The beginning of the “lasts”

September 24, 2009

I have started this blog in my head so many times and run out of steam or energy or nerve.  I meant to write after the weekend, where the blog title would have been “wood, wiring, and (then I lost another “w”.)  I meant to write after Tuesday, where the blog title would have been “where did it all go?”  So here we are on Thursday, and I’ll incorporate it all into today’s blog!  Lucky, lucky you.

The song I have included in here is a favorite of mine.  Hope you enjoy it too!  And to add to the randomness of this post . . . Julian wanted to make dinner last week.  Here is a picture of his first course!  An artist, for sure.

Julian's first course . . .

Today is the start of the “lasts”.  Actually, that isn’t really true.  This past weekend was, really.  It was the kids’ last weekend on the boat before moving aboard.  It was our last Sunday night trip back from the boat (that trip I will NOT miss!)

And actually TOMORROW is the start of the “lasts.”  Tomorrow is Jeremy’s last Friday at work.  Tomorrow is the beginning of our last weekend in Charlottesville.  Tomorrow night is Jeremy’s last time driving to the boat alone, for a non-liveaboard work weekend.

But “the beginning of the lasts” sounds better than “sometime we hit the lasts”!

This past weekend was indeed filled with wood and wiring.  I (read – I started and Jeremy finished the project) wired Julian’s bunk fan permanently in place.  Should have been simple, but involved things like bundling cable, undoing

Random project shot

the radio and the bus terminal it needed to be hooked to, learning about crimp fittings, and determining polarity.   I also learned how to use the router as I shaped the retaining bars for under the chart table.  AND I polyurethaned wood, painted Julian’s bunk area, and fussed over storage.  Jeremy wired, and sawed, and routed, and tested (the radio email process), and so many other things I lost count.

Then on Tuesday the big day came.  I had done the grocery shopping at 6 of the 7 stores I wanted to hit, ziploced all the stuff that formerly existed in cardboard, and it was time to get the stuff aboard.

Jeremy took the kids to school so I could get going promptly.  The van was loaded (that was Monday’s task), I had one more stop to make (75 lbs of pasta plus sundry other items at Trader Joe’s), and had a timeline to be back in Charlottesville by 6:30 for dinner with friends.  Ambitiously, I wanted to get a coat of paint on Julian’s bunk as well.  HAH.

Perhaps the pictures tell the story best.

The whole van is filled.

And more pictures . . .

All this fits on the boat?

Notice the important provisions are here too . . .

After 5 hours of stowing (I made a deal with myself that I could eat a bite or two of lunch after every 10 bags stowed), it was all (mostly) put away.  I called Jeremy to tell him I was headed off, that I had NOT gotten to Julian’s bunk, and that we would have to play musical boxes for a little while until we ate our way clear.  He laughed.  I hope he’s still laughing after he sees what I mean this weekend!

Before the food is aboard. Note green and black stripes, and the distance between the water and the metal fitting

After loading . . . See, I really DID stow it all!

I figure I put close to 1500 lbs of food aboard.  Look on the bright side – we don’t have to buy staples from now until we return.

Guess we are committed to going now (there is no way I will undo all I just did –  workout and weight-lifting I laugh in your general direction!).

These are the days indeed!