Setbacks for the New Year

The holidays are over! I am glad, that was the most stressed out I have ever felt. But we survived it and it ended up ok. This was a hard year for us, especially as of late but I am looking forward to a brighter New Year.

My grandmother passed away the week of Christmas which was very sad. She was in La Pine and none of us were able to get up there to see her. They are having a memorial for her in the Spring in Portland where my grandfather is laid to rest.

We have had a setback and won't be able to leave on Tuesday as we had hoped. Brett ended up with some emergency health issues that he has to see a specialist for next week to find out if he needs surgery or not. I was hugging my coworkers and friends good bye at work on Friday when I got the call. Amazingly, Chaim and Cindy scrambled quickly to arrange for me to stay on a little longer with OML while we find out what needs to be done for Brett. Everyone is thankful that this problem arose now instead of while we were on the road or on the boat. So we are packed up, ready to go as soon as the doctor clears him.

Meanwhile, I was able to order us a new anchor. We wanted a good anchor since most of our time will be at anchorages. We needed an anchor to hold fast during storms and while we are on land, away from the boat. Our three anchors are all fluke anchors so we really needed a plow for the terrain in the South. After a lot of research, we decided on the Manson Supreme rather than a CQR plow. Everything I've read has been positive about the Manson's, being a "next-generation anchor". It was actually much cheaper than a CQR but its supposed to be superior.

I also was able to pick up foam for the rest of our cockpit cushions, the settee backs as well as all the fabric needed to cover them for extremely cheap while here in Oregon. I was able to get very beautiful fabric for curtains/pillows and good vinyl for the cockpit cushions. Cockpit cushions are definitely a must after being out for a month with small ones.The cushion fabric is not quite my color preference but I have found coordinating fabric that will tie everything together beautifully. It will be very Tuscan looking. :) It is a luxury for us to have the fabric for the cushions, curtains and settee backs but it will be much more comfortable. The boat will look nice and it will make me feel happier about living in it rather than just having blankets thrown over the cushions. Brett agreed and didn't protest when I brought home the clearanced fabric. Micro Fiber at $3.00 a yard is a steal. So is the foam which was $58. I was quoted $280 at another fabric shop earlier that day!

I'll update more when we are able to leave. It's been a long stretch since I wrote last and I am sure I am leaving out something but I just wanted to touch base with everyone.