HEADED TO THE SANDBOX

23 February 2013
Vonore,  TN

 Looks like I will be trading this one, the S-61........

for this one, the UH-1H II Super Huey gunship.  

Well, things change.  Up until this recent break, I have been in Quakertown, PA undergoing training in the Sikorsky 61 helicopter.  The mission was eventually going to be to fly passengers for the State Department in Afghanistan.  While a somewhat dangerous mission, we will always fly with gunship coverage, and that is reassuring.  Now it looks like I will be the gunship coverage.

The S-61T program is apparently fallen victim to the current administration’s “cost cutting measures”.  (I had inserted my political opinion about the government, and this administration’s cost cutting, but in the interest of keeping this a sailing blog and not a politicaI one, I refrained and deleted my comments.)  I did get my S-61 qualification, and I did get to spend 4 months enjoying the Quakertown area, especially the eating establishments.  Dahleen did get to come and visit, and we did a lot of sight-seeing that we probably wouldn't have taken the time to do otherwise.  All in all, it was a good experience.

The end result for me is…..I will now be going directly to Afghanistan to fly the UH-1H II Super Huey gunship, providing escort security for unarmed aircraft and ground convoys ……(along with other missions, if you know what I mean).  I thought I was through with all that tactical stuff when I retired from the military.  Oh well, “never say never”.   

I will be glad to get started, only because the sooner I will get there, the sooner I get back.  The sooner I get back, the sooner we leave on the boat…..when we get the boat.  LOL.

I will be leaving on the 25^th of this month for at least a year….maybe a little longer, depending on how it goes.

Next post......from the Sandbox.  

DOCTORS, DENTIST, AND MORE DOCTORS

02/16/2013 
Vonore, TN

                                                         The Turquoise Water of Fish Cay



After I arrived home the end of January (for almost a month), we both had doctors and dentist appointments all day on a couple of other days during the week.  I think, in all, we supported 4 different doctors, a dentist (same dentist for both of us), and an optometrist....all in a week.  At least the flight physical, dental checkups and cleanings, and the real physicals are over, and we don't have to fool with them for another year. 

We started sorting through the things that we want to sell, deciding what goes on ebay, what goes on craigslist, and what we want to make available to friends and family in an email.  What a chore!  We now have half the garage dedicated to 'stuff '  we want to sell in order to rent the house and save money for the boat.  We really only got started....there is much more to go through and get rid of and then those things that we are going to keep, we have to pack up to store.  It will be a process....we can't make ourselves get rid of everything that we know we are going to have to eventually get rid of, so we do it in waves.  The closer it gets to setting sail to more things will have to go.  But, we did get a pretty good start.

So, over the next few months if you think of someone who needs furniture, wall decor, Ben Hampton prints (signed and numbered), clothes, and they are willing to pay a fair price for them, send them our way.  Those things we can't sell we will eventually donate, but we want to raise as much money as we can to put toward the boat and the cruising kitty.                       

SEARCHING FOR A BOAT

7 Feb 2013
Vonore, TN

                                                                   OUR FIRST SAILBOAT



Having owned a previous boat, we aren't going into the process blind.....we kinda know what we want this time.

Our previous boat, a 3-cabin Beneteau 411 was a great boat...it was perfect for what we did, which was to cruise the Bahamas for 6 months at a time. While doing that, we learned that for full-time cruising we wanted a larger boat and we needed a 2-cabin version this time (much more storage). With a 2-cabin we will still have the extra cabin for visitors and could resort to using the galley table/berth if necessary.

Notice in the above paragraph I used the words "wanted" and "needed"....there definitely is a difference. The Lord willing, we will get what we need, but whether we get what we REALLY want......I doubt it. What we really want, our dream boat, is a two-cabin 2004 or 2005 Beneteau 50. That ain't gonna happen; with the economic turndown "that ship has sailed", so to speak. A more realistic boat will be a Beneteau 46 - 47'.

While the boat market is a buyer's market right now, so is the real estate market. That's great for buying the boat, but not so good if you were thinking of selling a house and some other properties. So, what we ultimately get will greatly depend on what we net (I made a ryhme :-) ] for some of the real estate we sell (now decided to rent out our house) and how long we want to wait before taking the plunge, buying the boat and leaving. The longer I work, the more money we save for the boat and the kitty; but I have never been know to have a great deal of patience, and..... how long will the boat market be a buyer's market. Ahh, the dilema.....

We have enlisted a yacht broker in Hilton Head, SC to assist us in the search...we met him when we sold our other boat, and really liked him. He brought the buyers and was friendly, and professional. We have told him what to be on the look-out for and that we were going to be patient and wait for the right boat at a great price. He has been very helpful thus far. We will give him a plug later in the blog, or not.  It's up to him.  

Updated Nov 2013:   No plug for our broker....he wasn't any help.  We found our own boat and negotiated our own deal with a selling broker.  It has worked out so far; we are due to close in May 2014.

SIGHT-SEEING IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA

11 Jan 13
Philadelphia, PA

 The obligatory horse and buggy tour thru the historic district.

I have always enjoyed history….especially American history.  I remember my high school American history teacher, Miss Hodges, being one of the best teachers I ever had.  I know what you are thinking……MISS Hodges, she must have been a hot, single, young teacher that I had a secret crush on…..NOT.  She was probably in her late 50’s at the time, and to my knowledge never married.  But, she was a great teacher and a great person.  She was good at her job for a number of reasons, but the one that really stood out to me was the fact that she loved WHAT she taught.  She really had a love of this country that came across daily in how she taught American history.  She was passionate about it. 

We were forced to memorize the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence…..”When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands……” ; and the Gettysburg address……”Four score and seven years ago, our forefathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the principal that all men are created equal……” I still remember most of both of them.  At the time, we hated it…we thought we would never be able to complete the task.  Part of the problem, at the time, was we were memorizing words instead of the thoughts, principals, and ideas those words were communicating.  Life has taught me to appreciate the ideas and principals behind the words, and maybe that is why it is easier for me to remember now (40+ years later), than it was for me to learn it in the first place.

That was a long lead-in to this post.  Dahleen and I had the opportunity to visit Philadelphia’s historic district for the first time the other day.  Wow, I really enjoyed it.  I wish I had a whole week to visit and digest all there is to see.  To visit places where Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Betsy Ross and other American revolutionary heroes lived and/or worked was fascinating.  We visited Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed; the Liberty Bell; Betsy Ross’ house; Ben Franklin’s house and neighborhood; and countless other places of historical significance.  Just wish we had more time….

I am posting some pics of our visit...... 

Inside Independence Hall...this is where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

 The courtyard just outside Independence Hall

 The Liberty Bell.......duh!?

 Just outside Betsy Ross' house.....you can see part of the house in the background.

Betsy Ross' house........the part right behind the blue sign on the sidewalk.

 I love the architecture of the buildings.  

Dahleen at the passage-way between the street and the entrance to Ben Franklin's house.  

Passage-way to Ben Franklin's house from the main street.

Post Office on Ben Franklin's street.  

A KICK IN THE PANTS

4 Jan 2013
Quakertown, PA

Mike, Greg, and Dahleen Stocking Island, Exumas - 2006

Picture taken by Lynn (thanks, Lynn!)

Greg and I were talking over our first cup of morning coffee when  Mike & Lynn Brown’s names came up in conversation.  Mike and  Lynne (s/v Wombat of Sydney) are friends we made during our sabbatical to the Bahamas back in 2006.   We had some great times with them buddy-boating for a couple of months together.  Greg decided to call Mike and during that conversation Mike asked when we were going to get back out there and join them cruising again.  Though we had been working toward that goal, the conversation with Mike and Lynn reinvigorated us to focus more on doing just that.  It was great to get a chance to talk to them again.

CHRISTMAS IN PENNSYLVANIA

25 December 12

Quakertown, PA

Santa's Reindeer at the Mall in Allentown

Not much going on since last post other than a lot of sight-seeing and a lot of eating…..way too much of the latter.

To say that Dahleen and I have enjoyed the last couple of weeks in PA would be an understatement.  We have traveled to NYC for the day; been to the touristy border towns on the Delaware River of New Hope, PA - Lambertville, NJ; visited the huge mall complex of at King of Prussia; and several other places that are especially cool at Christmas.

We want to wish all our family and friends a Merry CHRISTmas and always remember Jesus is THE reason for the season.  Happy Birthday, Jesus; and Merry Christmas to all.    

I may post another, more detailed blog-post later, but till then here are a few photos taken during these visits:

On the way back from New Hope, PA-Lambertville, NJ

Christmas decorations at the King of Prussia Mall in PA.

Dahleen at King of Prussia Mall

 Reindeer are popular in Pennsylvania     :-)

Dahleen, Rudolph, and Vixen