Christmas in Bimini

Here is a shot of us enjoying Joanna's fantastic Christmas dinner dockside. We don't usually stay at marinas but this was a Christmas treat! Dinner at our own water front "restaurant" right next to the boat.

After checking in, we were able to pull down our quarantine flag and raise our Bahamanian courtesy flag . . .

We arrived in Bimini on Christmas Eve afternoon, in time to clear customs, take a swim and settle in for the holiday. Click here for photos.


Dropped a message in a bottle into the Gulf Stream as we crossed; the kids just finished reading a book called "The Voyager's Stone: Secrets of a Message Carrying Bottle Adrift on the Ocean Sea" and wanted to try their luck.

We're hopeful that Santa is keeping up with our travels and will managed to find his way to the Bimini Blue Water Marina to slide down our mast. The stockings are hung from the hatches with care; and the cookies, carrots and milk are ready and waiting right next to the gingerbread cottage and mini-Christmas tree. Click here for a photo album.

Merry Christmas to all!

Getting ready to make the jump . . .

Since Vero Beach, we've been in full provision mode in preparation for our jump to the Bahamas. We thought we had a weather window that would open in the early a.m. on Friday but it closed for us given the conditions we're willing to go out in. A number of other boats tried but we heard on the radio later that it did not go all that well. One boat left and sailed for five hours only to return to Palm Beach after realizing that the conditions were no good.

We stayed tucked into port just south of the Lake Worth Inlet in Palm Beach. Tomorrow we'll either run down some more ICW miles or bump out and do a coastal sail. With either plan we'll be moving toward Ft. Lauderdale and then to a location south of Miami. We'll be staging at that point to cross over to the Bahamas with the intent of sailing north of Bimini and on to the Great Bahama Bank the first day.

Given the current weather, it looks like our crossing will happen just before or just after Christmas. Santa will be visiting our boat no matter where we are so that's good.

We've gotten some new wi-fi equipment so we'll have internet when we can find it. We'll also have email by satphone thanks some very nice friends of ours who loaned us the phone. As soon as I figure out the connection stuff we'll also be getting weather emails via a satphone/computer connection.

Well, that's what's happening at the moment. Just want to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year. Hopefully our next posts will be of us in the Bahamas. Stay tuned!!

Vero Beach

Hello from Vero Beach. We spent some time in Titusville last week where we visited the Kennedy Space Center, then anxiously awaited a space shuttle launch that unfortunately just wasn't meant to be.


When the launch was finally postponed to January, we gave up our "front row" seats - about 5 miles west of launch pad 39A - to continue our journey south.

Here is a photo album of our day at the Space Center and other recent adventures.

St. Augustine

Spent the weekend in lovely St. Augustine, FL. We anchored just south of the Bridge of the Lions pictured behind Jake & Emily in the photo above.
Visited Castillo de San Marcos while there, got to reconnect with our friend Joe from Onward, and did our best to get into the holiday spirit. Here are some photos of our visit.


We're southbound again today, hoping to be in the Titusville area in time to catch Thursday's planned space shuttle launch.

Cumberland Island, Georgia

Spent the last couple of days anchored off Cumberland Island, Georgia, so that we could enjoy the National Park/Seashore there. Wild horses, hogs, turkeys, armadillos and other wildlife were everywhere, not to mention the wild landscape - huge live oaks draped in Spanish Moss mixed with Saw Palmettos along trails leading to beautiful marshes and miles of pristine beach. It was an amazing place! Here are photos from our visit.




Today, we crossed into Florida, in route to our next stop... St. Augustine.

Reports from the Field: SC to Georgia

Jubilee's top-notch field reporters just can't stop... here's the latest news from the ICW - Beaufort, SC to Duplin River, GA (our anchorage this evening, which we have completely to ourselves, except of course for the dolphins, river otters, etc...).

A Dolphin, by Drew
Today we saw a dolphin that came right up to the bow of our boat. IT jumped up in our wake about 6 times. It never got caught on camera because the dolphin was too fast. It was also so close that when it surfaced, you could fee its splash. As we watched we could see it under the water looking up at us from the depths of the ICW. Seeing dolphins is becoming a daily thing in our lives as criusers.

More Dolphins, by Jake
Hi, it's Jake and as you all know dolphins are very fun and playfull. You would probably know this even if you didn't see any in your life. So, guess what: ALL HANDS ON DECK!!!! That's what we say when we see a pod of dolphins. Again guess what: 2 dolphins jumped and rolled on their bellies right on our bow today. It was cool!

Beautiful Beaufort, SC, by Emily
Hi. Beaufort is where we are... well where we were at. It is beautiful. I swung on a rope swing and watched the sunset at my Uncle Sam and Aunt Joy's house. The sunset was pretty and colorful. We learned how to shrimp and ate "oysters"! We had lots of fun, too! The End.

Lowcountry Feast

Spent today at Uncle Sam's and Aunt Joy's home in Lobeco, SC enjoying some authentic lowcountry cuisine. The kids got to practice casting a shrimp net, explore some nearby deer hunting grounds, make some new friends and shuck A LOT of oysters. Click here for photos.

Reports from the Field: On Assignment in Charleston

Here's the latest from our field reporters. To avoid a fight over who got to report on the SC Aquarium, we opted to have each child pick a specific animal they learned about there.

The Hawk, by Jake

Hi, it's Jake and I'm writing about the hawk. The hawk is a bird of prey. It has very sharp claws and beak for ripping flesh. its claws are used for grabbing and killing food. If you wanted to have a hawk on your arm you'ed have to have a heavy leather glofv plus a hawk. THAT'S 2 POUNDS!!! I like this animal because it's very cool and there good hunters. The End.

The Anteater, by Drew

An anteater is a mammal. It lives in the Amazon Rainforest. The one we saw at the Aquarium was born there not taken from the wild. It has shelter, food, water and a cage to help it stay healthy. We saw the anteater in a show where it was fed, and I thought it was neat how he got his food. It got its food by his long sticky tongue and its claws. It also can stand on its hind legs.

The Nurse Shark, by Emily

Hi I went to the SC aquarium last week and my favorite thing was the two story fish tank. One fo the bigest things in the tank were the nurse sarks. They live in the Bahamas. They are not dangerous to you do not harm them. If you touch them they feel like sand paper. They get feed 3 times a week by scuba divers. At the 3:00 feeding show the diver held a birthday card up (for a girl who was celebrating her birthday). When he let go it floatd away. Well I liket the SC Aquarium. I hope you like it if you can go. Try to go on your birthday if you can.

Beautiful Beaufort

Here are some photos from our Thanksgiving afternoon in Beaufort, SC... great pie, great day, great sunset (not to mention 3 great kids).




Photo Album

Happy Thanksgiving

Normally this time of year, we would be riding the hi-speed quad at Mt. Hood; however this "low country quad chair" on the Charleston waterfront was a nice alternative!

_____________________________________

Happy Thanksgiving from Beaufort, SC. We arrived here about Noon, having left Charleston on Wednesday morning. Spent the night at Rock Creek, then got an early start to finish up our trip while the turkey cooked. Click here for a photo album from our last few days in Charleston, including our visit to Ft. Sumtner. What a great city!


Our Turkey Day has been great so far. While dolphins were swimming along side our boat this morning, Jo was below making turkey, cabernet cranberries, pumpkin pie and other accompaniments - all carefully timed to get the most out of our very small but effective oven.

To make room pie after a big meal - and enjoy a gorgeous day - we took a walk around Beaufort and Lady's Island. Can't wait to explore more!

Hope your Thanksgiving is a great one!

________________________________________________

Recipe: Cabernet Cranberries

1 cup red wine
1.5 cups sugar
1 package fresh cranberries
2 Tsp. orange zest
1 cinnamon stick

Boil wine & sugar; add cranberries, cinnamon stick and 2 Tsp. orange zest. Stir til cranberry skins begin to pop, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or chill 2 hours.

Guess WHO went to the Aquarium today..

Spent this morning at the Charleston Farmers' Market and the afternoon at the South Carolina Aquarium. It was a beautiful, warm sunny day and Charleston is a lovely city for walking around.

While at the Aquarium, Drew captured this owl photo. In addition, Jake took about 600 pictures; sorry we just couldn't publish them all! Here are a few.

Charleston SC

We've made it to Charleston, SC. Lovely city... palm trees mixed with stately oaks; incredible homes; a great waterfront. Best of all, it was sunny and in the 70s yesterday for our first day of exploring - and our first day off the boat in a week!

Saw many lovely sights along the way south, including the sunset pictured below, more dolphins, palm trees and some interesting wildlife as we passed through Camp Romain National Wildlife Refuge.

Here's a photo album of our trip from Southport, NC, to Charleston Harbor. We're anchored in the Ashley River, just up from the City Marina. Photos of Charleston coming soon.

Behind the Blog: Karma Wheel

The Kindness of Strangers

We started writing this back in DC, but didn't get a chance to publish it then....

This morning as we prepared to walk about 6 blocks or so to the nearest Safeway for provisioning, we happen to run into Tom from the Yacht Club who graciously handed Pat the keys to his spare car.

It was the latest of MANY examples of the kind of kindness that has made our trip so great. Pat calls it the "Karma Wheel".
Whatever it is, it's great.

We've been meaning for a while now to make a list of thank-yous to those we've met along the way who have made our trip that much nicer through their kindness; here goes:

Donna at Spicer's Marina in Noank, CT who answered countless questions, helped us with mail, including a piece that somehow got mailed to her house, and even offered to deliver a guidebook to us in Block Island at the start of her vacation.

Marcelle at Spicers who continues to be the guy to call if Pat has questions about the engine or most anything mechanical. We once reached him by cell phone 2 miles off the coast of NJ when the engine overheated.

The Sotheby's real estate broker who picked Pat, Drew & Jake up on the side of the road in Mystic, CT, in his BMW because they were hauling 2 propane tanks on foot and apparently looked tired.

Bill & Grace Luddy who loaned us their Block Island mooring for a couple of days until we could get a town rental during the busy 4th of July week.

The lobster lady in Cuttyhunk who did everything from selling us excellent lobster to giving the kids free bait, helping me find a doctor on the island, and connecting us with the ferry boat owners so we could get our mail. She was a peach!

Audrey, Jake's visiting nurse in Martha's Vineyard, who was willing to meet us at the dock and drive us to her office, delivered medication (and candy) as needed - also garden-fresh tomatoes - and showed a genuine concern for Jake and our family.

The children's librarian in Vineyard Haven who made our family feel so very welcome at the local library and ensured that the kids could complete their summer reading program and get prizes.

The lady at Murdock's Fudge who gave Drew an extra chunk (a piece the size of his head) of fudge for being so polite when he claimed his summer reading program prize.

Joe from Onward who we met in Nantucket and again in Baltimore. He invited us aboard, showed us wonderful hospitality and even offered to babysit!

Nick, the Enterprise Rental car guy in Essex, MD, who hooked us up with a really great parking spot in the Inner Harbor and gave us great advice about visiting his hometown.

The marina owner in Middle River, MD, who drove me to get propane on a Sunday afternoon because it was too far to walk. She wanted to be sure the kids wouldn't go hungry! I did have to wait a few minutes for her - she had to help a pair of 90+ year-old sailors dock their boat. (Their 87 year-old buddy who normally takes care of them wasn't able to join them that day!)

Captain Ray in Solomons Island, MD, who helped us dock, then took Drew to his boat to make him a really great handmade fishing lure.

Jim at the Capital Yacht Club who gave the boys both Navy "challenge coins" and explained the military tradition behind them. This after playing about a million games of ring toss with them! He gave Emily a lovely White House Christmas ornament, as well.

Cheryl, also at the Yacht Club, who gave Emily a guardian angel figurine because she reminded her of her daughter at the same age.

Chris who gave us a tow and some gas when our dinghy tank ran dry in the Washington Channel.

Our friends on Cambria who fill us with great advice and good counsel everytime we cross paths. (They've been cruising for somthing like 11 years now!)

The park ranger at the Jefferson Memorial who took the sign that read "ranger talks on request" very much to heart when asked.

Sue & David, who crew for a super yacht and let Drew work with them on the boat for a few hours.

(Since D.C.)
Peter near Colonial Beach on the Potomac who came out to greet us the morning after we’d anchored there. He took pictures of our boat, then gave us a great tip on where the kids could find shark teeth on a nearby island.

The ladies at the Portsmouth Visitors' Center who taught us everything we needed know about the area, from where to get a haircut, to great pizza, to special Halloween opportunities for the kids.

Derek at the Aurora Lumber Co. who let Drew "drive" the fork lift and taught him about safety around such equipment.

Angie and Mike with whom we shared an anchorage near Camp Lejune. They invited us over for an afternoon of great conversation and shared some really good insights about the Bahamas with us since they've made the trip before.

Gary at the Southport Marina in North Carolina who gave Pat a ride into town when our propane tanks had run dry.

Lee here in Charleston, whom we met on the pier yesterday. He taught the kids all about fishing for sheepshead with fidler crabs as bait.

I'm sure we've left someone out. We've certainly left out all the non-strangers: Uncle Jeff for storing our stuff and getting us started with transportation and more. Cousin Lidwin & family for making our Hudson River stay so great, including loaning us a car and feeding us well. Sergeant Manny for the police escort.

The Keims for serving as our official post office and link to all things Portland. The Gazeleys for a life raft we hope to never use. The Hallings for being great neighbors even from afar. Mr. Finch for serving as Jake's and Emily's "virtual" teacher this year. And of course all our office friends and colleagues.

Grandma Janet for the cool Halloween costumes which saved the kids from whatever do-it-yourself model mom & dad might have managed to come up with for them.

Duane Link who is taking care of our house while we're gone and making it very easy and worry free to be away.

We very grateful to all. And as for the Karma Bank, we can only hope we've deposited as much as we've withdrawn... we're trying to!

Dolphins at Daybreak!!

As we were leaving our anchorage this morning at sunrise, we were greeted by a pod of dolphins. What a lovely way to start the day...





Here are a few other photos from our journey south through NC so far.

A Dolphin A Day . . .

Sure, it would be easy to complain about the fact that the temperatures have been dropping down to the low 30s. That the highs, at times, have been in the high 40s. That the condensation at night inside the boat from our breathing makes it "rain" inside in the morning.

It would be easy to lament about the fact that we ran out of propane for our stove two days ago and have been using the grill to boil water for tea and coffee and have had to cook outside even though it is freezing. We could also bum out over the fact that we are sailing a tightrope on the ICW through North Carolina with the risk of running aground any minute that you fail to focus your utmost attention on the magenta thread on the chart that denotes the waterway south.

We could feel a bit unnerved by the 34 knots gusts of yesterday that had the boat heeled over to 20+ degrees and saw us motor sailing at near ten knots down the Neuse River.

BUT . . . none of that matters much tonight. We're in a beautiful anchorage, Hammock Bay, on the grounds of the Camp Lejune Marine Training Center, AND we saw this guy, and a couple of his buddies, on our way down here this morning . . .


Can't wait to get up tomorrow and do it all again. Hopefully we'll see some more dolphins!! Southward Ho!!!!!!!!!!!! It has to get warmer soon.

Reports from the Field: On Assignment in Aurora, IN

This edition of "Reports from the Field" is dedicated to Grandpa Carl on the occasion of his birthday, which he is celebrating today.

My Grandpa Carl, the Collector, by Drew
My Grandpa Carl is a collector. He collects coins, pocket knives and "Coke" items. He is turning 70 today, so this story is his birthday present.

Grandpa's coin collection is very big. He has Liberty Half Dollars. He gave me two of them. He also has wheat pennies, gold coins and a $3 bill too. While we were visiting him in IN, he let us roll some coins into packets of $10.

Grandpa also collects pocket knives from the Aurora Farmers' Fair and other knives. He has Fair knives from every year. He gave me and Jake the 2007 ones and also Dearborn Hospital ones.

Now for the Coke collection. Grandpa's collection is big. He has a glass liter bottle of coke, but if you drink it you might get sick. You will be drinking colored water. His collection is very old. Some things are from when they first started making coke.

So that is what my Grandpa Carl collects. If I was going to be a collector, I would collect coins because they are fascinating and they tell a lot of history from the pictures on them. Collecting knives would also be interesting because knives are unusual and cool.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Carl.

Aurora Lumber Company, by Jake
Hi, this is Jake. Happy Birthday Grandpa Carl. I am writing about the Aurora Lumber Company. It's like a mini Home Depot, but they sell more things. Also, the Aurora Lumber Co is the oldest in IN. It was founded by L.G. Hurbert in 1848. Then one day L.G. Hurbert wanted to sell it so my great grandpa Dell took over. And then Great Grampa Dell wanted to retired my Grampa Carl took it over. (NOTE: Jake left out a couple of owners and about 100 years in his chronology, but it is otherwise fairly accurate.)

When we were on our trip to Indiana me and my brother helped unload the weekly supply truck. Here are the steps: 1. the fork lift gets loaded 2. then they drop it (NOTE: Jake is not using the phrase "drop it" literally here) 3. we take it on a mini hand powered fork lift 4. load on shelf 5. people buy the stuff 6. do it again.

Geuss what there's some very unusual things you can buy there like: a plastic owl, candy, and a light you can strap on your head. Also wood. People who shop there must like projects!

Some jobs that poeple do there are: pick up scrap wood, count money, drive trucks for delivering, and more. The end.

The Aquarium, by Emily
Hello, it's me Emily. The Newport Aquarium is not in Indiana. It is in Kentucky. Newport is a town in Kentucky. Did you know there is such a thing as sharkray? "What is a sharkray?" Well, I will tell you. A sharkray is a shark/ray and at the Newport Aquarium they have two. One is sweetpea and the other is scooter. They hope sweetpea and scooter mait soon, but there is a bunch of other things at the aquarium too.

There are sharks, a turtel, jelly fish, eles, birds, starfish and pengones. The birds go on your head and arms and you get to touch the starfish. They were my faverit. My cousin Kaylee loved the pengones. We stayed there a long time. I liked them too. The End.

P.S. Happy birthday to my Grandpa Carl and my Uncle David because they have birthdays right next to each other. Well, bye.

In Search of Warmer Weather - Day 1 on the ICW

Red Nun 36 in Norfolk Harbor is rather famous, as far as navigation marks go... it marks Mile 0 on the Intracoastal Waterway. From here, simply turn right, and your on your way...

We started our day at 4 am. We didn't really mean to. The alarm was set for 4:30 in hopes of leaving Norfolk around 5:00, but Jake's stop watch alarm somehow managed to go off around 3:15 and in our drowsiness, we never actually checked a clock... until we were underway.

The good news is that we had no trouble making it under all the lift bridges clustered in the first several miles of the Intracoastal Waterway before the rush-hour "no lift" period began at 6:30. The other good news is the kids went back to bed.

By sunrise the waterway was quite crowded. Given the narrow channel, it looked like a boat parade. Coast guard boats were out in force... turns out a cruise ship was taking on water a few miles ahead of us. See photos attached.

We're anchored in Northeastern North Carolina in Broad Creek, just north of Albemarle Sound... about mile 60 of the 1,100 miles between Norfolk and Miami on the ICW. At 6-7 miles per hour, that's a lot of distance to cover. Fortunately, the weather outlook is good - back up to 60 by the weekend - and there are lots of interesting place at which we look forward to stopping along the way.

As for now, the captain is sleeping... shhh.

Making Tracks...From Newport to Norfolk to North Carolina

As they say in North Carolina, "HEY"! We have broadband on board this month, so we're writing while motoring down the Intracoastal Waterway. Don't worry, we're also taking turns steering the boat; that and boiling water for hot tea, hot ramen, hot anything... it's cold!

We left Norfolk very early this morning headed for Northeastern NC. That said, this blog is really about Indiana (and Ohio & Kentucky) and the last few days of our week there visiting family. As you can see (click here), we had a great time. We even came back with a new boat "pet".

Photos: Top - Newport Aquarium in Northern Kentucky; Bottom - Indianapolis Airport

Halloween in Indiana

Hi from Indiana! We left dad in Norfolk to spend some quality time with Noel - Hurricane Noel. The rest of us have taken a field trip to Aurora, IN to visit mom's family.

Here are some photos from Halloween. Grandma Janet made the kids' costumes. As for candy, the kids made out well... Jake's bag weighed in at 4 lbs! Good thing Uncle John had a 4-wheeler to help carry all the loot.

The kids took 2nd place in the "home made" catagory of the costume contest which follows the annual Aurora Lions' Club Halloween Parade. Their prize was $8, but since that doesn't split well by 3, they decided to tip their costume designer $2.

Besides trick-or-treating, our adventures have included a ghost walk through downtown Aurora with Grandma Janet, Uncle David & Aunt Judy and local ghost-expert Jim Waldon, proprietor of The Herman Leive House (a B&B not a haunted mansion); some geocaching with Cousins Brooke and Kaylee; and yesterday, a trip to the Newport (KY) Aquarium with Kaylee, Uncle John & Aunt Nikki. The boys also have been "working" at the Aurora Lumber Company helping Grandpa Carl. For a few photos from these outings, click here. (More coming soon.)

More Reports From The Field.

We had the kids do some more reports on their time in D.C.. Here they are. And, in the post below, you can see our pictures from the last few weeks.

Reports from the Field: Branches of Government - October 2007


The Executive Branch - What Do Presidents Do?, by Drew

The Executive Branch is the President. The present day President is George Bush, and there have been 45 before him. One of the President’s jobs is to carry out the laws and lead the army.

Every branch of government has equal power. Congress can reject the President’s choices for a law or for a new justice to the Supreme Court. The Court can say that a law is not constitutional. The President can veto laws. This is called checks and balances.

Some say being President is the loneliest job in the world. I think this means it is lonely because you have to make hard choices for the US. If I were President, I would save the environment.


The Legislative Branch - Congress, by Emily

Hi. If you even get to go to Washington D.C. go to the Capitol. That is where Congress works. The Capitol has a big, big, big dome on top and a statue on top of the dome. The statue is the Statue of Freedom and she is a girl.

Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House and Senate work a littel diffrent. In the Senate thair are 2 Senators for each state but on the other hand thair is 1 representative for each 30,000 people in a state. I know, that is a lot of people!

Congress makes money, laws and declare war if the presitent asks them. I would not want to be a Congress persen. I think it is hard and complacated.


The Judicial Branch - Justices, Justices, Justices, by Jake

Hello, my name is Jake and I have been to the Supreme Court. Now I’m going to tell you about the people who work there.

There are 9 justices, and they can serve for as long as they want. Nobody can fire them. They fire there selfs. The president choises justices and Congress checks to see if there okay so that can work. But as I told you nobody can fire them.

Now I’m going to tell you about 3 justices who work there. One is John G. Roberts, Jr. He is the Chief of Justices of the United States of America. He was brought to the Supreme Court by Gorge W. Bush. Anthony M. Kennedy took private practice in San Francisco. He was brought in by Ronald Regan. Clarence Tomas because a justice for the District of Columbia in 1990. He was brought in by George H.W. Bush.

If the president said: I want to make this a law and the people said: NO!! The Supreme Court would check the law to see if it was constitutional so it would or wouldn’t make it to be a law.

I don’t think a justice is my job. I think a structural engineer is. Now try wrighting this in your words. The end.



Reports from the Field: On Assignment In D.C.- October 2007

The Washington Monument, by Drew

Today I will talk about the Washington Monument. The Monument is 555 feet and 5 1/8 in. tall. It was built on a private fund and stopped because of a money shortage. Then after 18 years the government took it over, and then it grew to its full height of 555.

The monument has a 896 step walk-down tour. On the tour you can see a plaque from each state. Some examples are Alaska’s plaque which is Alaskan jade and Arizona’s which is made out of petrified wood. Also, Hawaii’s plaque is makde of pink coral and sand stone.

The monument was built in honor of George Washington. George Washington was a great American. He led the troops in the Revolutionary War, then went on the be the 1st president. He also was a good example and leader. Maybe that is why people say he was 1st in war, 1st in peace and 1st in the heart of his country men.

I hope you go see the Washington Monument if you ever visit D.C. Be sure to ask about the walk-down tour.



The National Zoo - Zoo Party, by Jake

We went to the Zoo and I saw Red Pandas, Elaphants, California sea lions, Apes, tigers, and more. It was cool.

Here is what my mom said, which I think will help you understand this sentence - How does the Zoo help endangered species? The Zoo helps endangered species. They help them be unendangered. I think that the zoo is very cool because it has two horses that are all most dead and thair the only ones on earth and are past thair breading stag so there trying to help them not come extinct.

My mom’s favorite thing (about the zoo) was the monkeys could rome free above. Emily’s favorite thing was they had a big pizza play house. Dad’s favorite was the otters all playing in there big habbitat. My favorite is the prarie dogs because they were on gard looking for coyotes and some were playing. It’s cool, so if you are in D.C. go to the Zoo!



The Lincoln Memorial - What about Lincoln?, by Emily

Lincoln was a good president. He did a lot of good things like............. Abe was the 16th president, and he was from Illinose. He was a very, very good learner and a very, very hard worker. He freed the slaves and saved the Union.

Did you know Abe wanted to wach a show at the Ford Theater but he could not because he got assinated that night and if he did live longer I bet you 5 bucks he could do more beder things.

If you ever go to Washington D.C. go to Abe Lincoln’s Memorial because it is a good learning place. I learned that Abe grew a beard because a little girl in Cansas wrote to him that he should grow wiscers. Theirs a book about this called Lincoln’s Little Girl. You might want to read it.

A lot can happen in a couple of weeks . . .

Smith Creek (Potomac River) to Norfolk, VA

Just got done riding out the remnants of Hurricane Noel. Bunch 'o wind but with two anchors down I actually got a little bit of sleep. Here is a short update but with plenty of pictures.

After D.C. we made our way down the Potomac to Norfolk to begin our trip south down the Intra-Coastal Waterway. Red Buoy 36 is Mile Zero on the ICW and there are 1096 miles from there to Miami, Florida, our jump off point for the Bahamas. We had a great trip down to Norfolk. Click here for the web album of photos from Smith Creek to Norfolk. Try using slide show because it is a nice way of seeing the photos from the trip in sequence. All 182 of them!!

We stopped at a number of really nice places along the way including Tangier’s Island and Onancock, VA. Tangier’s is especially unique due to its isolation and small population. Some of the pictures we took should give you a better feel of the place than I could describe in words. There just aren't that many places where people bury their relatives in their front yards!!

Once we got to Norfolk we did a trip to the local Navy museum, Nauticus and saw the Iowa Class Battleship Wisconsin. It is amazing to think that the Wisconsin was used from WWII to the ‘91 Gulf War. At over 800 feet it is an astounding piece of Naval architecture.

We also took two days and went up to the James Towne Fort and the James Town Settlement. It was a very interesting trip and the kids enjoyed seeing both sites.

Right now Jo and the kids are visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Indiana for a week and I’m working on a few boat projects. Everyone will be back together on Tuesday and then we'll be starting out move south. We'll keep you all posted!!

Behind the Blog: Pumpkin Pie and Shark Teeth

In some of my other posts I have forgotten to mention what a dashing, muscular, mariner my husband is. That Pat, he’s the cat’s pajamas!

(Pssst, its really me Pat. I just thought I’d highjack Jo’s column and so here’s some thoughts about cruising from the other side of the boat. And, while I’m at it, don’t believe that towing stuff she wrote, we could have gotten the boat off that sand bar without a tow boat, I just needed some more time and a bigger dinghy. Coincidentally, about the size of a tow boat.)

I sometimes can’t believe that we’re getting to do this trip. Before we ever got going I imagined days like two we just had recently so I thought I’d share. Here goes.

When we provisioned recently, Joanna mentioned something about making a pumpkin pie. For a surprise, I snuck off to the coffee isle and got some pumpkin spice coffee to go with the pie. We motored all day in calm conditions to make some progress down the Potomac. It’s a long river. When we motor in a calm, Jo goes below and passes some of the time by doing what she really enjoys, cooking, really well. While I was steering the boat, Jo brought up from below four fantastic crab cakes which I devoured. The kids weren’t as keen on their crab cakes so I got a couple of more. Delicious!! But, the kids did do pretty well on their boat schooling lessons which was a BIG plus.

Later in the afternoon, the kids had gotten Jo into a Halloween kind of mood and talked her into letting them carve the pumpkin we had on board.

Then Jo started in with the pumpkin pies. So that the kids could keep their newly minted jack-o-lantern, Jo supplemented with butternut squash. For a snack we had hot kettle corn that she made in her miracle cast iron Dutch oven. More good stuff comes out of that thing than I can believe.

Toward the end of the day we ducked into a not so great anchorage because we were running out of daylight. The wind was making a nasty chop and we had (according to Jo) “learned our lesson about anchoring in strange places after dark”. Besides, despite all the snacking, everyone was ready for dinner. Although it was a bit chilly out, the cabin of the boat was snug and warm and everyone had a great dinner. The salad with crumbled crab cake on top and fresh pumpkin pie for dessert was as good as it gets.

Because the anchorage was a bit rolly, no one slept very well. But in the morning all was calm. Drew decided to make pumpkin spiced coffee for mom and dad and we all sat down to a breakfast of pumpkin pie. This isn’t the way we usually start our most important meal of the day but heck we’re cruising and if we want pie for breakfast then so be it!

While pulling up the anchor late in the morning, we noticed a guy in a small power boat standing off and taking pictures of us. It was a bit odd and so we waved at him in hopes that he’d stop over and let us know what he was up to.

When he did come by we learned that his name was Peter and that he lived on shore near where we anchored. He said that he’d seen us come in the night before and hoped that we’d be around in the morning so that he could take some pictures of our boat. He is retired and an amateur photographer. He offered to send us some pictures of the boat and we gladly provided him our email address.

While we talked with Peter he told us about an island about twelve miles down the river where we would be able to find prehistoric shark teeth washed up on the beach. With that information, we had our plan for the day. That’s a great thing about cruising, you make most of it up as you go along.

The kids did their lessons while we motored (calm again) down the river and a couple of hours later we were anchored in Nomini Bay, VA just off of Elbow Point. We spent several hours ashore walking a pristine sandy beach by ourselves. There was no one else on the island. But, as Peter promised, there were plenty of really cool fossilized shark teeth.

We collected a bunch and then headed back to the boat. We spent some time making shark tooth jewelery. Emily loves here shark tooth earrings and I haven't taken off my shark tooth necklace.

After a late lunch we decided that we’d stay put for the night and enjoy another quite anchorage, some wonderful early fall weather, and the spectacle of bald eagles fishing from the river. These are indeed, the days . . .

We're feeling a little crabby about leaving D.C.

We decided to celebrate our final day in D.C. with a Crab Feast! We're anchored very near several great fish markets and couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a half bushel. Yes, that's a lot of crab. No, we did not eat it all...yet. (Pat: I tried! Mmmmmm.) Crab cakes tomorrow!

We're also making our final visit this evening to the Capitol Yacht Club where the kids have made some friends. Some live here; others have plans similar to ours, and we'll hope to run into them again as we head south.

We got to almost everything we wanted to do in D.C. in our 14 day stay here. There were a few places we had hoped to revisit, but provisioning and laundry had to take priority in the end. Perhaps another time...

Our time in D.C.

We've been having an incredible time in D.C. over the past 10 days. Regular lessons have been suspended for the kids, in lieu of field trips, field trips and more field trips! But the educational opportunity of visiting multiple Smithsonian Institute museums is a fantastic temporary substitute to the normal reading, writing and math.

Our favorite places have included the Smithsonian's Post Office Museum (all 3 kids LOVED this spot!), all the presidential monuments/memorials (especially Washington Monument walk-down tour), the National Zoo, and National Archives. We've also visited the Supreme Court, Capitol, National Portrait Gallery, Bureau of Printing and Engraving, Library of Congress and most everything Smithsonian.

At the Zoo, we had great timing to catch lots of animal feedings/trainings; at the Jefferson Memorial, we chatted with a park ranger who proved to be a most entertaining and engaging history teacher; the walk-down tour of the Washington Monument was just us. We were the only family that wanted to walk down the 890ish stairs. So, we could take as much time and ask as many questions as we wanted with another very well informed ranger; crowds have been minimal most everywhere we've visited and the weather has been delightful. Also, the Capitol Yacht Club and its members have made us feel most welcome!

Click here for another Picasa photo album. Try the slideshow feature on Picasa. Its kinda fun.

Behind the Blog: Roll...Pitch...YAWN!

The Air & Space Museum is apparently the Smithsonian's most popular and they now have 2 campuses to visit. In addition to their main site on the Mall, there's a very large hanger out near Dulles Airport where they display very large aircraft - things like a Concorde jet, the B-29 bomber Enola Gay, and the Space Shuttle Enterprise. Our visits to both sites were interesting, and we're all glad we had the opportunity, but...

I was surprised to discover how much the kids and I just couldn't get into looking at airplanes. The kids are normally excellent museum-goers, but they bounced around from exhibit to exhibit and never seemed to really be able to focus on anything. They normally enjoy guided tours and listen with interest, but when we took the docent tour at Air & Space, all 3 were bored to tears and so was I.

Pat, on the other hand, was riveted! He hung on every word during the 1.5 hour tour at the Mall site and couldn't wait to visit the Dulles site since several people had told us it was "even better".

Because the first tour had been the equivalent of torture for the rest of us, we ended up skipping most of it. We opted instead for a visit to the gift shop where we purchased some little glider kits, then went outside to fly them. Still, we had high hopes for Air & Space Part-II a few days later.

To get to the Dulles site required a bus ride of approximately one hour, followed by a fifteen minute shuttle ride. We spent nearly as long getting there and back as we spent at the museum itself. Also, the bus was stuffy and crowded, which didn't set the stage for a good day.

Upon arrival, we learned that we were just in time for another 1.5 hour docent tour!! Pat was giddy with excitement. I tried to sound encouraging for the kids; after all, we were going to see a Space Shuttle!

Twenty minutes into the tour, Pat's mouth is hanging open and he's following the tour guide like a puppy. Drew and Jake have disappeared somewhere in the museum and Emily looks like she just lost her best friend. Airplanes are just NOT that interesting.

I rounded up the kids and we spent the rest of our time looking at the exhibit on space food. This the kids found FASCINATING; also the model of the diaper wore by astronauts during flight was a BIG hit; and the bright red acrobatic Bud Light plane (here's to you Mr. Acrobatic Flight Maneuver Guy). Otherwise, they were ready to go.

Thankfully we did come across a volunteer who did a wonderful job teaching the kids about the 4 principles of flight and letting them sit in the cockpit of a Cessna. That killed some time while Pat finished the tour.

When we suggested it was time to catch the shuttle back, I really thought Pat might not join us. He simply couldn't get enough of the place.

Thinking back about who all had told us how incredible the new Air & Space campus us, I realized all were men; a couple were retired military. The one woman who had piped in about the place when her husband was describing it had talked only about the long bus ride... that should have been a clue!

Fortunately, the air conditioning in the bus home was working and I had a book to read to the kids. Pat slept the whole way back... dreaming of flight, no doubt.

National Archives

Spent the day at the National Archives. We got to see the original Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, along with numerous other important papers. The exhibits were great... we all learned a lot.

The kids got to do some hands-on research in the Archive's Learning Center, and they loved seeing the report cards of various presidents in the School House to White House exhibit.

Stumbled across a Farmers' Market on the way back to the marina which was a pleasant surprise. A few photos of the day are attached (here); album includes some previously missed shots from Solomons Island, too.

P.S. That tiny person next to the ENORMOUS door is Emily. When we first arrived at the National Archives, we approached the non-public entrance in error. We found the place less than inviting, until we discovered that public access was around the corner!