4th of July weekend

This is how I spent Saturday:

Lounging on the boat, working on my tan, watching the clouds go by, rum drink at my feet. Oh, the life of a sailor!

Dave had the race flags flying. For you non-sailors, this is how it works: When you win a sailboat race, you get a flag. Yellow is 3rd place, red is 2nd place, and blue is the coveted 1st place. On Merideann, we have won 19 flags; 4 yellow, 10 red, and 5 blue. Next weekend is the Dry Creek Trophy Cup Race, sponsored by Dave Stare of Dry Creek Vineyard. Dave is a sailor and comes to the club to race with us and present the winning flags and trophy. It's always a good time. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The Dry Creek Race will be our last race aboard Merideann. Although she's been a good boat for us, she lacks the creature comforts we're starting to crave. So Merideann is for sale and we have bought a new boat.

We have been toying with the idea for a couple years but with two kids in college, well... Then finally one graduated and a friend of ours put his Catalina 400 up for sale and it all fell into place. We are taking possession of it next Saturday.

This Catalina has everything I have ever wanted in a boat. Tons of storage space, a built-in microwave oven, a real refrigerator and freezer, and a shower I can actually use. It also has two queen-sized beds and -get this- central air-conditioning!!! Can you stand it?

So after 14 years of sailing Merideann, it's almost time to say goodbye. Our race next weekend will be bitter-sweet.

Saturday night in the harbor

Today we organized that mess of hockey gear from a few days ago, inventoried it all and put it into boxes that are stacked shoulder-high in the garage. 24 big boxes and 3 hockey bags full. I hope we don't get any more donations between now and August, when the equipment swap will be held, because I don't know where we'd put it!

I was going to have my photographer take a photo of me wearing my completed One Skein Wonder, but he left to ride on the General's Hockey float in the 4th of July Parade and then had to go to work. Maybe tomorrow on his day off.