Carly Simon said "Anticipation is keepin' me waitin'."......well, me too!!!!

OK! the time has come for this guy, me, to quit screwin' around and get off my big fat butt and quit bs'n about going cruising and get ZOSHA ready and leave...all the hard stuff is done....the job is gone, the house is history, the furniture and clothes are not even memories....so what in the friggin' blankety-blank am I waiting for?? am I scared? ..don't think so...do I lack self-confidence in my abilities? no...don't think this is it either...am I  lazy and don't want to do the work to get the boat ready? - well, its been kinda hot lately and the wind has been blowing a little hard and the smog has been a problem and the humidity has been very wet and the dog ate my Defender catalogue and.there is pollen all over the place..and...  oh-oh think I'm on to something here...am I too wrapped up in the mystique of cruising and getting content just sitting around drinking beer and talking about it.....oh-oh-I hit a nerve............maybe its a combination of all these things......
It will get all worked out so don't abandon me my friends...I won't renege on my promise to fill this blog with swashbuckling seafaring adventures that would make Sterling Hayden take notice....
"The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided."-Napoleon Bonaparte
Be Well My Friends..........................

Is a toothbrush counted as a personal possession.......??

Worked on my sea hood today-it should be ready to reinstall soon. There is Epoxy going off right now as we speak so now  its time to take a break and pound a brew or two and contemplate my list of 50 items once again. Haven't posted on this topic for a while. Been thinking about it though............As some of you might remember...up to now there were 22 items on the list  A thru L: Lets see what we can add...........
A.  1 pair flip flops                                               K.  3 long sleeve shirts
B.  1 pair Chuck Taylor high tops                         L.  1 pair canvas dress shoes
C.  3 pair board shorts                new additions: M.  digital camera
D.  2 pair jeans                                                         N.  external speakers for i-pod
E.  1 laptop                                                               O.  travel sport coat
F.  1 Kindle                                                              P.  8 pair underwear
G.  1 i-pod                                                               Q.   cell phone
H.  5 assorted t-shirts-short sleeve                          R.  canvas brief case
I.   2 pair dress shorts                                              S.  1 wallet                                                 
J.   1 pair long dress pants                                       T.  1 belt
                                                                                 U. 1 dive/duffel bag to carry this stuff in
M thru U adds 16 items to the list, albeit 8 of them are underwear.........hmmm.....does one really need....? oh never mind...for now the underwear stays on the list. This is a work in progress you know...we'll revisit this issue another time...OK! now my list of 50 includes 38 items!!
We're getting there!!
Take care my friends-be well..........
"Do every act of your life as if it were you last."-Marcus Aurelius

Hey....you wanna....??????

Are you a planner...? You know...everything is totally laid out before you act...all contingencies are thought out and addressed...no surprises for you!! Your mission, your strategy,  and your action plan is intact and crystal clear.......if this is you......I am jealous!!....Oh! if I could be like you!!.....for me everything  is seat of the pants.......my life has always followed the flow of my personal stream.... no plan, no goal, no motive....lets do this, lets do that, lets go here, lets go there.......hey you wanna get married?-OK.....hey you wanna go to Mexico?-OK...hey you wanna move to this island?-OK?.....hey you wanna ?....OK.....hey you wanna?...OK......  You get the idea......BUT you know what??..despite all the decades of  chaos in my life, everything has always worked out for me........you know why??........I know and will tell you... it is because, for some reason, my angels take care of me.....at the moment of our conception we are assigned an angel maybe two to look over us throughout our life...they can influence everything we do and everything we are and everything we become....but why do they take care of some and not others ?????????? Don't know the answer here.....but I do know that the first step is that you must embrace them......
Take care my friends............................................

Stay the course..............

Just finished reading a blog written by a 62 year old guy that travels the world and lives exclusively out of his two suitcases. He will get to a place, rent a house or an apartment for a year or two and then when the wanderlust overcomes him again, he moves on with his two suitcases to his next destination.  This guy cruises without a boat.....pretty neat, huh?   After our cruising days are over, this is what Tana and I will do. This guy commented that he never adds anything to the possessions in his suitcases without discarding something to make room. For those of you who drop in on this blog now and then,  this kinda sounds familiar doesn't it....sounds like my minimalistic mission to pare my personal possessions down to 50 things....Well, there hasn't been any more progress on the list of fifty......you wanna know why? ok-here it comes, the list has got 27 items on it right now and I can't think of anything else that I really need that must be included. Sure! there is tons of stuff that I would like to have but what we're talking about here is what does one, in this case, me, really need........maybe I'm delusional??  could be?  its possible! time will tell..
Peace to you my friends...........
"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."-Confucius

Why O Why O Why?

Guess what? You're not going to believe this....Here..the time has finally come for me to GO CRUISING and sever from the workaday world....quit my job, sell my house...yada yada yada...you all know the drill here. Well,  this is done and the light on the path to my sailing fantasies is burning bright and shining, AND right out of nowhere ....BAM, BAMBAMBAM!!!!.....a job that I have been lusting over for 30 years has come available!!!! AWWWW Crap! Guess what?? They received my resume on April 19, 2011 at 10:13 am or so says USPS . Now you talk about mixed feelings! Don't know what to do? What did Shakespeare say about we mortals weaving intricate webs?? So here in turmoil, three coronas down, I sit in confusion. Wish my mother was alive.
Take care my friends.........

Thinking out loud....................

Decades ago when I first fell victim to the seduction of sailboats and the adventures of Lynn and Larry and Hal and Margaret and Susan and Eric and Don Street and the Carpenters and Bernard Moitessior and Sterling Hayden and Sir Chichester and Robin-Knox and so many others, all I wanted to do was cruise my sailboat forever....but now, you know what?......the dream of cruising my sailboat on an open ended voyage throughout the Caribe is still burning in my soul as hot as ever........but forever.?....As I vintage, it seems to me that the world holds in its embrace so much adventure that has nothing to do with the sea........ how about a nice retirement village in Florida or Texas or Arkansas or maybe Lake Chapala? ....become a land dweller and  over coffee with your lifemate listen to the beautiful birds as they mate...or play dominos with your pals at the library or get together with your compatriots for birding lessons or meet for dinner for the 4 pm  special at the Golden Corral and  discuss all your life's frustrations?.......how about sitting in your chair and withering before your grandchildren....this is bliss? right? at least there is no danger here!......  HOLD ON , listen to me!!! This is..... where we want to..be?? ..right...this is..! Oh wait a minute! .....Aw www never mind...what in the heck was I thinking???? SHOOT ME NOW................................
Take care my friends...."Life is half spent before we know what it is."-George Herbert

The sweet siren song of West Marine now falls upon deaf ears...........

Thirty years ago when my fascination with sailboats was in its infancy, most of my disposable income was spent in marine chandleries. Oh the joy of laying out $12 for a tube of MARINE caulk.....what a pleasure it was to spend $1.00 for one #12 MARINIZED stainless steel, self-tapping, flat head screw.....oh! the thrill of paying $30.00 for a quart of Interlux topsides paint.....ah the ecstasy of giving up 7 hard earned dollars for an official, genuine, TRANSPAC proven MARINIZED boat sponge.........you'all get the idea here I think   ...What a RIP this stuff is!!! A while ago, my cheekblocks needed refinishing and this time no more varnish. Painting them was in order. So a quick trip to West Marine for a look-see for the proper primer and paint. Well the Interlux Marine Primer was about $20 for a pint and the their paint was another $32 per quart. Oh crap-here we go again! Just as my debit card was almost outta my wallet , it dawned on me PORCH PAINT!! Have you ever been on a painted porch on an old country house? Can you think anything that gets more wear and tear? I've been on many a painted porch where the paint still looked good 10-15-20 years after painting.......so, back on the shelf with the official  MARINE Interlux products and off to Sherwin Williams...to make a long story short...ONE GALLON of their best epoxy based porch paint in the color that I needed was $21-the primer was $6....the cheekblocks look great two years later..matter of fact, they look as good today as the day they were painted! My bowsprit needed a  rebuild because it was delaminating in a couple of places-did you know that ACE hardware sells for $8 the exact equivilant only in a larger amount of Git-ROT which sells for $19 for in the marine stores? Genuine MARINE non-skid granules are $9.00 in a little pint sized can at the marine stores vs. about $3 for 5 times as much at the hardware stores. 30 year exterior window caulk found at any hardware store for $4 or $45a tube is everybit as good as Boatlife that cost 3 or 4 times as much at the You Know Where! Most every hardware store sells stainless fasteners at 1/10 the price found in.....YKW! Those of you that check in on this blog every now and then know that a seahood rebuild is in progress.... well the wood has been treated with the ACE GitRot equivalent...next week the top insert will be faricated, glassed then finished off with porch paint impregnated with the non skid granules from Sherwin Williams just like my beautiful rebuilt bowsprit! You all take care and peace to you and yours........."Success is following the pattern of life one enjoys most"-Al Capp

Some pics of ZOSHA and a 23 year old seahood!!

Just got my hands on some pictures of ZOSHA and of the rotted seahood about which I've been lamenting and thought that maybe someone might be interested in taking a peek. The seahood isn't pretty-is it?

What a Day.........!!!!

Today in Galveston County Texas it is  absolutely perfect....perfect temperature, perfect winds, perfect sky, perfect light, perfect clouds, perfect vibe, perfect everything .....the weather could not be more perfect anywhere or any place on the planet....don't ask about crystal clear water and magnificent scenery....this is about weather only! Its good to be alive today....but you know what?.. its always good to be alive. If you think about it..the trials and tribulations in our lives should make us stronger, more adept at handling future issues...we learn from our set backs don't we?...its socioeconomic/cultural evolution..isn't it? wonder why so many of us repeat the same old tired actions but optimistically look forward to different outcomes?
Haven't thought  too much lately about the 50 items that are destined to be my sole possessions- although a digital camera is #23 on the list.
My seahood rebuild is progressing at a snails pace but thats normal for boat projects-you gotta think these things out. Things seem to be falling in place where March 2012 will be the month for Zosha and her crew to depart and begin the Grand Scheme.
We're still trying to follow the lead of the mnmlist guy and "live more with less"....it seems to be working...we like where we are heading along these lines. Everyday we find crap that we've coveted for who knows how long and we come to the conclusion to........give it away, sell it or toss it now! this stuff is a burden...anybody want 22 assorted color and material composition kokopelli's? if so, let me know...we'll make a deal!
take care my friends
"action is the foundational key to all success" -Pablo Picasso