CHRISTMAS VACATION

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  We have been very busy checking things off the lists. Wedding, check. Cleaning the garage, check. Numerous visits to goodwill, check. Packing up the house, check. Organizing at home, check. Packing the truck check... all so we can get back to the boat. There has been a gaggle of doctor's appointments, planning, shopping, etc.  It's Christmas time, the grandkids presents are delivered and it was time to hit the road. There were weather warnings so we decided to spend the night in Winnemucca, Nevada. It is not a very exciting drive and John is a man on a mission. He prefers to drive straight though... Ouch! I was the navigator and  DJ, spending the 1000 mile drive preparing Christmas cards and such. Oregon has set a rain record this year for the month of December.

Lots of snow on the route made for very majestic views. We were able to use the Mt. Hood pass without the use of chains and saved some time there. Text messages for Brother Mat kept us informed of weather conditions. He told us "the good news about all the rain is....the the ramp at Salpare Bay Marina is much less steep.  We found that to be no understatement! Nevertheless, we unloaded the truck under very soggy conditions, got all the luggage and supplies on board Friday, December 18th. We would only have four days on board to get organized and start the water maker installation. John wasted no time checking in with the dock master, where water maker equipment was waiting, as well as, Mike the electrician, who was to install it.   John got to work on hanging Christmas lights on the fly bridge and after a trip to the market, I went to work in the galley. Brother Mat and Sista Liz were coming over for chili!  That always makes for a good time.  The freezing wind has been steady and on this particular afternoon the sun was out! Yeah! While the boys were in the cockpit enjoying a "cold one", they spied a sailboat whose bow line had snapped in half. The boys were fast to respond. Mat got onboard, brought her port side over to the dock and secured a new line. The owner was no where to be found. This sailboat had no registration and had not even checked in with the dock master for it's moorage. Very curious! We have been watching this abandoned boat pitch in the wind, rain and snow for days now. Her rigging has come loose and looks like there will be more damage to come.

John & Mat to the rescue

We left for our visit with Dad and Brother Dave, who live in Moses Lake, WA, on Wednesday December 23rd. And we thought Portland was cold. The guys welcomed us with open arms as usual!