Greetings from the Napa Valley Marina,

Yes, we are still here.  I’m laying on my back right now in the cockpit looking up at our new main sail mounted tidily onto our boom.  It looks great.

Why are we still here then?  Well, the biggest reason is that we are all sick.  Whatever the girls had a few weeks ago has now found a home in Cameron and I.   The chills and sweats and aches and coughs have been plaguing us.  That, and a little weather that is on the way is cause enough to just sit tight.   I  am whispering and have been for 2 days having lost my voice.  We moved our boat over to another dock as the marina had promised our slip to another boat and we are quite happy in our slightly more secluded spot on the guest dock.

While we are supposed to be convalescing, projects abound.  Getting the dinghy registered was something we left until the last minute unfortunately.  I had to wait at the DMV for well over an hour with the girls in tow the other morning.  They told me that they needed to see the actual dinghy so Cameron came back in the afternoon with it and after he waited for well over an hour they told him, no, they didn’t actually need to see it.  But not all has been frustrating.  Cameron got the wind generator up and running and installed a high output alternator and regulator, that should cover our power needs in the short term.  He solved a diesel leak, finished wiring the mast, mounted a few stanchions (vertical tubing that holds up the lifelines) and tackled numerous other jobs. This is the short list in fact, there are a number of other large and small jobs yet to do, but we are slowly making our way through the list so that the higher priority jobs are becoming less numerous.  We now have a “do before we leave Napa list” and another list that’s just the plain old “to do” list.

While Cameron works on projects, I have been trying to get the kids off the boat each day to give him time to work, and to get things done that need doing – like finishing our taxes among other things.  The Library, the climbing gym and the Laundromat have been frequent stops (why is it that my kids only pee the bed the day after I wash the sheets!?!)  The benefit has been that the girls are learning (whether they like it or not) how to fold laundry.  They are also getting pretty good at washing and drying dishes by hand (better at drying).

I’ve also put myself to the task of making seat covers for the dinning area.  The light blue interior seat covers were not so beautiful when we moved aboard, but a month of my kids sitting on them for every meal has not done them any good.  I gave up trying to keep them clean.  This week I bought a small sewing machine and some indoor/outdoor fabric to cover all the seats.  You can see the seats below (still the light blue).  But don’t miss the painting on the wall (this photo does NOT do it justice) done by my sister Karen Minton!  Banyan is really feeling like a home now.

I’m not the only one getting crafty!  Adelaide learned how to knit this week and Isa is working on friendship bracelets.  They have both been excited to learn these new skills.  I also practiced my hair cutting skills, first on the girls and then on myself to fix the botched haircut that I got earlier this week.  Adelaide loves her new hairdo.  Isa has mixed feelings – she looks just like Ramona Quimby to me and acts a bit like her too!

Last week I worked most of the time and Cameron juggled the kids and the boat chores.  I was leaving the boat daily to meet with a client down from Canada to scout out wineries.  It was a great week with lots of visits to excellent wineries in Napa, some which I had never visited in my 10 years here.  I’m looking forward to the development of the project and have lots more research to do.

On the weekend the girls and I got a way to Pt. Reyes with my Parents for a lovely day.  Fun abounded.

 

This week was Holy Week and due to being sick as dogs, we haven’t done much other than talk and read about the significance of this time of year.  Today the girls and I colored easter eggs and we will do a little hunt in the morning before church.  I splurged at the grocery store so the girls feel the importance and the “specialness” of Easter and we are planning a nice meal aboard tomorrow.  Isa, who successfully gave up wearing the color pink for all of Lent got a new sun shirt (color pink included).

So, Happy Easter and Blessings to you all!   We will be pushing off when the weather improves and when my voice comes back.  If you are on Facebook, check out our page!  I hope to update a bit more regularly

Cheers!