- Anam Cara
- 2023
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- Cruising 2015
- Cruising 2014
- Cruising 2013
- Cruising 2012
- Cruising 2011
-
Chicago to Florida 2010
- Cortez
- Marathon
- Ft. Pierce & Ft. Lauderdale
- St. Augustine
- Charleston to Cumberland Island
- Beaufort to Charleston
- Hampton to Beaufort
- New York to Hampton
- Hudson River
- Erie Canal
- Port Clinton
- Port Huron
- Charlevoix to Port Sanilac
- Manistee to Charlevoix
- Holland to Manistee
- St. Joe to Holland
- Hammond to St. Joe
- From the Boatyard to the Water
- Summer 2009 North Channel
- Summer 2008 Lake Michigan
- Summer 2007 To Chicago
- April 2007 Sarasota
- Buddies for Bob
- Mike's Motorcycle Journals
- Contact Us
Deltaville to Solomons Island
August 14, 2011
The last time we communicated with you was after we left Washington DC. Since then we spent the 4th of July in Deltaville, VA and arranged to have the boat pulled out of the water while we went back to Chicago. The marina was also going to install air conditioning while we were gone.
After arriving in Chicago, Francie went to California to see her daughter and her brothers and sister in law while Mike went to Michigan to visit his parents. It was the first time we have been more than 45 feet from each other for more than an afternoon. How was it you ask? We both left in different directions humming “Celebrate, Celebrate…..” We joined up again about a week later. It is true, “Absence does makes the heart grow fonder.”
We tried to see as many friends as we could between visits with family. After about three weeks we flew home to the boat.
The A/C work on the boat was not finished. But, while it was out of the water, we were able to paint the bottom, repaint the bilge and wax the sides. Of course it was extremely hot when we started our project.
Mike wrote the following email to a friend after we finished sanding the bottom of the boat.
Everyone tells us how we are living the life. I would like to show pictures of us living the life the last couple of days. The pictures would come with a warning saying, “What you are about to see some people may find disturbing.”
We returned to Deltaville or Deltahell on Wednesday. Temperatures were in the upper 90’s. The air conditioning is not done so the marina put us up in the only motel in town. It is a little worn but the air works. We have been working like dogs. We start by 6:30 and work until early afternoon. The major job was sanding the bottom covering us in a fine blue dust then painting 3 coats of bottom paint. It took us 6 hours to paint with paint that cost $570 for 3 gallons.
Now we are in the midst of waxing the boat twice. There are numerous little chores that we have worked on in between. I look like I just stepped out of a swimming pool by 8 in the morning.
We hope to be in the water on Monday night. We have a full day on Sunday doing some scraping and painting the bilge and finishing the waxing. The interior of the boat is a disaster as they run the duct and wiring. We can't wait to get the boat back into a home again.
We were put into the water on Monday but had to wait almost two weeks to leave due to parts problems.
Friday we arrived in Solomon, MD. We are in a marina that is affiliated with the Holiday Inn. We have use of all the amenities just as the hotel guests. We start our day in the exercise room and have done a little exploring.
Since we are here for a month we have set up a number of resolutions. We are going to work out every day and try to lose weight. Mike is going to start to play the guitar. Francie is studying up on the Bahamas and working on our navigation.