Sailing with Nine of Cups
| Vessel Name: | Nine of Cups |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Liberty 458 |
| Hailing Port: | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Crew: | Marcie & David |
| About: | We've lived aboard Nine of Cups since 2000 and have managed to accumulate 86,000+ nm under the keel since that time. We completed a circumnavigation in April 2015 and managed to sail around the five great southern capes. Come along with us for the ride! |
| Extra: |
07 July 2016 | Us: East Walpole, MA / Cups: Chesapeake, VA
Taking a breather ...
Since we'll be off the boat during July and August, we plan to post only three times per week. The Captain will continue writing a practical Blue View post each week, we'll keep you up to date on what's happening with us and then throw in some cruising nuggets as well.
06 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Keeping fit
We’ve written before about keeping fit on the boat. David is so much better at a regimented exercise program than I am. I have all the best intentions, but I can always think of something better to do than sit-ups, push-ups, leg lifts and running in place. It doesn’t take much to distract me. Walking, [...]
04 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Happy 240th Birthday, America
Growing up in New England, I took for granted just how lovely a summer’s morning can be in Massachusetts. It’s comfortably cool and everything smells clean and fresh. Spider webs glisten with morning dew and it’s just great to be alive and breathe in the new day. Being back at Lin’s house conjures up wonderful childhood memories of summer mornings past. And this is not just any morning … it’s the 4th of July, the best holiday of the summertime in the USA.
02 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Leaving Cups and a Road Trip
Leaving Nine of Cups is never easy. We know she’ll pout while we’re gone and so we do our best to make sure she’s as comfortable as possible before we leave. We were whirling dervishes trying to get everything ready.
01 July 2016 | Virginia Beach, Virginia
Hunting & Gathering - Virginia Beach
We had lots to do before leaving Cups. David was intent on getting as many chores done in advance of our departure as possible so that once we return in September, we can spend time sailing in the Chesapeake rather than doing repairs and maintenance. Much of what we needed in the way of parts and supplies, [...]
Pumpkin Mania
Enough already! Why is this oversized orange fruit a symbol of Hallowe'en anyway. They didn't even have pumpkins in Europe when All Hallows Eve was first celebrated. They hollowed out turnips or mangelwurzels (big beets) to use as lanterns and carved goblin faces on them to ward off evil spirits. Though I have to admit, I'd prefer pumpkin ale to turnip ale or mangelwerzel pie.
The Great Pumpkin and good old Charlie Brown was fun for the kids in the day. The farcical Simpsons' Grand Pumpkin has taken over now in the spirit of modern times. The world record for actual great pumpkins, however, is held by Ron Wallace of Rhode Island at the moment. His Atlantic Giant weighed in at just over a ton (911.3kg). Now that's a Great Pumpkin.
Pumpkins are one of the most popular crops in the US. According to Wiki, we grow 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin every year with the Midwest leading the top producing states.
Usually, we tend to be lazy and get a can of pumpkin for our holiday pies. All those pumpkins around and we buy canned. Go figure. We served pumpkin pie to our Aussie friends on the boat last Thanksgiving. They weren't impressed. It's an acquired taste, I guess.
I do like Hallowe'en and I do enjoy carving jack-o-lanterns, it's just that the pumpkin stuff seems to have gotten out of hand. That said, pumpkins are symbols of the harvest and they're certainly preferred to Christmas decorations. Oops...spoke too soon. Look at all those plastic Santas!
Pumpkin pix? Check out JustALittleFurther.com.
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