It's now the 8th of January and I just haven't been motivated to write a post lately. I seem to go through this every January. My creative juices have frozen and I just want to hibernate. Winter sucks!
Yeah, it would be pretty great if I lived in Colorado where I could learn how to snow board or ski. I could wear those cute leggings, hats and scarves while I burn loads of calories going down the slopes ... but I don't live in Colorado and there's no snow in Louisiana. For those who think the South doesn't experience winter ... it was 19 degrees this morning and it's frigid outside. It's a damp cold that gets to your bones. Luckily, I have an office job a few days a week and I'm keeping comfortable.
Anyway, Nirvana's been ignored while she sits in the boatyard. But, the paint and products we need to use don't like this cold weather and the job is too hard (and expensive) to rush it and have problems later. At least Nirvana's pretty much ready to go with painting her bottom and deck when the weather gets warmer. We just hope she doesn't hold it against us that we're not visiting her every day.
Christmas is always low-key at our place as far as gifts are concerned. But, the few things that we exchange always have something to do with cruising ... and they're always pretty cool! Our daughter and son-in-law got Ken a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses (they shouldn't have spent that much), which have been put aside until we start sailing. They wouldn't last a week on Ken's job sites.
The kids gave me a really cool book filled with stories of mermaids. I can't wait to start reading it! I've always loved whimsical things such as mermaids, fairies, wizards and castles. In fact, I have a really cool collection of sand castles that I won't give up when we downsize. I'm sure our daughter will take good care of them for me. They also gave us a LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
... have you heard of this? It sounds pretty cool. It was Time Magazine's "Invention of the Year"! It's supposed to filter out a lot of bacteria in the water ... but not salt. Wouldn't that be great? Anyway, this will be great to have on hand when exploring.
... have you heard of this? It sounds pretty cool. It was Time Magazine's "Invention of the Year"! It's supposed to filter out a lot of bacteria in the water ... but not salt. Wouldn't that be great? Anyway, this will be great to have on hand when exploring.
I got Ken some quik-dry shirts, a tropical button-up shirt, and some really nice sandals for the boat. He got me a light-weight blouse that I had my eye on for the boat and a really cool solar powered wireless speaker
that I wanted. It's shock-proof, waterproof and can also charge my phone or i-Pod! This little speaker looks really rugged. There are so many cool solar-powered gadgets coming on the market these days. If I had all the things I want ... we wouldn't be able to walk on the deck because it would be covered with stuff charging. I'm excited to try this out on the boat this Spring.
that I wanted. It's shock-proof, waterproof and can also charge my phone or i-Pod! This little speaker looks really rugged. There are so many cool solar-powered gadgets coming on the market these days. If I had all the things I want ... we wouldn't be able to walk on the deck because it would be covered with stuff charging. I'm excited to try this out on the boat this Spring.
I had an Amazon coupon, so I treated myself to the book, "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail"
. I hadn't heard about this book, but Reese Witherspoon just produced the movie in which she plays the leading role. It looks really good, and it's a true story about a woman who destroys her marriage after losing her mother and dealing with her grief through drugs ... and men. She decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail alone to find herself. I guess it worked out for her ... now she has a best-selling book that's been made into a movie. Anyway, I hear the book is really inspiring, honest and at times raw. I love psychology, travel and the challenges of life so I think I'll enjoy this book.
. I hadn't heard about this book, but Reese Witherspoon just produced the movie in which she plays the leading role. It looks really good, and it's a true story about a woman who destroys her marriage after losing her mother and dealing with her grief through drugs ... and men. She decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail alone to find herself. I guess it worked out for her ... now she has a best-selling book that's been made into a movie. Anyway, I hear the book is really inspiring, honest and at times raw. I love psychology, travel and the challenges of life so I think I'll enjoy this book.
We ended the year in New Orleans with a free outdoor "Train" concert in the French Quarter. We'd never seen them before, and they didn't disappoint. They sounded great and have so many good songs ... you know, "Drops of Jupiter" for instance. Although we were tempted to stay until midnight for the fireworks, we didn't want to fight the crowds and the traffic. So, we headed back home and were in bed just after midnight ... just the way we wanted.
Hope you all had a great New Year's ... I think 2015 will really kick off when the weather warms up! 2014 was the "year of change" for us, and this year will probably be the "year of boat work". I'm hoping that 2016 will be "magical" ... like this mermaid!
Hasta luego ... until then. Mid-Life Cruising!
Posts
4 comments:
I absolutely loved the book "Wild" and think you will too. Very inspiring! Now, you have to explain how you have a sandcastle collection! How does one "keep" a sandcastle?!
Winter does suck. I'm a fair weather person. Like you.
We are on our boat and later this morning we'll be heading out to a destination for the weekend with other boaters. Looking forward to getting out of the shed.
Have a fabulous day and a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year. :)
I am NOT a winter-lover either, so I hear you!
Speaking of solar power, when we start sailing (or getting READY to sail), I plan on contacting OceanVOlt to see about a conversion (albeit, probably expensive!). They basically convert your boat to all-electric, with solar and wind chargers... give them a google search... pretty cool stuff, if your looking for complete self-autonomy...
Cheers for the New Year! May it be VERY exciting!
OMG! I love the title of your post! I have to admit, as a northerner, I never understood how someone from the south could complain about winter. But, now that I live here I find the cold to be bone chilling to the core. Luckily, this doesn't last for very long and before you know it I'll be complaining about the heat.
Post a Comment