Summer on Kent Island

 August 16, 2021 - August 29, 2021

Lola loves her morning outside time even more so now that we have Kali.  After Lola jumps onto the dock and runs up on the Bimini a few times she settles down and I can enjoy the morning, too.  Most mornings have a nice cool breeze and I am serenaded by the quacks of ducks and the chirps of the barn swallows who make their nests under the docks.  Occasionally, I hear the raucous scream of the resident great heron who sits atop a boat across the harbor surveying the action.  But, soon the day becomes too hot for outside and Lola and I retreat to the cabin - me to start my morning chores and Lola to romp and tussle with Kali.

The cats tire themselves out by mid-morning and settle in for a nap.

Kali helping me sew.

The original table that came with the boat was attached to the mast on one side and had a leg on the opposite side which was mounted in the teak floor.  Consequently, when we removed the table we had a hole in the floor that had to be dealt with.  Our first idea was to cover it with a rug and the second idea was to replace the floor board that had the hole in it.  Bob opted for the second idea which required a trip to the exotic woods store in Annapolis.  They stock an amazing variety of woods from all over the world.  Bob loves wood working so this store is much like a quilt shop is for me.  He picked out a suitable piece of teak and had it cut to his exact measurements.  Now all he needed to do was drill the holes and stain and varnish the wood.  Bob is a perfectionist when it comes to this process and it took him the better part of the week to complete this project.  The effort was well worth it since it looks absolutely beautiful.

The smaller table makes a dining area
without taking up so much space.

Since I had to postpone my Ireland trip with my daughter Jessica we decided to get together and have some fun.  I arrived at her house on Friday evening just in time for happy hour and dinner. Our plan was to visit my niece, Allison, and her family for the weekend in Franklin, PA and then drive to Pittsburg to spend some time with my sister Becky and her husband.  We had a blast!!! The weather was perfect at Allison’s to enjoy playing in the pool with her two children, Ronan and Maeve. 

Maeve and Ronan lounging in the pool.

Jessica and Allison enjoying the water.

Maeve taking a Coke break.

Ronan relaxing in the pool.

On Saturday night all the boys and men went to the Steelers game.  Jessica, Allison, Maeve and I went out to dinner.  On our way out the door Allison was bringing in some Coke Zero that had been in the hot car.  They slipped out of her hands, crashed to the tile floor, and began spraying coke everywhere especially on my white pants. Hilarious(I guess I should have taken a picture)! I changed quickly and we were on our way to a delicious meal. It was a great weekend - relaxing with the adults and playing with the children.

On Monday morning we left for Pittsburg and made a quick stop at some outlets for some shopping and lunch arriving at Becky’s house around 1:00 pm.  We had reservations at the Warhol Museum at 2:00 pm.  What a terrific exhibit. I never knew Warhol was born and raised in Pittsburg.  He was such a great talent.

Becky relaxing on the "Warhol" couch beneath the
 image of Warhol on the same couch.

 On Tuesday we visited the Strip.  Originally, this street was filled with stores that catered to restaurants, but now it caters more to individual customers,  We visited a terrific kitchen store that I could have spent all day in.  I found some cooking tools that I had been looking for and hadn’t found.  Penzy's Spice store was amazing with every type of spice imaginable.  After a delicious lunch of Italian wedding soup, salad, and pizza we visited an Italian Market that had every imaginable ingredient you could want for Italian cooking.

Jessica, Becky, and me at the Strip.

That night we all (Becky, Al, Jessica, and me) enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a restaurant that was created inside the historic Pittsburgh train station.  

This is the main dining room.

We ate in one of the side rooms that overlook the river.

This was the view from our table.

On Wednesday we left my sisiter’s house and headed to Johnstown.  My original plan was to drive on to Kent Island, but I stayed at Jessica’s for the day as I wasn’t feeling well - sinus congestion and exhaustion.  I arrived at Kent Island before noon on Thursday and Bob suggested having lunch at Ram’s Head in Chester.

The rest of the week was taken up with boat chores, an afternoon at the pool, and a few small projects. I was amazed at how much Kali had changed in the few days I was away.  Her hair is getting longer and fluffier which is particularly noticeable in her tail.  She and Lola seem to have developed a positive relationship.  They like to race around the boat in the morning, tumbling and tussling until they wear themselves out.  

My daughter Rachel faithfully sends me pictures of my granddaughter, Claire.

She's smiling at everyone now!

                        

Soon we will have to start getting ready to leave for Mexico.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Summer in Kent Island, MD - 4

August 8, 2021 - August 15, 2021

 Some photos I wasn’t able to include in my last blog:

Bob and Juan in the cockpit of the boat when they
 visited on their way home from the beach.

Lili Claire and I are in the main salon of the boat.

A selfie of Rachel with me in the background

Jessica holding Claire and me at the beach

My next exciting trip was supposed to be to Ireland with my daughter Jessica. Unfortunately, the CDC has designated Ireland as a high risk country to travel to and we opted to postpone our trip until the spring or fall of 2022.  I am very disappointed since this was supposed to be a celebration of my 70th birthday and Jessica’s 40th birthday (we both have September birthdays).  I’m sure I can find some other way to celebrate my 70th.  We celebrated my husband’s 70th in Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas.

On Monday August 9th Bob and I drove to Kunkletown, PA to pick up our 13 week old kitten, Kali.  We were nervous about how she would react to us and the long drive back to the boat.  She was a real trooper even standing on her hind legs occasionally to look around the car.  The first few days were a bit tense between Lola and Kali with Lola staying in the back of the boat and Kali staying in the front.  We even put their separate food dishes near their chosen areas.  Kali is a very active and playful kitten who likes to explore.  She has found some interesting toys around the boat which Lola has no interest in anymore. By the end of the week the cats were playing together running up and down the boat and tumbling and swatting at each other playfully.  All the activity is wearing them both out by the afternoon when they spend most of their time napping.

Kali is playing with a fuzzy ball attached
 to a support bar with elastic.

Kali watching Lola staring at her.

Lola is watching Kali intently.

Lola wondering, "What is that kitten doing now."

We also, made a big change in the interior of the boat by taking out the original boat table and replacing it with a round teak table we had in storage. I was skeptical at first, but it does make the area in the main salon more open.  I was even able to sew on the round table by placing a cardboard cutting board on top of the table which gave me enough space for sewing and pressing. I think the round table is a keeper.

Some other boat projects took up the rest of our time.  We added piling guards to one of the pilings on our dock to improve the barrier between the boat and the dock.  Usually fenders are the only barrier between the boat and the dock, but they shift around a little and with the permanent guards attached to the piling the boat is less likely to ever scrape against the piling.  We also replaced the circuit board and the data cable for the refrigerator and it has been working fine ever since!

Thank you for reading my blog.

A week in Bethany Beach with Family

July 31, 2021 - August 7, 2021 

Jessica and Joe (my daughter and son-in-law) picked me up at the McDonald's in Stevensville, MD early Saturday morning for our yearly trek to Bethany Beach where we meet up with out extended family.  As is our custom, we stopped in Rehoboth Beach to have lunch at Gus and Gus's on the boardwalk.  Parking was a nightmare but we finally found a space in the 1 hour only parking area.  The cheese steaks and fries were as delicious as we remembered.  After lunch we drove on to Bethany Beach.  Since we were the first of the family to arrive we picked up the house keys and proceeded to our rental house on Central Blvd.  We always have the same rooms so we unpacked and waited for the rest of the crew to arrive from various places in the USA.  It is always such a joyful reunion with hugs and kisses for everyone.  My nieces and their children filled the house with laughter and shrieks of joy.  Everyone was waiting anxiously for the newest member of the family to arrive from Illinois, my granddaughter, Claire.  

I always have the responsibility for providing dinner on the first night and I ordered nine pizzas from our favorite spot - Grottos.  Jessica helped me make a salad to go along with the pizza.

My niece, Allison, had purchased t-shirts for all of the adult women and started to distribute them.  Becky and I got the "The beautiful one" shirts.  As the matriarchs of this clan I think that was appropriate. 

My sister Becky and I wearing our new t-shirts.

 

A photo op for all of the ladies wearing their new t-shirts 
(Ronan made a guest appearance, too)

The weather for the week was great.  It did rain one day, but that allowed the parents to take the children to Funland in Rehoboth mid afternoon.  No one was exhausted from being on the beach all day and everyone got home at a reasonable hour. Plus it stopped raining by the time they all got to Rehoboth and all the rides were up and running!

I’m going to finish this post with a photo gallery of some of the high points of the week.  It was terrific!

Cousin fun - Mauve, Ofelia, and Bella

I had lunch one day at Baja's with Bella and my granddaughter, Lili.

Claire's first day at the beach.

Claire certainly enjoyed the week.

Claire was often the center of attention.
Here she is being held by her cousin Alfredo
while her cousin Bella looks on.

Ronan and Bella were Claire's best babysitters.

Jessica and Joe enjoying the cool evening on the front porch.

On Tuesday my other sisters, Laurie and Nancy, arrived to help Al and Becky celebrate their vow renewal after 44 years of marriage.

Laurie and her daughter Sarah on the front porch before the ceremony

Sarah and her Uncle Aldo sharing a laugh.

Rachel, Juan, Lili, and Baby Claire
are all dressed up for the ceremony on the beach.

 

Jennifer, Laurie, Bella and Ofelia look
lovely in their nice dresses.

Mother (Becky) and Daughter (Allison) are
ready to go down to the beach for the ceremony.

Aldo and Nancy drove down from
eastern PA to be at the ceremony.

Jessica, Joe, Bella and Ofelia are ready for the ceremony.

And, of course, the "bride" was beautiful.

It was a wonderful week together as a family. And the crowning event was Juan's proposal of marriage to Rachel. She accepted, of course!  Can't wait for next year!!!!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Summer on Kent Island - 3

 July 20, 2021 - July 29, 2021

I left early Tuesday morning from BWI airport and arrived at Midway Airport at 8:30 am Central time.  Rachel, Juan, Lili, and baby Claire picked me up and drove me to their apartment in Oak Park where I held my granddaughter for the first time.

Lili with her baby sister, Claire

The week was filled with a lot of baby holding by everyone in the household.  Claire is a calm and happy little thing with lots of entertaining facial expressions.  She likes to lay in her crib or bassinet and when she is awake she moves her arms and legs all-around.  I got into the habit of getting up around 6:00 am and taking the morning shift of baby tending.  After Rachel nursed her I would burp her and lay her back in her crib.  If she was awake I would start her baby lessons (I am a retired educator after all).  I held up shape, color, and number books a page at a time for her to focus on and of course I talked about everything she was seeing extensively.

Claire is sleeping.

The happy parents - Rachel and Juan

 

Later in the day we took her for walks in the stroller and one day she went to the doctor’s for her first check-up.  She gained 1 lb. and grew 2 in.  She is doing well.

Lili and I visited the bead store down the street several times.  Lili is becoming adept at making beautiful wooden bead and shell necklaces.  She learned how to put lobster clasps on the cord which looks very professional. I purchased the beads, direction book, and findings to make Kumihimo braided jewelry.  My first attempt was not perfect but the clerk at the bead store showed me what I was doing wrong and hopefully I will be showing you a photo of the finished project in my next blog.

Lili is posing next to the sign announcing
 her graduation from elementary school.

On Sunday Juan’s two sisters, their husbands, their children and his mother came for a visit. It was great to meet all of them.  The two babies - Claire and Amelia - stole the show.  Amelia was born in April and will grow up with Claire.  What fun to have a cousin so close in age and so close by.  

The two proud Papas are holding their girls.

Juan's sister's Jenny and Flor are holding
the two stars of the day as Rachel looks on.

I left Oak Park on Tuesday, July 27 in the afternoon and got home to the boat by 9:00 pm.  Bob and I completed several boat projects in the next few days and I prepared to leave for Bethany Beach for my yearly family vacation.  All about that next blog!

Thank you for reading my blog.