merry merry.

light reading.

As we get closer to our journey I will be doing more and more reading and experimenting around the house and in the kitchen. This particular book by Lin and Larry Pardey, whom I absolutely adore for their tried and true advice and know-how as well as their storytelling (even if you're not a sailor and are looking for a wonderful adventure nonfiction read, I cannot recommend Cruising in Serrafyn enough), is chock full of things I can begin even now to help plan for being underway. From shopping to preparing meals from a can to dealing with seasickness, I have a feeling this will become part of the on ship library.

people we know.

We are boat people. Not everyone is. Being a sailor and LOVING the water is just one of those things that isn't for everyone. 

My sister, for example, is perfectly happy to come and join us on Interlude at the dock, but gets so motion sick that an afternoon sail makes her green and miserable. My momma is like that too. There are also those people who are happy to come along but don't care if they understand how to sail. They simply love being on the water, enjoying the breeze. They like having "boat friends". That's lovely too. It means there will never be a lack of pals willing to come hang, sail, drink beer, grill and have a fun easy-going time. And then, there are the boat people. People who are intensely curious about how everything works, are comfortable behind the wheel or just asking questions about different maneuvering scenarios. Maybe they've never set foot on a boat, but once they do, they're hooked. That's how both Josh and I started out. First time out and it was love.

Before we put Interlude to bed for the season, we had the distinct pleasure of hosting a couple of newbies, our friends, Conner and Christine. They brought beer and a cheery disposition and were gung-ho about the entire day. Christine pulled in sheets, trimmed sails, steered (entertaining, to say the least!), and asked lots of questions about the boat, how to maneuver, work with the wind, and why the sails were trimmed in a certain way. She and Conner both took turns learning how to tie knots. Naturals, to say the least. They were lovely company and I have to say, I think they "get it". We expect to spend lots of time out on Lake Michigan in the coming season, teaching them even more and ensuring that they make plans to come sail with us in the Caribbean.

thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you  all!

Just a quick post to say how thankful we are to have people in our lives who are curious about and support us in our adventures. Some days it's easy to forget how blessed we really are. We take so much for granted and complain about silly little things, which are clearly small potatoes compared to all the terrible things people have to contend with around the globe. We are grateful. Blessed. Full of thankfulness for all the gifts we've been given.

in for the winter.

This post is oh, about a month overdue. Apologies for that! Life has been hectic, shall we say?

At the end of last month, we took the trek back down to Larsen Marine to have Interlude pulled for the winter. Why did we go alllll the way back down to Waukegan to have the boat pulled when there is a lovely facility for boat storage just across the marina, you ask? Well, Interlude is having some work done over the winter. When we had the survey done, the major issues were major, yes, but nothing to keep us from enjoying her for the remainder of the season, and after all the waiting we'd done to finally own her, we weren't exactly happy at the prospect of having to wait 6-7 months to get a feel for her. As part of our storage agreement, Larsen would pull her out, do all the engine winterizing and then have her repairs done, hopefully by year end, at which point, we'd be able to begin doing our little projects on her. Here's hoping January, February, and March are mild months!

Josh's mom and dad drove up on Thursday night so we could be aboard her bright and early Friday. We left a car at Larsen and one at the marina in Racine and sailed, or rather motored down all day Friday. I was down with some seasickness, which is the second time it's happened on Interlude and I think the trick is to have a full to the brim stomach. I'll do more experimenting in the spring, otherwise it could be an uncomfortable life :( We got to Larsen around 5:30 and docked with the greatest of ease (a skill we are working on. 36' is a whole lotta boat to dock!). Josh's mom and I drove up to Racine to get the second car while Josh and his dad unloaded the boat, took down the sails and got her a little closer to ready for winterizing. According to Paul, Josh's dad, taking down the sails was a pain, so we've got that to look forward to when we launch in the spring.

Saturday, Josh and his dad went back and winterized some of the systems. They drained the water tank and filled it with "pink stuff", basically antifreeze, emptied the sump and filled it with more pink stuff and did more work to get the other systems prepared for the cold. I should have been there, but Josh said it was tight quarters with the two of them, let alone four of us. And hopefully we'll only have to do the winterizing bit one more winter after this!

So Interlude is by now out of the water, her bottom cleaned, engine flushed, and she's probably in the shop. We haven't had any updates on the progress but once we do, we'll go up and check on the workmanship of the repairs and start planning our projects. 

another state, another lake.

We're just sitting here at the laundromat, washing clothes (our trip has been extended a few days and undergarments are waning in availability of cleanliness), watching snow lazily float down, reflecting on the last week. It's been full of adventures, to be sure. Turns out Minnesota is a beautiful state FULL to the brim with culture, bustling cities and minuscule hamlets, amiable locals always ready with a smile, and miles and miles of pristine wilderness, complete with thousands more than 10,000 lakes.

I tagged along with Josh to northern Minnesota for a site visit in Cohasset. We are staying in Grand Rapids at one of those places with the giant waterslides (!) about an hour and a half drive from both Duluth and Bemidji. It's a smallish town with a Walmart, Target and a few chains but also lots of rich history. For instance, THE Judy Garland was born here (I toured her childhood home for a mere $8), taconite was mined here, and at the turn of the century, logging was a boon industry. Oh, and did I mention the photo "Grace" was taken by a photographer here in town? See here for full story: http://www.gracebyenstrom.com/history.html

The point is that we love adventure. Everywhere we travel, fun is had. Small town, big city, wild wild wilderness of northern Minnesota, you will find us in the throes of discovering excitement and things of interest around every corner. This is what makes me certain we'll thrive in a life as gypsies afloat. We truly believe that life. is. beautiful.

wish list part 1: the galley

There are PLENTY of things we will need for Interlude before we undertake any adventures in the spring/summer and luckily for us, Christmas will be here before we know it (INSANE! Seriously cannot believe it. Le sigh).

Josh is making a list and checking it twice by marking up a copy of Defender's catalog and I am beginning my list of "wants" as well, based on preference, and lots and lots of blog reading. The list will be divided into a few parts. Since I'm the kitchen expert, let's start there:

Dish rack (this one will require some searching, as the space for EVERYTHING in our galley is extremely precious so probably something foldable and stowable.)
Pressure cooker—As of now, I have no idea how to use one. I'm accepting applications for a tutor on how to get the most out of it.
Pots, pans and skillets—I am looking into various options for this. Some companies sell ones with removable handles that are nesting, which I like. However, the quality and sizes of pots and pans don't really mesh up with what I want. I'm also torn about whether or not I want nonstick (some blogs say it cuts down on water usage for cleanup). 
Baking pans—Since the oven is only 13x13x9, I will be limited. I think they're quarter sheet jelly roll pans (9 or 10x13) and they will all have lips to prevent dripping, also probably nonstick. I'm also going to have at least 2 casserole dishes (a 9x13 and either a square 8x8 or a 8x10?) and in my dreams, a pizza stone. That might be a no go, since I've only seen one.
Colander—I made the mistake of asking for some flat folding cookware including measuring cups and a colander for Christmas last year. While they are fine, they are made of silicone which holds onto greasy stuff (veggie oil, etc.) and are hard to get totally clean AND they don't really save me any space. Sad trumpet.
Microplane—So many uses and I've never had one!
Mixing spoons—Electricity is a hot commodity on a boat, so most likely I will not be taking a blender, mixer, or food processor, so that means I will be getting some kick ass arm muscles from whipping egg yolks and beating batter. It also means I need to: A) get used to beating batter by hand and B) find some spoons and spatulas that will make my baking life as simple as possible.
Cutting board—Something durable with a handle and ridge around the edge to prevent spillage.
Mixing bowls—Nonslip bottom, nesting and possibly a handle. Again, this is part of the "elbow grease" part of baking and I will probably buy a few pretty soon to see which style suits me best.
Knives—Still looking around. Definitely need a filleting knife, maybe a boning knife (and the accompanying knowledge of how to fillet a fish and make sushi!), and probably a cleaver. I have a few that I really like by Victorinox so I will probably start there. This also means we'll need a good non-electric sharpener.
Coffee maker—We already have begun to do some research on this. We'll probably end up with an Aeropress or a Bialetti stovetop espresso maker.
Thermal grocery bags—for all the cold shopping in the Caribbean heat!

I'm sure there are a ton of things I haven't even thought of, but it seems like a good start.