Love Odyssey

This weekend we took the boat to Beaufort. Yesterday we had gusty conditions and Bryce tried to anchor the boat in Taylor’s Creek. Another sailor kept yelling to him to pick up a mooring. We have never used a mooring ball and Bryce did not know how to do this. The other sailor finally rowed his dinghy over and showed him how to pick up the line and tie it to our boat. He explained that there were lots of storms around and when the tide and wind are opposing, different boats can point in different directions, potentially hitting each other. So we took the mooring of someone who is in the islands and paid for it with 3 bottles of beer and three bottles of ginger beer.

Today we took  Suzy to Bird Shoal Island which is across from the Front St. and where wild ponies wander freely. We did not see any ponies but Suzy did get up close and personal with a fiddler crab–and had her nose pinched. I don’t think she will ever get close to anything ressembling this again!

This evening while we were eating dinner in the cockpit a small cruise ship came into port. We have put the photo on for you to see.

Helen 04/23/11

Every Monday night for the past six weeks we have been taking Suzy to Puppy Kindergarten at Petsmart. We have been learning how to train her in basic obedience such as “sit”, “stay” and “come”. This has not been easy for Suzy or me. She seems to have the attention span of a fly and barks anytime she hears another dog or an unusual noise. We practiced our “homework” every day. Some days were better than others. She learned “sit” and “spin” very quickly, but “down” (lying completely flat on the floor) was impossible for her to learn. I tried all kinds of treats, but it always seemed she was a born see-saw; if the head was down on the mat, the rear was up and vice versa. A week ago one of the more experienced trainers was finally able to get her completely down, but it took quite a bit of patience and many tasty treats. Of course when I tried the same techniques at home, Suzy just reverted back to her see-saw. Last night was “graduation” and I really thought Suzy would flunk the final test and be asked to repeat “kindergarten”. But our trainer was able to get Suzy down flat and I was able to duplicate the result several times last night–success!! Yes, we made it! And my little miss graduated!!

Now we are going to try graduate puppy training. We have signed up for another six weeks. I have confidence Suzy can learn if the treat is tasty enough! My hope is to get her eventually certified as a Therapy Dog since she goes to work with me every day and interacts with the little people who come into my speech therapy practice.

Helen 04/19/11

This weekend our marina was the site for the annual Oriental Rotary-sponsored boat show. We are surrounded with boats new and used for sale as well as tents selling everything imaginable for life on the water. In addition there is a steady stream of speakers giving talks about various aspects of boating such as boat maintenance , ropes and lines, and fishing. We can sit here on our boat and see all the action surrounding us. But for me the most fun has been to take Suzy for a walk and have all the ladies oohing and aahing over her! She sure is a hit wherever we go!

Yesterday Bryce and I boarded some of the older boats that were for sale. It was fun to see how other boats are configured–and to go away feeling like we have the best boat for our us.

The weather has been very, very windy all weekend. Last year some of the vendor tents blew down under similar circumstances. We noticed this year that vendor tents have longer pegs and they are better prepared for the conditions. Still, a strong weather system is being predicted for this evening–we hope everything is going to survive the conditions. Right now we are having gusts of 25 to 30 miles per hour–very, very blowy!

Helen– 04/16/11

Oriental is such an unusual small town. With only 900 perrmanent residents you would think that it is snoozeville–not so! There is always something to see or do every weekend. There are concerts, plays, old movies from our youth, foot races and of course sailing regattas and fishing tournaments. This weekend the town is hosting 900 cyclists who are discovering the flat roadways around this pretty county.

Since there are not enough rooms for rent for this number of cyclists, a tent city of sorts has been erected for them by the river. Bryce and I took a walk around the area and brought back these photos. Stay tuned–next weekend is the boat show in our marina and I promise to have more photos. Yes, Oriental is a happening place! Come on down and see what you have been missing!

Helen -4/09/11

The town of Oriental has many unique features and the annual Dog Parade is one of them. Today was the sixth annual parade of canines. There are prizes or ribbons given for categories such as “Cutest” and “Most Patriotic”. I think I have entered each parade with our Yorkies; we have never won but always had fun.

This year we decided to be the Yorkie family from Yorkshire. Of course Suzy, our six month old Yorkie, was the star performer. She went as our baby. Bryce and I were the parent dogs. I have included our picture. You can see more of the parade on www.towndock.net.

Helen 04/02/11

Yes, we finally got to Ocracoke! This was the perfect weekend weather forecast–winds from the south on Friday and winds from the north on Sunday. So yesterday morning we slipped the dock lines at 7:00 am and had a wondeful sail to Ocracoke with winds behind pushing us north. It felt so good to get back here again–a reaffirmation that spring and sailing weather has arrived.

Yesterday we walked around town and noted which shops and restaurants have re-opened for the season–about half. It looks like the other half will open in a few more weeks.

Today we took Susie to Springer’s Point, a lovely sand beach on the sound side which we had all to ourselves. Susie, our six month old Yorkie, enjoyed poking around the sand for treasures like sea gull feathers and bones of dead birds. We visited Howard’s Pub for a lunch of fish and chips with beer. And we took a long 2-hour nap in the afternoon.

Tomorrow we will leave here early (like 6 am) and sail back to Oriental. Yes, I am glad that spring has finally arrived and we can sail again. But now I will have to make more of an effort to get all those boat maintenance projects out of the way before the Love Odyssey cruise season begins!

Helen 03/19/11

Every year in early spring Bryce and I get the itch to take the boat out of the dock and sail somewhere. For the past several weekends we have been teased by warmer weather, but the wind has been too high to have a comfortable ride. But this coming weekend it looks very promising..temps. in the 70′s and moderate winds out of the southwest. So we are crossing our fingers and hoping that the conditions will not change between now and Friday morning. I am dying to go to Ocracoke. This will be Suzy’s first long sailing trip and we want to see how she will behave when the boat is heeled over. We really want to help her get used to sailling so we can take her with us on Love Odyssey trips this summer. So stay posted..and cross your fingers for us.

Helen–03/15/11

I want spring in the worst way! I want warm breezes, flowers everywhere, and new green leaves on the trees. I’ve seen enough cold blustery grey days. Friday had the sunshine and a few flowers, but the wind was strong and cold out of the north. Yesterday was a bit warmer, but the skies were cloudy and gray. Today it is raining. Oh well–at least the calendar tells me that spring will be here soon–March is a month full of hope.

Yesterday we got the dinghy down off the davits and into the water. A brief trip by water to the Bean for my favorite “bean freeze” made it seem like it was almost spring.

Helen –03/06/11

About this time every year we get itchy to take the boat out of the slip and sail somewhere. I would love to go to Ocracoke or even Beaufort but the wind was howling all day yesterday and blowing a gale. Not a good time to take a boat out. So today we did the second best thing and drove up to New Bern for the morning. We strolled around the waterfront park with Suzy pulling on her leash; poked into some shops; and ate lunch outdoors at a lovely little restaurant. It wasn’t the same as a sail but it did scratch the itch! Maybe next weekend the wind gods will be more favorable.

Helen 02/26/11

The past couple of days we have had lovely spring-like weather here at the coast. It has been warm and sunny with a light breeze–perfect weather for doing nothing but basking in the sun’s rays and letting go of winter’s hold. I have to admit that I have accomplished very little this weekend –I guess it is a touch of “spring fever”. But I have had several lovely walks around the marina, down by the river, and through town. Suzy, our little 2-lb Yorkie, has benefited from all the walks! This morning, like yesterday morning, we sat on the porch of The Bean and drank coffee while enjoying the sun’s rays and the company of other sun-worshipers. I look at all the outdoor boat projects that need to be done this spring and just shake my head–they will have to wait until another weekend. I want to just be lazy and enjoy the moment.

Helen– 02/20/11