House Duties

Well, not much progress was made on the boat lately.  The weather has been beautiful (a great time to sail), but tasks around the house and yard prevailed.  Work was done in the flower garden, but mostly we have had a chain saw running.  We topped the 5 leland cypress (took off 15' or more), had to "notch" a tree and replace an 8' section of fence (the tree has grown so much it is pushing/bowing the fence), and found one of our sweetgum trees was riddled with termites at the base.  Unfortunately this tree was leaning toward the shed, so it had to come down before Mother Nature decided when and where it would fall.

Sweetgum trees

Termite damage

Topping the leland cypress

Notching oak tree for fence

But, before all the yardwork, Mike has been finishing the formica work.  (It's hard to store large pieces of the formica.)  He replaced the dark colored formica in the aft cabin with the same pattern we used in the galley and on the nav station. 

Old formica stripped

New formica and sink reinstalled

 

 

 

 

He is also working on the top of the dresser in the aft cabin.  All that would be left is the top of one other cabinet next to the settee in the salon.  We haven't decided yet whether we'll bit the bullet and do it now (the weather is colder and makes drying the glue, i.e.,contact cement, a little more difficult) or just cut the piece of formica and store it until it is warmer and easier to dry the glue.

And, to celebrate a decade anniversary this year, we took a sunrise balloon ride over the Eastern shore on Thanksgiving Day.  It was a beautiful ride and we cruised at a max of 1100 ft and 25 mph.  It was like sailing, but in the air.

Sunrise from the balloon over MD's Eastern Shore

Fire-breathing dragon

Happy passengers