Moved Aboard

Took longer than planned of course….

We moved aboard January 29 but still needing return trips to Lebanon to finish clearing out stuff and prepping house for rental and many trips to Forest Gove to set up business secretarial services and prepping moms rental.  Feb 2, Doug went back to Lebanon leaving me with kitties for a 3 day trip…  the stress of the last few years has left us vulnerable to illnesses we haven’t had for years before and he got a doozie of a bug.  Then the snows (12+ inches) came before he could get healthy.  Freezing rain programmed next and of course a customer situation that is best dealt with Monday after the roads thaw.  He is beginning to feel human as I write this Saturday evening.  So 10 days later (total) he is expected to return to our new home so I can turn and burn to take my turn and finish up.

Good thing new tenant (Lori) is friend, very flexible and good natured.  She has already given her notice and is moving in the back doors as we move out the front.  The new tenant to her place is scheduled to move right behind her.  lol

Cindy, Squishy and Maui Boy

 

 

S/V Spartan, a 39 foot Schooner

Start laughing now, as I did cause tizzy fits and whining are unbecoming.  Lol

Cats got off to a great start of exploring the boat together before they decided this is cozy, where will you live?  They take turns sleeping across the mouth of the V-berth telling the other to go away, or who can get next to mommy first, and of course the little brother tries to attack her every time she uses the litter box.  At least we bought new ‘soft’ toys so when the play cup hockey we don’t hear every move.

Credit where we can… we had Royal Flush come pump us out before Doug left me so I did not have THAT emergency to deal with!  Didn’t want to unsettle the cats so soon and have been warned the pump out is is awkward to get to.  St Helens is easy! 

Wednesday night as I finish up the dishes the water tanks start to gurgle.  Really 200 gallons?  Where did they all go?  Obviously something we have to get a handle on.  In the meantime water is turned off at the docks so pipes don’t freeze…  I still had some drinking water left and time to plan…  Thursday morning I called the office to ask about other water sources…  left message…  3 hours later she calls back to say they were closing up to get home before weather.  Clearly not one to actually listen to messages.  I had already given up and placed order for Safeways to deliver provisions.  Expensive but first delivery is free and if I was to be without transportation for another 5 days…  I needed water and food stuffs…  only thing is you have to order $49 worth.  So I begin figuring what I can order that won’t go bad and won’t cause 20 trips across the docks and up the ramp leaving cats alone.  Simple, order all necessities and enough wine to meet the minimum.   ; ) 

BTW I think I forgot to mention we sold the Corolla cause we only needed one car to finish up and drove here together knowing we would not leave the cats alone so the person here did not need a car…  and the Vibe hauls the most crap!  Neighbor across the street owns his own dealership and gladly added it to his lot!  Saved us a bundle of time and know we are all getting a fair deal.  Love dealing with people of pure integrity. 

Back to Safeways…  Old addresses and lots of confusion, finally got straightened out for delivery…  then they called and reported don’t deliver in inclimate weather.  Translation, threat of inclimate weather…  next plan.  I went walking and found a water faucet she never told me about.  Food stuffs are adequate, though pretty unique so I don’t have to wash many dishes, and I really did not need the wine anyway…  Come back to boat and Maui is begging to go out and play.  Squishy is mad I left….  I am afraid Maui would jump to dock and GO PLAY.  Keeping him locked up, so he finds his own play, in the litter box throwing it in all directions.  Really!!!  How does one punish a cat for playing in the box without him fearing the box????  Removed and redirected.  Just like a 2 year old.  He is 4 btw.  May never grow up. 

Shortly after finishing the Safeways fiasco the internet went wonky.  I really don’t get it n Doug is still to sick to figure it out from a distance.  Thus my computer does get email, mostly won’t send and has been days since it can focus long enough to connect to a web site.  Anyways that means I have plenty of time to spoil the cats and type things up for later use in our blog.

Heater is the leak we are not sure we have fully found yet…  but still works.  Had left Doug a message letting him know one water tank was dry and asking how to switch it but knowing not urgent as I had just checked the heater overflow tank.  Two hours later it is dry.  Must add antifreeze which says to mix with water.  Doug sleeping through phone so I called Lori to go wake him up.   We figure that out and I find a leak in doing so.  Hose from overflow to pressure tank are held on with cable ties….  Uh???  Replace with hose clamp and problem goes away.   Doug reminds me to clean the closet well so Maui doesn’t play in it and clean himself.  Hmmm we still have no water beyond the gallon I carry one at a time.., I think I’ll keep the door closed.  Lol  Poor guy was still so sick.   (48 hours later I had to add more antifreeze.  Seems like still another leak but oooooh so much better than before.)

Anyway it is at least mostly fixed and has proved AWESOME.  OK so I, the warm weather friend, have been comfortable if not too warm in this weather of mid teens to mid 20’s ice n snow.  Having a hard time learning to choose the right temp to regulate to and not about to go cold.  Cats hate the noise but have finally learned that is where the warms come from.  Deal with it or get cold!  by their standards.  Not fair that they have the fur coats and complain the loudest.  They are also hyper alert to any noise here, of which there are many. 

I love the rock of the boat.  All 21000 pounds were rocking and creaking for several days. Frozen ice n snow melting and thudding on the deck or docks, voices on the docks, even pulling a tissue from the box.  We are at Hayden Island so technically still the Gorge.  I have never seen the Columbia move as fast, even has white caps.  Note we usually sail near Scappoose/St Helens, which is our short term goal.  We will get into a quiet log pond and play around, dock, back, etc to learn our new boat and renew our / my sailing skills.  Seems like Doug never forgets anything he learns and if I don’t use it regularly I definitely loose it.  We sold our last boat several years ago and it was many before that since we actually got to sail her much. 

The year we sailed to the San Juans and back to test our dreams for reality was the last year of active use… thus I have forgotten most everything.  Except how to relax even in the face of adversity!

2/11/2014  Switching of the guards today.  Woohoo!!!

So the truth of the matter is some pipes at the dock broke during the freeze so we still don’t have water.  So anxious to get a real shower!  I will finish up the Lebanon house and we will have one less project on our hands.  Really looking forward to the day we are here together…

Last night I had longer periods of internet cooperation and this morning seems great!  Oops spoke too soon.  I am sure it has something to do with all the ice n snow are gone….  Another thank you God moment.  All that ice n snow was weighing down lines of all kinds…  this morning the cabin lights worked but house batteries did not have the strength for anything else.  Go out on the dock and find the plug had wriggled loose.  No big deal today but for the last many that would have been a necessary but very dangerous position to get into…  kneeling over the cold river from snow n ice covered dock.