Yum

Anyone that knows me knows I like to eat! I've had fun trying out the places around the marina and am so happy to have found the best co-op, Sno-Isle Food Co-op, just a few blocks away. Great produce, variety, bulk selections, ethics. I probably bought too much today, but I'm telling myself that it's all to get through the long weekend... http://www.snoislefoods.coop/

Our first guest!

Today we wrapped up a visit from Frank's sister, Fawn. This wasn't just any visit either--it was an over-nighter and the first visit from any family! I consider this the check-in on us for Frank's entire family. She arrived Saturday and stayed 2 nights with us, sleeping on the convertible table/sette in salon. I was actually surprised at how easily I managed to get the bed set up Saturday night. The grand tour of the house took all of 3 minutes, and she seemed to think it was pretty cool. Then I showed her our closet in the master. That brought out a series of "WOW"s and even today we were joking that she still hadn't gotten over how small it is!

Thankfully it was a wonderful weekend for a visit. She got to enjoy sitting on the bow, sipping wine, and watching the sun set over the Olympic Mts. Sunday we went to Kate's on Colby Ave for breakfast--FANTASTIC--before heading out to Index to show her the cabin (and clear the landslide off our walkway there!). Frank had to work hard to clear the sidewalk, but we managed to show Fawn and the kids the property, drive through Index, gauk at Sunset Falls, grab lunch at Mt. Index Cafe, and of course, hit Espresso Chalet for a pick-me-up before heading back to the boat. We capped off the evening with dinner and a kayak tour of the marina.

Today we wisked the kids off to daycare and got underway before 8am. First stop was the pump-out station so that we could calibrate our holding tank indicator and show off the less glamourous side of living on a boat. Then we were off! The wind picked up and we were able to kill the motor for a little circuit of Hat Island. Frank spotted a whale, but Fawn and I only heard it. Some seals, a sea lion, and some bald eagles rounded out the perfect morning sail, and we docked beautifully! Good thing, too--our "neighbor" was there so we would have felt pretty bad using his boat as a bumper!

After another wonderful meal at Kate's, Fawn was off to Bremerton for a week of work. It was a great visit and we're so glad we got to share so much of the wonderful PACNORWEST with her in just a short amount of time.

The other tidbits? Our heat didn't work the entire time so we were using a space heater. We ran out of fresh water this morning while underway. I somehow broke a pelican clasp on the lifeline right after we got underway. And the real kicker? While filling up the water after we got back I put the deck fill keys in my pocket only to have them fall out and immediately sink somewhere beneath the boat while I cried out, "Frank, Frank, Frank! Oh no, Frannnnnk!" On the plus side, the lifeline is fixed, the heat was fixed after a quick call to the guys at Sure Marine, and I think I've found a replacement for the deck fill keys. Talk about a GREAT weekend!

Boat Life, Part 1: The kids

When we hatched this crazy idea to live on a boat the thing that got most people was that we were going to do it with kids. Trent had just turned 1 and Katreina was coming up on 3. Sure, we were worried about their safety just like most people, but for me it was most of the same concerns I had with the kids on land--falling down steps, bumping heads on furniture (now that home would rock), falling out of bed. For the water, we have lifevests and strict rules. My other big concern was their happiness. Would they like the boat and their rooms? Would we be able to keep them entertained if we were underway? I'll admit that the entertainment continues to be an issue with a little boy who wants to run around, but it's working for the most part. For the rooms we had to start with the right boat--check! Each has a room and space they can call their own, which I felt was important in such a small home. But how do we really make their rooms theirs? Why decorate, of course! Here is where the kids' Aunt Brandi comes in and saves the day with cool peel-off wall stickers to get us started, then we finished with a big shopping trip to Target. The result?

A Princess suite...

And a race car garage!

"I christen thee...'Lehe Paine'!"

We just officially re-christened the boat! Frank did the honors, with a little shout-out to Neptune and Davy Jones, a splash of champagne on the bow, some champagne to the sea, and, you guessed it, champagne to the happy owners! To recap a little, the name comes from the Tehuelche language, a nearly extinct language from the Patagonia region of South America. We first became aware of it in 2007 on a trip to the region where one of the national parks is Torres del Paine. We learned that paine was "blue" (or light blue). When we began thinking of names for our boat, I kept coming back to that one word...paine. With a little research we learned the Tehuelche word for water was lehe. And thus, the idea to name the boat Lehe Paine was born! Our friends and family chimed in and the vote had a solid winner...and we love her!

Boat Repairs

I consider myself a pretty self-sufficient guy when it comes to fixing household issues that come up, whatever the problem. Boat life is a little different, though. We have a steep learning curve with all the new systems on the boat. For example, we have a hydronic heating system on our boat. It is awesome, but we woke up Friday to no heat. After many hours of troubleshooting, most of which was spent just getting familiar with the system, I finally fixed the problem- the in line fuel pump wasn't horizontal enough, which is important in diesel applications. Apparently something bumped it just enough to keep it from working. Who knew? I guess I do! The heat works now, let's hope it stays that way!!