Seldom have we felt more welcomed into a new place. Right away we were joined on board for a visit by Jan Jopson and her dog Taz. Jan used to babysit me back in the day and has kept up with our doings. It was the beginning of what became a very social time for us—especially in contrast to our time through Fiordland and Stewart Island!
Getting back into land life has involved some challenges and also some really lovely benefits. We’ve been enjoying the ability to reconnect with friends, to ride horses and to get some work done.
So, remember how I said that Katie Walker (our RV) couldn’t off road? Well… everyone surprises you at times, don’t they? Late July found us in Yolo County, inspecting baby grape vines which we have on order for our Canadian project. It was an educational stop for all of us with a tour of the …
Telling people that we live in an RV can sometimes leave the wrong impression. As we are on land now, land folks almost inevitably want to know where we live. Usually, the question is followed by a long pause during which we all look at each other with curious smiles on our faces. But that …
The Vawters are heading back to the water at long last. I know some of you thought (and maybe some even prayed) that we were going to become land lubbers again, but it’s back to the boat life for us! I dropped off writing posts near the end of June last year. We weren’t adventuring …
It has been almost three months since we have been in Canada. After living here on hard ground we ask ourselves… how is it going? It has been quite the transition. And most transitions are not without adversity. The most challenging thing, apart from outfitting a completely empty house, starting completely new jobs, girls starting mid-school …
Boat Life = Pause Wine Life = Play Wait what? So there are lots of questions but the main idea is: Cameron and I have put Banyan up on the hard in Mexico and have made our way up to the norther extremities of the Sonoran Desert, the hottest place in…yup, you guessed it, Canada. …
This month and next is all about working hard and playing hard. Last week, I arrived back home to Banyan in Long Beach after a two week trip to France and Napa. Cameron and the girls were living at a marina while I was away working. The trip to France was a research trip for a …