear to the Blonde and asked, "Do we have power?"
"I think so. I've been reading; haven't had the TV or heat on." I looked at the power panel... nope, no power on the docks, either. No matter, I was ready for a bite to eat and bed. Joan said, "I'll nuke that chicken and put it on a tortilla for you."
"Um, no power. Cold chicken will be just fine." ;-) With battery power on the boat, we were fine with the fridge, the lights are 12 volt, and I was ready for some rest. I went to bed with rain and thunder for a lullaby. In the middle of the night, I was feeling a bit chilly... after 3:00 am, and we still didn't have power. I went back to bed and pulled the covers around me. Around 4:00, I heard Joan get up... "It's 53º in here." She flipped the AC power breaker on, it beeped, and she turned on the electric heat.
Glorious sunshine this morning. No mention of rain, fog, or lightning in today's forecast... I don't trust 'em.
----------------------
On edit: talk on the dock this morning... "Wow! That was something last night! Better than the 4th of July!"... "I heard power was out on the mainland."... "Sure glad I wasn't out in that. What? You were? Ohhh..."..."We don't usually get warm fog and lightning..."... "I haven't seen anything like that in years."... "Yeah, once every three or four years at the most."
Friday, July 13, 2012
Friday the 13th...
No, I'm not superstitious... I think bad stuff can happen to you at any time. ;-)
Take yesterday, for example. You know we are "cat people." Our little furry girl is very much a part of our family, just as the two previous Feline-Americans were. It wasn't always that way - before Smoke the cat became a part of the family, we had dogs. Now, with 30 years of cat companionship, I can say: cats are easier. We walk our cat on a leash (when she feels like it), but it isn't necessary to carry a "poop bag" while we walk... Izzy has her own private bathroom... you are more likely to crap outside than she would be.
We were unloading some stuff from the truck after our outing yesterday. I parked the truck as close to the ramp as I could find, in a 2 hour parking spot; a grassy area behind the truck. I went to the back to open the tanneau cover. Hmmm, something doesn't smell right. It wasn't coming from the truck, it was coming from the dog shit that I stepped in... with both shoes! I said to Joan, "I hate dogs."
She said, "Don't hate the dogs; hate the owners who don't pick up after their dogs." (And, we see plenty of that around here.) Plus, my dear ol' Mother taught me, when I was young, "Hate is a very strong word."
"OK, I really dislike irresponsible dog owners who don't pick up after their dog. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get dog shit out of siped shoes??"
I work on a boat. We are living on our boat this summer. I wear siped soled shoes. For those who don't know, 'siped' means lots of little slits in the sole to give you a better grip on slippery surfaces. I had to use a hard bristled brush, dish soap, and the hose to clean my shoes.
Friday the 13th... while I don't believe in superstition, I do believe in karma. For the irresponsible dog owners, I hope your dog shits in your shoe today. :-)
Take yesterday, for example. You know we are "cat people." Our little furry girl is very much a part of our family, just as the two previous Feline-Americans were. It wasn't always that way - before Smoke the cat became a part of the family, we had dogs. Now, with 30 years of cat companionship, I can say: cats are easier. We walk our cat on a leash (when she feels like it), but it isn't necessary to carry a "poop bag" while we walk... Izzy has her own private bathroom... you are more likely to crap outside than she would be.
We were unloading some stuff from the truck after our outing yesterday. I parked the truck as close to the ramp as I could find, in a 2 hour parking spot; a grassy area behind the truck. I went to the back to open the tanneau cover. Hmmm, something doesn't smell right. It wasn't coming from the truck, it was coming from the dog shit that I stepped in... with both shoes! I said to Joan, "I hate dogs."
She said, "Don't hate the dogs; hate the owners who don't pick up after their dogs." (And, we see plenty of that around here.) Plus, my dear ol' Mother taught me, when I was young, "Hate is a very strong word."
"OK, I really dislike irresponsible dog owners who don't pick up after their dog. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get dog shit out of siped shoes??"
I work on a boat. We are living on our boat this summer. I wear siped soled shoes. For those who don't know, 'siped' means lots of little slits in the sole to give you a better grip on slippery surfaces. I had to use a hard bristled brush, dish soap, and the hose to clean my shoes.
Friday the 13th... while I don't believe in superstition, I do believe in karma. For the irresponsible dog owners, I hope your dog shits in your shoe today. :-)
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Tourists...
A day off for us. It started pretty much like this for all 3 of us...
I had promised Joan lunch at Madrona Grill at Roche Harbor. We decided to make a day of it, touring around the island with the truck. We enjoy the drive between Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor - a pleasant two lane that winds through woods and open fields.
We arrived in Roche Harbor when the Madrona Grill first opened - we had our pick of tables outside. Last time we planned to do this, it rained. The day started off foggy again, but turned into glorious sunshine. Our table had a nice view of the marina...
We each ordered our favorite meal, then shared. Tasty! When we were done eating, we walked around a bit, visited with Kevin from San Juan Outfitters (used to be part of the same company we work for) to learn about their kayaking trips (Joan books some of those through our company). We walked around Roche a bit, making our way to the sculpture garden near the water (not the one across the road)...
Recognize that as an Orca dorsel fin? Here's an even larger piece...
These are available for purchase. I like this whale tail...
It can be yours for only $38,000. We have a slightly smaller version (OK, it fits on a shelf) that we bought in Mexico years ago for a bit less than that. ;-)
We decided to drive from the north end of the island, around the south end, and then up the east side, back to Friday Harbor. Past English Camp, along Lime Kiln State Park, and a stop at an overlook on Haro Strait...
There was an interesting fog bank that ran down the middle of the Strait. We watched a couple boats move in and out of the fog. Looking to the south (bottom image above), you could see the Olympic Mountains above the fog. No idea where the whales were today - I'm not on duty!
We drove to the south end of the island; Cattle Pass looks much narrower from land than it does when on the water. We stopped at a beach access on our way back to Friday Harbor - I wanted to see what passes for "beach" here... not the powdery sand we're used to back in south Texas, but there were people out there getting some sun. We took the inside road that leads back to Friday Harbor from Pear Point, along Turn Island. Interesting homes on and near the water.
We settled into the cockpit once we were back at the boat. I was playing guitar, Joan reading a book. Joan stepped out of the boat to visit with a couple that was looking at Wild Blue. Turns out we got to meet a couple of our readers here, Cindy and Ron. They are sailors who are considering a change... yep, we've been there. We had a nice visit and gave them a tour of Wild Blue. When we were considering that same change, it was tough to find a C-Dory to look at... we understand.
A fairly quiet evening in the marina. Nice ending to a pleasant day off.
Tomorrow is Friday the 13th...
I had promised Joan lunch at Madrona Grill at Roche Harbor. We decided to make a day of it, touring around the island with the truck. We enjoy the drive between Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor - a pleasant two lane that winds through woods and open fields.
We arrived in Roche Harbor when the Madrona Grill first opened - we had our pick of tables outside. Last time we planned to do this, it rained. The day started off foggy again, but turned into glorious sunshine. Our table had a nice view of the marina...
We each ordered our favorite meal, then shared. Tasty! When we were done eating, we walked around a bit, visited with Kevin from San Juan Outfitters (used to be part of the same company we work for) to learn about their kayaking trips (Joan books some of those through our company). We walked around Roche a bit, making our way to the sculpture garden near the water (not the one across the road)...
Recognize that as an Orca dorsel fin? Here's an even larger piece...
These are available for purchase. I like this whale tail...
It can be yours for only $38,000. We have a slightly smaller version (OK, it fits on a shelf) that we bought in Mexico years ago for a bit less than that. ;-)
We decided to drive from the north end of the island, around the south end, and then up the east side, back to Friday Harbor. Past English Camp, along Lime Kiln State Park, and a stop at an overlook on Haro Strait...
There was an interesting fog bank that ran down the middle of the Strait. We watched a couple boats move in and out of the fog. Looking to the south (bottom image above), you could see the Olympic Mountains above the fog. No idea where the whales were today - I'm not on duty!
We drove to the south end of the island; Cattle Pass looks much narrower from land than it does when on the water. We stopped at a beach access on our way back to Friday Harbor - I wanted to see what passes for "beach" here... not the powdery sand we're used to back in south Texas, but there were people out there getting some sun. We took the inside road that leads back to Friday Harbor from Pear Point, along Turn Island. Interesting homes on and near the water.
We settled into the cockpit once we were back at the boat. I was playing guitar, Joan reading a book. Joan stepped out of the boat to visit with a couple that was looking at Wild Blue. Turns out we got to meet a couple of our readers here, Cindy and Ron. They are sailors who are considering a change... yep, we've been there. We had a nice visit and gave them a tour of Wild Blue. When we were considering that same change, it was tough to find a C-Dory to look at... we understand.
A fairly quiet evening in the marina. Nice ending to a pleasant day off.
Tomorrow is Friday the 13th...
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