We've had a good summer visiting and being visited by family and friends. As usual, it was also spent in a number doctor's offices getting our bodies back up in shape to make the trip to the Bahamas again this year. Bob had rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder this year (knees have to wait for next summer) and it is doing great after several months of physical therapy. I've had back pain shots that have given me relief and physical therapy to strengthen my core muscles. I also have a back brace now to wear when doing line handle or riding in the dinghy in rough water for the first time.
We had the boat hauled at Jayne's Boatyard in Reedville, VA again this year. We are so lucky to have a place so close to us to get the boat hauled that does an excellent job. Since the Pretty Penny is 23 feet wide, it is difficult to find a boatyard that can handle our boat. Doug Jayne, who specializes in multihulls, pulled the boat out of the water on his trailer and put it on the ground. We had the bottom cleaned and the hole fixed that was made in the side of the boat by the Bahamian Defense Force last year during a routine check of our boat's hull.
Pretty Penny on the hard
Bob had some storm pilings added this year that we put to use during one of the storms this summer to hold the boat off our dock. Of course we had to "walk the plank" to get back to the boat. I put on my swimsuit the first time I did it, just in case I fell in!
Bob has also made some improvements to our dinghy. He raised the transom and thus the motor so we won't have as much water splash back into the boat when underway. (This had been recommended by another Livingston dinghy owner we met last year in George Town.) He also added padded seats with backs for us. My seat also has a spring unit under it to "soften" the wave action. (Last year I had a severe sciatic nerve attack when we were in George Town and Bob had to single-hand the boat back to Nassau and then back to the states to get me some help. We want to try and avoid anything like that again.)
We had many visits from family this summer and enjoyed our time with our sons and daughters and the grandchildren who are all growing up so fast.
The only photo I was able to get of the six visiting grandchildren this day (there are 13 in all) all in one place!
This is Annabella trying to stay warm after a dip in the bay.
I spent the summer doing some painting. I also got into making jewelry - mostly earrings for now, until I had too many pairs I could wear in a year! Even after giving many away to friends and family, the number just seems to grow! So I finally decided that I needed to sell some. I did my first craft show at a local church with a borrowed tent (thanks to Pam and Steve) and borrowed black table cloths from a neighbor (thanks Kathy). Bob made me a nice standing display to showcase the earrings. This year I forgo some fabric on the boat to make space for my jewelry supplies which is pretty heavy stuff - being mostly metal. Bob will have to adjust the fuel load in the boat to keep it level! Anyway, I will pursue more farmer's markets next summer to sell the jewelry and develop an on-line site to sell them. I'll be in search of unique beach glass, shells, and sea beans to use in jewelry this year. (If anybody has a stone tumbler they want to sell - let me know!).
Mirror frame I painted
Top of a lap desk I painted. The sides I did in faux-burlwood. Thanks to Betty Caithness for the patterns for these two pieces and to Rebecca Hotop for the instructions on doing the burlwood.
I also painted one mural this summer for a grandchildren's room in a home on the Northern Neck. That was fun, but challenging as we had to set up a scaffolding to do it with. (Thanks to Jim for the load on the scaffolding.)
Monkeys on the ceiling in grandchildren's room. I also did the faux wood on the bottom. (Thanks to my neighbor Diane from coming along that day and help with the masking tape!)
Photo of my venture into jewelry selling! I made about $200 that day. (Thanks to Kathy, our neighbor and Mindy, my daughter for helping with the booth and being models!)
Close-up of the jewelry on the display board Bob made for me.
We are busy loading the boat now and doing final boat work in preparation for the trip. We expect to leave the end of the month. I've been listening to the boat traffic in the Chesapeake on the boat's radio and wishing we were with them - we will be soon.
Looking forward to seeing all our cruising friends. Ya'll have a safe trip!
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