I know, I know, I didn't get around to posting updates the last two weeks, but I have a good reason: the SnowMyGod storm. For posterity, or in case you are reading this from Guatemala, this was a massive heavy-weather system that covered the entire United States diagonally, from Texas to Maine. Here in Pensacola, of course, there was no snow, but while the rest of the country was being buried in ice and the white stuff (even the panhandle of Texas), we had rains. Not just rain, but the kind of lengthy, torrential downpour that one normally associates with monsoons. Derek was still working on the boat, and I was doing the homeschoolling with Grant, and we both were doing science in the evenings. The "good" news is, the rains helped us find the worst leaks in the boat.

The refit is progressing: today being Sunday, and, more significantly, the first sunny day in a long while, we are removing, surface cleaning and rebedding the rub rail on the port side to fix rainwater leaks along the through-bolts for the rail. We have finished the plumbing and are now doing the electrical system. I am reupholstering and eventually I will put in flooring and bedding (and redoing the headliner in Grant's compartment at least -- I had started that job when we discovered a really copious rainwater leak in his compartment, so it has had to be "on hold" while we deal with that), but not until Derek is finished with wiring and then renovating the starboard forward compartment to provide access to the master bunk and a refrigerator. Finally, both of us have to get through refinishing interior wood surfaces. There's a lot to do; we are planning on living aboard all year for three years so it has to be livable.

But it's not all slog, slog, slog: the people at the marina are very friendly and make it fun to be here; last night Coy and Iris purchased a massive box of oysters and Ken donned his shucking glove, and Ben and Carol and... a guy I've seen but haven't gotten to talk with (sorry!) came by and we all sat out in the covered pavilion with the heater going and shucked and ate oysters for a few hours; when I say "we," Derek and I were a little late to that gathering, I had an urgent need to produce some hot munchies to add to the mix, and transit time is 15 mins at the very least each way. The night before, there had been a gathering (thank you, Iris!) at the home of a wonderful cruising couple up Bayou Chico, and we all stood around chatting and, um, it's possible that a couple of sea shanties were sung... I may still be allowed back, despite that (I live in hope)! Coy, anytime you want shanties, you got 'em. Gloria and Tex Hill, who were there, also have had a SnowGoose, so it was very cool to get to talk boats with them. Gloria likes their new PDQ 36, but Tex likes the Prout, showing once again that men and women have somewhat different "most important things" they need in boats.