rain, rain, go away

There just is not much happening aboard Marquesa this week.  The weather has dampened everything, including my spirits.  Literally, this week has been a bust with the cold front and four continuous days of rain.  I thought this was supposed to be the dry season?!  The only bright spot is the salt has been continuously washed off the boat- so she still looks shiny and beautiful. The low point was discovering a leak somewhere in the Vberth, that is ending up on my side of the bed.  Everything has been so damp, I wasn't sure until I woke up yesterday- it was beyond damp.  It was wet along the side of the Vberth wall.  God only knows where it's coming from.  Trying to track down a leak on a boat is dang near impossible.  Our best guess is one of the stanchions on the starboard side of the boat, or from the anchor locker up in the bow.  We need for it to dry out long enough to stay topsides to chase it down. 

One thing I do know for certain, this girl has cabin fever, and I am in need of some serious sunshine!Some people HSN or QVC shop when they are bored.  Others eat.  Still others start cooking or baking.  Some build puzzles, others read or write.  I've done about all of the above.  I've zoomed through three books in four days.  I've cooked.  I've baked.  I've worked out, and I've shopped.  Amazon shopped, that is.  I got my first box the day before yesterday, but it was so cold and pouring down rain, that I could not tear into my package.  Yesterday afternoon was a break in the weather, so. it. was. time.

I ordered a new king size memory foam mattress pad for the Vberth.  The other one was probably still fine, but I get creeped out by critters I cannot see but can only imagine.  I threw it to the curb at the end of the season last year.  Cutting a king sized 3 inch memory foam pad for a Vberth takes a bit of planning and doing.  In fact, it was an all day project.  That's how it always seems to go with a boat.  I have to recalibrate my brain when we return to the boat each season.  I can no longer tackle my days guns ablazin', and accomplishing a laundry list of tasks in a days time. It's not that I am on island time down here, (though it's true on most days).  The fact of the matter is that the simplest of tasks takes some major doing, as you just don't have the same resources available....like cutting a pad for the Vberth. 

I started out knowing I needed to make a pattern for the Vberth.  The first idea was to tape together newspapers....but I only had one local paper from back home on board that was all of eight pages long- not nearly enough paper.  Then Fran had the bright idea of cutting up some old sheets to make the pattern- even better.  The tape wouldn't have stayed stuck to the paper in all of the dampness, anyhow.  Wait. I don't have any straight pins on board. So, Cap'n left on his clown scooter (aka the Blue Hawg) to get some sheets from Fran, and to stop at the dollar store for straight pins.  He came back TWO HOURS LATER. Now I have to stop the project I haven't even started to make us some lunch.  After the galley mess gets cleaned up, I fold myself into the Vberth to make a pattern out of sheets and straight pins.

Sassafras was oh so very helpful.  I moved him three times as I worked my way
around the Vberth with my sharpie, scissors and a piece of cardboard from
a cereal box top to act as a straight edge.  Every time I got a section marked
and cut, I would turn around and he was where I was going to next.
Clearly I was in HIS way- he was not in mine.  I was interrupting his napping.

It was now mid-sfternoon, and the next problem to overcome was where to cut
it and how to cut it.  Donnie owns an electric knife, that he cleans fish with-
perfect.  Except we couldn't find it on the boat. Anywhere.  Or in the car.
Or at his parents. Or at his sisters, or at Kenny and Fran's  It still hasn't
turned up.  We had to go to Kenny and Fran's place anyhow, to spread out the
 memory foam.  I then laid my sheet pattern on it, marked the foam with a sharpie,
straightened up the edges with a straight edge from Kenny, and then with
an electric knife from Fran, we finally got it cut.  Another two hours later.
Nothing is easy when it comes to a boat. 

Now that the foam was all 'fluffed up' and cut to fit, we had to wrestle it back into the bag as it was pouring down rain by the time of left Kenny and Fran's. But, of course.  Meanwhile, I had laundry going at Banana Bay, and by the time we got back to the boat, I picked up the clean clothes and linens, and folded myself back up in the Vberth to make up the bed.  That, in itself, is a thirty minute chore- no less.  With only one task accomplished for the day, it was time to get back in the galley to rustle up some dinner.

On the menu last night was cubed steak with vegetables in a tomato sauce
(the way Cap'n likes it), mashed potatoes and Waldorf salad.  Knowing that
I was thoroughly disgusted by the long, slow progress of fixing up our
bed, he graciously did the dishes for me :)  He knew better than to put the
clean dishes away though, as wherever he would have put them, it
wouldn't have been in the right spot.  He knows me well.

After dinner, as I was putting away the dishes and clean laundry, Cap'n and
Willis were deep into "guy talk"- something about how complicating
women can be sometimes, and I don't know what all else.  It wasn't
meant for my ears.  We topped off the night with a trip to the hot tub.

Today started no better than yesterday- it was still raining.  Though I will say the temperature has been gradually rising, in spite of the rain.  We're at least back to shorts and flip flops. We both had a hard workout this morning at the gym, and then wanted to tackle some outside projects if the weather cooperated.  It didn't.  They're now on the list for tomorrow.  I need to go up the mast to retrieve our flag halyard.  We need to inspect the stanchions and try to track down the leak.  And that dinghy ride we tried to take two days ago?  Once we got the gas can attached, the carburetor got stuck open and it was leaking gas.  Cap'n needs to take it off, clean it, and work his Mr. Fix It magic.  None of that happened today. 

We did manage to get a pump out before we left for
the gym. The shitter was full.  That was a pleasing
aroma to wake up to from Helga this morning. Ugh.

Kenny and Fran came by for a visit on the boat late this afternoon. We had to map out our social calendar for the coming weekend.  It's important business, don't ya' know.  I also had another Amazon package delivered- our new goose down pillows!  Tonight should be a perfect sleep- new memory foam, clean sheets, new pillows.

By about 4pm, the sun tried to peek out momentarily, so we hopped on the Blue Hawg to go see the in-laws.  I had to show them the latest picture of their great-grandson....

Little Donnie was showing off his new belly button!
This little baby is so sweet- I can't wait to get my hands
on him when we visit them in Germany in April :)

In all the rain we've had, the foliage is starting to really bloom and look beautiful

For those that have never been here, there's a good reason
why its called Banana Bay Resort and Marina. There's
banana tree plants all over the property.  I think they
are so cool- especially the seed pod/bloom/thingie that
hangs down at the end of the stalk!

It was a pretty worthless day on board Marquesa. Out side of a pump out
and a good work out, we didn't manage to accomplish much.  In keeping
with the theme, we decided to eat out, as well.  We went to Lencho's
for some Mexican fare.  We came home with so much food- lunch tomorrow.

Actually, tomorrow is looking up- finally!  It's 77 degrees still at 11:30pm.  The last of the rain is supposed to move through tonight, and it's supposed to clear off by mid morning.  Hopefully Cap'n can get the carburetor fixed and we can try to get that dinghy ride we started on three days ago.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed- this girl needs some sun.

G'nite, y'all!