HOWDY! Well, it’s been a while since my last post. Let me tell you why. We are in the middle of nowhere with unreliable internet (good thing it’s free, huh) and poor cell phone coverage. Our phones only work if we go up on deck. The internet is VERY slow and usually totally unavailable. So, I’ll type this up and see if I can get it to go through.
We have had lots of visitors (family and friends) and it’s been wonderful. Some VERY good friends from Victoria loaned us their car for as long as we’re here, so we have been attending church in Victoria at Faith. It’s quite a drive (hour and 15 min or so), but well worth it to see all of our old friends. Many of them have also come to the boat to visit us, which has been really fun.
Susie, Phil and Philip Collins took us to Port Aransas to the beach! I love the beach. Phil surfs and he taught the kids. They’re all hooked on surfing now and we are in the market for a surfboard. I was impressed. Travis got up the first day, and the second day, he was surfing. Garrett also eventually got the hang of it. Kimi managed to get up on her knees…so the next step is standing up. They had so much fun.
John’s parents came for a visit last week. John’s aunt came out as well. We had a great time. Then we took his parents for a sail as well as Charlie Jones (the guy that built Pilgrim, Travis’ boat) and his wife Laura. Although boat lovers and sailors, none of them had ever been on a boat this size. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.
Other than the reconnecting with old friends and homeschooling, John has been doing lots of repairs/improvements. He and our oldest son rebuilt the head (very necessary). He repaired the outboard on the dinghy (long story). We hired out the repair of the propane tank lid (it was rotting). He tightened up all the shrouds. He rebuilt the air-conditioner duct work and tightened all the hose clamps. And (drum roll, please) He freed up the centerboard!! Doing that required him to purchase parts and make a hooka (sp?) unit. He had to dive under the boat with a hacksaw blade, and the hooka unit is a homemade diving—thing. His first step was ordering the parts, which I won’t go into because it was a horrible nightmare that we don’t want to relive. Let me just say that there were many days devoted to accumulating all of the parts (long story–which is related to all the other long stories. Perhaps John will post about it all). Anyway, he freed it up and he is a happy, happy man.
I have had almost as much fun acquiring my sewing machine, but I got it and I’m a happy, happy woman. I haven’t any fabric to sew with, but I have it–I can touch it, and look at it and put parts on and take them off! When I get fabric, I will make a new bimini and curtains for the cabin for when we stay in marinas.
A cold front moved in yesterday. It got down into the 50′s! That’s chili on the water. We actually had to turn the cabin heater on. We’re supposed to have several days where the high is only low 70′s. It’s time to head south!
John hasn’t had a lot of free time to study, but he has managed to get some in. We hope he will be ready to take his license test by the first part of November. Our time in the marina here is up NOv 3rd, so we might go back to Galveston and anchor out in Offits Bayou, rent a car for him to drive to the Coast Guard office in Houston. Galveston has a lot of fun things to do, plus we have friends there, too.
Here is my deep thought for October. Travis and Sue (John’s parents) just got back from Israel and we were looking at their pictures of their trip. I had this thought: Did Jesus ever have the inclination to enlighten people in that time about technology. Did He ever want to tell them how to make electricity and water treatment plants and pumps, two way radios, washing machines, outboard motors… I was just wondering if he ever got frustrated living in such rustic conditions. Or did God not let him have access to that knowledge so we would discover it on our own. Just a thought!
Till next post… fair weather and fair winds!
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