OK - after 23 straight days of some kind of rainy weather each day, We've pretty much been sitting at the dock...but the view is nice!

The Admiral's parents visited us in our new marina - had a great time with them. We did go out briefly in no wind just to be out on the water (consider it a motor cruise) - but never got a sail up!...Mother Nature was just not cooperating ... and I'm all about being comfortable on a sail (when I have a choice). So - I chose not to experience water running down the crack of my @#$% to make on-deck sail adjustments - even if the winds were good.

The marina has filled up and people are coming and going getting their boats back into the water and gear aboard. We've met a few more neighbors now that our dock is nearly full but they are suffering from the same plight as we are - rain! It will eventually get better - "Patience Grasshopper!"

This post's musings:

Rainy day maintenance: As all good boat owners do - we keep a running list of projects - little ankle-biters that are just too minute and tedious to do when the sun is shining (read below decks). Our list is long and endless - no surprise - its a boat! So out came the tool boxes and I assaulted the small projects list while the Admiral immersed herself in her PhD work.

This week's list included: New 12V sconce lighting in the V-Berth; Inspect the engine zincs; Measure the RIB harness legs for rigger fabrication (replacement); Design the RIB "cross-bars" that will reduce swing in the davits; Clean up the mess at the nav-station (my project collection parts storage area); Sew the new Sunbrella cover for the TV in the cockpit; Relocate a cup-hook for the Admiral in the galley cupboard; Put the rain-fly up over the Bimini "tear" that is leaking into the cockpit during the deluge (we have not invested in this repair since we will build our hard-dodger this summer). These were the things that I DID get to...the list remains long and endless...but there is the personal satisfaction of knocking some of them off of the "endless" list!

As per a previous musing - each time I attack a problem - I learn something new about our boat - which is gratifying. I was chatting with a boat neighbor who made it clear that he had "people" for that! My inside voice was whispering - OK - yeah - at $110.00 an hour!...nope - not for us! Working on our boat is "therapy" for me. I am a high-energy DIY'er. I get a huge amount of personal satisfaction out of solving problems - myself...and since we are not made of money - savings are good! Plus - when you are in "austere" environments - you need to have the skills (and practice) to DIY. Its just how I roll...and its good for me. Although - as I watch the hired "boat boyz" washing, buffing and waxing boats all around me in prep for the summer rush - I do secretly wish that someone were doing our boat so I wouldn't have to...I guess that I am just practicing for full retirement - I WILL ALWAYS need something to do!

Last but not least...the view: Each day I spend a few moments sitting on deck to reflect on how grateful I am for what we have! Happiness is an inner-self feeling that is a by-product of your environment. We love the live-aboard lifestyle! The photo is just one small reflection of the freedom we appreciate so much to do as we please. It just don't get any better...well - maybe in the Caribbean!...that adventure is coming soon!