October 1-20, 2021 Atlanta and marina friends

October 3-6
We have friends in the Atlanta area that we met in South Dakota years ago.  We have visited Randy and Deb Louchart several times since we have had the boat on the East Coast.  Randy has passed away.  Deb sold their home in Lawrenceville and moved to a home on Lake Lanier.  I decided to take a road trip to see her and check out our new car.  

It was rainy and cold, so we didn’t go boating on the lake.  But we enjoyed each other’s company.  Did a little shopping and house projects and just hung out.  Great girlfriend time together.

street side of her home

The driveway.  The tall garage has 2 apartments, also

Lake side view

the distance from the shoreline to her house

her dock on a finger to the lake

 The Army Corps of Engineers actually owns the grass in front of house on the lake side.  She has a segment that runs between the house and water on the right end of the house.

We worked at trying to place lighting along the step to her bar in her family room.  The material with it didn’t want to stick to the slate.  We told her about butyl rubber that we use on the boat.  Should work for this situation.

happy hour on the deck

the bar in the family room where we were adding lights

October 13
We went to St Simon’s Island for dinner with Pete.  We had a really nice walk on the beach after dinner and right at sunset.  

 

 

October 14
We went out for dinner with friends before they leave to head south, Margaret and Bill.  We ran into another couple that used to be on our dock but have sold their boat, Richard and Dawn.
After dinner we stopped at the Catholic Church in Darien, Nativity of Our Lady Mission.  They recently dedicated a memorial to 5 Spanish Franciscan missionaries who were killed in1597, Friar Pedro de Corpa and Companians.  In 1984, the cause of the martyrs was opened for canonization and still in the process.  
Another beautiful sunset

 

 

Another ladies luncheon

October 20
Beautiful photo from the boat show

this was taken by someone else at the Annapolis boat show.  The colors showed up in the photo, not live

Another beautiful sunset

October 21
The marina hosted a pumpkin carving party at the clubhouse.  It was a fun evening.

this was their first time ever carving pumpkins

Dave telling his stories again

the carver used to be an art teacher

I know my family will see a "Z", but it's actually a lighthouse with a beam of light and a wave upon the shore by the lighthouse

October 22
We planned to leave today for Rockport, Mass to crew for a friend, Jed and Amy.  We were going to help move their boat to Brunswick.  BUT, Dave’s mom had a slight stroke and we weren’t sure if we would need to leave for WI on short notice.  So we cancelled on him, AGAIN.  We were planning to help move their boat north last June when our sister in law passed away unexpectedly.  They totally understood and were able to find other crew.  And Dave’s mom continued to do fine and was at her home.  Lots of tests and consults, but she was never hospitalized.  And only her speech is slightly affected.  

We were able to put in one of our port windows today.  Dave found a 3M two sided tape used for sky scrapers.  We're hoping the technology transfers to boats.

suction handle to help hold the window in place

now to remove the black goo from the tape that protected the opening

September 2021 First Car after 8 years and marina events

After driving to South Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota to see family that last few years, we decided to buy a car for the first time since 2013.  Another boater on our dock owned a Toyota dealership about 90 miles from here, Statesboro, GA.  So we worked with him to get a 2016 Toyota RAV4.  They were so easy to work with.  We just cringed at the thought of working with car salesmen.  I think they rate about the same as going to the dentist.  Had to add that.

 

September 17 Another fun monthly ladies lunch at the marina


I usually walk twice a week with other ladies from the marina.  Today we found this library exchange in a park.  Just love the trees here,

Love the sunsets at this marian

Sept 24 October fest

Our marina hosted an Oktoberfest at the marina.  People ask “Why in September?”  Oktoberfest actually starts the last 2 weekends of September and ends on the first weekend in October.  We dug out our German outfits from the storage unit (minus Dave’s German hat).  I even convinced Dave to polka with me.
We brought curry wurst to the potluck.  We cooked bratwurst and sliced it.  Then we warmed them in curry ketchup and added curry.  It’s a sweeter, curry flavored ketchup common in Germany.  Another boater brought jello shots that looked like little beers.  People were inside and outside by a fire pit.  Fun night.

jello shots that look like mugs of beer

 

 

There was a replica of the Santa Maria ship docked at our marina for a week.  We were able to tour it.  Amazing when you think about crossing the ocean in this vessel.

 

August 18-29, 2021 Trip to Sioux Falls, SD with friends

Earlier this year, my grade school girlfriends and I planned a long weekend together in southern MN.  I thought I was going to be in Wisconsin visiting Dave’s mother, so the VRBO in Fairmont, MN would be a good place to meet.  When we plan our time together, it’s more about just being together than site seeing, shopping, etc.  So a house on a lake sounded perfect to us.

With our unexpected trip to SD in June/July, we visited Dave’s mom.  Dave and I decided to go our separate ways.  Dave flew into Minneapolis and rented a car for 5 days.  I flew into Sioux Falls for 12 days.  

I had a late flight into Sioux Falls on Tuesday, August 18.  Sheryl Gerdes Bedard picked me up at the airport to stay with her. On Wednesday, I met a long time friend, Chelle Foley Hart, for lunch.  I used to guide her cross country skiing at the Black Hills Ski for Light.  Always fun to catch up with each other.

We spent Thursday preparing for the weekend.  We also enjoyed Sheryl’s lovely back yard.  She has always had a green thumb.  Gail Wieland Zeller arrived from Miller.

 

Thursday was Dave's mom's 90th birthday.  They celebrated at Alice's apartment building with family and friends.

On Friday, Gail, Sheryl and I drove to Fairmont, MN via Lake Okoboji, Iowa.  Gail had never been there. We had a nice lunch by the water, shopped a little, then headed to Fairmont, MN.
Lori Landgrebe Schneller joined us in time for dinner.  We enjoyed a beautiful evening on our deck.

Gail, Mary, Sheryl

 

 On Saturday, the 21st, Lori and I went for a walk and found a nice coffee shop.  So we went back to the to get the others and enjoyed our morning there.  We enjoyed a lazy day together at the lake house.  We considered going out for dinner, but ended up ordering pizza.

 

Lori walked to church with me on Sunday.  It was about a mile away.  We took a tour of the town.  It’s very pretty with 5 lakes and many parks.  We grilled steaks on the grill tonight.
Lori brought a box of old photos from high school and a few years after.  We had so much fun reminiscing.

Sheryl, Mary, Lori, Gail

Sheryl, Mary, Lori, Gail

On Monday, Lori’s sister called and told her their 100 year old mother was not responding in the nursing home.  Lori packed up and headed to Miller, SD.  This was our warmest day, so I took a kayak out on the water.  We spent most of the day on the deck and enjoyed a bonfire that night.

our vrbo from the water

 

 Tuesday, lazy day at the VRBO.  Wednesday morning we packed up and cleaned up and headed to Perkins for breakfast.  As we were driving back to Sioux Falls, Lori called to tell us her mother passed away peacefully in the nursing home.  The family had a private service before taking her to Sioux Falls for burial.  

Lori’s family was in Sioux Falls for Lori’s niece’s wedding, Kelly Wong.  She was marrying Peter Heidepriem, the son of a high school classmate or ours.  They met after college and had no idea that they each had a set of grandparents and parents that had lived in Miller, SD.  

They had a gathering in remembrance of their mother, Bernita, at a restaurant in Sioux Falls and asked us to join them.  Sheryl had perfected their mother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe and made some to take for the family.  They were so appreciative.  We had a nice visit with Lori’s siblings and some other friends in town for the wedding.

Friday, shopping, Gail left for Miller.

Saturday evening there were tornado warnings in the area.  In Sioux Falls, there was very heavy rain.  A tornado touched down near Lennox, SD, 15 miles from the wedding reception venue.  But all was ok.  

Sunday morning, my flight was delayed because my flight couldn’t come in on Saturday night with the severe weather.  That put me on a later flight out of Atlanta.  And I had to switch gates 4 times in Atlanta before we had a functioning airplane.  I should have been home by 12:20pm and it ended up being 7:00pm.  Good thing I am retired.  

August 1-17, 2021 Climbing the mast

 Dave wanted to try out a new system for climbing the mast.  When he first tried it, he didn’t have it attached to the mast with slugs in the mast slot to hold it in place.  It was like the swinging rope ladders at the fair.  The mast is about 55 feet off the water, or 50 feet off the deck of the boat.  His rock climbing experience has come in handy.
He was on an exploratory mission to find out what he needed to mount a speaker for our hailer/fog horn.  Right now it is too close to our radio and gives feedback.
We’re also running new wiring for our Vhf antenna.  Dave discovered the wiring had rusted when Dave was working on the through deck clam shells for wires with gaskets.  And he always check the conditions of lines and wires.

8-13 ladies lunch
Another great Ladies luncheon at the marina


Our boating friend, Trish, brought her pet parakeet to a gathering at the clubhouse