Cheryl's Notes:

I can't believe that we have been here two weeks already. We have yet to establish a routine. The dinghy is still laying over the top of our forward hatch, so we don't have any morning sun to wake us up. Some mornings we get up at 8:00, other mornings it is later. Some days we just skip breakfast and go right to lunch. We have had mostly beautiful weather, but the past weekend was gray and drizzling rain. We caught up on our reading and our naps. We did get out Saturday and found the local movie theatre. We wanted to see the new Coen Brothers film, Burn after Reading, but couldn't find it in any theatres within a 50 mile radius. I guess that they do not have an appreciation for their Minnesota style humor. We ended up seeing Nights in Rodanthe. We have been informed that Nicholas Sparks is a resident of the area. It makes sense, being that most of his books are set in this region. The movie had some beautiful shots of the area. Just a note, the theatre thought that we were off our rockers when we asked for butter on our popcorn. I guess that they don't do that here. For those that have ever been to a movie with me, you know that I like a little popcorn with my butter. I may have to switch to candy. On a good note, we went to Target yesterday and it felt like home except for the southern accents.

We have been doing small chores every day to keep up with the boat maintenance. I will be dragging out my sewing machine today to repair our folding deck chairs. The internal ratcheting hinges are cutting through the foam and outer fabric. I am going to try to sew a leather patch inside to protect the fabric. We will see if my machine can do the job. We are still keeping our eyes open for a deal on a Sailrite machine.

We joined the health club yesterday. They have an indoor pool with hot tub and sauna, outdoor pool, game room with ping-pong and pool tables, an exercise room, outdoor tennis courts, mini golf and free wifi access. We will now be making our posts poolside while lying in the sun. It helps us justify getting a tan. The marina is also having a "Pig Pickin' Party" next weekend. This is the southern version of a pig roast. We just need to make a dessert to share. I have to find a recipe that I can make in my tiny oven, or make the recipe in two batches. John says that I should wow them right off the bat, but I don't want to set the bar too high until I can figure out how this oven will perform.

John's Notes:

Yesterday, we finished our second week in our new home. I don't know where the time goes. We are putting in 12-hour days. We get up at 10:00 and go to bed at 10:00 five days a week. On the weekends, we tend to sleep in.

We were busy again this week. We changed oil, went to the recycle place to dispose of it (right down the road actually), replaced the prop on the outboard, replaced the thermostat in the reefer (We had this done. Watching the guy trying to get inside of our reefer without having to take it completely apart convinced me that I didn't want any part of that job at the moment.) Polished all of the stainless on the boat, bow pulpit, stern pulpit, stanchions, bimini and dodger bows, cleaned the lifelines (keeping the stainless clean is akin to painting the Golden Gate Bridge, just when you think you are finished, it's time to start all over again), replaced the screen in the aft cabin, unclogged the vent tube in the holding tank. You don't want to know how we know it is obstruction free. Took up a couple of pieces of cabin sole and cleaned.

Next week we have to start waxing the topsides and hull. The work never seems to end. I think plastic will rust here.

We joined the health club adjacent to the marina this week. They have a huge outdoor pool, indoor pool, equipment room, pool table, ping pong table, whirlpool in the indoor pool, even a sauna. Not sure why the sauna though. From what we hear, the entire region turns into a giant sauna in June and July.

Read some interesting statistics this week about Fairfield Harbor (the community that surrounds the marina). The average age is 65.7 years. That is exactly my age. And all this time everyone thought that I was below average. The good news is that beginning next month I will be ABOVE average.

We are working on our splicing skills. We are currently working with 3-strand. There is lots of 3-strand line being used in the marina. They use a lot of braided too but I think it has something to do with the total amount of dock lines used here. Every boat has between 8 and 12 dock lines. We have eye splices everywhere. We buy cheap line at Wal-Mart for practicing before we move to the expensive stuff. We hope to matriculate to braided line before long.

Maddey is coming to stay with us for awhile. She will be here on the 28th. She is going to fly into Charlotte. That's a little over 250 miles away and there is no direct route between here and there. It would have been better if she flew into Raleigh-Durham which is just a little over 100 miles but the flights were outrageous I guess. I think Maddey is flying on that new airline, JetCheap. Oh well, Cheryl and Maddey have never been to Charlotte anyway. I've flown in there maybe 50 times and it is easy to get into and out of.

After only two weeks, we may have already been here too long. Saturday night we are watching TV. No big deal about that, right? Except that we are flipping channels between whatever and NASCAR. Can you believe that? With only 40 laps to go, how did Jimmy Johnson slip from second to finish sixth? Well, he is still the points leader for the year. How do I know this and have no idea how many yards Adrian Peterson has gained this year?

Cheryl mentioned the "Pig Pickin'" on the 25th. She can make anything she wants for the homemade dessert as long as it's not oatmeal cookies. I'm not sharing those with anyone!

Oh, did I mention that we repaired yet another electrical connection? When I changed the oil, there was a broken ground wire on the alternator. I don't know what causes all these wires to break. I have left some extra wire so there isn't any tension and they still break. Anyone got any ideas??

Also on the 25th we are taking a diesel engine course. It's free at the community center. Cruising is definitely work!

One last thing to mention for this week. We have told you about the "free" table in the common area here in the marina. If you have something you no longer need, you can place it on the table and anyone who needs that item is welcome to take it. Everything we have put on the table has disappeared within minutes. Well, yesterday, Cheryl comes back from the mailbox with two giant baking potatoes, some packets of Kraft cream cheese (you know the ones I mean. packed in heavy duty aluminum foil and look like the ends were cut off with a pair of pinking shears), and a pack of hamburger buns. I asked her where she got that stuff and she tells me that the little convenience store here put them out on the free table. We used the cream cheese with our bagles and dinner last night consisted of giant stuffed baked potatoes with all the trimmings. Guess tonight is burgers........................what's next? Food Stamps?????