V flopped on the settee while I was making dinner tonight and said “Whew, I am one tired cheetah tonight, Mommy!”. A-GREED. It was a busy one.
They started with school work, which admittedly started with great intent on their part (still unprompted by me- I’ve begged for two more days of slogging through things before I can bear down on routine), and petered out after about 20 minutes. They swiftly shifted to crafts, which made my heart sing as they decorated tags and labels for their new clothing bins & baskets.
While they worked I hoisted Andy aloft so that he could inspect the rig. He bought new line that he had replaced one of our halyards with, on sale and subsequently bright bright orange (or much more likely vice versa). When we were lying in our bunk this morning Andy looked out of the hatch and said “Hey, there’s an extension cord running from our mast head!”. A joker, that one. Anyhoo, the good news is that that ‘extension cord’ hoisted him safely aloft, and the bad news is that long gone are the days of having hydraulic winches. Next time I’ve suggested sending Lily, and meanwhile, I’ll be lucky if I can bring my coffee mug to my mouth tomorrow. Out. Of. Shape.
While Andy cleaned the dinghy, cleaned the companionway (he scrubbed the teak and it looks wicked shaaaap), aired out cushions and spliced more line, I took the girls on yet another big box store adventure. Between supercenters and wholesale warehouses, Sam Walton’s heirs sure benefited from our visits today. Two-way street, baby. Check out my new $3 sunhat that Violet is modeling with professional peevishness:
THEN came the fun. We went to Bathtub Reef Beach on Hutchinson Island, which was great surf for playing in, but safely tucked within the reef itself. They had to be pried out of the waves at the end of the day, and we’ll definitely be heading back before the week is out.
The bird life there was incredible to watch- the sanderlings were hilariously chasing the edge of the waves to nudge nudge nudge their beaks into the froth, presumably digging for crustaceans. While sitting on a towel, they approached like a friendly puppy would, skibbling over my flip flops and curiously circling. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Another treat is to see that the ospreys have arrived in the south land! There were four of them over us this afternoon, swooping low and slow, hoping for fish sightings on the curling waves. They were close enough to be able to see their eyes darting wildly over the surf and their feathers ruffling in the wind-another first for me. Birding! Who knew?
I’ll leave you with a shot of our head, ’cause, who doesn’t want to see where we… brush our teeth?
Hello Lillabell, it looks like your having so much fun and it seems as though you are settling into your new way of life quite nicely. I’ve enjoyed following your blog keep the pictures coming. Stay safe, miss you
Hello Ellen! Ifyou have seen the picture of the nest that Violet and I made well it is still there today. There were a lot of coconuts that are ripe I had seven but then I lost one so I have six of them and they are under the boat.