Monday, November 2, 2009

A Plethora of Our Favorite Things

*Music is the ultimate winner because it takes us back to a particular place in time. It's just like a journal.

But our other favorite things on this trip fall into 4 categories: sailing, activities, appreciate, products.

Sailing
Strong current astern, well marked channels, visible obstructions, making bridge openings, deep water, calm anchorages, sticky mud for holding, opinion free conversation with other cruisers, meeting other young cruisers, accurate weather forecasts, silent VHF passes perfectly executed, ranges that help line up tricky channels with extensive shoaling, co-pilot assisting with navigating, rising water depth, Boat U.S. gold unlimited tow package, new binoculars, marinas, wind when under sail in just the most ideal direction

Activities (kind of like spotting license plates from different states)
Finding boats from far off areas - Australia, Grand Cayman, England, and not so far off Canada. When we see a boat from Canada, we can’t help singing “My girlfriend, my girlfriend she lives in Canada” (musical Avenue Q - very funny for adults only), free wifi and then look at real estate, update blog and read NYTimes (check out Block-a-Thon by Andy Newman) just our sense of humor (especially liked making the sign - ‘Post No Bills’), Sirius radio (love music and love to sing all songs with my own made up words - this can entertain one for hours), spy nature - pelicans, dolphins, goats, turtles, deer swimming, fish jumping, Spanish moss, hay colored grasses, fireside chat (R lights hurricane lamps with paraffin fluid and we sit and talk about how we’re surprised we still have stuff to talk about

Appreciate
Hot water, spacious showers, block ice, strong pump out stations, sunny days, walking towns, pressure cooker, labeled cycle time and functioning washers/dryers, fresh produce, fresh baked bread, time, sturdy garbage bags, strong paper towels, fuel disposal, seashells, slow passes by motorboats, sleeping dogs, easy to read charts, helpful guidebooks

Products
Ruffles potato chips (Pringles second), Biobags for dogs (they’re made of corn and so will disintegrate even if buried in landfill - the blue biodegradable bags only compost if exposed to sun so they’re no good), Seventh Generation wipes, Amy’s, A’s homemade soup and bread, Indian spice packets, Chili Oil, Hot Sauces (Texas Pete, Sirachi, Green Tabasco, Chiluha), seltzer, boxed wine, French fries, Giovanni peppermint shampoo, Kiss My Face shaving cream, Jason unscented body wash, Alba coconut face wash, Nature’s Gate toothpaste, Near East Rice, Fantastic Sloppy Joes, BioNature jam (no refrigeration necessary), Agave nectar, Planter’s mixed salted nuts, Pacifico vegetable broth sold in individual sizes, McLube

So, back to music...

Don’t stop believing
Hold on to that feelin’’’’’’
One day we’ll see sunnnnnnnnnnnnn

Who doesn’t love Journey?

The sun will come out tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow
There’ll be sun

The whackiness goes on but don’t want to share too much this early on!