WIP - birthday

If I am only here and there around here this week it's because I am knee deep in getting my act together to celebrate a certain little boy's 6th birthday. Denial = procrastination = last minute craziness. It's not actually all that crazy, I am just moving in slow motion. So here's a glimpse at what we've got brewing to celebrate Zach's special day.

~growing~

I didn't notice at first because I was just in awe that our tomato plants were actually growing and thriving. These are the plants from the seeds that were (ahem) spit out of my little boy's mouth into a cup this spring in hopes of a summer harvest. He and daddy babied these guys while I dutifully ignored them. I was sure they would end up the same way most of our plants end up... like my recent cilantro plant fiasco.

But they nurtured them, and transplanted them, and now they are on their way. In fact the tomato plants looks so good that we're not the only one who noticed. Meet Mrs. Quackers.

She's a late bloomer as far as our local mallards go, most nest in April and May. But she's picked her spot and once a day she lays.

We're up to 6 eggs this morning, and she's spending less time away with the Mister and more time actually sitting. Zach is in love. He thinks she's his pet. I am trying gently to explain. He gives her water (she takes it too) and leaves her food (who would say no to that when you're gestating? I KNOW!) And he is like an anxious daddy waiting for the ducklings. Supposedly 28 days give or take. The tomatoes continue to grow just fine. My belly swells as I waddle past each day, feeling an odd kinship with Mrs. Quackers, and slighlty envious of her mere 28 days compared to my 40 weeks. I am amazed at how much Zach is changing each day as his 6th birthday draws nearer. His questions, his answers, his humor, his long gangly little boy legs. I feel smack in the middle of all of this growth and blossoming and all I can think is... how will this impact the taste of our tomato harvest?

this moment ~hark who goes there~

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - via soulemama

the kindness of strangers

My husband was speechless. Since he's not really linked into the blogosphere he didn't get it. He didn't get how complete strangers would send us a gift. "Stranger" in that we have not met each other in person, but hardly strange or unknown in the common sense.

Ellen and I have lots of the obvious in common - kids aboard boats. Her blog s/v Rubicon is sweet and familiar to me and we've chatted about kids aboard and swapped books. When she heard I was expecting she immediately emailed to offer up items that her girls no longer needed (knowing that living on a boat, we did not save a thing from Zach's baby days). The most useful baby "gadget" we had with Zach when he was a boat baby was a sling. Within days, a beautiful fleece sling showed up in the mail with a fabulous tie dye t-shirt and a sweet home made card from the girls. It was the first official thing we were able to put in the locker we have set aside for "baby little" (as Zach calls her). Luckily Ellen should be heading north on her boat soon and hopefully I'll get to meet her in person and give her a big thank you hug.

Then there was the package that arrived from the other side of the planet. Lily is not just an amazingly talented quilter/ knitter/ sewer/ crafter but such a sweet soul with a sharp sense of humor. We identify with each other in so many ways even though we exist in different worlds and different seasons on different sides of the earth. In her blog (Block-a-Day) the love she has for her gorgeous daughter Abby is so clear and true and her projects are mouth dropping beautiful. Why I was fortunate to be gifted one of her beautiful works, I don't know, but I am ever so grateful that she thought of me. A package filled with little treasures including some fabulous new books for my sweet boy (he is devouring the Enid Blyton). And this.

Everyone who has come aboard recently asks me, "Where did you buy that new pillow? It's gorgeous!" And nobody can believe that a lovely Australian lady named Lily made it for me just because. The fabrics are delicious, and match our boat so perfectly you'd think she snuck aboard and checked swatches. And of course the craftsmanship is impeccable. It already has a place of honor supporting my tired back when I sit at the settee.

So my husband is starting to "get it" now. Just like when we were out cruising, just like living aboard here at the marina, this whole blah-blah-blogging thing is all about the community. There's nothing strange about that.

notes on a wedding

~so grateful my buddy the groom and the other grooms-people arranged a day at the spa~

~ amazing view from my room at "Groom Zero", the shared house/ inn for the groomies~

~stunning setting for the wedding in insanely remote location~

~reception in waiting~

~crazy cute & creative way to seat guests and encourage mingling~

(oops this one got too close to the candles!)

~night scenes from the bar I was unable to partake in (being the pregnant lady at a Napa wedding is sort of cruel)~

~guests type notes to the couple while waiting for drinks~

~square dancing, yes square dancing! and yes it was fun! and retro movie scenes on the ceiling~

~zaniness ensued with the photo booth. no that's not me in goggles and a viking hat, it can't be.~

I reunited with old friends. I made amazing new friends. I gorged on fantastic foods. But the most remarkable thing about this whirlwind wedding weekend was seeing my dear friend of 22 years melt with love as he looked into the eyes of his beaming bride. Congrats to J+E!

Best In Show

My little boy does not have what one would call the competitve gene. He's the one who complained in his first soccer scrimmage that it didn't make sense for "all the kids to fight over one ball. Why doesn't the coach give everyone their own ball?" He'd much rather go to the show than sing on the stage. Until horse back riding. I barely listened when the teacher mentioned an upcoming horse show because I figured it was a given that he would not be interested in competing in the show. But he said, "Mommy, I want to do it!" He decided he also needed to practice outside of class. I wasn't sure how we'd pull that off short of turning into a living version of that Lyle Lovett song ("If I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean. And if I had a pony, I'd ride him on my boat. And we cold all together, go out on the ocean. Me upon my pony on my boat.) But since our mainsail is still M.I.A., we rigged this up. Behold, the boom horse.

You know how with little kid events these days they don't keep score and everyones wins? Well this was one of those. A sweet happening geared towards bettering the kids' horsemanship and confidence. Yes, everyone got a ribbon. Without any knowledge of how he placed in what category, my boy came off of Ralph-the-horse with Miss Meg at his side (Miss Meg, our barn angel who helps Zach out because I am too pregnant to keep up now) and he said, "Mommy, I am so proud of myself, I feel really good!" As far as I am concerned, he wins best in show!

p.s. I am leaving on a trip to California tomorrow... without the fellas! Going to be a pregnant groomsman in the wedding of one of my best friends from high school. I'll be back mid-next week.

Z~hearts~Q

Z fell in love with Q. They met last year, but this time they seemed to really hit it off when her family stayed with us for the weekend. Z usually prefers older kids when it comes to play time, but he pulled me aside and said, "Mama, even though Q is littler than me, I REALLY like her. She talks just as much as I do." Now that's saying something.

There they were, hanging out on the tramps while we were underway this weekend, giggling and talking and watching the water go by through the netting. Michele and I were all giggles ourselves. Being friends since high school, these are the little moments you make up when you're young. "One day our kids will play togther and..." So seeing them cuddling made us all giddy as we snapped photos and "awwwwwed" at them.

Then later in the trip, Z pulls me aside again. "Mama, it was so fun snuggling with Q on the netting!" Then he pulled me close in a whisper. "And mama, I have to tell you something. I kissed her. On the arm." I told him that was very sweet and then of course violated my only son's trust and immeddiately told Q's mom as if WE were the ones who were just kids. The mamas of course thought it was the cutest thing ever. Q's dad, on the other hand, decided he needed a drink and started talking of closets and shotguns.

so close yet...

If you sniff around the places where sailors hang out on the web, you're likely to hear all kinds of fish tales and rum soaked opinions on all things nautical. But nothing curdles my blood more than people trying to out-salt each other. Boat people are generally the best kind of people I know. But sometimes machismo gets the best of the best of them, and it becomes a "how many miles are under YOUR keel?" competition. You're only a real sailor if... You're not a true cruiser unless... Honestly people, save it for the rat race.

One thing I learned while we were out cruising the first time is, it doesn't matter how big your boat it, how "ocean going" its reputation is, whether it's power or sail, how far you've gone, how much blue water time you have, how many storms you've weathered, or how many broken things you've patched back together underway. If you leave the dock, you're doing it. Period. Sometimes fates allign and we get to go and go and go some more. Sometimes we make a small circle and end up where we started.

(like father like son...)

(i spy a ship from Panama...)

(the ship's crew were taking photos of us while we circled and photographed them! Do ya think we ened up on this guy's blog?)

(celebrating going under the bridge with some chocolate ice cream)

Does it matter that our orginal weekend plans dissolved in rain? Does it matter that there was no wind? Does it matter that our mainsail is (STILL) at the sail loft? Does it matter that we were within sight of our home waters the whole time? Do these photos look like we had any less fun? Adventure is all attitude.

~this moment~ passions

 A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - via soulemama

~This Moment~ My boy after a long day chasing his two passions... by sea (life jacket) and by land (horseback riding helmet).

WIP - The Salon After

Can't you see how white it is?? I know, there is NO way to tell the difference from a photograph. But take my word for it. It's all shiny and sparkly in here with fresh paint and a thousand coats of varnish.

My favorite part was purging. Oh how I love organizing those little corners that tend to pile up with this and that. It feels soSOso good getting rid of things, tidying up the odds and ends, and finding a way to store what needs to stay. I am weird that way.

So we're down to basically one more room that needs an overhaul - Zach's room. Basically it needs to be painted, new light fixtures, fixing the head (toilet), and generally making it more hospitable... just in case (for the record, he hasn't slept in there again since the other night).

In the mean time, we're feeling all fresh and fancy here, so come on by and have a drink and come for a sail! Oh wait, we don't have our mainsail back from the sail loft yet *sigh*... almost there. Boats are ALWAYS a work in progress.

Have You Any Wool?

Another perfectly lovely day at our fiber CSA playing with baskets full of wool. A little farm hiatus now and again always seems to give me balance and make me feel even more grateful when I turn home to the sea.

Sultana

Ok, so I told a little white lie. But I KNEW he could do it. They said kids had to be 7 and up to participate in this 3+ hour homeschool sailing field trip aboard the Schooner Sultana. So I said he was already 6 and that I was sure he could keep up with the big kids and handle the trip just fine. And although he looked so obvioulsy little next to many of the kiddos (who were 8 at the youngest in our group) he showed them he was a salty dog.

Sultana is a replica of the smallest ship ever to serve the Bristish Royal Navy. At 51 feet stem to stern she's a meticulous replica of the ship that plied the waters of the east coast from 1768-1772. The ship's mission is to spread knowledge of and passion for our local history and ecology.

Passion? Check. The kid was on could nine the entire time. We've been on some historic ships before, but to be on one actually moving under sail... and get a chance to steer the ship? Nirvana.

(It took 6 kids to move the enornous tiller under the Captain's watchful eye. They practice aiming for landmarks and making sharp turns as a team.)

Zach claims aside from steering the ship and getting to witness "a real cannon firing", his favorite part was going below decks and checking out "the old timey stuff." He and the other kids were duly impressed by the rusty old tools displayed on the table. Then they all paled when they were told these were the ship's medical supplies and given a graphic demonstration of how they were used. Gulp.

(The crew gave a demo of how an infected hand would be amputated using a screw tourniquet, some scalpels, and large knife, a bone saw, and a hot poker to soder the wound shut.)

Knowledge? Check. He got some and gave some too. Along with absorbing the fascinating tales and history of life at sea in the 1700's, he showed those big kids a thing or two about boats. He was aglow when he was the only one who knew the answers to questions like what are these numbers on the chart ("They show how deep the water is.")

And what is this thing? ("A sextant for navigating by the stars.") And why are these fish dark on top and light on the bottom? ("Camouflage so birds don't see them blending in with the dark waters from above and bigger fish can't see them blending in with the sun and sky from below.")

Who says you have to be 7 years old to do this gig?