We plan to haul the boat out of the water mid-March to clean our very dirty hull and sand and paint our bottom.  Most years that project means living on the hard for at least six weeks.  Usually we start by getting the boat yard to power wash the bottom and then we work from top to bottom, scrubbing our white hull several times to get off the grime, then putting on at least two coats of wax.  This part alone can take several weekends, especially if we are unlucky enough to get a cold, rainy spell where we cannot comfortably work outside.  After we get the topsides looking decent, then we procede to the bottom.  We have to scrape off loose bottom paint, then sand and sand, since the new paint needs something rough to adhere to.  We like to put on two coats of bottom paint and the temps need to be at least 55 degrees to do this job.  Whew!  I get tired just thinking about the whole process.

So far we have ordered our bottom paint and stored it in our shed down here.  This year we are trying a new type that is ablative but much harder than what we have previously used.  It is paint used on commercial vessels and actually cheaper than what we used in the past, if $150/gallon compared to $250/gallon is cheap!!  We also bought some new silicon polish that we will try instead of wax this year.  It goes on and off faster, which should make the job go a bit easier.  I tried it yesterday in the cockpit and it made a difference with only one coat.  I figure two coats should be even slicker and shinier!  So spring time, we are ready for you!

Helen  01/29/12

I love to listen to the sound of the rain as it hits the deck, just inches from my head.  It is a very different sound and feel from rain on the roof of our house in Cary.  It seems much closer, almost as if I am out in the rain, but instead I am in this nice cozy womb–our boat.

Helen   01/21/12

Helen  01/15/12

 The boat needs some TLC this winter.  We need some repairs to the steering, the generator needs a new impeller, and our bottom needs to be re-painted with anti-fouling paint.  So we will probably not be taking the boat out to play before mid-April or later.  For me this is a long dry spell.  I can’t think of many things more fun then sailing a big boat under a warm, steady breeze.  So I thrive through the dry times on spectacular days like this one.

Helen  01/07/12

Now as I sit here on New Years Day I am wondering what will await us this year.  I hope that we can do more Love Odyssey Cruises.  I would love for my practice, Cary Speech Services, to do well and my therapists to have full case-loads.  I hope that Cary Counseling Center, Bryce’s practice, will expand with more employees.  I hope that we will both enjoy good health and continue to have fun together.  I would like our boat, Dragon Lady, to need minimal repairs (because boat repairs are VERY expensive).  And I would love to be able to enjoy more trips with my captain, Bryce!

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Helen  01/01/12

 Last night we celebrated our anniversary and Christmas Eve by eating at an up-scale seafood restaurant called Seven Fish. The banana chicken was wonderful and the key lime cheesecake was also outstanding. We found out that a lot of restaurants that have outside eating areas are “dog friendly” and allow pouches under 75 pounds. So Suzy has been going to most meals with us and sharing some of what we eat.

 Bryce and I like to explore together and there is so much to see and do here. This is probably our fourth time here and some of the stores have changed hands over the years. We have also gotten some of Key West mixed up with New Orleans, another favorite place we like to visit. So we have been having fun exploring. Tonight we walked back to our hotel and took pictures of some of the decorative Christmas lights.

We also like eating ethnic foods and there is much of that here. Cuban, Mexican, Jamaican, soul food, Chinese, Sushi, are just a few that we have seen. Bryce is hankering for some ox tail stew; yesterday we had conch fritters and fish bites; today we had pork ribs and black bean soup, as well as Cuban coffee. Yes, we are having fun! What a great way to celebrate!

 Helen 12/25/11

 Helen  12/17/11

 The real action occurred on the dock as Bryce burned sugar with brandy into a big pot of steaming Glogg.  Glogg is the Swedish word for “burnt” because the smoky burned flavor gives the hot spicy drink a most wonderful character.

 Of course the best of all was having good friends to share in the good times.  Even Suzy had her good friends Sammy and Sophie come to visit.  They kept each other warm in the little enclosed carriage they shared above deck.  Geoff came with his flask of Aquivit that is just about impossible to obtain in North Carolina.  He “assisted” Bryce with it as Bryce labored over the Glogg.

 All in all this party had a wonderful magical feel to it.  Maybe we should make it a tradition.

 Here’s the recipe for Glogg if anyone out there feels adventurous:

                                                                    Glogg

A:

½ Gal. Vodka

½ Gal. Burgundy

½ Gal. Claret (or Pinot Noir)

One fifth of port wine

One fifth sweet vermouth

B:

Couple large packs raisins

Large bag of slivered almonds

C:

1 orange rind (scrape white material off of rind first)

3 large cinnamon sticks

30 whole cloves

Crushed cardomon seeds (1/4 cup) (slightly less if ground cardomon powder)

D:

4 cups sugar + brandy

Mix wines together and ½ of vodka.  Reserve other half of vodka.  Put in raisins and almonds.  Place cloves, cinnamon, cardomon seed (crushed) and orange rind into cheese cloth bag.  Place in to pot with wines.  Heat until hot but do not boil.

Stew hot for 30 minutes.

Burn sugar ½ cup at a time by pouring brandy on the sugar in a metal sieve.  Sieve the sugar into the mixture after it is singed.  Add rest of vodka.

When serving, put raisins and almonds in bottom of small glass and serve hot!

Helen   12/03/11

Our friends, Jim and Kaye, came along for the ride.  Jim had been with us on a Love Odyssey in June and had the fun of seeing the island during the height of tourist season.  But Kaye had only been there in January two years ago and had experienced a very different atmosphere–a very quiet, sleepy island with all the shops shuttered for the winter months.  So this time we got to enjoy the best of both seasons–shops and many restaurants were still open but the tourists were few.  The temps were in the mid-70′s in the afternoon, very pleasant for long walks from one end of the town to the other (about two miles).  Many of the shops had deep discounts, not because it was Black Friday, but because they planned to shut down at the end of the weekend. 

 Friday afternoon we enjoyed a beer on the porch at Zillie’s, a gourmet shop with over a hundred brands of brew.  Saturday morning we walked to the Ocracoke Coffee Company after breakfast and enjoyed some nice java drinks while relaxing on the Adirondack’s  chairs on the front lawn.  I must mention that we got a lot of attention wherever we went because of our three little dogs in three strollers.  Kaye and Jim have two pomeranians, Jack and Ginger, who are Suzy’s best buds. 

 Saturday afternoon we strolled to Howard’s Pub at the other end of town (minus dogs) and enjoyed a brew on the screened-in porch.  Reluctantly this morning we left our island paradise to return to our dock in Oriental, but the weather continued to give us a spectacularly warm and mostly sunny day.  Thank you, Mother Nature, for your early Christmas present!

Helen   11/27/11+